Nail Gun

[kywildcat]

I used a framing nail gun for the first time this weekend. My framer was finished for the week end, and I was going to build a wall in the garage for my shop, and he told me use the gun and compressor. I drove 16p nails in all the framing.........and Im addicted now!! What kind of nail gun do I need to hang the OSB from the ceiling and walls, and how big of a compressor. What is the difference between nail guns and brad guns??

 

[trbomax]

A paslode cordless with ring shank nails,I think they are 2 3/8" ?? I'd have to go look,but you get the idea.I have an air nailer that I never use now that I have the cordless.

edit) brad guns shoot headless nails for trim.

 

[Grumpy365]

I use a little turtle compressor with my gun and have never had a problem.

A brad gun is only good for finish work (like cabinet trim). Brads don't have a head to speak of and they are thin. They kind of disappear into the trim.

You don't use brads for anything structural.

I use my framing gun for dang near everything related to 2x4 etc. / plywood, but i adjust my nail size to the work.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Google Paslode gas framing nailer, adjustable depth of drive, and you will never look back. For finishing nails, Dewalt has the battery operated nailer, shoots up to 2-1/2", which kicks *** for finish work. Love that sucker! I put plywood on my shop walls, and tacked in place with the Dewalt, then went back with drywall screws to help support weight of any items hung on the walls. I didn't use the framing nailer because I felt it would chip out the edges of the sheets, and I wanted it to look nice. I countersunk the screws and spot puttied them over, although some people leave the screws exposed to allow opening up the wall if needed.

 

[georgiadave]

A cordless has its power limitations. I like the pneumatic full head nail Porter Cable strip nailer. Cordless is good for trim, where you don't want to drag a hose over the baseboard trim.

 

[kywildcat]

"A paslode cordless with ring shank nails,I think they are 2 3/8" Sorry trbomax, but Im not sure what you are talking about on the paslode cordless.
Thanks Grumpy.........I wont be using any Brads now!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[scott37300]

"A paslode cordless with ring shank nails,I think they are 2 3/8" Sorry trbomax, but Im not sure what you are talking about on the paslode cordless.
Thanks Grumpy.........I wont be using any Brads now!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paslode cordless is just that, no air compressor required. It runs on fuel cells and a battery with a tiny little cute spark plug. I have two of them and they are amazing. Don't have to worry about dragging an air hose around and up ladders and stuff. They are a little expensive and do take some maintenance to keep them running good without problems. Nothing major but just some time cleaning them and a few other things, just like any other engine that runs on fuel and spark.

 

[Sarki]

2nds on the Paslode. They make a sweet angled finish nailer for sure! Great not having to deal with an airline & compressor, especially when on a ladder!

 

[AMCguy]

I inherited an old Bostitch stick nailer from a friend who moved away. It has been so reliable that it lead me to buy their roofing nailer and their flooring nailer. I love them all.

 

[banzaitoyota]

I am getting ready to to build my pole barn an have to install a bunch of joist hangers so I will be purchasing a joist hanger nailgun to drive the multitude of nails reuired for each hanger

 

[WVBrady]

Just make sure your other hand is at least one nail length away from the end of the nailer. Sometimes the nails come out crooked (grain of wood) and can run a nail right through your hand or finger. A guy at Lowes told me about this. He said it didn't hurt at all going in, but it sure did hurt coming out!
Also, if you have the kind of trigger that you can just hold down and bounce the nailer to rapid fire the nails, you have to be careful that you don't have nails being fired out in the air. I was holding some 2x4's together and after I fired the first nail, the nailer bounced, just barely caught the safety catch on the end of the 2x4 and fired a nail past my left hand, just grazing my little finger. I changed my trigger to the kind where you have to release the trigger each time, sacrificing a little speed for more safety.

 

[Falcon67]

I have a Porter Cable FR350A. Bought it refurbed for $130. Great nailer, kicks like a mule and will drive those big nails right in. uses 2" to 3 1/2" plastic collated nails. I also have a Craftsman 15 gauge trim nailer and an 18 gauge Craftsman. I have a lot of trim to put up in this house and those puppies make hanging the stuff pretty easy. I re-hung 40' or washboard siding with the 15 gauge - really saved me a lot of labor. That job came before the FR350, otherwise I'd have used that.

