AIR NAILERS

[DFB]

Never heard that one. My BIL is in the trades and never had a issue. I can se some special applications needing full heads but the clip heads are all that most use around here.

Chris

Ya consider yourself lucky. My buddy is a GC in Masachusetts and the stuff he tells me different building inspectors make him do there like only using certain exterior deck screws now such as the new gold ones with torque drive heads. I ask him all the time why do keep selling all this other stuff if they dont want you to use it. Inspectors dont really answer to no one and can make life pretty tough on builders and a lot of times it comes down to their interpetation only. State and individual towns can alway be stricter but not looser than national code. I remember reading in our local newspaper where one town building inspector pushed a builder so hard the guy beat him senseless with his hammer.

From what I understand clipped head are being replaced by something called off set full head and can be used in the same guns. Shear strength for wind loads or something like that.

My little Vermont town doesnt even have a building code inspector.

 

[KennyG]

I've got an economical framing nailer from Harbor Freight (can't remember the brand) and I've run about three boxes of nails through it flawlessly. A contractor would probably want a better one but it's fine for a homeowner. Regular oil keeps all these things going.

I've got a Rigid finish nailer that I've had for years and I think I've only had one jam in all that time and it was easy to clear. It doesn't require oil which is handy for a finish nailer because you can just grab it anytime you need a couple of fasteners.

 

[tow653]

If you don't have a compressor,look at Senco battery powered finish nailer. unlike Paslode,it doesn't require gas cylinder. I have one and love it.

 

[teejk]

first check out your local hardware supplier and see what nails they stock (plastic, paper, wire). all different designs and I don't know if any of them are interchangable between nailers. I bought a nice Dewalt (plastic) on EBay but the nails are pretty hard to find (maybe that's why I got a nice deal on an almost new nailer).

choose your nails, then buy the nailer!

 

[grsthegreat]

I use porter cable and/or Hitachi myself, cause i bough them 20 years ago and use them often. still working. Never been repaired.

I was on a job last summer with a guy that just bought and bragged on his HF 16d nail gun. thought it was such a great deal. Didnt last thur the day. You get what you pay fore.

 

[ScottAR]

I second Teejk's post. Buy what you can get nails to fit locally. I had a porter cable I bought used and it shot paslode style nails that are very common to my area. When it finally died, I was of course in the middle of a job so I purchased a paslode frame master(great gun). It of course uses paslode nails. I picked up a very lightly used Stanley from a friend in a tight spot and while stanley nails are common to my area this gun shoots a different style than is common. So I have a great gun with odd nails.

Since there's a Paslode nail factory a few miles away, I'll throw in a plug for them.

 

[PILOON]

For quality every pro I know uses HITACHI.
My Hitachi framing nailer was bought used 15 yrs ago at a flee market and I have fired pallet loads of nails thru it and still have yet to service it.
I own probably 14 nail guns of different brands and none have stood up to the quality of Hitachi.

Stick nailers, (and I do prefer full headed) in my opinion, are better than coil units as U can stuff many strips into a tool belt but not a coil. Also coils if not perfectly in coil shape will not perform.
Drop a coil and it become scrap.
Stick nails can also be had; plain, coated, twist, and stainless (for decking) as well as 2" to 3 1/2" to cover all applications.

 

[ericher69]

Rigid finish nailer, no oil, swivel air fitting and lifetime service agreement can't beat it!

Oh ya ultra reliable 3 years residential use renovating my place.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

I've had good luck with the Harbor Freight framing nailer, the 3-in-1 one that allows you to adjust the angle. It drives a lot of nails in a hurry, and has the power to drive 3 1/2" nails flush or even sunk. I also use it for exterior trim with smaller nails, I just adjust the depth to sink them about 1/4" and caulk the holes. It's very forgiving in the nails it accepts, I don't think I've ever had it jam, even using nails that are slightly wrong, like 32 degrees on the 34 setting.

I also use the HF 18-gauge nailer for interior trim. It's a little light but I just shoot extra nails. The holes are so small they almost don't need to be filled. It was less than $20!

The thing about HF is they are constantly changing their models so my experience may not be relevant.

I also have two Bostitch guns, one for siding and one for shingles, that I use for siding and roofing. They are lighter and have a nicer feel than the HF guns but I'm not sure they work any better. I've had good luck buying reconditioned Bostitch on Amazon.

I have an HF store not too far away and I buy nails there, or at Home Depot. If I need specialized nails I buy them on Amazon or Ebay. Ebay is nice if you don't need 5000 nails, you'll find guys who break up boxes and sell them a few hundred at a time.

 

[DFB]

Ok guys I did a little more research into the clipped head/full round head (FRH) issue. Its definetly a regional/local thing with no uniformity of enforcement. Seems to be the only way to know for sure is to make inquirys at the local level.

FRH use being instituted predominatly in hurricane and earthquake prone areas of the west coast, east coast, and some parts of the south. Seems the question is wether or not the clipped style head has enough holding strength and/or allows for too deep a penetration into wood with its smaller head profile. The major design point of the clipped head is simply to allow the gun to hold more nails. Both the Porter Cable and SENCO have statements on their respective web pages concerning nail usage.


1) Clip-heads were the original type of collated (in a strip) nail for air tools, they were first introduced to the market in the late 1960s and they still remain a popular choice in most parts of the USA.
2) FRH nails came on the scene in the late 80s as a popular product in the earthquake/hurricane markets like the west coast states and the coastal areas in the gulf and east affected by hurricane threat. In these markets, local code changes required many builders to change from the clip-head to the FRH nail. Building inspectors started to discriminate against the use of the clipped-head nail. It was felt the FRH would help prevent an overdrive into shear wall (structural sheathing). http://www.senco.com/Documents/Tips/2.pdf

Full Round Head vs Clipped Head nails
There is plenty of debate as to whether clipped head nails (with a nail head shaped like a "D") provide as much holding strength as traditional full round head nails. The consensus seems to be that they are just as adequate, however, in some states and areas, only full round head nails are certified as being sufficient for building and renovation tasks, so you might like to check with your local authority before choosing between a clipped head or a full round head framing nailer. One advantage the clipped head nailers have is that they can generally hold more nails in the magazine, so less refills are required. porter cable