1. Home
  2. Woodworking Forum
  3. Harbor Freight framing gun

Harbor Freight framing gun

Any pros or cons guys?

I'm thinking of trying one since it is on sale for $90 and I would not need one that often.

TIA

RonT

Reply to
Ron Truitt
Loading thread data ...

Which one? They sell more than one version.

Reply to
James "Cubby" Culbertson

I just bought the HF 34 degree framing nailer (ITEM 91054-3VGA) to frame in three rooms in my basement. Because of the uneven floor, I'm having to measure and cut each stud individually and toenail them in. With the air pressure up at the listed maximum for the tool, I still have to go around and finish driving the nails in. I'm using 16d 33 degree nails. Since this is the only framing nailer I've ever owned, I'm afraid I can't say whether this is a common issue.

Overall it was worth the money. I don't anticipate using it much after this project, but it has saved a ton of time, and it helped me frame these rooms relatively quickly, and with minimal assistance. I'd rather not have to go back and bang the nails flush though. If I had it to do over again, I would buy the same tool.

I also bought the $20 brad nailer, and am looking forward to trying it out on a crown moulding project this weekend.

J Brown

snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net (Ron Truitt) wrote in news:3357-428968DE-436@storefull-

3311.bay.webtv.net:

Reply to
J Brown

I bought the $99 46240-7VGA last year and it has worked great. I only use it occasionally, but it will drive 3" ring shank glue covered nails and 3.25" framing nails. Hasn't jamed on me yet.

Wish i could say the same about the HF brad nailer I bought.

You may want more than a simple pancake compressor, too. I bought a cheap $89 one from HF and it can't keep the pressure up high enough for the gun (it needs 90psi at a minimum). The problem with this compressor is you can't change the pressure at which it kicks on. So I end up disconnection the hose at the gun to bleed some pressure to get the compressor to kick on. Otherwise the nails won't go all the way in.

rob

Reply to
rob

Not with the Porter Cable FR350

Reply to
patrick conroy

Lack of penetration does happen occasionally, perhaps a knot or some obstruction. I do not buy framing nails longer than 3" (10d) because a pair of 2x lumber is only 3" thickness and I prefer not to have sharp nail points protruding when nailing face-to-face. Even toenailing works with 3" nails, since I'm going to put in more than one nail and the joint is in compression.

Reply to
Thomas Kendrick

Does this nailer come w/ a plate alignment nose piece, perchance? The last Bostitch I bought came w/ it on instead of the flush nose piece. Swapping them made the difference (hired hand opened it and used it before I saw it and didn't recognize the problem--complained it was a pos until I recognized the problem).

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

On Tue, 17 May 2005 06:28:43 -0500, the inscrutable J Brown spake:

If it's a blue moon project, why not just rent a decent nailer for $20 every ten years or so? Alternatively, I screwed together the framing for my screened porch in the last house. It worked fine.

------------------------------------------ Do the voices in my head bother you? ------------------------------------------

formatting link
Full-Service Web Development

Reply to
Larry Jaques

J, I bought their Full Head nailer a while back. Haven't used it much but while I was at the store contemplating whether I should plonk down $90 for it, another customer noticed me and said he had built his whole house with his. He did mention that he had problems initially with penetration as well but using coated nails solved the problem. He insisted that using the coated ones would not cause the same problem. I haven't had to buy nails just yet but the coated ones I've used so far seem to penetrate just fine. YMMV of course. Cheers, cc

Reply to
James "Cubby" Culbertson

Larry Jaques wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Got a buddy who's contemplating doing his basement tool. He looked into renting and found it was going to get expensive quickly. No compressor, would have to rent one too. Then this would be a "no rush, get around tuit" project. What he'd pay in rental fees would outweigh a very nice nailer/compressor combo.

Reply to
Patrick Conroy

On Tue, 17 May 2005 17:27:26 GMT, the inscrutable Patrick Conroy spake:

Yeah, the "No rush." thing gets expensive in a hurry. When I do things like that, I set up every possible item and get it done in a hurry. But I rent things once in a blue moon: large trailers, airless sprayers for the house, etc. Everything else is in my tool quite vast collection. (You half-vasts out there PIPE DOWN! ;)

------------------------------------------ Do the voices in my head bother you? ------------------------------------------

formatting link
Full-Service Web Development

Reply to
Larry Jaques

The one I ordered was 21 or 22 degree, I forget which. I'll check it out and see if the local air nailer store has nails for it.

The air pressure sounds like an issue though. I've got a little Grizzly that has trouble keeping up with a finish nailer due to the factory lower limit being set to low before it comes on. I've spoken to Grizzly but it does not adjust. Sounds like I may need to rent or buy a better compressor.

I have rented before successfully but spent quite a bit on one nailgun, compressor, and nails. I could have bought the gun with part of that and maybe a basic compressor.

Sure makes the occasional framing job go much faster though.

RonT

Reply to
Ron Truitt

Renting seems like a good idea until you get to the real mechanics. If you have everything laid out and can do everything in a few hours, it is a good idea. For most of us that can only do 1-2 hours at a time, or run into complications that take hours to fix, renting is a lousy way to go. Rent around here for 1 day is often 1/4 the cost of the tool, and 1/2 day rent is about 3/4 of a 1 day rent. So, if you have to rent the tool on 4-5 days, you could have just bought it.

One alternative is to check what brands of the tool contractors use, buy the tool and sell it for

1/2 price when finished.
Reply to
George E. Cawthon

Buy it and if you have no more use, sell it on ebay for half price and you are still ahead.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

"George E. Cawthon" wrote in news:Kdvie.223885$ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:

Oooooh, yeah!

Four or five years ago, I had some concrete to take out - an old patio addition put in by a previous owner of this house. Based on other work I had attributed to him, I figured it would not be too difficult. And after all, it had heaved, so that it was a hazard.

Several rental days, and three jackhammers later, we folded. Seems the fellow poured the piece with leftover high strength concrete. The easiest part of that job was paying the landscape contractor to come in with his crew and finish the job, when he could 'squeeze it into the schedule'. The landscaper had a crew he was already paying for a full day, and got to cover that cost with a partial days' job.

And he'd already done a number of large projects for us in the previous 6 months...

Reply to
Patriarch

On Tue, 17 May 2005 23:36:10 GMT, the inscrutable "George E. Cawthon" spake:

Good, but I'd sell it for 80% of retail if I could, even if I paid

60% of retail in the first place. ;)

------------------------------------------ Do the voices in my head bother you? ------------------------------------------

formatting link
Full-Service Web Development

Reply to
Larry Jaques

You wouldn't sell it to me. For 20% or 30%, I'd buy new. I have to laugh at some yard or estate sales where people have some mediocre tools, cameras, etc and try to get more than new for it. I laugh even more when I see people pay it!

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Duane Bozarth wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@swko.dot.net:

Being a complete novice I may not understand your question, but the model I have has no interchangeable parts.

Reply to
J Brown

I squeeze in a couple of hours here, a couple of hours there, in between work and the daughter's softball games ... renting was not an option (though I guess hammering was).

Larry Jaques wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Reply to
J Brown

Some framing guns come w/ a nose piece w/ a barb to align the gun for nailing framing support brackets. These then don't set the nail flush to the surface of wood if not used w/ a bracket. I was a little surprised to find the Bostitch shipped w/ that nosepiece rather than the one for flat lumber out of the box.

If there are no interchangeable parts, then it doesn't have the option...

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.