Selecting a Framer Nailgun

[Gremlin5]

Yes. But I wouldn’t use the word fully. I think in reality the original sheathing will be inside the conditioned space.

It seems like something could go terribly wrong. And it’s the ceilings I worry most about. My plan is to spray foam them so no air has access. That said, what I’m doing is the code requirement for my zone. Not sure if this started in 2021, but I don’t see it being done around here. As it stands, I probably won’t comply with the 2021 version, which is R20 inside + R5 outside (continuous insulation). I feel like we are setting ourselves up for spray foam as the only path forward to meet code.



I’m not worth $20M, but my lower back is worth the $90 I paid for this hammer. I honestly don’t use it enough each day to have repetitive strain elbow problems, which was its sales pitch. But I walk around with this on my hip or in the middle of my back and after a day on my feet, 28oz hammers wore me out. This thing is half that.

I bought this Hardie before covid and I’m not sure about it. Looks good up close, but not perfect.

I haven't seen anyone order new James Hardie fiber cement since around that time but I'm not a construction guy: I'm just some bozo. By the way! What is your guys' opinion on Advantech ZIP. Obviously it's the greatest thing ever. yada yada. Everyone agrees. I agree to. But how do people actually feel about the fact that it's just Oriented Stranded Board? Imagine if someone put that green vapor barrier over marine-grade plywood. Or, let's be slightly more realistic, put that vapor barrier over normal plywood OR CDX or something ? Don't most people all admit deep in their souls that OSB kinda ***** ***? I could be wrong. Apologies for my French.

I didn't say I would pay 20mil. I would need to be worth 20mil before I start spending my money liberally enough to, with my present mind, justify the value proposition you get when a fella pays full MSRP pricing for a new Stilleto. 20 mil, then I could justify that money. I just need like 20mil more dollars and I'll be worth 20 mil, so you could say I'm close.

I bought this on amazon for about $33 in 2022. Smooth face. hickory handle. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TRVDVYD?tag=atomicindus08-20
And I bought this Vaugh also in 2022. I paid $39 or $40 for it. Can't believe I paid that much. I got gypped. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EZI5GI4?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[MoonRise]

I assume you are admitted that wire might be slightly cheaper? I am a cheap *******, so if I am buying a nailgun full price that would probably make me want wire more.

Nope, not what I said or meant.

I said that a couple dollars difference in price is really not going to sway me as to what angle of nailer I'd pick.

Pick the tool for the task. Looking at all of the tool and nail trade offs, size and weight (including loaded up with max nails), cost, power, ergonomics, parts support, etc.

So, you made me do at least a quick price check on 21° plastic collated stick nails vs 15° wire collated Coil nails.

Same length 3" full round head plain 0.131" dia nails. Same qty of 4000 nails. The wire collated Coil nails were ~25% MORE expensive than the 21° plastic collated stick nails. nailgundepot.com. (no endorsement, no affiliation, never ordered from them. Just first web hit for framing gun nails).

 

[Gremlin5]

Nope, not what I said or meant.

I said that a couple dollars difference in price is really not going to sway me as to what angle of nailer I'd pick.

Pick the tool for the task. Looking at all of the tool and nail trade offs, size and weight (including loaded up with max nails), cost, power, ergonomics, parts support, etc.

So, you made me do at least a quick price check on 21° plastic collated stick nails vs 15° wire collated Coil nails.

Same length 3" full round head plain 0.131" dia nails. Same qty of 4000 nails. The wire collated Coil nails were ~25% MORE expensive than the 21° plastic collated stick nails. nailgundepot.com. (no endorsement, no affiliation, never ordered from them. Just first web hit for framing gun nails).

25% is a BIG difference

Edit: wait hold on. We were talking about stick 28⁰ wire. Not 15⁰. But interesting.

