| Author | Message | ||
     Henrik |
I'm looking for a decent air powered nail gun for home maintenance etc. I've been reading up on all the reviews all over the web and it seems that each brand has it's own quirks. Porter Cable will put a slight dent in the wood. Bostitch will break the piston rod if the nail hits anything hard (sheetrock screw), DeWalt has loading and jamming issues etc. etc. etc. Those three is what I have it narrowed down to. Don't even mention Senco, Hitachi or any of the pricier brands  Suggestions, experiences ... ?? I'm also wondering if the newer 15 gauge nailers with the angled nail mag is worth the extra price and if 15 gauge finish nails is too much for trim and such? Thanks Henrik | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Henrik, You looking for a framing nailer or a trim gun? Believe it or not, the Craftsman work pretty good. For a home only type gun it's tough to beat one of the import cheapies for economy. Just make sure they take a standard type nail. If they take Senco or Bostitch type nails, you can get them anywhere. Same for Cambell Hausfield (sp?). Wood denting is no big deal if it's a framing gun, not so with a trim gun. As far as he 15 gauge nails, depends on the type of trim you are shooting. No problem with soft woods, hards like oak may split. I'm lucky, I have air powerd stuff myself and a neighbor who does this stuff for a living. He let me use his cordless Passlode guns whenever I need them. They are expensive but they really are slick. With the $$$ you are saving by doing all this work yourself you can easily justify about any gun(s) you choose! A small pinner is nice to have around also. For trim work, I use a finish nailer for attaching to the wall etc. then use the brad pinner to do the corner miters. That way they never separate. Buy a cheap framer and a decent finish nailer. A good Bostitch pinner is less than $100. When you are all done and have little use for them you can always sell them and get a little of your $$ back. Brad | ||
| Grndskpr |
Soe other things to consider: A passload gun works on gas, instead of air, no need for a compressor or air lines, can be very nice in tight spots Also look around H, there are locations in Chicago(so i would assume New york) that sell rebuilt units, these are usually guns that have been turned in under warrenty, have been rebuilt and sell for about 1/2, and are usually Senco Dewalt is Black and Decker with a fancey name they bought I love my Hilti, it has lasted several years with no need for a rebuild, and been a work horse, but they are expensive Just some things to think about R | ||
| Outrider |
Henrik...A few years back, I ran the US operation for an extremely old and well respected Taiwanese manufacturer/private labeler of nailers and staplers catering to both the construction and furniture markets and this is the honest truth about the industry. Senco has the best in all categories except for the framer and Hitachi takes the honors there. If you don't need the best, then shop the mid price range as the rest are private labeled, come from China or Korea and need periodic rebuilds. Usually just the O-rings, but the driver is a common replacement part. Incidentally, all will jam and leave varying degrees of driver indents. Some more than others. Therefore, availability of replacement parts and/or factory authorized service centers should be your primary concern. Check your local yellow pages as there are woodworking shops in your area that have classes and retail operations where you can test fire a number of brands and get a feel for what will yield the results you desire. The folks there are real friendly and this is the best source of info you will get anywhere as the same guns that are used to make furniture and cabinetry are used for moldings. Just remember this. Once you have eliminated American and Japanese manufactured nailers you are left with Chinese and Korean products. Buy Chinese Nailers and Korean Nails...Not the inverse!!! | ||
| Reepicheep |
Harbor freight this week has a trim nailer for $18, and a framing nailer for $99. | ||
| Firemanjim |
So which nail gun has the 6 piston CALIPERS???LOL. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Which one has a pull-shock?  | ||
| Outrider |
Sorry folks, I don't advertise and have some confidentiality agreements still pending. | ||
| Outrider |
Reep...Those are two very good guns. | ||
| Henrik |
Thanks for all the advice guys. Unfortunately, despite doing almost all work myself, price is still an issue  I should have specified, but I'm looking for a finish nailer, that'll shoot either 15 or 16 gauge brad nails. However, Brad, your advice about pinning the miters is a great idea. Most of the original trim work in the house is crap, gapping everywhere and the rest haphazardly filled with either compound or silicone. Roger, I'll look around for refurbished. I know I can buy refurbished on-line, but you don't save much, and so far I've only found DeWalt and Porter-Cable. A Hilti eh, some people got it good Reep, can't find that trim nailer - at least not at that price. But then, that's Harbor Freight. They always have 3 - 4 different prices for the same item. Gotta be quick. I did however find a few brad nailers: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=91691 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=39092 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46309 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=40116 I've found Harbor Freight to be hit'n miss. I'm still using an electric impact driver and a drill press, each of which cost me $50. However, the contractor quality hammer drill had a chuck that for some reason wouldn't center the drill ... and couldn't be switched to hammer mode  Bill; that's good information about the manufacturing/re-badging. I've always suspected that the Sears nail guns were made by the same company making the Porter-Cable guns - the housing and feature set looks very similar. As for finding out who actually manufactures these tools?? Not really something the badgee advertises. I guess it would be on a label on the gun itself? Thanks again Henrik | ||
| Reepicheep |
