My son wants air nailers for Christmas. I don't think he needs a framing nailer at this time. What's the differences between the brad nailer, pin nailer, finish nailer, stapler, crown nailer etc. When do you use one over the other? And what brands do you recommend. Yea I know Paslode is good, but expensive.
I have Porter Cables. A brad nailer, a stapler, and a framing nailer. The brad is good for small woodworking, installing trim, etc. The stapler is good for similar tasks, but it requires more finishing work in exchange for more holding strength. I mostly used it for installing flooring where my Bostich floor nailer wouldn't fit. The framing nailer is overkill for anything except framing, building fences, etc., but it is a bad mofo for that kind of work.
Are the current Porter Cables as good as the older ones? If it was me I would scarf up any older brands off Craigslist or something, But old doesn't cut it for Christmas.
Make sure he's had a tetanus shot recently. Not like I'm speaking from experience or anything, but I get a little trigger-happy with air nailers.
Yes I know. A coworker who is an industrial hygienist has a picture of a nail though one of his digits that he got from a nail gun. He thinks he knows EVERYTHING.
spitfirebill wrote: Are the current Porter Cables as good as the older ones? If it was me I would scarf up any older brands off Craigslist or something, But old doesn't cut it for Christmas.
I bought all of mine in a window from 5-10 years ago. They are all fine.
Ah, does he have a compressor big enough--with enough capacity--to drive a frame nailer-sized gun? Or his employer? Otherwise, it's useless.
I bought refurb porter cables from http://www.tylertool.com/
or maybe tool king. I can't remember. http://www.toolking.com/
Anyway, they've been just fine for everything I need.
I have a brad nailer and larger finish gun.
triumph5 wrote: Ah, does he have a compressor big enough--with enough capacity--to drive a frame nailer-sized gun? Or his employer? Otherwise, it's useless.
I don't know about others, but my PC uses very little air. It fills the cylinder after each stroke, so it's not relying on the plumbing to flow enough, and since you aren't driving nails constantly, I've never had an issue with even small compressors keeping up. Or maybe I'm just slow. :) About the highest cycling it has ever gotten used was when I was putting up a privacy fence, but even then it was:
-position board
-drive 2 nails in the top runner
-drive 2 nails in the bottom runner
-position the next board.
The time it took me to position the boards far outweighed the time I was nailing.
triumph5 wrote: Ah, does he have a compressor big enough--with enough capacity--to drive a frame nailer-sized gun? Or his employer? Otherwise, it's useless.
I have a brad nailer, finish nailer, and a framing nailer. I've always run them with a 2 gallon compressor.
I'm taking my cue for thie question from a framing carpenter/house builder. He has a large compressor for framing, and a much smaller one for trim; ergo, the question. And I've seen him drive in four nails with the big gun, then wait a bit for the compressor to kick in, run up pressure...until it was ready again.
This might be a good gift card item, or at least a gift receipt--just sayin'. Don't want to stir the pot.
spitfirebill wrote: My son wants air nailers for Christmas. I don't think he needs a framing nailer at this time. What's the differences between the brad nailer, pin nailer, finish nailer, stapler, crown nailer etc. When do you use one over the other? And what brands do you recommend. Yea I know Paslode is good, but expensive.
Framing nailer- drives large nails (8d-16d+) for rough framing
Finish nailer- drives finish nails for trim, usually in the 4d- 8d range. It's got enough balls to drive miles of trim.
Brad nailer- like the finish nailer, but drives smaller nails (brads). Usually used for cabinet work, or occasional small trim. Not a high volume production tool.
Pin nailer- Sometimes (incorrectly) used to refer to either a brad nailer or a finish nailer. A Micro Pn Nailer is different- smaller than the brad nailer, for assembling very tiny parts. No good for installing trim.
Crown nailer- no such thing. The crown refers to the width of the top of a staple. Staplers are sometimes referred to by the width of the crown staple they shoot. Narrow crown staple is about 1/4" in width (for concealed cabinet component assembly or low-end trim like mobile homes). 1/2" crown staple is used for securing wall or roof sheathing to rough framing (illegal in some high wind areas). 1" crown staple is for stapling roof shingles (also illegal in high wind areas). Staples are cheaper than nails. Frequently used in low cost construction.
Paslode has no equal if you want to go cordless (no compressor). If he is a production trim installer, he will fall in love with this tool.
Otherwise, there are several good product lines. Buy the tool brand name that matches the brand of nails that are stocked in your local supply house. You will not find all the brands at all suppliers, and the off-brand nails almost universally jam the machines.
I'm a big fan of Senco. They are brutes for production. For homeowner use this is not as important.
Bostich is a popular brand. Readily available (a plus). I'm not a fan (personal preference).
Porter Cable nailers aren't built for a production environment. They have a very nice feel for a homeowner.
The kits with 2 nailers in them with a small portable compressor are a good deal for finish nailers.