 

[tcianci]

Pneumatic nailers are da bomb. That said, there is an entire spectrum of stuff to choose from. I am going to go out on a limb and guess that the folks with the Paslode self contained units do not use them commercially as they are kinda spendy and since our tool collections tend to be progressive, a lot of us would stick with pneumatic nailers since we already have money ******* the compressor and hoses. If you do plan to use a nailer on a regular basis spend the money and get a name brand...Bostich, Senco, Paslode, Porter cable etc. If you think your use may be more of a weekend warrior type, get over to your local Harbor Freight with a 20% coupon in hand and have a ball. A buddy of mine recently sided his house with Hardie Plank. Roofing nails are agreat way to install the stuff, so he went to HF and spent about 80 bucks or so on a roofing nailer and it worked great. If you have no equipment at all yet (compressor etc.. ) Scoop one of those Porter cable/Depot specials with a finish gun, brad gun and compresssor for well under 200 bucks, add a HF framer and you have enough fire power to handle just about any home project and some larger stuff too.

 

[blue dog]

I agree with tcianci on all accounts, the porta cable set up at hd is a good way to get yourself in to some air nailers, and you can use the compressor for other shop related stuff as well. Then like he said, a hf framing nail gun or a porter cable won't break the bank. In my experience the Pasload stuff is for doing pick up work, but a guy would not want to trim out or frame a entire house with them, and they are spendy.
My advice is to stay away from the new Senco stuff, as it has gone down the tubes and is **** now days, that being said, if you can find a used senco framing gun that is a few years old, they were good guns. I have all ways had good luck with hitachi framing nailers, they are light and bullet proof.

 

[8587GN]

I do finish carpentry/cabinet making for a living.Every gun I own is either a Paslode,or a Senco.The Porter Cable guns are OK,but I dont like where the safety nose is on them[if that make any sense]and yes,even with the compresor,etc.I own a Paslode Impulse,they are great guns

 

[tcianci]

I agree with tcianci on all accounts, the porta cable set up at hd is a good way to get yourself in to some air nailers, and you can use the compressor for other shop related stuff as well. Then like he said, a hf framing nail gun or a porter cable won't break the bank. In my experience the Pasload stuff is for doing pick up work, but a guy would not want to trim out or frame a entire house with them, and they are spendy.
My advice is to stay away from the new Senco stuff, as it has gone down the tubes and is **** now days, that being said, if you can find a used senco framing gun that is a few years old, they were good guns. I have all ways had good luck with hitachi framing nailers, they are light and bullet proof.

OOPS forgot to mention Hitachi! They are among the best.

 

[Justanoldguy]

I have several Paslode gas nailers.
Wouldn't trade em for anything.
But maintenance is a must.
Should be second nature anyway to a good tool guy.

 

[csp]

My framing gun will shoot 7d ring shank nails, which would be perfect for nailing OSB up. No need for another gun if you have a need for a framing gun first.

 

[ishiboo]

I got the Bostich 28 degree wire weld nailer for $179 on sale. For sheathing I have shot 2" full head nails which seem to work well. Wire weld nails seems to be slightly pricier, but more robust than paper tape.

Mine is also a recent purchase, and like the OP said... I will never go back

My original plan was to get the industry standard Paslode gas, but having used my air for a while I see no reason, and they're definitely cheaper to run/replace. The hose is no big deal for me.

 

[padronanniversary]

I love the hitachi higher end stuff, not that retail green ones that look funky, but the metal hitachi industrial ones. Been beating them up for years, always work, never misfire

 

[haugy]

Still rocking my 10yr old Passlode. If you are doing the occasional small job, and you can afford it, cordless is real nice. Portable, quick and easy, no hoses to break out, etc. But if you are going to be doing large projects, alot, pneumatic is the way to go.

 

[W_KY]

So if a person was wanting a nail gun for furniture making and crown/chair rail/baseboard, what would you recommend? 16 gauge finish nailer or a 18 gauge brad/stapler nailer?

