Buying first finish nailer

[Jack]

Hello, I am buying my first finish nailer. I know this has been discussed here over and over, but with new guns coming out all the time, new opinions are always offered.

Went to HD, saw the bostitch angled 15 g. Liked it because it was light. I will be doing lots of trim work in my house. What is out there that you like? straight or angled ? 15g or 16 g (16 g straight seem to be alot less $$), things I should watch out for.

BTW, a guy in my state just got killed using a framing nailer, which now has my wife freaking out :) Thanks for your time.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

People are like that. I'm sure she has stopped you from using other things that have killed people like the bathtub, knives, bicycles, stairs, crossing streets, etc.

You do have to use some care with a nailer. It is very easy to hold a couple of pieces of wood together too close to where the nail is going to hit. The wood grain can deflect it right into your flesh. In the case of framing nailers, a lot of guys set them so they will fire when bumped instead of pulling the trigger every time. Ed

[SawEyes]

You might like to read this review:

[Mark]

Your wife wouldn't last long around here.

[Pat Barber]

There is something to be said for "light"... Watch out for guns that prefer a real specific nail... That can get expensive. I bought a Bostitch stapler and didn't find out till it was too late that it rerquires "their" staples and no other manufacture uses that staple.

I tend to lean toward Porter Cable for nailers cause they will shoot just about anybody's nails...

I have the angled 15g finish nailer and it work like a champ. The angle tends to come in while doing baseboard or crown molding.

You are gonna need more than one gun...

Choose Wisely..

Jack wrote:

[sawdust]

Ive been very well pleased with my Senco Finish Pro 25xp. Its 18 gauge and has handled all my trim work ive replaced in the house. daviswoodshop

[Buck Turgidson]

Just curious, how'd he manage to do it?

[Bill Schnakenberg]

They all don't get killed.

have a Porter-Cable 15 ga angle finish nailer and it works well.

[Leon]

Normally all finish nail guns are angled. Normally all Brad nail guns are straight.

15g or 16 g (16 g

If you are looking at the lite weight straight guns, you are probably not looking a finish nail guns. Finish nail guns are about half way in between a framing nail gun and a brad nail gun in size.

[Tom Kendrick]

I started with the PC BN125 (18 ga. brad). Worked great on base shoe and quarter round floor trim. Two of my friends have the PC FN250 (16 ga. finish) which I can borrow, so I went with the PC DA250 (15 ga. angle finish). Did a nice job on the garage door trim, though it's a large unit. Some trim which I have removed is installed with narrow-crown staples, so I picked up a Spotnails WS4840 at the local framing supplier. It's not the smallest, but it holds many staples before needing a reload. Put up some fascia outside trim on a carport and a church with it. Light, quiet and easy to use at arm's length.

You will eventually find a use for all 3 as stated before.

[Eric Ryder]

The Bostich is a fine gun - I've got a decade or so on mine. If I ws buying again, I'd look the Sencos over hard. For home construction/remodeling, the angled nailer is the first one to have (in 15 or 16 ga).

Keep all body parts at least one fasteners-length from the gun - assume any exception will result in a piercing (scream).

[Fly-by-Night CC]

I opted to buy a Senco 15 gage angled nailer for trim. Do a quick looksee of local hardware and home centers to make sure that the compatible nails are readily available, whatever size and brand of nailer you get.

[Gregory Jensen]

Lots of good info Here.. I have been on the Recieving end of a nail gun incident a couple of times.. It would serve you good to read up on how to keep your nails from "following the Grain" : and comming out the side of your wood work ( happend to me and I caught the nail in my finger OUCH..) My Framing gun incident was pretty straight forward. I was just nailing 2,

2 x 4's together at the end of a wall . I place the gun where I wanted the nail, Pulled the trigger and it fired twice ( yes I have mine set to Bump the safety back) the second nail did NOT hit the wood it missed ( just barely off the end of the board) and I ended up with a 16d in the side of my finger and it almost went all the way through can you say OUCH.. I jerked it out went to the Clinic to get it checked ( I did Not want any infection you know puncture wounds arent good) anyway The Clinic Dr said that he see a Nail gun Injury every week or so all summer/.. so my$.02 is " THINK" Good luck

[Renata]

Angled nailers get into tighter spaces. Not sure if you need this quality...though trim work would be one area in which it might be handy (corners).

Just bought a Bostich brad nailer to replace a PC one that was borrowed. Seems very nice thought I haven't used it a lot.

I heard the Senco's are now made in China.

Gotta be very aware of what you're doing with nailers, particularly a framer. e.g. when you're doing a job involving a lot of nailing, you might get in the habit of carrying the gun with the trigger depressed (since that's the way you leave it when shooting - bounce nailing). Then you forget and the minute that "foot" is depressed you shoot a nail and it may not be expected.

Also, gotta be aware of where the nail MAY come out if it deflects - and NOT place your hand or foot near there. e.g. we were framing up a wall and the key is to shoot the bottom nail into the stud first while your foot may be on top to stabilize. Then remove foot, shoot top nail. (Wall in horizontal position - prior to being raised).

Renata

[Fly-by-Night CC]

AFAIK, some are, some aren't - read the label to be sure.