The size of the air compressor will matter if he is running a framing or roofing nailer (or multiple tools) in a production environment. Otherwise, he will be fine.
Was that enough of an answer? 
triumph5 wrote: I'm taking my cue for thie question from a framing carpenter/house builder. He has a large compressor for framing, and a much smaller one for trim; ergo, the question. And I've seen him drive in four nails with the big gun, then wait a bit for the compressor to kick in, run up pressure...until it was ready again. This might be a good gift card item, or at least a gift receipt--just sayin'. Don't want to stir the pot.
I've done this. It's a temporary fix when you've only got a small compressor. See my earlier post.
I have a Bostich brad nailer that I bought a number of years ago. After a few trimming projects, I can't imagine going back to manually nailing trim. Moreso than the speed and ease, the brads are much smaller and make for a neater job. I now have two, since I needed one at the g/f's house and had left mine at home. The #2 was the cheapest Hitachi Lowes had and it shows... my Bostich is much nicer in every regard.
My next nailer was a coiled roofing nailer. Limited use for a home DIY'er for sure, but when you've got a few bundles of shingles to get down, nothing is faster.
I'll buy a framing nailer when I'm getting ready to build a new shed.
Oh- I forgot...
Framing nailers are available as coil nailers or stick nailers. Don't get him a coil nailer unless he is looking for a specialty tool designed primarily for siding. Nails are expensive and hard to find.
SVreX wrote: Paslode has no equal if you want to go cordless (no compressor). If he is a production trim installer, he will fall in love with this tool.
What about the dewalt, electric nailers? Just wondering. I've been out of the loop with the construction trades for a while.
When I worked at the lumber yard, The contractors I always talked to loved Paslodes, except in the cold. But that was 10-14 years ago...
on a side note.. http://web.archive.org/web/20021003014919/http://www.frostwatson.com/ <--- I worked there. The lumber yard and mill had been around over 125 years when I was there. The place was amazing. I can talk for hours about it.. It is now an expensive townhouse development. So sad.
Forget 'em.
The electrics just don't cut it. I've got a DeWalt and a Paslode. I put them side by side on day one for about an hour. No comparision.
I own more than 50 air nailers.
The DeWalt is still just about brand new. Don't care if I NEVER use it again.
I have a HF staple and brad gun. They are dirt cheap and it works for small stuff. I have a PC, I think, coil roofing nail gun. My friend who is a professional carpenter has a big Senco framing nail gun that he bought about 30 years ago, probably used. Still uses it practically daily. I think he had it worked on once. Who knows how many houses he built with it. He bought it because it would shoot concrete nails through the base plate and into the concrete. He also has some smaller ones. He doesn't like cordless as he says they will jam. He only uses a hammer to take things apart. He says he's too old to pound nails in, so he uses a nail gun for everything. I don't remember the brand of his smaller guns, but we bought some nails for it at HF.
SVreX wrote: Bostich is a popular brand. Readily available (a plus). I'm not a fan (personal preference).
Did you have a bad experience with one? I borrowed a Bostich framing gun and liked it better than mine since it didn't weigh 856 lbs.
No, they're decent. But I beat the snot out of them. Like Hess pointed out above, the Sencos are bruisers, and they've done well by me. So it's just personal preference.
Thanks to all especially SVrex for the tutorial. That's what I needed.
I'm heading the store shortly and will see what they have in the PC line.
I'd heard the Sencos WERE great, but they had cheapened the new ones. I think they got bought and the mfg has been shipped off shore.
He has a Sears compressor that will do the job for now.
Note on the compressor:
It's not the hp, it's the tank size (for a framing nailer).
If the machine can't keep up, add an extra inline tank.
I have one that does brads and staples for finish work. I also have a roofing nailer with a spool that gets used once every 5 years. I have a framing nailer that is good for just what it sounds like.
I've had a Porter-Cable 18 gauge finish nailer for years - it's been dead reliable. When it was time to buy a framing nailer I looked at everything, considered how much I'd probably use it and got a DeWalt which has been perfectly fine.
Recently I began installing about 2000 linear feet of poplar trim in our new project/house. The baseboards are 4-1/2 x 9/16 and sometimes need to be forced a bit to follow the floor or wall ( the joys of 60 year old houses) so I needed to pick up a 16 gauge - again, I popped by Lowe's at lunch and looked at the options - I went with a Hitachi this time. I'm mostly done and have been really pleased with it.
I'm using a tiny compressor I got for $40 on Craigslist. I had the mother of all compressors in the garage - a 5hp, 2 stage, 4 cylinder, 60 gallon Speedaire - but no 240V power yet, so I got the cheapest non-Harbor Freight air I could find. It keeps up.
Porter-Cable has a deal right now with a 3 gallon pancake compressor w/ 2 guns, cheap. It's at Home Despot and possibly Lowe's.
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