 

[Stuey]

So if a person was wanting a nail gun for furniture making and crown/chair rail/baseboard, what would you recommend? 16 gauge finish nailer or a 18 gauge brad/stapler nailer?

There are also headless pin nailers that are also great for more delicate trimwork. =)

Different nailers for different applications. That's why you'll often find pancake compressor kits that include 2-3 different small gauge nailer types.

 

[srmofo]

One thing not mentioned yet:

Check and see what kind of nails are readily available in your area and buy a gun that shoots those. It doesnt hurt to check prices on those nails either. It would **** to buy a gun that only uses nails that cost $60 box vs the $34 that mine cost for the same size nail.

In my area 33 degree taped clipped head nails are just about the only thing stocked heavily in several different sizes. Clipped head nails are not acceptable in cali and other areas prone to bad weather. Technically I dont think they are up to code here either but the inspectors dont care. And I have a tendency to use way too many nails anyway.

ohh and search ebay for them. I see cheap great new condition framing nailers all the time for cheap. this one was after a 1 min search
http://cgi.ebay.com/Bostich-industr...261?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa64c9f3d

 

[Red05GT]

Another cheap alternative is the palm nailer which will drive any nail from a 4d to a 20d.
Not as much fun but handy just the same. Got one to install joist hangers but is also
good for tight spaces.

 

[Conor]

I love my Hitachi 18G brad Nailer for most building cabinets, and trim carpentry. I use it mainly to hold work into place till the glue dries

Cordless is nice but damn if the consumables dont make you pay for it in the long run

 

[Thumper]

You guys do us a favor.......sombody Shoot that damn spammer with your nail guns.....!!!!

 

[pgreen]

Another vote to shoot the spammer with a Paslode!

One thing I found out a few years back is that there is an expiration date on the butane cartridges... I had a pack of new ones and took it to a buddy's house to do a somewhat quick job. The thing wouldn't fire. I could still spray butane out of the cartridges, so I thought "That couldn't be it"... Everything else looked good so I went out and bought more butane and it fired right away. Old cartridge back in, no fire.

I still wouldn't trade this for a pneumatic again for anything. I built my 40x60 building using this to drive just about every nail. I didn't have power close enough to my shop to run a compressor at the time, and didn't want to buy a gas one...

 

[srmofo]

What spammer?

 

[kywildcat]

WOW...so many responses.....thanks!!
Ive looked at so many compressors that I have no idea what to buy now. I wont be using it everyday, but I want one big enough to handle the nail gun. I will probably use it for something for the brad nailer monthly and air tires and things like that. I dont really understand all the HP ratings and CFM things......but you guys are teaching me.
So how many HP and CFM will I need??

 

[tcianci]

Fortunately for air nailing, a small compressor works just fine. The common Porter Cable that Depot sells runs a framing gun all day long no problem and it only puts out about 3 CFM. In looking at compressors, the CFM (cubic feet per minute) is the most critical specification, as most air tools are specified this way. Tools like impact wrenches and sanders and blasters really swill through air and your basic air nailer compressor is all but useless for these tools. One thing to remember about a small pancake compressor...the small size and lower HP ratings really pay off when it comes to running the thing on an extension cord.On job sites it is often the case that your power is coming from an extension cord and that cord may well be plugged in to an outlet that's a good run from the breaker panel. Wire length and gauge have everything to do with voltage drop. Motors don't like voltage drops. A couple of buddies of mine often experience starting problems with their larger compressors for that very reason. Just remember that bigger isn't always better.

 

[gatchel]

I love the hitachi higher end stuff, not that retail green ones that look funky, but the metal hitachi industrial ones. Been beating them up for years, always work, never misfire

I have to second these comments. I like the hitachi paper collated framing nailers because they are light and take a beating. My buddy has had one for about 4 years and uses it for construction and it still works. It has never seen a drop of oil since he purchased it.

As far as compressors go, oil less units are loud and typically dont last as long as units with an oiled pump. I try to stay away from the cheapie throw away units. Spend the money on a reasonably good compressor and it will last.