Boondocking a Brad Nailer

Apr 07, 2006 7 Replies
E

I have a project coming up where I have to make numerous trim and lattice repairs at a rural observatory site. I wasn't looking forward to wrangling



100' of 12/3 or lugging my small but too heavy compressor all over so I decided to chance the performance of my portable 5 gal. air tank. I spent about $15 on a regulator and another guage and hooked it up. I charged the tank to 100 lbs (I would normally go to 125 lbs.) and set the line to 70 lbs. To my amazement I shot 80 1 inch 18 guage brads into a fir stud before the tank pressure came down to 70 lbs and the gun was still shooting the same depth. This seems pretty workable to me - and quieter (my compressor only has a 2 gal. tank) and less wear and tear on my old bones.

So I have a question. Has anyone done this with a 15 or 16 guage finish nailer? What results?



Thanks for any feedback.



Tim Ellestad


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S

Yep ... keep a 5 gal air tank filled for the back of my truck for just that use and do it all the time with both finish and brad nailers, mostly for those small, unplanned jobs where something got missed, or I need to add or replace trim, etc, before anything else can be done.

Earlier this week used it to frame out, for a drywall crew, the insides of two small octagonal windows that the framers had missed on the second floor of new construction. Nice not to have to unroll/roll 100' of extension cord to the t-pole for the portable compressor, which was back at the shop anyway ... and only one trip up the stairs with both hands full.

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L

Absolutely however I only get about 40-60 shots out of a 15 gauge Senco finish nailer when using a 5 gal tank. Typically nailers do not use a great volume of air.

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T

Why bother taking the compressor to the job? I have been using these Polyurethane Flexeel air hoses. Very light weight and very tough.

Dave

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L

Wow Dave, how long ARE those hoses? :~)

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T

LOL - I see what you mean!

Dave

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C

You could use a bike pump for refill, if your finish nailer eats more air. They also make integrated air compressor/battery booster products for cars that might be good for a few refills. Of course, if you can drive up to the site, just leave the big compressor on the truck and come back for refills. Or, of course, the infamous Porter Cable Bammer...

"Chip"

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