Air Tools

[Bird]

I used a Paslode air framing nailer when we were building my brother's house. It was a fine piece of equipment but I've never owned one myself. I used to have an 18 gauge brad nailer that was certainly handy, but I sold it and now have the dual purpose one; 18 gauge brads or staples.

my impression was the hammer actually tightens the wood closer while driving the nail in - the air nailer just zips the nail in and the connection is not as strong.
My opinion only

My opinion is just the opposite (and of course my opinion not worth any more than yours ). But I think you have a better connection with the air nailer because hammering on the work jars things loose. Of course you do want the two pieces of wood to be tight together when you hit it with the nail gun. Just for the fun of it and to see how strong it would be, I actually built a dog house using nothing but that 18 gauge brad nailer to hold everything together. I've forgotten the exact dimensions, but it was big enough for a chow mix dog. We used it a year or so and I gave it away after the dog was killed.

 

[MikePA]

I used a Paslode air framing nailer when we were building my brother's house. It was a fine piece of equipment but I've never owned one myself.

I have the Paslode cordless framing nailer and the Paslode cordless finish nailer. A group of my co-workers and I did some finish work on a Habitat For Humanity house this past summer and it was great having the benefit of a finish nailer without the need for a compressor and hoses.

I agree with many of the others, lots of around the garage and shop tasks wouldn't get done without a compressor and an impact gun. Before I bought them, I didn't change the blades on my mower until it was absolutely necessary. Now I change them every spring. No breaker bar needed, no jamming a piece of wood in the deck to keep the blades from turning.

 

[EddieWalker]

...my impression was the hammer actually tightens the wood closer while driving the nail in - the air nailer just zips the nail in and the connection is not as strong.
My opinion only

I don't know the numbers, but with the very heaviest hammer you can swing is as tight as you can get a nail into a piece of wood. While hitting that nail, the other piece of wood will push away from the impact of the nail. When the nail is hammered all the way in, it will tighten up both pieces to a level based on how hard you hit it.

With a nail gun, that nail is sent through both boards with thousands of pounds of preasure. It is so fast and powerful that it pulls them together allot tighter than just hammering them.

If you get a chance, hammer take two some scrap 2x4's and nail them together with your hammer, then do the same with a nail gun shooting the same sized nails. You will have no doubts as to which does a better job.

Even better is when toe nailing boards together. With a hammer, the hardest part is keeping every thing lined up. With a nail gun, you just squeeze the trigger and it's done. It's also very tight and in the exact location it's supposed to be.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[Bird]

Eddie, you explained, much better than I did, just what I was thinking.

 

[czechsonofagun]

I don't know the numbers, but with the very heaviest hammer you can swing is as tight as you can get a nail into a piece of wood. While hitting that nail, the other piece of wood will push away from the impact of the nail. When the nail is hammered all the way in, it will tighten up both pieces to a level based on how hard you hit it.

With a nail gun, that nail is sent through both boards with thousands of pounds of preasure. It is so fast and powerful that it pulls them together allot tighter than just hammering them.

If you get a chance, hammer take two some scrap 2x4's and nail them together with your hammer, then do the same with a nail gun shooting the same sized nails. You will have no doubts as to which does a better job.

Even better is when toe nailing boards together. With a hammer, the hardest part is keeping every thing lined up. With a nail gun, you just squeeze the trigger and it's done. It's also very tight and in the exact location it's supposed to be.

Good luck,
Eddie

You have a point, no doubt about it.

What I experienced was a twisted stud 2x4. Now we nailed it on with air nailer and it stayed twisted. My buddy shoot in there one more nail and it did not help. I hammered those two nails deeper in and the twist was gone. Thats because the hammer worked the stud, not just the nail.

 

[Bird]

You have a point, no doubt about it.

What I experienced was a twisted stud 2x4. Now we nailed it on with air nailer and it stayed twisted. My buddy shoot in there one more nail and it did not help. I hammered those two nails deeper in and the twist was gone. Thats because the hammer worked the stud, not just the nail.

Aaahh, yes, I've seen that happen. Something similar can happen if your air pressure is set too low to drive nails all the way in.

 

[Ifixcars]

I'm spoiled now by using air tools. I haven't taken a tire off by hand for years and years. I like my electric screwdriver too. I don't even like screwing out a couple of phillips without it. Real pleasure for me to push a button and out or in it goes! I do use hand tools, I just look for ways to work faster, and that usually means power tools first if possible. Once you get used to them, you will like them. I would say get a 1/2 inch impact first, since they are very versatile. Get all socketed up in that drive size and you will be on your way. I personally like my air ratchet. It is a good complement to the 1/2 inch impact.

 

[tallyho8]

One of the main complaints I have with air tools is that the contractor can miss the studs with the nails when putting on sheets of plywood and not know it. I had a new roof put on my shop right before Katrina. Katrina took one sheet of plywood off the roof whole with the shingles still attached. When I checked it I found that there were only 3 nails holding the sheet of plywood to the roof. All the other nails had missed the studs. When you are hammering in a nail you know immediately if it misses a stud. Naturally, after Katrina, this roofer was nowhere to be found and the warranty was worthless and this 4X8 hole in the roof caused major rain damage.

 

[midlf]

I have a 3/8" air ratchet. I find I do not use it that much. My prefered item is a 3/8" butterfly impact. Got the HD Husky one. It works well, unless you drop it on its corner that contains the valve.

 

[Bird]

My prefered item is a 3/8" butterfly impact.

Steve, I used my butterfly quite a bit, too, and of course I've repaired a few of them. In my opinion, there's just two major differences that determine whether to select the ratchet or the butterfly. One is the shape of the tools and how room you have to work with. The butterfly requires more open space straight out from the nut or bolt. The other is the power. The butterfly will produce 3 or 4 times the amount of torque that the ratchet will produce. In some cases, that's good; you want more power. In other cases, that's bad; I've been known to twist things in two. But I'll agree that the butterfly is a handy little tool to have, and it sure is fast.