I'm seeing a very wide swing in pricing but I think there may be sometime to this whole, 28⁰ is cheaper than 21⁰ argument. https://www.ohiopowertool.com/ancho...IYg6DastKomnL9YvYeLww6CI0LVJ5_qBoCOboQAvD_BwE

Even if the pricing is equal, not having to reload the stick magazine as often because the 28⁰ gaps are smaller than 21⁰ gaps is potentially a huge advantage

I may be wrong

Oh, actually, I think that link I sent may be a scheme where they only allow you to buy one. Then they want you to somehow find enough other products to get you up to $199+ cumulative total merchandise to avoid shipping cost. So nevermind

 

[AEAdam]

25% is a BIG difference

I'm with @MoonRise. This is probably not a good item to decide on based on the cost of nails. Availability of nails on the other hand, is, in my opinion, the better measure. For someone in the military, my advice is to stick with what your favorite big box home center stocks. If it's 28 degree, great. My Dad used to say "Never start a plumbing job when the hardware store isn't open".

I don't love Lowes and Home Depot, but they are very convenient for me and I buy a lot of stuff there. I was in a Menard's once and I liked it better.

 

[jar944]

I'll preface my comment by saying my framing is limited and usually consists of me calling the previous framers the slow offspring of two cousins before smacking the wall plate over with a 10lb sledge.

Though I've been happy with the paslode compact (pneumatic)



Small enough to be useful with 12" centers.

 

[KnurledNut]

Are you fully insulating the interior cavities, then have original sheathing/ siding/ new housewrap/ new 1" foam/ new Zip, followed by the new siding? If so, have you considered that you may have a problem with condensation at the original sheathing? I know this is veering off of op, but something to consider.

Everything about that is bassackwards. Moisture sandwich. Not to mention the windows being preinstalled. Facepalm. Back to the thread...

 

[AEAdam]

Everything about that is bassackwards. Moisture sandwich. Not to mention the windows being preinstalled. Facepalm. Back to the thread...

Thanks for your assessment of my build.

 

[KnurledNut]

Thanks for your assessment of my build.

We are identifying a potential problem. Moisture doesn't care how pretty it is. Would you prefer we praise improper building techniques?

 

[Gremlin5]

We are identifying a potential problem. Moisture doesn't care how pretty it is. Would you prefer we praise improper building techniques?

Is it possible he lives somewhere where moisture concerns are not as grave?

 

[Gremlin5]

I'll preface my comment by saying my framing is limited and usually consists of me calling the previous framers the slow offspring of two cousins before smacking the wall plate over with a 10lb sledge.

Though I've been happy with the paslode compact (pneumatic)



Small enough to be useful with 12" centers.

Wow, those Paslodes are expensive. I like that it can shoot nails as long as 3-1/4" even though it's 'compact.' Only available in paper collation though? That kind of ***** at least according to my school of thought.

This is what one alleged random reviewer said about the Paslode Compact about 4+ years ago:

"Don't buy this thing. It's the only carpenters air tool in existence that requires 3/8 ID hoses, 3/8 couplers, and 3/8 barbs. Since you don't have any hoses or anything tools set up like this and your air compressor also is set up with a 1/4 coupler this thing will not work. I can't even find the hardware to set up a rig to run the thing. It will not sink a 3" nail set up with standard 1/4 gear."

 

[tarbellb]

Wow, those Paslodes are expensive. I like that it can shoot nails as long as 3-1/4" even though it's 'compact.' Only available in paper collation though? That kind of ***** at least according to my school of thought.

This is what one alleged random reviewer said about the Paslode Compact about 4+ years ago:

"Don't buy this thing. It's the only carpenters air tool in existence that requires 3/8 ID hoses, 3/8 couplers, and 3/8 barbs. Since you don't have any hoses or anything tools set up like this and your air compressor also is set up with a 1/4 coupler this thing will not work. I can't even find the hardware to set up a rig to run the thing. It will not sink a 3" nail set up with standard 1/4 gear."

I can tell you that isn't the case. My F325R shoots 3.25" full depth on a standard 1/4" line and mini compressor
Seems @jar944 would agree or he wouldn't have also recco'd
Bad technique in the reviewers part likely

Oh and I found my F325R on eBay for close to $100 in near mint condition

 

[jar944]

Since I'm running trim currently and have the gun handy..

