Replies

1. 
   highfigh | Nov 24, 2004 05:35am | #1

   You can nail small trim, boxes till the glue sets up, shims, picture frames, etc. Basically, anything that doesn't need 15 ga finish nails. I have one and use it a lot. I also have a finish nailer because I have a duplex.

   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
2. 
   Michmesquite | Nov 24, 2004 05:49am | #2

   An 18ga nailer is a good shop nailer but I would be hesitant to make it my only interior finish trim gun.

   For interior trim (casings, baseboards, window trim) I suggest you use a 15ga gun. 16ga and 18ga nails follow the wood grain too much and you end up with a bunch of nails sticking out of the trim.

   If your Visa card can handle it, I suggest an 18ga nailer 1st, 23ga pinner 2nd and a 15ga gun 3rd.

   _________________________________

   Michael in San Jose

   "In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted." Bertrand Russell 

1. 
   ChrisRogers | Nov 24, 2004 05:52am | #3

   Thank you both for the input. This is exactly the type of advice I was looking for.

2. 
   ASK | Nov 24, 2004 04:52pm | #6

   Michaelp,

   I have an 18 guage nailer which I use regularly. I about to start building kitchen cabinets for my daughter and son-in-law's kitchen renovation and was thinking of getting the PC 16 guage nailer which will shoot up to 2 1/2" nails. Would you recommend a 15 guage instead?

   ASK

1. 
   Michmesquite | Nov 24, 2004 05:17pm | #7

   I would not recommend the 15ga for cabinetry, it is a bit of overkill. I would reccoment the 15ga over the 16ga all the time.As much as some of us laugh at "Nahm" for using his nailer to hold the piece in place while the glue sets, that's what you use the nailer for. Good joinery techniques build cabinets that last, not nails.Also, a nailer, 15, 16 or 18ga is useless when it comes to plywood. There I would reccoment a stapler such as the PC NS150.BTW: I ordered a DVD from Sommerfeld (http://www.sommerfeldtools.com/specials.asp) that describes an interesting joinery system for building cabinets. $9.00. The system does require you to buy a set of CMT router bits. Nevertheless, the DVD provides a lot of good information about the cabinet making process._________________________________

   Michael in San Jose

   "In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted." Bertrand Russell 

1. 
   highfigh | Nov 25, 2004 01:16am | #8

   I, and a lot of others, use a brad nailer for holding the parts together while the glue dries. If I'm doing a project that's big enough, I'll run out of clamps before I run out of nails. The brads/nails aren't being used for structural integrity, anyway. Just stabilizing the parts well enough without having to buy more clamps. If it's only a couple of cabinets or something like that, I'll use clamps. They aren't that expensive and when you have one, it's really convenient. I agree, good joinery is a lot more important, although they need to be glued well, too. (Draw-bored, pegged and pieces or projects with no glue or mechanical fasteners are obviously excluded from this since the joinery is what holds them together)
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

1. 
   Michmesquite | Nov 25, 2004 01:37am | #9

   I think you may have mis-read my post. I agree that brads can be used to hold things in place while the glue drys. But you wouldn't want to nail through a face frame into the carcass for glue up purposes.Another way to hold things together is to use pocket screws. I use these all the time when they won't show._________________________________

   Michael in San Jose

   "In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted." Bertrand Russell 

3. 
   mudman | Nov 24, 2004 06:58am | #4

   All the above advise is right on. One thing I will point out though is that the hole left in the piece with a 18ga. is almost identical to a 16ga. They will both require a filler and it will look the same afterwards. With a 15ga. the hole is noticibly larger than an 18ga. and will show more filler. For trim applications the holding power between 18 and 16ga. is huge, but the difference between 16 and 15 ga. is negligible. Although as someone else noted 15ga. nails are less likely to shoot out the side if you hit a knot or don't position the gun corectly. All of them are usefull. If you are using it in a shop for furniture type stuff a brad nailer is probably a good start because you will probably be using glue as well.

   Mike

   please excuse my spelling.
4. 
   forestgirl | Nov 24, 2004 09:38am | #5

   I absolutely love my Porter Cable 18ga brad nailer and pancake compressor.  So far, I've used it mostly in shop-related projects, but it has saved me tons of time.  Use it alot to hold things together during glue-up.  Pulled it outside when I built my firewood bin (holds construction cut-offs), which is 12' long x 3.5' high x 2.5' deep and completely sided with cedar bevelled siding.  Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-....... so fast!

   A stapler and heavier nailer will be added down the road.  It's nice to be able to expand as needed.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
   Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

5. 
   nikkiwood | Nov 25, 2004 08:57am | #10

   I have an 18 ga nailer (PC), and it is my workhorse.

   I am not quite sure what MichaelP meant when he argued against nailers for plywood (in favor of a stapler). I use the 18 Ga for all my plywood cabinets, because the nail will hold the thing together until the glue dries, and the hole is rather inconspicuous.

   I also have a 15 Ga nailer, but I have pretty much stopped using it for the reasons Mike mentioned. I got a 16 Ga nailer, which I use for casings, etc., and it does make a smaller hole, with no loss of holding power I can see.

   Pinners are nice for small pieces of trim and molding, but I wouldn't buy one until I had both the 18 Ga and 16 Ga guns.

   About the only thing I use a stapler for is affixing the backs to cabs -- and it would be the last gun on my to-buy list.

   But as you can see, all this is a matter of personal preference. If you do not have any finish nail guns, I don't think you would be disappointed with an 18 Ga as your first choice. Personally, I think it is the most versatile gun of the group.

1. 
   CharlieP | Nov 25, 2004 09:29pm | #11

   My sequence of nailers was 18 gauge brad, 15 gauge finish, then 23 gauge pin.  For building furniture, I rarely use the 15 gauge finish nailer.  Basically I agree with the previous comments.

   The one point that wasn't made...  Most of the 16 gauge finish nailers have a feed that is aligned with the nails - when nailing vertically, the strip of nails in the feeder is horizontal.  Most of the 15 gauge finish nailers have a feed that slopes up at 22 degrees when the nail is vertical.  Thus it may be easier to get a nail into a tight position with that type of nailer - which is why I bought the 15 gauge rather than the 16 gauge.  I'm not sure how often that feature is needed, since I have not used a 16 gauge finish nailer. ________________________Charlie Plesums  Austin, Texashttp://www.plesums.com/wood