confused about which nail gun I need for siding installation

[thomasstruth]

I need to replace some T1-11 siding panels. 19/32" thick. The manufacturer says I need 8d box, casing, or siding nails. So I'm trying to find a pneumatic gun to buy to shoot such a nail. But they all specify nails in things like 22-deg round head, 30-34 deg clipped head, etc.

Best I can find is that 8d box nails are presumably .113" diam. And some guns mention .113 as one of their diameters. What's the best option?

I'd like to go with a gun that is the most versatile. If there's any way to do this with a finish gun (e.g. 15-gauge) then that would be awesome.

[Doug Miller]

A hammer and a pound or two of 8d box nails.

Nope. You need a nail with more of a head on it than a finish nail has. That's why the manufacturer says you need box, casing, or siding nails. Finish nailers shoot finish nails.

[gfretwell]

I would use something like this with 2 1/2" ring shank galvanized nails.

[Colbyt]

Unless you have a lot of it to do I agree with Doug. A hammer and a box of nails.

Any framing nailer that will drive a 2 -- 21/2 ring shank nail will do the job but you will need to set the depth gauge carefully. You don't want craters, just flush. I would use 2" nails if applying it directly to the studs and 2 1/2" ones if the studs are covered with insulation board or plywood.

Colbyt

[gfretwell]

I got an Hitachi NV83 framing nailer on Ebay for $70 shipped. I would not hit very many nails for that kind of money. I am sure I could sell it tomorrow for what I have in it anyway.

[Red Green]

[e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Use siding or ring shank nails. "Siding" nails usually are ring shank. Galvanized are fine. Stainless steel very expensive. Box nails I've see do not have rings.

Siding nail

[Tom Kendrick]

The NV65AH is an awesome nailer (I have it). Fastener Length Capacity 1-1/2" - 2-1/2" Fastener Diameter Range .090 - .099 However, for this application you might consider the NV65AG (similar in price) because it will handle larger shank nails and only weighs another 16 ounces. Fastener Length Capacity 1-3/4" -3" Fastener Diameter Range .090 - .131 Neither one of these fine units is cheap ($270 refurb and $390 new). The coil nails come 9000 fasteners per box (30 coils of 300), so the whole thing is a high-volume proposition. Perfect for wood fence pickets. The nailer is very light and very fast in a fencing application.

Unless you are replac>>

[thomasstruth]

Thanks all for the suggestions.

I understand it might be a lot of expense for sinking a few nails and I appreciate the hammer suggestions. For me, the most important factor is how sore will I be? Will I be less sore using a big framing nailer or using a hammer?

I figure I'm likely to sink about 3 or 400 8d nails. I picked up a few framing nailers today and they are quite heavy (~8 lbs). So that needs to play into the equation.

That Hitachi looks awesome, especially the weight, but it's a lot more than I was hoping to spend, and with the minimum 9k nails/box I'll end up with most of them when I'm done.