 

[AEAdam]

We are identifying a potential problem. Moisture doesn't care how pretty it is. Would you prefer we praise improper building techniques?

Maybe this will help the OP. Let’s just look at the details together.

Since WW2, US builders have been largely building “platform framed” or “stick built” houses. These are characterized by 2X studs on 16” centers, skinned by plywood of differing forms (was laminated veneer like plywood, now oriented strand board). This plywood outer sheathing layer serves as a skin, just like an aircraft’s skin that sees “in plane” shear stresses that resist rotation (racking) of the stud frame.

Exteriors have always had some sort of water resistant barrier (was paper, then tar paper, now synthetics like Tyvek) then the outer finish. The outer finishes have changed over time, but they have historically been thin like vinyl or wood clapboards or have been thermally conductive like asphalt or hardie or brick or stucco etc

We insulated (or not) between the studs in the “stud bays” to help slow the heat transfer rate thru the walls to make the home more energy efficient.

When you design a home’s HVAC system you start with what is called a manual J, which calculates how much energy your home must produce to maintain a comfortable interior. To do this, you look at the total R value of the walls, windows, doors and factor in air losses etc.

In theory, and historically, you could heat a home in such a way that you heated the interior space as well as the outer walls and condensation, mold, damp etc were nonexistent. You can’t simply look at a wall cross-section and pronounce how the house will feel or perform.

More:
When you look at a stud wall, we insulate the stud bays, but not the studs themselves. That means adding R19 insulation to the bays does not result in an R19 wall. There may be up to 25% of a stick built house completely uninsulated.

Concerns about modern construction:
Since the studs and sheathing are uninsulated, their inside surface temps can fall below the dew point and water will condense on their surfaces, run down to the sill plate or plywood and rot it. To combat this, builders have been experimenting with inside vapor barriers to stop warm humid air from getting to the studs and sheathing. While early reports looked promising, to be effective the vapor barrier needed to be perfectly sealed around every penetration, including every electrical outlet, can light, or switch plate.

Forced hot air was part of the problem. In a forced hot air heated home, system air temps are pretty high, which raises the interior pressure of the home, so the warm air is looking for holes to escape. The result was water condensed on the outside of the barriers, which alone had no insulating properties, resulting in the mold and rot it was installed to prevent.

New Requirements from the International Residential Code:
All new homes in zones 3 and up shall have “continuous insulation” in varying amounts based on region. The idea behind CI came from Canadian builders. The idea was to stop the thermal bridging that occurred due to having uninsulated studs, by putting insulation outside the building.

IN THEORY, this protects the sheathing and studs by allowing them to be warmed by the homes HVAC system to remain above the dew point. The trick to achieving that is complicated however. Canadian builders sought air tight enclosures to trap the heat inside the envelope. Basically, they moved the vapor barrier outside the sheathing.

The other trick is sizing the hvac system to provide constant energy. Over size the system, and it “short cycles” heating and cooling, heating and cooling.

How we realistically achieve the goal of making a maintainable, comfortable, energy efficient home is anything but simple and straight forward. What has worked in the past has almost always had its own sets of problems. Super tight homes have air quality issues.

What I’m doing isn’t “right”. But it’s roughly in line with where modern building science is. Ask me, and I can detail exactly what I got wrong, what I wouldn’t do again.

I hope this helps

 

[neophyte]

Maybe this will help the OP. Let’s just look at the details together.

Since WW2, US builders have been largely building “platform framed” or “stick built” houses. These are characterized by 2X studs on 16” centers, skinned by plywood of differing forms (was laminated veneer like plywood, now oriented strand board). This plywood outer sheathing layer serves as a skin, just like an aircraft’s skin that sees “in plane” shear stresses that resist rotation (racking) of the stud frame.

