Nail-Guns... for all your handyman jobs.

Nail-Guns

There's virtually nail-guns for every application you could possibly think of. You've got framing nailers, finish nailers, brad nailers, straight, angled or coiled nailers, Palm nailers, clipped or round head nailers, flooring nailers, roofing nailers, staplers, pneumatic and cordless nailers...whew! That's a bunch of nailers and I doubt if I've covered them all. So, if you're a new handyman or handywoman you're probably asking yourself: "which one do I need?", and that's a great question so let's break it down.

If you're in the market for a nail-gun you've probably got an idea of what type you need but confused about the different features . For instance, if you're building a shed, you'll have a need for a framing nailer and possibly a finishing nailer. Should it be straight or angled? If you're building a piece of fine furniture, you'll may need a brad nailer. If your installing base board, chair railing, or door and window casing, you'll need a finishing nailer. A roofing nailer will make quick work when installing fiberglass shingles and if you're installing real hardwood flooring you will need a flooring cleat nailer or flooring stapler.

Do you intend to purchase or rent?

That all depends on the handyman job. For years I was at a minimum a serious handyman taking on a big home improvement project in my home as an excuse to purchase more tools. Crazy I know! But I have this love for tools and I always knew in the back of my mind that I would be a professional one day so that's how I justified my purchase. Not only was I saving money by doing-it-myself, I ended up with a new tool for my collection. That is something you're going to have to decide for yourself. If this is a onetime deal... such as putting in 500 square feet of hardwood flooring, then renting a flooring nailer from a local tool rental store is the way to go.

How often will I use a nail-gun?

If you've got a need for a finish nailer and a brad nailer, and you're an avid handyman then you should seriously consider purchasing these tools. Today several companies have compressor nailer combos that are very affordable and would pay for themselves after just a couple handyman jobs. You can even search Ebay for some refurbished models.

Which brand is the best?

There are several great brands out there, the best of which are going to be of a professional quality. If you're just tackling weekend handyman jobs then you may not want to put out the money for the top of the line models when a lesser unit will work just fine.

Cordless Nail-Guns for the professional

To be able to work without dragging a compressor and hose around everywhere you go is a real time saver! Paslode is the industry standard for cordless nailers and can be pricey but you do have some low cost alternatives. Check Ebay for some good deals. The day I wrote this, I saw a factory refurbished Black and Decker 12volt cordless nailer for $60. If I was watching my pennies getting started I'd probably buy this since it's not used on every job, day-in and day-out. If you do have a pneumatic finish nailer, you can purchase a refillable carbon dioxide (CO2) cylinder that will shoot about 500 fasteners.

Here are some reasons to go cordless:

No hose to get in the way.
Saves time with a quick set-up and tear down thereby saves your customers money which they will appreciate.
Gets you to your next job quicker, which makes you more money.

Pneumatic Nail-Gun Breakdown

Framing Nailers... The "Big One"

When your job calls for a "big" nailer", a round head framing nailer is one of the biggest you can get. As the name suggests, these frame nailing guns are found on just about every house building site, extension or renovation project in town. These monster framing nail-guns drive the big nails (2"- 3 1/2"),needed for framing construction tasks.

These types of nail guns are typically used by builders and carpenters to complete structural nailing and building tasks but cost effective brands are available for the serious handyman. Now a home handyman can build that shed or small addition saving time and money. One handyman job can justify a relatively small output of funds, however they are available at your tool rental store.

Nail Types: Full Round Head vs Clipped Head

There's debate over whether clipped head nails (with a nail head shaped like a "D") provide as much holding power as traditional full round head nails. The general consensus is that they are just as good, however, check your state or city building code, to ensure you are in compliance. Some areas consider only full round head nails as certified as being sufficient for building and renovation tasks. With that said, your local authority may choose between the two for you.

Finish Nailer

If you've watch the "New Yankee Workshop" with Norm Abram you have for sure seen finishing nail-guns in action. A finish nailer is a fantastic way to produce a strong joint fast. Put a little wood glue and drive the right sized finish nail and presto... you've got a solid joint without having to clamp it and wait for the glue to dry. Use it to build basic furniture items like book shelf's or coat racks or make the installation of crown molding, base boards or door and window casings and much more a breeze. As for fine furniture, that's up to the craftsman. Many fine woodworking craftsman tend to stay with traditional wood joining methods and only use metal fasteners where they won't be seen or when they absolutely have to.

Finish nailers are produced by many different manufacturers with professional applications to the affordable home handyman models. They are typically pneumatically driven but cordless models are available. They drive 1-1/4" to 2-1/2", 15 or 16 gauge fasteners, have 1/4" NPT male quick connect fittings and have drive depth adjustments.

Brad Nailer

I think Norm Abrams favorite tool is his brad nailer. He uses that thing in just about every project he makes in his shop. The 18 gauge brad nailer is probably the most popular size nailer found in shops today. It's great for attaching trim to a pieces of all kinds since the hole it produces is easily hidden. For the home handyman it's a must have tool. Below are some common uses for the brad nailer:

You can free up your clamps after gluing an assembly by punching in a few brads (Norm does it), securing the joint, then remove the clamps for the next glue-up.
Fast assembly without the use of glue. You can assemble small handywoman craft items in no time flat. Cabinet backs also go on in a flash.
When stack cutting on a band saw or scroll saw you can shoot some brads into the waste area negating the need for double-stick tape.
Reinforce picture frame miter's (or similar mitered joints) by adding a metal fastener.
Brad nailer's small diameter and speed of penetration reduces the problem of splitting, even in small, fragile work pieces.

Special Use Nail-Guns

palm Nailer Grizzly Palm Nailer

Like the name suggests, these air powered tools fit into the palm of your hand and can drive a nail into tight space, fast, making them highly versatile. Most strap onto your hand usually with a hook & Pile tape (AKA Velcro) strap. There's no coil or other type of magazine to hold extra nails, it simply drives one nail at a time. The action the palm nail-gun uses a rapid vibration, over 2000 blows per minute which will drive a 16d nail into a treated pine board in no time flat. The ones I've used will even stop pounding once the nail has been driven flush. If you ever find yourself in a tight spot and need to drive a nail... there's nothing better! They range in price from about $20 to around $85.

Roofing Nailer

This nail-gun serves only one true purpose and that's to nail down roof shingles. The pneumatic (air driven) roofing nail-guns are powerful tools used by all roofing contractors around the United States. I'm not a roofer so I don't actually have one... but when it comes time to tackle my new roof, I'll simply rent one from the local tool rental store.

Flooring Nailer

Wow... you guessed it! A flooring nailer is for nailing hardwood flooring in place. I rented one for a week when I installed over 1000 square feet of beautiful Brazilian Cherry hardwood flooring. The flooring nailer was an essential power tool I couldn't have done without. It is also air powered but I've read that there are some manual models out there that require more brute strength to operate. I'm thinking that I'll stick with the air powered model cause it was still a huge task laying that much flooring even with the pneumatic flooring nail-gun.

Air Stapler

Like their nail-gun counterparts, pneumatic staple guns offer speed, power and versatility. Contractors use them it to install insulation, lay down roofing felt or put up house wrap. It's a versatile tool allowing you the precision necessary for specialty tasks like screen door repair, finishing cabinet backs, crafting picture frames and makes upholstery jobs quick and easy.

Check out these Handyman-tools...

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