framing nailers

RatLabGuy

RatLabGuy

You look like a monkey and smell like one too
Joined
May 18, 2005
Location
Churchville, MD
i'm working on finishing my basement. See alot of framing in the future. Just spent the day helping Dad construct a shed by good old hammer + nail - and now I'm seeing the advantage of a framing nailer :lol:

Seems this might be the right time to pick one up! And specific suggestions?
i know this is an area where "you get what you pay for".
Think this kit is any good?
http://www.lowes.com/pd_325598-4365...ct_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=#BVRRWidgetID

I have a HF brad nailer, don't necessarily need the other ones... although the HF is bad about jamming...
 
Spend a couple extra dollars and buy a gas powered pasload. You can find them at a pawnshop reasonable with some haggeling. If you decide to buy a cheap gun go to lowes and price the cheaper brand nails and then get a gun that will shoot them. Nothing worse than having a gun you can't find nails for.
 
That'll be more than fine for light duty use like you're planning. You'll be astounded at how much easier and how much more you get done with one. When I did home repair the guy I worked with bought a harbor freight one. It more than paid for itself on the first job we used it on. Then we built a shed with it, then we did an attic renovation with it, and on and on. And it was a Harbor Freight one! To my knowledge it still hasn't broke but with what he paid for it it really doesn't matter at this point. The only thing we decided we didn't like about it was that it wasn't at an angle like the more expensive ones so it was harder to get into tight spots, but again it was so cheap we couldn't really complain.
 
I have the next kit up from that. I think the difference was a stapler etc. For the money it has done a good job. I'm getting ready to use it to build a deck next. I built a 16'x16' shop with it and it worked good. Not professional but for a home owner looking to use one from time to time it a decent deal.
 
I have a Porter-Cable. It's full-head, 20-22*, plastic-coalated. Worth every penny.

I bought it thinking I'd resell it once I was finished. Apparently, I'm not done yet. :lol:
 
DO NOT let any part of your body get anywhere close to the business end, if you have to hold something, use a stick or something, keep your hands out from anywhere near the line of fire

yeah, sounds like a no brainer right, you'd be surprised the things you will do to get a project done "this one time"

if the nail goes into bone, odds are, you're not gonna pull it out yourself..... ( I tried ) figure 10k to have it surgically removed. BTDT

me and power tools don't play well together
 
What voodoo said. I have an old bostitch clip head. A nail can hit a knot, another nail, etc, turn 180, and the pointy end come out near where it went in.

Another thing...you don't need to look cool, nobody cares anyway. Set it up for sequential fire, not bump fire. Only time I am ever working and moving fast enough to bump fire is doing subfloor. Whole lot more potential to screw up with bump fire.
 
lol, those who know me - know I'm not exactly concerned with looking cool...

I'm about 98% on getting that set.
Wait until Mon though so I can pick up a 10% off coupon from the local post office ;-) 9since I'm getting a pressure washer and some other stuff too)
 
I bought a cheapie set at Lowes a couple years back when I was building my addition. While not ideal, it works great for my needs. It had a framing nailer (full head nails), trim nailer (2 or so inch "nails") and a finish nailer that shoots either 1" or 1.5" brads. It came in a big plastic case that protects them and even has storage for brads. At the same time, I bought a VERY small compressor that came with another finish nailer that also can fit staples, which I keep loaded in it. The combination of all of these nailers has allowed be to build a bunch of different projects around the house and at church.

The one thing I wish was that the compressor had a little more capacity, because it doesn't keep up with the framing nailer. 3 nails and it needs to re-fill. I can usually get 10-15 staples or brads between cycles, though.

If I was a pro, though - I'd probably get laughed off the jobsite for playing with "toy tools"
 
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