Exteriors have always had some sort of water resistant barrier (was paper, then tar paper, now synthetics like Tyvek) then the outer finish. The outer finishes have changed over time, but they have historically been thin like vinyl or wood clapboards or have been thermally conductive like asphalt or hardie or brick or stucco etc

We insulated (or not) between the studs in the “stud bays” to help slow the heat transfer rate thru the walls to make the home more energy efficient.

When you design a home’s HVAC system you start with what is called a manual J, which calculations how much energy your home must produce to maintain a comfortable interior. To do this you look at the total R value of the walls, windows, doors and factor in air losses etc.

In theory, and historically, you could heat a home in such a way that you heated the interior space as well as the outer walls and condensation, mold, damp etc were nonexistent. You can’t simply look at a wall c-section and pronounce how the house will feel or perform.

More:
When you look at a stud wall, we insulate the stud bays, but not the studs themselves. That means adding R19 insulation to the bays does not result in an R19 wall. There may be up to 25% of a stick built house completely uninsulated.

Concerns about modern construction:
Since the studs and sheathing are uninsulated, their inside surface temps can fall below the dew point and water will condense on their surfaces, run down to the sill plate or plywood and rot it. To combat this, builders have been experimenting with inside vapor barriers to stop warm humid air from getting to the studs and sheathing. While early reports looked promising, to be effective the vapor barrier needed to be perfectly seal around every penetration.

Forced hot air was part of the problem. In a forced hot air heated home, system air temps are pretty high, which raises the interior pressure of the home, so the warm air is looking for holes in the helping to escape. The result of some interior interior vapor barriers was water condensed on the out side of the barrier, which alone had no insulating properties.

New Requirements from the International Residential Code:
All new homes in zones 3 and up shall have “continuous insulation” in varying amounts based on region. The idea behind CI came from Canadian builders. The idea was to stop the thermal bridging that occurred due to having uninsulated studs, but putting insulation outside the building.

IN THEORY, this protects the sheathing and studs by allowing them to be warmed by the homes HVAC system to remain above the dew point. The trick to achieving that is complicated however. Canadian builders sought air tight enclosures to trap the heat inside the envelope. Basically, they moved the vapor barrier outside the sheathing.

The other trick is sizing the hvac system to provide constant energy. Over size the system, and it “short cycles” heating and cooling, heating and cooling.

How we realistically achieve the goal of making a maintainable, comfortable, energy efficient home is anything but simple and straight forward. What has worked in the past has almost always had its own sets of problems. Super tight homes have air quality issues

I hope this helps

Older construction, (ie. 200 year old houses, probably till the late 1800s or maybe longer), tended to be much less air tight, so there was always a certain amount of air glow to help with moisture issues.
Wood shingled roofs also allowed a certain amount of air flow, As did the updraft from lit, or even unlit fireplaces and their flues.
The older lime based plaster and lime based mortar were also antibacterial to a large degree, and lead based paint and lead containing oil and varnishes are also mildewcides and antibacterial in nature.
Even with these advantages of materials, mold could still be an issue, but usually as a result of leaks, or humid indoor spaces used for washing, mixed with mildew prone materials like wallpaper and the paste used for the paper.

 

[Gremlin5]

Maybe this will help the OP. Let’s just look at the details together.

Since WW2, US builders have been largely building “platform framed” or “stick built” houses. These are characterized by 2X studs on 16” centers, skinned by plywood of differing forms (was laminated veneer like plywood, now oriented strand board). This plywood outer sheathing layer serves as a skin, just like an aircraft’s skin that sees “in plane” shear stresses that resist rotation (racking) of the stud frame.

Exteriors have always had some sort of water resistant barrier (was paper, then tar paper, now synthetics like Tyvek) then the outer finish. The outer finishes have changed over time, but they have historically been thin like vinyl or wood clapboards or have been thermally conductive like asphalt or hardie or brick or stucco etc

We insulated (or not) between the studs in the “stud bays” to help slow the heat transfer rate thru the walls to make the home more energy efficient.