Henrik... the gun I saw was at the Dayton Ohio store on a rack. It was a brad nailer, but would take up to a 2" brad. I am heading that way today, and may buy one, as I would like to be able to use the longer brads. I use my current brad nailer for trim all the time (1 3/8 brads I think) and it works great. I just fill the heads with a finger full of wood putty. The framing nailer was out on a rack there as well. If I was smart, I would buy it, as I will be building a deck and refinishing a basement next year, but I don't have that kind of "tool reserve equity" at the moment. I gotta make the books look good for a while so I can convince the wife that a new XB9Sx is not a mathmatical impossibility :/ | ||
| Outrider |
Country of Origin is usually both on the tool and the package regardless of who markets it. Without getting too pregnant, I think it is safe to say that the buyers at Harbor Freight speak fluent Chinese, are quite sharp and are less likely to have the wool pulled over their eyes. | ||
| Socoken |
senco is THE NAME for trim nailers. Senco makes framing nailers that arent gas powered, and the gas powered ones suck. they always get clogged up, they stink when they run, they run out of gas fast, and when doing a lot of nailing in a hurry, they cant keep up, but they are nice in some applications. my construction company has been sticking to porter cable, and they have been flawless, but those are 12 penny framers. just curious as to why you feel you need 15s? most of the industry sticks to 12s for framing, and then strip nails by length for trim. as far as "denting the wood" every nail gun i have used, from roofing to framing to trim to pinners, are all adjustable depth wise, so that the pushrod does or does not punch the wood. you never have to slap a gun to the wood to fire, so that should not be a factor when buying. plus, as mentioned above, when it comes to trim, putty, then finish, if its framework, who cares? just remember, you get what you pay for, so pick something light, and warranty backed. then decide coil nails or strip nails, as coils are cheaper, but more of a pain in the ••• to load. of course, there arent any coil nailers for trim as the wire would put a bigger hole in the wood. a lot of separate brands are really in bed together, so ask around. i used to know, but ive lost track. last i heard was DeWalt bought out some one big, cant remember who, and not sure if it was drills, saws, or guns...... (Message edited by socoken on August 26, 2004) | ||
| Henrik |
Ken; the "15 or 16" is for finish nails/brad nails. Other than indicating a size, I don't really know what it means My understanding is that you're referring to framing size nails. Henrik | ||
| Mikej |
This may or may not be relevent to the discussion, but that never stopped me before, but I have been taking notes on the discussion since I've been thinking of a nailer myself. I have no idea yet what else is on the linked website. http://www.oldhouseweb.com/stories/bitmaps/705.gif  | ||
| Reepicheep |
You are mixing units... the chart above is pennies, the brad nailers are talking guage. Further confusing the issue is that the size of a brad gets bigger as the number gets smaller (a 16 guage brad is thicker then an 18 guage brad). The penny scale goes the other direction. I got the $19 harbor freight 18 guage brad nailer. It can handle up to 2" brads. It looks very nice and worked great, and includes a nice collection of replacement parts. At $19, it does not have to last that long regardless. | ||
| Outrider |
Good buy and it is rebuildable. Although, the parts may cost more than a replacement gun at that price. Used to run around $10 for a driver and another $10 for the O-ring kit. Plus shipping from So Cal. Incidentally, the Amish Furniture Manufacturers like that gun as well. | ||
| Reepicheep |
This one (at $19) included a full new o-ring kit, a blow molded case, and a new piston/driver whatchamacallit all in the box. Thats what pushed me over the edge and had me walk out with it, even though I already had a perfectly functional one at home. Henrik, you are welcome to my old one for free if you want, but it will probably cost as much to ship as you could get one for at your local harbor freight if you have one there in gotham. | ||
| Outrider |
Wow...I am sincerely impressed! | ||
| Bomber |
heck, I used drywall screws and a cordless drill -- works great for framing, but, I"ll admit, I gotta pre-drill holes for the screws in trim pieces, and filling about the screw heads is time consuming | ||
| Outrider |
Bomber...if you are going to the bother of filling the holes, you should look into ABC-SPAX screws. The only time you need a pilot hole is when you sink them in masonry. Made in Germany, top shelf quality, self-drilling, deep threads, head has a countersink thing, uses philips or square head, available in different finishes and materials, quite economical when compared to other screw fasteners and available at Home Depot, Menard's and possibly Lowe's as well. End of Commercial. | ||
| Bomber |
i was kidding, outie, but thatnks for the tip -- since the shed is done, I try to avoid carpentry tasks . . . . I ain't much good at them | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I bet my old half pound hammer's faster than your nail-gun! | ||
| Outrider |
Probably true, but in the hands of amateur's a half pound hammer can really wreck your thumb as well as the molding.  | ||
| Socoken |
half pound hammer? for trim MAYBE. i use a 22oz for framing, with the "waffled head", that thing does wonders for thumbs. | ||
| Outrider |
Translation: Socoken is not a "Finish Carpenter." | ||
| Socoken |
on the contrary, best "finish carpenter" in my crew, believe it or not. we build houses from the foundation to the roofing, almost everything in between. (not plumbing, electrical, or painting) trim just requires attention to detail. i will admit though, i would rather be in the sun slamming up walls than inside pinning miters together. i love my work, most of the time. of all the ram-jam go-fast house throwing up we do, the only times ive ever been injured on the job were when i was doing trim. we also custom build cabinets and install and finish hardwood floors. my favorite was when i was installing doors, and i was nailing the door stop across the top, and i nailed through the casing, through my finger, and into the header. so i had to just kinda chill there until some one cut the nail with a sawzall, there was many a laugh at my expense. | ||
| Outrider |
Just teasing about the finish work as a result of your claiming the framer to be your main tool. Sorry to hear about your finger. Sounds like something I would do in a hurry. Now you know why I don't work on bikes. LMAO |
