Question about pneumatic nailer?

MikePA · Mar 28, 2007

wrangler6831 said:
When I started building my house I bought a PASLODE brand that use the butane cylinder. No hose to fool with and will run atleast a full day on one cylinder. They are more expensive and need more maintenance but the portability more than offset both. I still have air nailers but 90% of the time I grab the PASLODE. It gets more use than any other tool I own.

I agree. I have the Paslode framing nailer and the finish nailer. Both of them have depth adjustments.

WayneB · Mar 28, 2007

When I decided to purchase my nail guns I selected to go with one manufacturer and looked at Senco, Hitachi, Paslode and Porter Cable and for no good reason selected PC.

I just thought buying all the guns from one company would make life easier for spare parts and repairs. The framming nailer is round head and the only thing about it that I do not like is the weight. Not bad if you are driving a few nails, but after a day of pulling it around and the air hose I am a bit on the tired side. The new air cylinder guns are nice, cost a bit more, and I am not sure about the length of the use with a framming gun. I do have a finish nailer with air cylinder and really like it over having the hose and compressor inside running.

Pick a brand name and you should be okay! Check with the local suppliers for nails and see what is selling off the shelves. Around here most are using the round head nails.

inveresk · Mar 28, 2007

MikePA said:
I agree. I have the Paslode framing nailer and the finish nailer. Both of them have depth adjustments.

There's definitely no depth adjustment on my Paslode framing nailer bought around 2000. Good that they've added that facility though.

guyrj33 · Mar 28, 2007

I have a Proter Cable FR350 (round head, stick nails) and I like it. I do agree with the comments about running out of nails quickly; but when I think about the time and effort to drive 60 10D nails it's not so bad.
Also have a palm nailer, it's great for joist hangers and places that are hard to reach.

guy

Mike120 · Mar 28, 2007

I'm on my second Proter Cable FR350 (the first got stolen...not worn out). I can get nails for it almost anywhere and it's very reliable.

dmccarty · Mar 28, 2007

For reviews of nailers check out Journal Light Construction: Home Page and www.finehomebuilding.com.

I keep researching the nailers and can't decide which one to buy... So I don't buy. My projects so far are getting by with screws. I like screws. Easy to fix mistakes. Its slow, not as strong as most framing nails and likely not to code. But I'm not building houses or barns so I'm ok.

One conclusion I have come to though is that I don't think there is just one nailer that will do what I want. I would likely have to buy two. I want a round head nailer that will drive the big nails .168 if I got the number right. And it would be nice if it would align with metal hangers/plates. Some building inspectors will not accept clip head nails and require round head. Supposedly there is a nailing schedule that supports the use of clip head nails that you can show the inspector to get the nails passed.

I just finished a temporary shed barn that I put togather with screws. ALL three of my Dewalt 18v batteries died last year so I have been using the old B&W corded drill. Its much faster than the 18v driver anyway. What got REAL OLD REAL quick was climbing ladders with the extension cord.

My nail gun wish list pushes me back to Paslode for this very reason.

Later,
Dan

stumpfield · Mar 28, 2007

Anyone own a harbor freight framing air nailer? Are they any good or good enough for 1 major project?

hazmat · Mar 28, 2007

Generally speaking, you'll probably need two guns for framing & sheathing. I bought a Bostich coil framer thinking it would do both. Seems I can't get smaller nails for it anywhere w/o special order $$$. It's max capacity is a smidge short for code in framing... I ended up buying a stick nailer for the framing.

The smaller coil nailers designed for sheathing are much, much lighter & a joy to use compared to the coil framer. The coil framers are at their best for making pallets.

Gryantaylor · Mar 28, 2007

stumpfield said:
Anyone own a harbor freight framing air nailer? Are they any good or good enough for 1 major project?

i have a few HF nail guns that are ~ 2 years old. The quality is not as good as the top-of-the-line models but they are good enough for one or two big projects. I'm slowly remodeling my house and I'm on my 4th box of framing nails and the gun is doing just fine.

I also bought the little finish nailer (5 dollars) and I put up all the trim in my house with it. Every once and a while it wouldn't sink the finish nail far enough but it was 5 dollars, I didn't expect prefection.

Last fall I bought the roofing nailer and installed a new roof. (~20 square) The gun never misfired durring the entire project (even after it slid off the 2 story roof and landed in the dirt). The only thing I didn't like was the last nail in each coil would fall out of the chamber before it could be fired.

Overall, I've been fairly happy with the quality. i paid less then 90 bucks for the framing and roofing gun each. I've finished my major project and they are still working well. For light use or one big project I'd recomend them.

tallyho8 · Mar 28, 2007

I got a Campbell Hausfeld gun about 10 years ago and I built a lot of barns with it and never had a problem until now. You are supposed to put a couple drops of oil in the air intake each day. I skipped a while and then put one big squirt of oil in it. When I sank the first nail it started leaking air. I guess I put too much oil in and blew a seal. Now I have to find where to get parts for it and see if I can fix it.