When you design a home’s HVAC system you start with what is called a manual J, which calculates how much energy your home must produce to maintain a comfortable interior. To do this, you look at the total R value of the walls, windows, doors and factor in air losses etc.

In theory, and historically, you could heat a home in such a way that you heated the interior space as well as the outer walls and condensation, mold, damp etc were nonexistent. You can’t simply look at a wall cross-section and pronounce how the house will feel or perform.

More:
When you look at a stud wall, we insulate the stud bays, but not the studs themselves. That means adding R19 insulation to the bays does not result in an R19 wall. There may be up to 25% of a stick built house completely uninsulated.

Concerns about modern construction:
Since the studs and sheathing are uninsulated, their inside surface temps can fall below the dew point and water will condense on their surfaces, run down to the sill plate or plywood and rot it. To combat this, builders have been experimenting with inside vapor barriers to stop warm humid air from getting to the studs and sheathing. While early reports looked promising, to be effective the vapor barrier needed to be perfectly sealed around every penetration, including every electrical outlet, can light, or switch plate.

Forced hot air was part of the problem. In a forced hot air heated home, system air temps are pretty high, which raises the interior pressure of the home, so the warm air is looking for holes to escape. The result was water condensed on the outside of the barriers, which alone had no insulating properties, resulting in the mold and rot it was installed to prevent.

New Requirements from the International Residential Code:
All new homes in zones 3 and up shall have “continuous insulation” in varying amounts based on region. The idea behind CI came from Canadian builders. The idea was to stop the thermal bridging that occurred due to having uninsulated studs, by putting insulation outside the building.

IN THEORY, this protects the sheathing and studs by allowing them to be warmed by the homes HVAC system to remain above the dew point. The trick to achieving that is complicated however. Canadian builders sought air tight enclosures to trap the heat inside the envelope. Basically, they moved the vapor barrier outside the sheathing.

The other trick is sizing the hvac system to provide constant energy. Over size the system, and it “short cycles” heating and cooling, heating and cooling.

How we realistically achieve the goal of making a maintainable, comfortable, energy efficient home is anything but simple and straight forward. What has worked in the past has almost always had its own sets of problems. Super tight homes have air quality issues.

What I’m doing isn’t “right”. But it’s roughly in line with where modern building science is. Ask me, and I can detail exactly what I got wrong, what I wouldn’t do again.

I hope this helps

out of a desire to be pedantic and learn as much as possible, is a balloon framed house also not technically a 'stick built' house too?

Forced hot air by definition requires ducting and fans, correct? Yea, I've never lived in a house with ducting. I've also never lived in a house with central air (cooling). Only cooling I've had is window units and rolling units which have a plastic device that inserts into the window.

To confirm, the issue with oversized HVAC systems, is that, every compressor motor, every furnance, every everything, has a minimum amount of BTUs, or mininum amount of cooling, it can provide, correct? Every A/C compressor motor, has a mininum rpm, correct? When it is 'on', and running, it has to produce a specific distinct amount of heat, and/or, of cooling, mininum, correct? I can't have my refrigerator compressor motor run constantly at ten rpm... Now, when it's incredibly hot out, my refrigerator or central Air compressor motor(s) might run faster than the minimum, but they cannot ever run slower than the minimum, correct? Meaning, if it isn't that hot out, my refrigerator will run at the mininum rpm for a while then shut off. Theoretically in some fantasy land world it might make sense and be efficient to have a compressor run at a constant low rpm, but in reality this is not possible, I presume

 

[Gremlin5]

Older construction, (ie. 200 year old houses, probably till the late 1800s or maybe longer), tended to be much less air tight, so there was always a certain amount of air glow to help with moisture issues.
Wood shingled roofs also allowed a certain amount of air flow, As did the updraft from lit, or even unlit fireplaces and their flues.
The older lime based plaster and lime based mortar were also antibacterial to a large degree, and lead based paint and lead containing oil and varnishes are also mildewcides and antibacterial in nature.
Even with these advantages of materials, mold could still be an issue, but usually as a result of leaks, or humid indoor spaces used for washing, mixed with mildew prone materials like wallpaper and the paste used for the paper.

