Framing nail gun questions

[caver]

Project manager said galvanized 3-1/4" would be fine. I know an earlier phone conversation he said 16 penny but I may have misunderstood him. I also found reference in a contractor forum somewhere online. The skinnier nails reduce splits in wood which makes sense as the newer lumber seems to split easier.

 

[3Ts]

Yes, skinnier nails (box nails) are less likely to split the wood than the thicker (common nails). However, most of the construction joints load the fastener in a shear direction so the larger the cross sectional area the less likely for joint failure. For withdrawal, the screws are far superior, just don't use drywall screws to hold anything other than drywall, their heads are designed so they can be broken off and taped over if need be so they're not nearly as strong as regular construction screws.

 

[Williy]

One thing about staples is they don't split wood
and not very easy to pull out and I do believe they
hold a lot better than nails.

willy

 

[3Ts]

Yes, but I'm not so sure about holding better than nails. I don't know that answer. I've seen roofing shingles put on with staples instead of nails and the staples work their way up thru the shingles. The cross sectional area of a staple is pretty small, but there are a lot more of them to distribute the forces. I've seen roof sheathing put on with staples that withstood a cat 3 hurricane. I guess it has a lot to do with workmanship.

 

[EddieWalker]

The problem with staples on shingles is that it's impossible to adjust the air pressure just right for each shingle. Some staples will be perfect and not break the shingle, others will break the shingle and be worse the useless. Staples are a lot cheaper then nails, but since they fail so often because of too much air pressure, they should never be used. If applied perfectly, staples have something like 3 times the ability to hold a shingle in place over a nail.

 

[Yander]

I dont use my frameing nailer too make a living , and I know Hitachi and Senco make top of the line ones. However I have owned the Rigid (HD) 21 degrees one for years and its never skipped a beat . Its been great !

I have this Rigid one also, bought it off craigslist several years ago for $100 ago. Have built a garage with it and my boss borrowed it to build a bathroom in his garage. Have never had any issues with it, has lots of life in it. Keep it oiled.

Check FB marketplace.. there are scads of them out there and you can by a pro quality nailer for harbor freight prices.

 

[ljjhouser]

I had a Porter Cable for many years. Wore it out. Good Nailer. I now have Rigid - also good. select the right nails. Round head? Clip head? 21 deg. 18 deg etc.

 

[not2old]

One thing about staples is they don't split wood
and not very easy to pull out and I do believe they
hold a lot better than nails.

willy

My experience with staples was in the 1970's applying sheathing. The staples had glue on them and were near impossible to pull out. I remember one incident when I stapled the edge of my boot to the roof sheathing. Gave up trying to pull it out, unlaced my boot and went to the truck to get a pair of wire cutters to free it.

 

[MiserableOldFart]

Yes, skinnier nails (box nails) are less likely to split the wood than the thicker (common nails). However, most of the construction joints load the fastener in a shear direction so the larger the cross sectional area the less likely for joint failure. For withdrawal, the screws are far superior, just don't use drywall screws to hold anything other than drywall, their heads are designed so they can be broken off and taped over if need be so they're not nearly as strong as regular construction screws.

If you are using on anything for a house or other building that is covered by building codes, check with your local bldg. inspector. Last time I checked here was a couple years ago, and screws were verboten, regardless of manufacturers' claims.

 

[3Ts]

No building codes out here and no code inspectors. I had a builder say he meets the building codes, but eventually admitted he didn't know what the code requirements were.