Which type, then brand of framing nailer?

[dhagood]

i have a hitachi air nailer through which i've fired three boxes of nails (yes, i'm a lightweight). one thing i don't like about any air operated nailer is hose management. on the ground, dealing with an air hose is not a problem. up on the roof, or up on a ladder, or to a lesser extent up on scaffolding takes constant vigilance not to cause yourself problems with the hose. the gas operated nailers would be an advantage in that respect but they are more expensive (both initial cost and then the recurring cost for the gas cartridges).

i'm satisfied with my purchase decision but i thought long and hard about a gas driven nailer.

 

[CurlyDave]

Here in Southern Oregon, and also in the SF Bay Area in CA, the professional framers all use Hitachi. It is very, very rare to see anything else on a jobsite.

When choosing a gun, be certain it will handle the largest nails you intend to use. In CA (earthquake country) the inspectors were adamant that only full size 16d faming nails were suitable in many places. A lot of the nails intended for air guns are slightly smaller than the full-size hand drive nails.

There are two sizes of framing nailers made, and the slightly smaller one will not handle the full-size nails. Look on the box of nails, a lot of time they will be called 16d "cooler" nails or something like that. Those are undersize nails and may be OK in some places but not in others.

In CA I had to go to a real professional building supply house to get collated full size nails for the nail guns instead of Home Depot.

 

[Happy Gilmore]

I have a Paslode F350S framing nailer, not the cordless one. I like it a lot, it's actually Made in USA.

 

[byronlj]

I have 3 porter cables used frequently and 1 Hitatchi that is stored in it's original box.
Dave

 

[tman1020]

Air nailers are the cheapest and the fastest generally to operate. but then you have the cost of the compressor and hoses and the general hassle of setting that up every time you want to use it. Plus they require you to have electricity on your job site or a generator.

I chose passload cordless framing nailers for years and had good luck for the most part but the cost of propane does get a bit expensive. Approximately one year ago I purchased a new Dewalt 20 V Max cordless framing nailer. It has almost paid for itself in savings of propane so far. I love not having to mess with the compressor or have to worry about having power on the job site. It will shoot many sizes of nails and is very easy to adjust depth for material density.

The 20 V Max stuff for me is the way to go I love it. I just don't think many guys have switched over to it yet to find out how great it is or even know it exists. It's very nice for small jobs to because there is so little setup Time and no Hoses to deal with.

 

[LD1]

Before deciding on a gun, look at what selection of nails you have available locally. Buying a gun that is hard to find nails for, or the nails are mroe expensive than others isnt a good decision IMO.

I have a bostitch F28ww. 28 degree welded wire nails. I think they go for ~$250 and a good selection of nails at a reasonable price. I am actually looking at buying a second one for when I start building my shop so I dont have to keep changing from 3-1/2" nails to 2" nails when building the walls and sheathing them.

 

[MFWD]

Hello,
When I needed to buy an air framing nailer I bought a Senco. I researched it a while before I bought and found out some things. You can get nailers that shoot full round head nails and ones that shoot clipped head (not full round in shape) nails. The full head nails hold better so that's the kind I bought. Also, I believe that in some areas, code specifies the type of nail head to be used. I'm not totally thrilled with my Senco......this past year I was using it on my new barn and it seemed to jamb a lot. That was a problem while being up on a ladder and trying to shoot 8 penny nails through OSB.

MFWD

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Air nailers are the cheapest and the fastest generally to operate. but then you have the cost of the compressor and hoses and the general hassle of setting that up every time you want to use it. Plus they require you to have electricity on your job site or a generator.

Some of us, have a gas powered air compressors, so we don't need to have a gen set on the job...

Mine speeds up, pumps the air tank full, then goes back to an idle until the tank needs filling again...

SR

 

[flusher]

I used one of those Harbor Freight 6-in-1 frame nailers for a half dozen construction projects around my 10 acre place. Must have driven 10,000 nails over 10 years using that $70 tool with no problems. Just keep it lubed. Paid $80 at one of the HF monthly sidewalk sales

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbKaEX31D1s

Good luck

 

[gsganzer]

I've used the heck out of a Milwaukee full head pneumatic nailer.

It has some great features and I haven't had a fault of any kind.