not only were they less sealed and more drafty, but not having a few adults doing laundry and having leaky pipes and doing dishes and taking a bunch of showers and baths everyday and cooking in the building probably helped too, yea? Combustion of liquid and gaseous fuels also seems to produce a lot of moisture, at least I thought so. A wood stove or wood range or fireplace seems to really dry the whole damn house out, yea? So much so that people boil water atop a wood stove

 

[AEAdam]

Older construction, (ie. 200 year old houses, probably till the late 1800s or maybe longer), tended to be much less air tight, so there was always a certain amount of air glow to help with moisture issues.
Wood shingled roofs also allowed a certain amount of air flow, As did the updraft from lit, or even unlit fireplaces and their flues.
The older lime based plaster and lime based mortar were also antibacterial to a large degree, and lead based paint and lead containing oil and varnishes are also mildewcides and antibacterial in nature.
Even with these advantages of materials, mold could still be an issue, but usually as a result of leaks, or humid indoor spaces used for washing, mixed with mildew prone materials like wallpaper and the paste used for the paper.

They were also typically radiantly heated which results in a lower inside air temperature but maintains a comfortable environment. In practice, the entire building became one huge thermal mass, staying warm even without fires burning and staying cool in the summer.

My barn conversion is 100% radiantly heated. With the ground floor half buried and north facing, the rear of the building stays cool all summer. I super insulated the ground floor slab to function as a thermal mass. I ground and polished it as a finished surface.

Our ancestors oriented buildings with the rising and setting sun, and arranged interior rooms accordingly (as this one is). Another trick, they planted evergreens to block north easterly winds, and knew not to place them too close to the building.

But those buildings needed near constant maintenance.

 

[Gremlin5]

They were also typically radiantly heated which results in a lower inside air temperature but maintains a comfortable environment. In practice, the entire building became one huge thermal mass, staying warm even without fires burning and staying cool in the summer.

My barn conversion is 100% radiantly heated. With the ground floor half buried and north facing, the rear of the building stays cool all summer. I super insulated the ground floor slab to function as a thermal mass. I ground and polished it as a finished surface.

Our ancestors oriented buildings with the rising and setting sun, and arranged interior rooms accordingly (as this one is). Another trick, they planted evergreens to block north easterly winds, and knew not to place them too close to the building.

But those buildings needed near constant maintenance.

I thought radiant heat was when you put oxygen barrier pex in the floor and/or slab

 

[AEAdam]

out of a desire to be pedantic and learn as much as possible, is a balloon framed house also not technically a 'stick built' house too?

Yes, platform framing and balloon framing are both examples of stick built. Anyone unfamiliar should google those terms. My definition would be (not an expert) that both types of “stick built” frames require a “stressed skin panel” for rigidity. Carpenters thick about supporting the “weight” of the building. Rarely does the roof weight, snow loads etc, size anything.

Rather, building materials are chosen to reduce deflections and react wind and seismic loads, both of which try to move the building sideways. Plywood sheathing provides the lateral, or diagonal support.

My building is a timber frame, meaning the studs are not really load carrying. The basic frame supports the building loads. I think some pole buildings could be called timber framed. Typically pole barns’ outer cladding only serves an environmental function, not a structural one. I could be wrong so ask.

Forced hot air by definition requires ducting and fans, correct? Yea, I've never lived in a house with ducting. I've also never lived in a house with central air (cooling). Only cooling I've had is window units and rolling units which have a plastic device that inserts into the window.

To confirm, the issue with oversized HVAC systems, is that, every compressor motor, every furnance, every everything, has a minimum amount of BTUs, or mininum amount of cooling, it can provide, correct? Every A/C compressor motor, has a mininum rpm, correct? When it is 'on', and running, it has to produce a specific distinct amount of heat, and/or, of cooling, mininum, correct? I can't have my refrigerator compressor motor run constantly at ten rpm... Now, when it's incredibly hot out, my refrigerator or central Air compressor motor(s) might run faster than the minimum, but they cannot ever run slower than the minimum, correct?

