More nail gun questions

[SBH]

I thank those who provided me with some input about nail guns but have a few more question.

From what I gather, there are about 4 or so types of nail guns. I assume they are Brad nailer, Finish Nailer, Framing nailer and Stapler, or am I off? If so, what differs with a brad nailer and a finishing nailer? Ok, I know the nail, therefore, I suppose I should ask what size do brad nails come in as well as finish nails, etc.

I have read a few recommendations of a 15, 16 or 18 ga nailers. Does this mean the gun can only use that guage and nothing more or it can use up to a

15, 16 or 18 ga?

I know a few of you recommended kits. Therefore , it's obvious to assume one gun cannot handle all nails. Would a kit with 3 guns, for example, handle all ranges of nails. Not that I would always use all types of nails, but it's nice to know I can.

I just hate to make a purchase and realize it's not what I am looking for. I want to know I have the wide range of use.

Thanks again for all the help.

Happy New Years to you and yours.

Be Safe.

[Dave Jackson]

[SBH]

About twice a year I have been doing renovations to each room in my house. The current room is the computer room which after removing the old wood paneling walls, I painted, refinished hardwood floors, installed stained window and door trims, installed a new closet prehung door and will be doing the same with the main entrance door. But the same has been done in other rooms and I expect to do more work in my next spare room the same as the comp room, then the kitchen, upstairs, deck, then bathroom, or whatever one I feel like doing next. Therefore, with what I have done and with what's to come, I realized the nail gun would be beneficial since I'm tired of doing some manual hammering at all angles, especially upside down.

Thanks again

[C & E]

Decide on what your needs are and buy the corresponding kit/ gun(s). I wish that I hadn't been so green when I started buying equipment. I started with a Harbor Freight18 gauge stapler/ brad nailer. It's OK for crude work because its dual function leaves a crease in the wood when driving brads. Pretty nasty looking. A single purpose gun wouldn't do that. For my needs I would have gone with a 15 or 16 gauge and an 18 gauge. Seldom use the staples. The 15 and 16 are about the diameter of 4d (d='s penny) finish nails - go to the hardware dept and look at them. Hey, better yet, open a box of each of the gauge sizes to see what they look like. Although, I don't often see both in the store.

[Leon]

What ever you buy, DO NOT buy an electric.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Pin nailer and roofing nailer too. They are more specialized.

Brans are thinner and have a much smaller head. Used for tacking things together and they are easily pulled apart. Brads do come in 2", but most are much shorter.

One or the other. 18 ga is more brad size, so use a 15 or 16 for finish workl

It will cover 98% of you small nail needs.

You'll also find the compressor hand to have for other uses.

[Oren]

I like to get the feel of tools and inspect them before I buy. You could visit a tool corral in HD or Lowes and get a hands on feel of the tool. It may help you decide.

Besides the nailers, I use air tools on small projects, i.e., air ratchet, cut off tool, quart paint spray guns.... It you ever need air in a tire, you got it.

When I bought my Porter Gable I only can with two guns. Now they have more guns, longer hoses and a tool bag in some kits.

-- Oren

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. Thomas A. Edison

[Tom Kendrick]

There are many more nail guns than have been referenced in the thread. Each nailer ONLY uses the fastener diameter that it's built for. None of the fasteners are interchangeable with nailers other than the one diameter.

Finish nailers (15/16) go up to 2.5" length finish nails. Brad nailers (18) go up to 2" but due to their small size, probably should not use longer than 1.5". The brads can do a U-turn if they hit a knot. Narrow crown stapler (18 ) goes up to 1.5" but holds better due to the

1/4" width and 2 legs.

A combo kit can be an economical way to get it all at once. Kit compressors are typically oil-free and thus louder. Just be prepared to put the compressor in a closet or outside to reduce the noise level.

Pneumatic Nailers: Stick Framer RH 20-degree, RH 28-degree, CH

31-degree, Coil Framer Finish nailers 15 guage, 16 guage straight mag, 16 guage angled mag Brad nailers: 18 guage, 23 guage Staplers: Narrow crown, Medium crown, Wide crown Roofing coil nailers Palm nailers Fence/siding coil nailers 15-degree Framing hardware nailers Plastic cap coil nailers

Gas nailers: Stick Framer RH 20-degree, CH 31-degree Finish nailer: 16 guage with straight or angled magazine Stapler: 16 guage Brad nailer: 18 guage

Electric nailers: Finish and trim nailers

[J.A. Michel]

Finish nails are typically larger than brads.

Guns are usually good for only one gage of fastener.

Yes, a kit would be one way to go if you wanted more versitility.

For what you describe, I still recommend an angled 15ga finish nailer. I love mine, and never found myself wishing that I got a brad nailer instead.

[Doug Boulter]

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote on 31 Dec 2006:

Also, a palm nailer and a flooring nailer.

[Doug Boulter]

"SBH" wrote on 31 Dec 2006:

I aqgree with others' recommendations to start with a finish nailer. Real finish carpenters will often recommend a 16 gauge, but I've found that a 15 works fine. The main difference is the size of the hole you have to fill after the nail goes in. And as Dave said, it's easier to split a thin piece of wood with the larger nail.

I'd offer one additional thought, and that's that you should get a gun on which you can turn the "bounce nail" feature off until you get very familiar with the gun -- and even then, there are some jobs on which you won't need it. Carelessness while bounce nailing often has some nasty consequences.

[krw]

Siding nailer... There is a specialty nail gun for pretty much every use.

[Tom Kendrick]

I use a siding nailer to do either siding or fence pickets. Light

5-pound coil nailer works very well. It's a bit more expensive but I do get much use from it. I also nail off plywood to ramp frames with it where I just need to keep the plywood >>> "Edwin Pawlowski" wrote on 31 Dec 2006: