Carpentry Of Homes,,, Nail Diameter,, and Codes?

[Howling]

Addition to framing nails the metal connecting plates require large diameter nails, .148". There are specialty nail gun for these plate with the nail tip exposed to line up with the plate holes.

 

[CADplans]

I was fixing a wood fence for my mother back in the mid 1960's, using lag bolts to attach 1" thick boards to posts,,

I was suffering terribly, screwing those lag bolts in with a wrench,,
Well, my mid 80's year old grandmother came walking by, and saw me suffering,,
she said, "That is not how to use lag bolts!!"

She picked up a hammer, and drove that lag bolt in like it was a nail,,,
then, I just had to turn the lag bolt about a half turn to finish tightening the lag bolt,,

WOW!!, she shocked me that she knew anything about construction,,,

 

[natedog75]

Having used collated nails in a pinch I find them desiring to drive without bending over. I drive a lot of nails everyday and can hit the head square. But the shanks just don’t hold up to knots or resistance. The nail guns have enough punch to slam the nail home without much issue.

Another issue I have been made aware of is sheer strength of construction screws vs nails. Take a screw and bend it back and forth a couple of times and it will break right off. Do the same with a 16 penny nail and you will be surprised at how long you will be there.

Another note. Bulk nails have a glue coating activated by friction. Nail gun nails have the same but it seems hand nailed nails are always more of a pain to remover than nail gun nails.

I would rather disassemble a nail gun constructed item than a hand nailed item any day of the week. The nail gun nails just don’t have that same holding power.

That being said. If we are framing it up we are using nail guns if the compressor is already out. If not and it is not structural it gets screwed together. Hand nailing is reserved for small projects that would take longer to get out the air compressor. Sometimes I will hand nail if I have nails in my tool belt. Most of the time I can hand nail it faster than walking to get the compressor.

One item I have found that I refuse to use a gun for is vinyl siding. I can have two pieces of siding up and hand nailed before we can get slots lined up for a nail gun for a single piece. They are just a pain to get into position on the slot. If you know how to flip nails or can get in sync on reaching into the bag for the next nail while you put the second lick on the nail you just set you can fly doing vinyl siding.

 

[not2old]

I recently put a duroid roof on my new garage using a borrowed Bostich gun. Way too many heads that didn't sit flat and needed finishing with a hammer. I would have switched to hand nailing if I hadn't already purchased a case of nails. I do plan on buying a nail gun to do the Hardie Board siding and hope it works out better.

 

[clemsonfor]

I recently put a duroid roof on my new garage using a borrowed Bostich gun. Way too many heads that didn't sit flat and needed finishing with a hammer. I would have switched to hand nailing if I hadn't already purchased a case of nails. I do plan on buying a nail gun to do the Hardie Board siding and hope it works out better.

You need to turn up your regulator or adjust the gun so the heads go flush or just under.

 

[natedog75]

I recently put a duroid roof on my new garage using a borrowed Bostich gun. Way too many heads that didn't sit flat and needed finishing with a hammer. I would have switched to hand nailing if I hadn't already purchased a case of nails. I do plan on buying a nail gun to do the Hardie Board siding and hope it works out better.

I agree with Clemson. You have to have the right air pressure and the gun setup correctly. If you take the time to dial it in it works very well.

You also have a big enough compressor to keep the air pressure consistent. Most small pancake compressors cannot keep up. I use a Dewalt that runs at 5cfm with a tank pressure of 225 psi. When the tank drops to 190 the compressor kicks on. It’s a 100% duty cycle compressor. My tank pressure stays way above the pressure my gun is running at. This gives very consistent results.

Hitachi makes an excellent siding gun that we use for hardie. Just don’t try to hang hardie with a framing gun or a roofing gun. Both will disappoint you quickly. The framing gun will destroy the hardie. You can’t get a long enough nail in a roofing gun to get deep enough into a stud.

 

[CADplans]

Talking about pneumatic guns,, I want to put up 3/8" beadboard in the basement attached to the 2X4s I will be using the framing gun to assemble,

What pneumatic gun should I use to hang the beadboard? I have a 1/4" wide stapler, with 1 3/8" staples,, and I have a Porter Cable finish nailer,,
Will one of these tools hang the beadboard (it looks like T111 board, except more grooves) , or do I need some other tool?

 

[4570Man]

An 18 gauge. I usually use a 16 gauge for larger trim.

 

[jimmychew]

I've been a carpenter for over 30 years. Have lots of guns and built plenty of houses with them. Most of my work now is remodeling and I hand nail almost everything. Hot dipped galvanized framing nails for interior and exterior framing. Stainless steel ring shank roofing nails. Stainless ring shank siding nails. I still use finish guns with stainless steel nails, especially for exterior pvc trim.

