Nail Gun

Bart52571

Bart52571

New member
I'm looking to get a framing nail gun.
Anybody have any advice. Costco has a campbell hausfeld kit with a brad nailer and staple gun for 170.00 or I was looking at a ridgid at home depot for 200.00. Also which is better a round head nailer or clipped? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks (Its just gonna see part time use around the farm)
 
harbor freight,if theres one in your area. a woodworking mag, stated in the test they did, the taiwan,etc ones are as good as the big brand names, most are made overseas any way. on sale around $150 i think. i got several brad nailers & a framing nailer, for occasional use they are hard to beat. most of the overseas ones all look alike but have different name. grizzly, a mail order house has the same stuff different color or name.secret is keepun oiled.......
 
I am a contractor and use a nail gun almost everyday, and I love my Hitachi framing gun. I would only buy a clipped head gun, you get more nails in the magazine each time you load it, as there are no gaps between the nails when they are in the clips. Also, the full-head clips are held together with plastic, and the plastic flys all over everytime you fire the gun, and gets all over the floor or wherever you are working, not to mention flying out at you and your eyes. (Always wear safety glasses no matter what pneumatic gun you are using.)
As far as brand, the Harbor Freight as mentioned may be a decent gun for occassional use, they sell one there that can be converted to use clipped or full-head nails.
Some guns will shoot up to 3 1/2 inch nails, but I rarely use longer than 3 inchers.
You can also buy a palm nailer which may serve your purpose fine. The palm nailer uses multiple hits to drive the nail, and is very compact, and uses regular bulk nails (non-collated) and can shoot different lengths, different diameters, and different types. I've used mine for everything from framing nails to roofing nails, and joist hanger nails. A palm nailer will even shoot huge pole barn nails.
Check out www.toolsofthetrade.net, or amazon.com. Amazon has reviews by people who own or have used a tool telling how it has worked for them. Some of them are idiots, who obviously have no idea what they are talking about, but just take them with a grain of salt.
Also, like stated above, keep them oiled, and you will be okay. If used infrequently, I would oil before every use.
kevlars
 
Stick with the top two! I use both Bostich and Porter Cable for framer's. My choice would be the later. The P Cable has never jammed even with No-name stick's. The Bostich seems to be a little more finiky.

I have not used a coil style for a framer but would anticipate problems with feeding. Stick with staight clips!!

Also Ridgid is now making a decent line of pneumatic nailers. I would perhaps consider them also. The coil roofing nailer I just bought is top notch and has had no problems with aftermarket nails.

Dave
 
Treat yourself to a gas gun, get a Paslode. Never have to worry about an air compressor or dragging hoses. I love mine.

Nick T
 
Wow tell me more about a paslode, what kind of fuel does it use. Exspensive? Wish I would have seen these before I bought the compressor.
 
www.paslode-cordless.com

Mine set me back about $350, gas cartidges run in the neighborhood of $5 each, but last a pretty long time. They're worth the money, biggest thing with them is keeping them clean, just blow the dust off it at the end of the day and keep it in its' hard case.

Nick T
 
I have used air nailers for so many years I can't begin to remember when I first started. Have used Bostitch, Porter Cable, Senco, Hitachi. I would rate the Hitachi as #1, Senco #2, and the others a toss up. If you are going to use the nailer to earn your living with, go with Hitachi. Most important is the care of your tools, oil the nailer like your manual instructs you.
 
One other thing to consider is cost of nails. it will amaze you that by going to different angle degrees and clipped vs. round head the price difference for a certain quantity...this cost may make a huge difference if you use it a lot.
 
Im a home builder and also own a roofing company and we have switched almost everything from bostich to hitachi. Just seems to be a smoother gun roofing or framing....
 
I have several Sencos, Hitachis, Duofast, Bostitch. I am not a framer I owned a fencing business that didn't make enough to stay open so I ended up with all of them. I bought a Paslode to do patchwork myself and still use it for any nail gun projects I have. NO CORDS. NO COMPRESSOR. I have hoses and compressors but never use them for nails unless there are several of us working (read that Playing) and I am still using my paslode.
 
I would check with your local inspector about using clipped head nails. A lot of localities won't let you use them. I know that they don't like them here. I have been able to pull slates off of fencing with ease becuase of the clip head nails. I recently bought a Paslode and resold it 2 months later. You can't use it above your head and if the temp drops then it really worthless. I also had to send it back after two runs of nails to clean it out. I sold mine to a fencing contractor who never has to use it above his head. I'm going after either a Rigid or Hitachi next.
 
Before I went into building cabinets I did alot of framing and my personal preference was for the coil nails over the sticks. With the sticks it seemed I was always reaching for a reload but with the coils you get a much longer run between refills, and when nailing on sheeting, for instance, you get into a rythm when you are trying to move as quickly and accurately as possible and that is where the coil nailer keeps you humming along. You certainly have to make sure the gun is in good operating condition,oiled properly and set right, but I was faster and made the guy I was working for more money with the coils. And that is the important thing. Whichever one lets you make the most money, go with it.


As far as brands, the one I own is a Bostitch. I only use it for personal use now as it has no place in cabinetmaking. I suspect the comments on Hitachi are pretty valid and if I were buying one i would give it a good look as the tools they make for the woodworking trades are very solid and the quality is high.
 
Don't worry obout clipped-head nails not meeting code, 'cause now Paslode makes nails that have a full round head, but work in clipped-head nail guns. The full head is offset on the shaft of the nail. I have used them in my Hitachi, and they worked great with no problems at all. They are called Roundrive nails. Although you probably aren't worried too much about code on the farm. And I have never had any problem with them holding, unless the lumber you are nailing onto the studs, joists or whatever is not very thick, and even then a round head won't be much better, if at all.
kevlars
 
Been framing houses for years and trust me--you can't beat BOSTICH!!! They are simply the best. Have tried lots of other brands and Paslode's really SUCK! go with the black and orange!
 


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