Doing my home work on a framing nailer I have seen a lot of things about the "change over" to FRH (full round head) nailers for framing in many parts of the US... I'm wondering if anyone has any info about the codes and potential changes here in upstate NY (Rochester area). Seem like most of the areas in the US that now require FRH nails are in the quake and hurricane zones. Any info would be appreciated.
jester asks:
Call the building inspector's office in the morning. They'll know and it won't be opinion.
Charlie Self "Health food makes me sick." Calvin Trillin
Just look at your local lumber yard and see what kind of nails they stock. I planned to buy an FRH, but no one in the area stocks anything but clipped head nails. Sure they can get them in a day or two, but knowing my tendency to run out of stuff at inopportune times, I decided not to swim upstream.
Paul
No one restricts the use of FRH, so if you go that way you are covered regardless of what the code does in the future. Besides, they hold measurably better.
Tim Douglass
I did my addition with a Clipped head PC nailer.
I visited "bob" the inspector and he did not care... The advantage of the clipped head is that you get more "rounds" in the magazine. Therefore: fewer reloads.
Personally, I don't think that the heads are the limitting factor on the holding power of a nail in most if not all cases. Just opinion, not substantiated fact.
FWIW, I live in (further) upstate NY (Champlain).
-S
I live in C. NY and I don't think I have heard anything limiting the one or the other. Personally I prefer full heads because they are less likely to go all the way through if you have the pressure cranked up and hit a soft section. Full heads are better for sheathing to because they are less likely to sink all the way through.
Some cities (state?) prohibit the use of clipped head nails. It is safer to use the ful head type nails rather than risk using clipped head nails in my opinion.
I hear that, but I've never seen any evidence of it.
Anecdotally, I've demolished some stuff that was built with clipped head and it was very tough going. They were ring shank and probably rosin coated and areas where plywood was attached literally tore around the nails.
A lot would depend on whether it is a homeowner who is going to work on his house/garage/shed or someone who might work construction.
Jester,
I live in Fairport (outside Rochester) and I bought the clipped head nail gun. I had originally bought the full head but wasn't satisfied with the changing clips so constantly. I checked with a contractor I play golf with and he does all his jobs with clipped heads and recommended that one. My deck passed inspection without a problem so clipped head was fine for me.
-Ron
The test results are probably available on the web somewhere. IIRC it was after one of the big east coast hurricanes that they did a bunch of testing in FL to determine if the use of clipped head nails was a factor in so many houses coming apart (putting aside totally incompetent construction). The results showed that, while shank friction is the largest factor (it is the *only* thing holding in the second piece of wood) the full head nails held ply and flakeboard materials much better.
Ringshank, coated or galvanized nails are a completely different story. Note that the plywood tearing around the nails isn't necessarily good - one of the factors is that a larger nail head spreads the load better and reduces tear through.
A more significant, but often overlooked, factor is the amount of force with which the nails are driven. When we had my garage (hopefully soon to be shop) built one of the guys nailing off the sheathing had his gun set to drive the nail heads below the surface. The inspector made them re-nail those panels because the holding power of the *wood* is seriously compromised when the nail is countersunk.
I would still go with the full head, just because you *know* they will pass any code or inspection.
Tim Douglass
p snipped-for-privacy@postzzzmark.net (p_j) wrote in news:1g9pq35.3n43s71puqoweN% p snipped-for-privacy@postzzzmark.net:
It is true in Portland OR. I went looking for an air nailer. I asked around and was informed by several people that clipped heads are against codes around here and you pass inspections. I have a friend that bought one anyway because he never has an inspection done. I would pay the extra bucks.
It's unlikely that full round heads will required around my area for several years to come. Nonetheless I bought one because I need to do some fence work and I think the full round heads look nicer. The nails won't hold any worse and are the same price as the clipped head. Dean
You know, there may be, but having watched the conversation a bunch of times, nobody ever comes up with anything.
I was tearing it off. I suspect the full head would have been better for demoing because I could have gotten a hold of the head better.
And firing multiple nails in a spot weakens as well.
If I were buying one today I suppose I would too. I've got an old clipped head and I never use it any more.
I am just not convinced that the holding power difference is a reality, but the concept definitely is and there really isn't much of a price difference.
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