Hello, I am looking for some guidance in purchasing a nail gun; I will be using it for a Varity of uses, from trim work, some furniture work and perhaps using to build a fence. I currently own a brad nailer (I believe it holds small brads, not sure of the size). Do I need a framing nailer or will a brad / finishing nailer work for my requirements?
Thanks in advance!
Dino Biondo
Replies
If your brad nailer will hold brads up to 2-1/2" in length then your all set for trim and general carpentry. For building fences you need a framing nailer. They are costly for something your only going to use occasionally. But if you have to have one. I would recommend a Senco brand one. BTW, you may want to ask this question over in BT.
The other option is to rent a framing nailer when your going to build your fence.
Len, thanks for the input... I've checked into framing nailers and yes they are expensive!
Dino
Well, a brad nailer will never build a fence that's for sure.
You can rent framing or siding nailers at Home Depot or other rental places for $30 a day. I use a finish nailer for most of my "nail quality" work. Brad nailers leave almost the same size hole as a finish nailer and don't hold as tight. When I am glueing up a lot of edging or trim on paint quality stuff I can usually use the nailer and forget the clamps. I only have about 50 clamps and that is never enough on a big job. Narrow crown stapelers are very usefull as well.
Mike
Dino, Framing Nailers in general shoot anywhere from an 8d to a 16d nail some a little more than a 16d. These would take care of any fence building and home construction you might want to do.
For finish carpentry, the 15ga finish nailer is the most popular now. The 16ga seems to be phasing out. The bigger the number in "gauge" means smaller diameter. All of the nail guns shoot what is known as a wire nail. In fact most all nails (I'm hard pressed to think of one that isn't) are made from wire.
For finer work and some trim work like short base and door trim, the 18 gauge brad nailer is the most common. Most of them shoot from a 5/8 - 1-5/8 brad but some go all the way up to 2-1/2" brads. In most cases you'll want to accompany the brad with a little adhesive since the heads are so small that they can easily pull through on softer woods.
The smallest of all are the micro pinners. They used to make a 25gauge but now most of them are 23 gauge. These almost always require some sort of adhesive to accompany the brad. Most of the time they are used just to tack a non-clampable (new word I'm sure) piece while the glue dries. They have no head as the name pin nailer might seem to indicate.
For general purpose woodworking in the shop, the 18 gauge brad nailer is the most universal nailer of them all. You would be suprised how well a 2 in brad will hold.
In the brad nailer department, the Senco Finishpro 25XP is my favorite. It has a turbo mode that you can switch to for a deeper set instead of adjusting your air pressure. I sell them for in the Kit for 154.00 and I'm pretty competitive so you should be able to find it for around that price in your area.
Sincerely;
The Tool Guy
Dino -
I've got the Porter Cable finish nailer, brad nailer and pin nailer - that's not to say they're the best on the market, just what I could afford. I wouldn't use even the finish nailer on carpentry work. The 1 1/2" or so brads it shoots just aren't big enough nor are they heavy enough (in my opinion) to provide much of a grip between two boards.
For your fence, though, I'd suggest looking at using stainless steel nails instead of galvanized, and especially nails from a framing nailer. The latter will rust over time and stain the fence boards. While galavanized won't rust, they will cause streaks on the boards. Don't know how big the fence is but for the money, even for the rent, for a framing nailer I can pound a lot of nails by hand.
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
Dino
The PC shoots a Senco nail. The Senco is the BEST out there. Have had about 20 Sencos over time. The PC equivalents are just that - equivalent._________________________________
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
Hi Michael,
I've used Bostitch nails guns and nothing but Bostitch over the years!
Those daring young men in their flying machines!
The "Tool guy" gave you a very complete run down of choices.
We are all assuming you have a compressor to run the brad nailer you already have.
It seems to me the next step for you would be a finish nailer (using either 15 or 16 gauge nails). Either the Senco or the Porter Cable is good choice, and I would add Hitachi to the list you should consider. I would avoid Bostich --but only because they use only their own nails, whereas the nails for most other guns are interchangeable.
A framing nailer is terrific if you have a lot of large scale building projects in your future. But for occasional stuff, like a fence, the finish nailer would still be helpful. You can equip it with stainless steel nails and "tack" your pieces together -- then use conventional hand driven nails (or screws) to complete the job. And the finish nailer is all you need to attach staves to the fence.
I would strongly disagree with using a finish nailer on a fence. The head (or lack there of) of the nail would pull through in a couple of years. At least I know it would in Texas where the crazy blistering hot / freezing cold, dry/ humid weather causes wood to expand and contract like Opra on a binge diet.
Mikeplease excuse my spelling.
Mike,
I am not saying you should build the structural part of the fence with a finish nail; note that I said "tack" the pieces together with the nailer, and then hand nail or screw them.
I don't see why the staves would not stay put with finish nails -- especially if, for instance on a 3 1/2" stave, you opposed two nails (at an angle) on each of the rails.
Certaintly following with screws would be bomb proof. The reason I say that finish nails are a bad idea is that (while I'm not exactly proud to say this) I have built probably 20 fences in that last 3 years. I have made repairs to many times more than that. I have never ever seen a fence built with finish nails, but I have seen many 5 year old fences with the slats falling off because smaller head (13/64") siding/fencing nails were pulling through, or out, particularly the prefab panels. This is particularly bad with ceadar (the most popular in these parts) and worse with pine because the lumber is soft and moves a lot with the climate changes. Really the best fasteners are full head framing nails, large head siding nails (hard to find) and of course screws. I think that screws are overkill though. You can't even use finish nails on painted exterior trim, unless they are little mouldings like screen mould or chair rail. Again you can rent a framer or siding gun for $30 so why take the chance.
Actually I just realised, if you post this question (about finish nails in a fence) on break time then you'll really hear from the pros.
Mikeplease excuse my spelling.
My wife gave me a Senco 41XP finish nailer last Christmas that came with a free brad nailer. I have used both of them quite a bit over the last year, and they have been excellent. I don't know if anyone is still running this deal, but it might be worth checking out.
Kevin
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled