Bad Nail Gun Day

[MarkV]

Hi all, I’ve been out of town and out of touch this last week. It sure does not surprise me to hear more memorable moments that involve mail guns. Most of the old carpenters I know have a story and unfortunately I have a couple also. Nail guns and saws get a lot of respect from me on job sites. Both can bite you in a big way very quickly.

Roxynoddle, my vote goes with those who say rent or buy the pneumatic flooring nailer/stapler. The way you have to position the flooring nailer’s base on the tongue side of the flooring makes it pretty safe against misfires. I can’t recall having an incident related to a misfire during the last 20 years I’ve paid my bills with a Bostich flooring stapler. Now the trim nailer that is used to attach the flooring close to walls, where the flooring stapler can’t reach, is the one that has bit me a few times. Also, maple is a very hard wood and will be even more difficult to nail with a manual nailer than oak would be. Your room is 378 sq. ft. and that will be a lot of nailing with a manual gun. I suspect you should plan on more than 2 days even if you rent a pneumatic flooring nailer.

If I can help you with any questions just let me know. You may want to do a search here and on Countrybynet also. There have been a couple of good discussions on hardwood floor installation in the past.

MarkV

 

[roxynoodle]

Thanks! Yes, it is a big room. The original oak floor is buried by layers and layers of subfloors. The previous owner tried to level out the entire first floor of the house. I must admit, it was probably a weird house with a step going from one room to another but that appears to be how it was originally set up. The kitchen looks like it was once 2 rooms with a threshold to get from one room to another, then another threshold to get into the front room From there, 3 more thresholds to get to the other rooms off the front room. As a result, I have a kitchen floor 8" thick in one half and 4" thick in the other. I was probably going to manually nail in the base shoe. I do that by predrilling the holes then setting the finish nails with a nail set. This will be my first hardwood floor installation. I'm not too worried about it because I seem to be one of those weird people for whom projects just seem to work out. However, if I run into a problem I will be sure to take you up on your offer for advice.

 

[dtd24]

I framed house for about 10 years before going back to college. I have shot myself twice. First one was a framing gun, while nailing a wall plate and stud together, got me right in the wrist. The other was a finish gun, nailing up the last corner of exterior crown molding, right through my thumb nail.

The worst I ever saw was a newbie we had on the site for 3 days. He was bringing the gun through the house, stepped over the hose with his finger on the trigger. Shot himself in the back of his foot. That nail went all the way in. Still gives me goose bumps.

 

[sandman2234]

About 5 years on a shipping dock got me to see a couple of bad shots. One thru the hand, the other thru the foot.
We nailed 2 two by fours to trailer decks, then loaded steel coils on them.

The nailgun was loaded with 5 inch nails, and would drive them thru the two by fours, and into the hardened deck on the floors. One powerful tool, and very unforgiving.
David from jax

 

[john_bud]

Youch! getting hit with a 5" nail has got to hurt.


Oh, if you are working with someong with a nail gun in their hand you have to watch out too. Guy on a ladder framing a door over a guy doing trim at the bottom of the door. Guy on the ladder comes down and bumps the bottom guy with the nail gun and stuck his hat to his skull. He didn't know it until he tried to take off his had to feel the bump. Then he freaked!


It's why I work alone!

jb

 

[higgy]

I have used and own all types of nailguns. In 30 years of using them I have seen them missfire in just about all possible ways. I have not come close to pearcing any part of my body. The best way to hurt yourself is to disable the safteys that are built into the airgun, clearly the case with the person who nailed his heel to the floor while walking with the gun in hishand.

This is what I teach young kids, All wood is harder than flesh, all tools will cut you faster and easier than wood, use all safties and be carful.

Haveing said that, I am sure that someday there will be a brad, nail, spike or saw that has my name onit.

And I have cut sawhorses in two.

And I have lost fingernails to handhammers and

ohh well, construction does have its moments.

 

[DieselPower]

Got two bad nail gun stories. Luckily none involved me. First one was a guy I worked with about 15 years ago that had only one eye. Apparantely he had been on the inside of a house doing block out work and others were outside nailing on the solotex (sp?) siding. Black exterior wall board made from compressed cardboard. Someone on the outside missed the stud and ended up hitting this guy in the eye. Needless to say he wasn't wearing safety glass's.

Next was my best friend. He's a finish/trim carpenter. He was installing a stair case hand rail system and was holding the hand rail down when he let off a nail. It hit a knot in the rail and the nail came out the side of the board. The nail went right through the center of his left thumb's second bone. There wasn't anyone else in the house and he had to pry his thumb off the board with a claw hammer. Ouch!

Don't forget, their called nail "guns" for a reason. They shoot just like a gun so use them with caution.

 

[keeney]

An aunt of mine who works in an ER department said that it was more common for them to pull nails out of guys feet and shins than their hands. She asked me why guys are nailing so much stuff near their feet.

I suspect it has to do with framing wall assemblies before they are tilted up. Imagine bump-nailing a wall's worth of of studs to a bottom plate and accidentally bump your shin while stepping along over the studs.

She also said "pull" is what they really have to do when the nail is stuck in bone. Apparently bone holds nails pretty good.

- Rick

 

[higgy]

makes me cringe just thinking about it.

 

[kmdigital]

On the Bostich nailers you need to change the triggers to go from bump to single fire. I have two of these that I bought at an auction, and I couldn't figure out why they often double-fired. It drove me nuts, as I had a very hard time only driving one nail while framing. I finally did some research and learned that I had the black instead of the grey triggers. Called Bostich and they sent me two new ones for free, and now I like my nail guns!

I guess the reason for bump fire is that it is faster to do things like installing decking, and if you ever heared them go in the trailer factories you know what I mean. It sounds like an automatic rifle going across the deck when they nail it down. They get paid by the unit, and they don't care if half the nails miss the joist/rafter!

But I still couldn't see any good reason for having bump fire for a larger 16 penny nail gun. Who in their right mind installs sheeting with 3" nails?