Right on. This is actually a big problem. Some unscrupulous hvac installers guess at the size instead of doing a manual J calculation. By over sizing the hvac units, they short cycle and wear out faster. In the cooling season they can cool the house so fast, they short cycle leaving their humid.

Mini splits etc sometimes have modulating components which can run at lower speeds just as you say. Theoretically perfect would be a system that runs continuously, just adding enough heat or cooling to overcome the losses.

Where I hope this line of discussion is relevant is the point raised to me by others. The carpentry must match or adapt to the hvac plan. There is no easy answer or one right way to build. In my case, I started with a timber frame. Money no object, I would have pulled off the siding, yanked out every other stud and clad the building in SIPs (structurally insulated panels). That would have left all of my timber frame exposed on the inside.

Those SIPS are basically the inverse of what I have, which I suspect is what @KnurledNut was referring to as backwards. They have a thin sheet of something on the inside, sometimes with preapplied wall board, then foam, then the structural sheathing on the outside.

The reason I didn’t choose that was cost and the thickness of them might destroy the look of the house from the outside, roof overhangs might look funny, and we have knee brackets etc. In retrospect we probably should have done it. I took all the brackets down and refurbed them.



This barn was built for horses and the owner was likely friendly with the DuPont families who lived nearby. It was always a bit fancy, with horizontal siding, double hung windows and trim. We’re trying to keep some of its original charm. Still a lot of carpentry to do.

 

[AEAdam]

I thought radiant heat was when you put oxygen barrier pex in the floor and/or slab

Southern colonials typically have chimneys on the ends of the house, often exposed from the outside. Cooking fires were constant and they sought to get rid of heat.

Northern colonials often have one or 2 centrally located chimneys that heated up and radiantly warmed their interiors. A chimney is a radiant heat source.

Modern fireplaces are low mass typically. When not in use, they wick heat out of your house and are net negatives in terms of efficiency. I still would like one tho. Wood stoves are good examples of radiant heat sources.

 

[neophyte]

I thought radiant heat was when you put oxygen barrier pex in the floor and/or slab

I think he might of meant “thermal mass heating” were thick walls absorb heat during the day, and release the heat during the night, which old buildings with heavy masonry walks and chimneys usually do to a certain extent, and which thick walled masonry buildings, and really really thickly walled adobe buildings do excellently.
Even heavier masonry walled older wall buildings and skyscrapers exhibit thermal mass heating and cooling, usually way better than later buildings built in the “International style” from around the 1950s onward.

 

[Gremlin5]

I live in Candia, NH - it's about 1 1/2 drive from Leominster. Let me know if you're interested in the drive and I'll look for it this weekend. The drive may not be worth it to some because of how cheap you can get pneumatic framing nailers these days - especially off FB Marketplace.

Sorry to bother you again. What if I mail you an empty box, with a spare shipping label for the trip back inside the box, and extra tape inside too? I know that's asking for a lot of generosity

 

[tak1313]

Sorry to bother you again. What if I mail you an empty box, with a spare shipping label for the trip back inside the box, and extra tape inside too? I know that's asking for a lot of generosity

I have plenty of tape. Was out and about yesterday so will have to look for it. Will let you know in a couple of days if I can find it.

 

[Gremlin5]

I have plenty of tape. Was out and about yesterday so will have to look for it. Will let you know in a couple of days if I can find it.

Thank you so much. I'm not a garage journal guru; If we do move forward, and I send you my address, or vis versa, I'm not sure we want to post that publicly on the forum. I see a 'start conversation' button on your profile. I assume that is a mechanism for a private message.

 

[tak1313]

Thank you so much. I'm not a garage journal guru; If we do move forward, and I send you my address, or vis versa, I'm not sure we want to post that publicly on the forum. I see a 'start conversation' button on your profile. I assume that is a mechanism for a private message.

Yes - as far as I know, that is how you send a PM