i need a finish nailer to put up some beadboard in a small bathroom, and to maybe build a built in bookshelf or two over the next couple of years.
i’ve narrowed my choices to the dewalt 18ga cordless finish nailer or a rigid 18ga compressor/nailer/tool box kit.
pros of the dewalt are i have their 18v drill with one battery and a spare battery would be nice. the nailer won’t see nearly as much use as the drill, but will be used on some outdoor things where the air hose would be annoying, or difficult to power the compressor. con, it’s heavier and a little more $
pros on the compressor i’d have a bitty compressor, it’s lighter, but i’m not going to be using it for projects big enough to really fatigue myself with it. it’s the “right” tool in that it’s standard operating. cons, the compressor is too small to do anything else other than drive a finish nailer, maybe fill a car tire, or blow off a little dust.
the more i ponder this the more i’m leaning to the dewalt, but there’s a nagging feeling that the compressor/pneumatic has things going for it….
thoughts?
Replies
Metis
I have not used the Dewalt cordless nailer but have used others and found them to be more trouble than they are worth, Invariable they fail to fully punch the nail home and you end up having to go back over your work and redo it.
Even though the air hose is a pain the compressor has the grunt to get the job done,
wot
Metis
I’ve gone up through from the cheapest to expensive electric nailers and the best one I have by far is pneumatic.
Be warned once you get a compressor there’s no going back; there GRRRATE!!!
Glynn
Metis
Sounds like the nailer will sit idle most of the time. Why not borrow or rent a nailer and put the money into shop air? Lowes has a 26 gal Kobalt and a DeWalt for under $400. You will find uses for it that will make life easier. This is Just a thought.
If you are set on making the purchase, go pneumatic even with the pancake compressor.
I have both senco pneumatic and senco electric. I do home imp's and for most jobs I use the pneumatic. For the occasional small job I use the electric. Both have a purpose. As was said you may want to rent.
thanks all,
renting sadly would sadly come out to near enough to buying one to make it silly. i'm figuring on a solid weekend to make a fiasco of the trim, so it'll probably take two weekends, at which point i've bought the nailer. (never done wainscot before, lots of things to make funny cuts around)
how do you define "small job" a punch list attachment of one board? my bath is abotu 24 LF of wainscot plus mop board and chair rail, so it's not a lot. far more than the other 2 projects i see in the wings of a built in ~4'x8' book case in two locations (not at the same time)
i've got rave reviews from my local toolmonger of both the dewalt and rigid, (they don't carry freeman, and i'm fond of their shop, they're very helpful and i'll happily pay a small premium to shop there, although they're usually cheaper than amazon) so i'm less concerned about long term reliability than i am about them sitting or being useful.
yes shop air i want, but it'd out of the budget at present. is a pancake tank that useful once i have shop air? i could easily reach the entire house with a 100' hose from the garage.
Hi Metis... Welcome to the Knots Board. You've gotten lots of good advice from other posters. My question is 'will the 18 gauge nail (brad) be strong enough?? I've put up lots of beadboard and molding and prefer a 15 or 16 gauge brad for that work. Now the hard part... If memory serves me correctly, 18 gauge nailers only take a straight strip, while 15 and 16 gauge are available in straight or angled units. Each style has itys advantages and disadvantages.
With 15 and 16 gauge units, the brad is thick enough to punch through odd grain and corners of knots. The 18 gauge is thinner and seems to follow odd grain and either stop or fold up when it hits the area close to a knot., or, worse yet,... comes out the side of the project and 'bites' any fingers that are too close to the action.
My vote... air and a 15 or 16 gauge unit.
SawdustSteve Long Island, NY (E of NYC)
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