Nail gun purchase advice for trim work
I have to put in some 1/4 round trim in one of my bathrooms today. I tried some liquid nails and a hammer/nail method but man is that not the way to do it if I want to keep my sanity.
I want to go by a nail gun today from HD or Lowes. I have a compressor, I just need the gun and the nails.
I’d like to get 1 gun to cover a variety of trim work I will need to do:
-Crown molding
-Standard baseboard trims
-Standard door jamb trims (not the jambs themselves)
-1/’4 round
I’m not sure what size and type of gun I’d want. I made a post many moons ago about this and I got a lot of feedback for 15g, 16g, and 18g. It seemed a lot of people use 15g for this type of work, but some said it might split wood on smaller stuff like 1/4 round and I’d want 18g.
So 16g sound like a good middle fit, but it seemed like most people preferred angled guns and there wasnt much in 16g. I was also trying to go oil-less if possible, but not stuck to that.
Edited 2/5/2005 11:01 am ET by ESM
Replies
Paslode 16ga. straight gun. It's bullet proof, lightweight, fires a range from 5/8" - 2 1/2", nails are cheap and readily available. I've been doing this twenty years and there isn't a better gun. The 15 ga. nails are significantly thicker and are too large for quarter round. You'll blow up a lot of pieces with that. Also, not all 15 ga. are the same. It used to be that only Bostich nails worked in Bostich guns although the new Dewalts look to be the same. I don't use these guns so I can't be sure. 18 ga. are great for small stuff, quarter round, returns, that sort of thing, but as a primary gun, the nails are too thin. Go with the 16 Ga., Paslode (my personal) Hitachi or even Porter Cable makes a good gun and could save you a couple of bucks. My only word of caution is this: keep your hands well away from where you are nailing. Reasons:
1. Guns can "double fire" that is fire two nails in QUICK succession, kicking the gun back. The natural reaction is to push back and you don't want your hands in the way. As you will find out, these guns fire FAST.
2. Nails can "wander". Sometimes you are shooting a nail and it decides to curl, exiting the material in an unexpected place. Using proper length nails can minimise this.
3. Be nice to your guns. they are called "GUNS" for a reason.
Good Luck!
John
The angled 15d finish nailer is the choice of pros. Many will also have a 23 gauge pin nailer for small work. The straight magazine 16d will shoot a wider variety of nails but they are T headed and have to be aligned with the grain to prevent large flaked holes. Oil should not be a problem unless you are squirting it into the gun. Two drops is all you need. HD carries the Bostitch oil less. The PC 16 is inexpensive. I own an older Bostitch angled 15 and the PC 16. I grab the Bostitch every time. I should sell the PC since it doesn't see any use. I'll chose a real finish nail instead of a T head flat nail. I can't comment on an 18 but it would not be acceptable for the uses you have listed. Might be handy in addition to a 15 for small moldings.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
From what it seems , it looks like your not doing much of the 1/4 round molding. I would recommend the Bostitch N62FNK-2 15ga. finishing nailer. Its a sweet gun, and will shoot upto 2-1/2 in. into hard wood. As for the 1/4 round molding you would need an 18 ga. for that work. Unfortunate 15 ga. is to heavy for that molding. You can get an 18 gauge nailer for less that $100. It may be worth it if your going to stick to smaller molding jobs. good luck. Check out links below
http://www.bostitch.com/default.asp?CATEGORY=BOS%5FFINISH%5FAND%5FTRIM%5FNAILER&TYPE=PRODUCT&PARTNUMBER=N62FNK-2&SDesc=Industrial+15%2DGauge+Oil%2DFree+Angled+Finish+Nailer+Kit
http://www.bostitch.com/default.asp?CATEGORY=BOS%5FFINISH%5FAND%5FTRIM%5FNAILER&TYPE=PRODUCT&PARTNUMBER=BT200K-2&SDesc=Industrial+2%22%2C+18%2DGauge+Oil%2DFree+Brad+Nailer+Kit
That gun got recommended by another as well. I went to Lowes to check out the selection, very limited, so off to HD i went, much wider selection. Porter Cable has a $300 combo with a 16g straight, 18g straightt, and a 2HP/6gal pancake compressor with 25' hose and fittings. I picked this up. The 2 guns separately included in the kit are right at about $300 themselves, so the compressor is basically free is the way I look at it.
Now, I have a 29 gal compressor and 50' of hose that will reach most areas of my house. Another 50' is cheap if I needed more, so I didn't really need the extra pancake compressor, but I have no portable compressor, so this was kinda a good deal all around.
I looked at Senco and Bostitch guns. Bostitch was about same price as PC, Senco a few dollars more. For the same $300, I could have got a 16g and 18g guns from any brand, or a 15g and an 18g. The issue was how good is the PC stuff. I happen to know a guy with the same PC kit who has used it a lot. Only takes a drop of oil every other time he uses it and he said it has never double fired on him. I know PC makes some good non-air tools, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep it.
I've debated on returning it and just separate guns as I need them. It would be cheaper since right now I only need an 18g and my other projects I can use a 15g on, but I like captializing on a good combo deal, so I'm fairly certain I'll stick with the purchase.
Good luck with your purchase. IMO not a bad deal. As far as PC quality I have not heard of terrible things about them. Also IMO just use quality nails(non generic brand) and you should have trouble free service with your tools.
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