 

[CADplans]

An 18 gauge. I usually use a 16 gauge for larger trim.

My stapler is a 1/4" narrow crown 18 gauge,, so it sounds like that will be my first attempt at hanging the beadboard,,

I used it recently to re-do some fencing in the garden,, those staples hold pretty good,,
I even reattached the 4 foot tall wire fence to the posts,,
I did go back and used some double barbed staples to re-staple the places that the pneumatic stapler was used.

 

[oosik]

Thirty eight years ago I built two small( 12x18 ) decks onto our house. The framing is all held together with carriage bolts. The decking was attached with 16d nails. Over the years I've slowly removed all the deck nails and replaced them with screws. No more spring time pounding down of the nails.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Talking about pneumatic guns,, I want to put up 3/8" beadboard in the basement attached to the 2X4s I will be using the framing gun to assemble,

What pneumatic gun should I use to hang the beadboard? I have a 1/4" wide stapler, with 1 3/8" staples,, and I have a Porter Cable finish nailer,,
Will one of these tools hang the beadboard (it looks like T111 board, except more grooves) , or do I need some other tool?

I would use a siding nailer for that with about 1 1/2" nails. But I happen to have two siding nailers. I'm not sure a finish nailer would have enough grab on 3/8" material. I fear the staples would ruin the look of the beadboard.

 

[PILOON]

I have used a 1/4" stapler to hang composite siding with good success and I'd try it on your beadboard as well.
To err on the safe side we'd double tap at every furring strip.
Sure was faster than the recommended roofing style nails.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I put up about 20 sheets of 1/4" beadboard last year using a 1/4" crown stapler. It worked very well, just adjust your depth/air pressure so the staples don't blow through. Some areas, like a tight inside corner, I tried using my 16g finish nailer. The staples definitely held better. The holes also seemed to fill better, even though they were bigger, they were harder to see/find after finishing.

 

[clemsonfor]

I put up about 20 sheets of 1/4" beadboard last year using a 1/4" crown stapler. It worked very well, just adjust your depth/air pressure so the staples don't blow through. Some areas, like a tight inside corner, I tried using my 16g finish nailer. The staples definitely held better. The holes also seemed to fill better, even though they were bigger, they were harder to see/find after finishing.

Round is a natural shape unlike the slit or whatever the staple leaves.

 

[Snobdds]

For sheet goods...I like coated staples. Try and take apart a sheet of plywood or OSB with staples in it...you will destroy the sheet before the staples come out.

I have and use a air gun for some framing, but I like hand nailing things. A 16 penny sinker should take 2 hits to drive home. The nails should be angled \/ like this into the framing as it's hard to remove and nails wont come out.

When I built my cabin, I hand nailed everything. We were in the mountains and I did not want a loud compressor going, I just wanted to hear the thud of nails being driven. Had a couple of young workers helping me, they could not hit a nail without bending it at first. By the end of the day, they were finally able to drive a nail square and true. Most carpenters today can't drive a nail square, it's becoming a lost art.

 

[ovrszd]

I'd love to see a video of you driving a 16 in two blows!!! Have a friend that can do it in four. Counting the start tap.

 

[3Ts]

16 in 2 blows! I certainly not going to arm wrestle you.

 

[natedog75]

It’s all about technic. Head speed and weight are your friend.

Some of the titanium hammers weigh less but transfer more force than a steel hammer.

My framing hammer of choice is 19oz and has a handle about 6 inches longer than a regular 16oz finish hammer. Im an Estwing hammer guy. I’m out of practice but can still 3 tap one. One to get it started, second send it in, third makes sure it ain’t coming out. If you can hit a nail square that’s good but to make it count you have to hit it square with plenty of speed on the hammer head. That takes practice and hand eye coordination .

I once saw a video of a man in his 80’s two tapping 16s. It is all about the technic and using the appropriate hammer.

 

[Snobdds]

I'd love to see a video of you driving a 16 in two blows!!! Have a friend that can do it in four. Counting the start tap.

I would be ashamed of 4 hits.

For one, the hammer should be quality. I like vaughn 21 oz framers, then I cut down the handle by a couple of inches and sand it round. I then wrap about 20 wraps of black electrical tape about 2 inches down from the head, just to protect the wood. The wrist should never bend in the hit, the bending happens at the elbow. The swing should be through the nail, not stopping at the nail. One tap to set the nail and then two hits to drive it home.

My dad was a general contractor. When I was 14 my dad gave me a job for the summer. I shadowed an old time framer. There is not a $ amount I could value that summer with him. He only had me hand drive all summer. I could not help out until I could drive 50 nails into a rail road tie without bending one.

Practice with a box of nails, I bet by the end your doing 5 hits. After 10,000, you will have it down to two...