what nailer for which job?

[Mike in Mystic]

Hi everyone,

I was the lucky recipient of a Senco 3-piece finishing kit for Christmas. This consists of a 15-gauge angled finish nailer, and 18-gauge brad nailer and an 18-gauge narrow stapler. This is in addition to a 16-gauge finish nailer (Porter-Cable) and 23-gauge pin nailer (Senco) that I already had. I'd say other than possibly a framing nailer (not something I really anticipate needing, honestly) I should be all set as far as nailers go.

The question I have, however, is are there generally good rules of thumb or individual preferences of yours as to when to use which tool? Personally, since I only had a 16-gauge and 23-gauge nailer in the past, I used the larger nails for things like attaching case backs, nailing drawer backs in place to the drawer bottom, shelf edging, etc. Usually only in paint grade pieces, other than the pieces that wouldn't be seen. For small and/or thin pieces of molding or trim I would use the pin nailer. I find the holes from this almost undetectable, so I have no problem using this even on naturally finished or stained pieces, as well as painted ones.

Now that I have such a diverse arsenal, can you all offer me advice for specific jobs that each one would be best for? The 15-gauge angled nailer is pretty big, but I'm a little unsure why it would be any better than the

16-gauge one. I'm really happy to get the 18-gauge brad nailer, as that is the one I have most often felt I needed for things like larger moldings or shelf edging, etc. The stapler I'm not sure about - maybe for case backs and similar jobs it probably would hold better. I've seen staples used a lot for attaching subfloor materials or underlayment and similar things. I would guess staples have better holding power than brads, but I'm not really sure.

Thanks for the advice.

Mike

[SonomaProducts.com]

The angled nailer is useful to get into tighter spots like shooting vertical trim in an inside corner.

The 18 ga brad nailer is gonna give you more holding power than a 23 ga would, but as you mentioned, at the cost of a biger hole. Since brads are cut from flat stock, they have a wide side and if you make sure you line that parallel with the grain, the holes will be smaller.

The stapler is great for very soft woods, like pine, when the head pull out might be real easy with a brad or finish nail. It;s also good if you are nailing thin stock, like a 1/8 or even 1/4 luan back, etc.

[Leon]

Mike IMHO you already have a pretty grasp of when to use which tool. IMHO sell the PC nailer and keep the Senco. Senco is top notch and has been around longer than any other brand nailer. The stapler will be handy for the reasons stated and will hold at least twice as good as a brad or finish nail with length being equal but leaves an ugly reminder that you used staples.

Personally I have a Senco finish nail gun that I purchased in 1989. I use

1.25" and 1.75" exclusively in this gun. My Craftsman Brad nailer only sees 5/8" and 1" brads. Both are OILLESS guns. My stapler is a Harbor Freight model that I picked up for a single task of attaching soffit panels.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Leon is right. You can trust his judgment. Leon also thinks it is worth tops, 10 bucks, and you probably should sell it locally so you don't have to bother packing it for shipment.

[Thomas Kendrick]

I have the 15 ga. and 18 ga. nailers as well as the narrow crown stapler. The 18 ga. is useful for very thin pieces while the glue dries. Probably not that much better than the 23 ga. pins. The 15 ga. or the 16 ga. work with crown molding. The angled magazine will permit nailing in smaller spaces and the 15 ga. nails are less likely to deviate if a knot is encountered in the wood.

The narrow crown stapler has more uses than you may have considered:

- cabinet backs will be held more securely with the staples

- interior paneling won't pull through the staple as it will the finish nails

- trim around windows and door frames will be more secure with a staple through the thick part of the trim into the edge of the door frame - door slamming may cause the nailheads to pull through the molding leaving a gap.

[Dan]

On Tue 28 Dec 2004 09:54:30p, Thomas Kendrick wrote in news:1104292279.1ef9ddb52ae8a50b3fab914f464fe081@teranews:

Is that also the kind of stapler I used to put in the underlayment for the vinyl sheet in the bathroom? The guy at the floor store said it had to be stapled, not nailed or screwed so I rented one. It was a combination finish nailer/stapler. Worked great.

[JGS]