Starting the workshop-need advice on a nailgun

Joe1 · Dec 7, 2004

I just had a house built from the ground up, and the contractor, thr framing contractor and most of the other sub's used Hitachi nail guns. They said they held up better than the others and were competetivly priced. Just their opinion, but they made their living with them. These guys were not cheap on their tool purchases and had the best of everything.

Joe

jjcc246 · Dec 7, 2004

I have a Spotnail model MNS5SP. have had it for a least ten years. It shoots #6 through #16 nails. Never, never, never, had a problem with it. Built a lot of houses and garages and every friend I didn't know I had borrowed it. When I bought it the selling point for me was the distributor climbed on a three story roof at a construction site and through it off onto concrete. Picked it up, hooked up the air and starting nailing. You put a little $ out front but you should only have to spend it once. Highly recommened. A money saver is if the guns shoots more than one size nail, and this one does.

neilly2 · Dec 7, 2004

I was torn between the Paslode cordless and a pneumatic gun/compressor set up. I wound up with the gun/compressor.

What a mistake. I bought 150' of hose, but still have to drag the compressor around. Climbing up on the walls and getting the hose caught isn't much fun either. Then, when it gets cold the hose gets nice and stiff (even my Goodyear hose). And what fun going up for the last hit high on a ridge and you come up 6" short on the hose.

As far as the PC gun, it double hits alot which is annoying. Senco got the best write up in the Journal of Light Construction.

Clipped heads are for cookie cutter production framing and shouldn't be considered.

How does someone say a particular brand is best, when its the only one they've ever used??

Holzster · Dec 8, 2004

One more piece of info that I believe has not been stated yet. The ciol nailers (Hitachi) do not double nail like the stick one do. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif I own the Hitachi ciol, the P.C. FR350, & aa P.C. brad nailer. & the Hitachi is bar FAR my fav.

JerryT · Dec 8, 2004

I have to agree with OW Douglas. I just bought a framing nailer from Harbor Freight, 28 degree, clip head, for under $100.00 For a few extra bucks you can get a 3 year replavement warranty. If it stops working take it to the store and they will hand you a new one. Just shot about 1800 nails without a single problem. The nails are a lot cheaper at HF. Bought 2000 3.5 inch galvenized for under $30.00. If I built things for a living I would consider a brand, but for home use, HF is hard to beat.

keeney · Dec 9, 2004

RE: "Clipped heads are for cookie cutter production framing and shouldn't be considered."

The guys who framed my house used clipped head nails in Paslode air-powered guns. They had lots of long light-weight hoses that looked more like plastic tubing than rubber hose.

I was paying for the nails directly myself, and wanting a nice, solid house, I encouraged them to be generous with the nails. I think most of the studs have four or five nails in each end, for example. So far, I am happy with the holding power (no squeaky stairs or anything yet), but the house is only a couple of years old.

I borrowed my buddy's Porter Cable framing nailer for some misc. framing that I ended up doing myself. He had the spendy light-weight magnesium model with full-head nails. It was nice and light, but the lighter gun made it harder to control the recoil. It took a little getting used to to avoid double nailing (you have to release the trigger!)

I have a Senco angled finish nailer that I am very happy with.

I have a Bostitch combination narrow-crown stapler / brad nailer that was heavily used during the project as well and it worked great.

The stucco contractor had this really cool, heavy-duty Hilti explosive-cartridge-powered semi-auto gun for driving spikes into concrete. They used it to fasten the lathe onto the places where it was going over the concrete foundation and a retaining wall. It drove 2-1/2" hardened stainless nails into 14-day-old 4500 PSI concrete like a framing nailer puts 8p nails into soft pine. Bam!, bam!, bam!, more than a nail a second.

- Rick

Tevi · Dec 9, 2004

I've got 2 Both Paslode.1 air and 1cordless and also a cordless finish nailer.Go with cordless.Until I got the cordless I put a lot of honeydo's off because I hated dragging the compressor and hoses out.No problems with thw guns

MikePA · Dec 9, 2004

<font color="blue"> Clipped heads are for cookie cutter production framing and shouldn't be considered </font>
The only thing 'wrong' with clipped head nails is they wont pass building codes in some areas.

keeney · Dec 9, 2004

When building my house, because I hired a crew to do the framing, I figured I wouldn't need a framing nailer. How wrong I was!

There were dozens of little projects that involved pounding a few nails here and there. Each time, I thought to myself, "it would be stupid to buy a nailer just for the couple dozen nails required to put up this soffit, shower wall, shelving, framing for lowered false ceiling, concrete forms, utility closet, etc"

Two 50lb boxes of nails later, I really should have bought a framing nailer.

I did borrow one for some of the work, but still those 100lbs of loose nails were pounded by hand.

So, whatever you do, definitely get one or borrow one for the project!

- Rick

willfick · Dec 10, 2004

In what seems like a previous life, 20 years ago, I was the foreman in the wall panel department at a Wickes Lumber building component plant. ( Also made roof trusses there.)
We used Spotnail guns and staplers. Nice guy came around every week and serviced them and sold us nails.
The nailguns where heavy and solid. Even though I told everybody not to when things didn't line up it was easier to swing the butt end of the gun around and knock the 2bys into place than to pick up a hammer. Couldn't do that with the Porter-Cable I got a few years ago to build a tractor shed when my elbow told me 'no more hammering.' I don't know that those kind are even available any more.
On safety - one of my jobs was to write up accident reports and give guys a ride to the ER. Nowdays the state or the insurance company would shut us down. I 'bout needed a rubber stamp for,"Puncture wound to left hand."
Wm