Air Nailing Guns

[peterjcb]

Hi, I'm new here. This is a very nice forum. I found it doing a Google search.

I'm presently building a 3 car detached garage with a storage space above using room trusses. I'm very handy but I have never framed a structure. My foundation size is 36' X 30'. My brick foundation is completed and I'll be pouring my slab next week.
How helpful would it be to have a nailer versus using a plain old hammer?
I already have an air compressor that would handle one.
Also any tips on framing would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Peter

[Rich]

If the only thing you frame up is that 36x30 garage I would just use a hammer. A framing nailer is fairly expensive to use only once or twice.
If you do decide to get one there are many different brand names... my suggestion is to get Hitachi or Senco, if you want the best, but if you want good operation but without the price tag order one from Grizzly Tools.
Framing tips are best answered per specific question.

I appreciate the comments on the forum.. tell your friends :D

[jjcold]

check out your local pawn shops. I was in one the other day and man, did they have a ton of nailers!! Hitachi, Senco, DeWalt, Porter Cable, all the big brands. Only thing is, you have to know what stuff is worth to get them down to a reasonable price.

[ndemge]

I love my nailer! I don't use it very often, but it's worth it every time.

I got a Porter Cable from Home Depot, Well worth the money. At work, we have to build crates from time to time. We bought a cheap $100 nailer from Harbor Freight.... It james up alll the time. First time, took me an hour to take it apart and clear the jam.... now I can field strip that thing in 5 minutes flat! :)

Don't buy the bargin basement nailer, you will regret it!

I've put 2 boxes of nails through my nailer, and have yet to have a jam. (always remember to oil!)


The nail gun is more than just handy... somtimes it's a must have. Up in the attic in close quarters trying to toe-nail in a support for a ceiling fan.... With the gun, just point and shoot and it's done.

[peterjcb]

I've just finished framing my first floor with a nail gun that a buddy of mine let me borrow until I finish my project. I don't think that I would have wanted to frame without it. It's made by Paslode or something like that and I've already gone through a box and a half of nails without any problems at all.
A friend of mine accidently stapled his tee shirt to his stomach years ago using one. It is a very powerful tool and I use a lot of caution when I'm using it.
I'll be using it to set my room trusses when they're delivered.

[Rich]

Looking back about 10 years I know why my elbows hurt so bad now.. mostly due to hand nailing everything.

[jjcold]

Not only would a nailer be more fun than a hammer, you'd feel a lot more professional and probably produce a more professional job. I'd spend the dough for that reason alone. Of course, you still need a trusty hammer for those odd jobs.

[Rich]

Yep.. definately need a hammer for things like when someone turns the compressor off and you keep nailing.. wondering why they aren't sinking..hah.

[peterjcb]

Sure....you'll need a hammer to rap on the air compressor when is needs a little nudge. :lol:

[mreynolds]

I bought a nailer last summer and it was great. If you have the money it is worth it, but keep in mind the nails, compressor and the gun do cost a lot. I believe for faming a nailer that holds 16 p nails is a must. I would suggest going to ebay and checking out prices, you can get a refurbished one, or something still in the box for a much cheaper price than retail. Also I know Sam's club has carried Porter Cable 3.5 inch framing nailers for under $200.00 :D

[peterjcb]

My buddy needed his nailing gun back after he lent it to me for 3 months. I was going to attempt finishing the project without one but for for $209 I purchased a Porter Cable Framing Nailer at Lowe's with a 10% off coupon.
After using one for the first time I wouldn't ever be without one again. It's too addicting... 8)

[peterjcb]

OK, the new Porter Cable FR350 nailing guns now have a plastic head. I just returned it and took the old design that they had on display. It's got a metal head and a much longer nail carriage.
Why would Porter Cable make such a dumb move like that? If I couldn't have gotten the old Porter Cable FR350 display model I was prepared to go the extra $50 for the Paslode.
Dumb move Porter Cable...

[Rich]

I wonder about some design decisions for tool manufacturers. Maybe it's unexperienced individuals doing the pre-release testing or something.

[grumpydasmurf]

We hand nail all our roofs. We only use guns for carpentry.

[Jedadiah]

We just bought one at work and the plastic piece on the nose comes off. It is a "no Mar" tip for decks etc. Is that what you are talking about??? At first we didn't notice it came off eitherThe smaller magazine size, however, is just crappy. Other wise the gun works great. We've had longevity problems out of paslodes: they seem to go about a year, before they need to be overhauled. The older squarere models seemed to last longer.

[mfinley919]

That is a very big project. I think it warrants a nailer. Once you have it you will have it forever. You will be amazed at what you will find use for your nailer once you have it. Also, once you have the compressor you can then add other nailers such a finish nailer, a brad nailer and even a stapler. As you can see those nailers can get addicting once you see how much work the save you and how much they improve your work. You place the head and pull the trigger and the wood is joined, no banging with a hammer with your body weight on the wood to keep it from kicking out or having to re nail the other pieces that came lose from all the other hammering you did on the wall as you build it on the ground.

I bet you can cut 25% of your build time out at the mininmum with a nailer. Porter Cable from Tool King.

[jjcold]

I think that framing a garage of any size is certainly a big enough project for a nailer! In fact, once you've used a pneumatic nailer, you'll never go back, baby! Of course you still need a hammer around, but nailers are sweet, sweet, sweet. What I love about mine (porter cable) is that I can line things up, and they stay aligned while I nail them together, which wasn't the case with a hammer.

[Pokey]

Just a comment. Nailers are great and do save a lot of time. However, in my experience you get a lot better job if you hand nail everything. To me you spend a little more time looking at what you are doing rather than just quickly blowing in a couple of nails. We see a lot of framing carpenters come and go and it amazes me how many can barely drive a nail. Seems to be with the speed people get lazy and sloppy. So keep that in mind when you determine if the price is worth it. You'll be cursing me when you are nailing the sheathing, but other than that its not that big of a deal to hand nail.

[Cole]

I agree, unless you run a crew.

The production rate vs gun nailing and hand nailing is huge.