How powerful is a paslode?

[big soft moose]

Ive never used one but we've got one available to us at work and I was just idly wondering what it can do.

For example we've got a board walk to build shortly - so is it going to be up to nailing 1.25" oak board onto oak bearers, or would i be better off using screws, predrilled pilots, and impact drivers like we usually do

 

[RogerS]

I'm assuming he IM350?

If so, it's a no-brainer. Use it.

Watching some of the trades on Grand Designs using a hammer and nails particularly for roofing work I find hard to understand. True the nails and gas are a bit pricey but when you factor in how much time you save...

 

[jasonB]

Just make sure you use the stainless nails and use the protective end if you dont want marks around the nail.

Jason

 

[chippy1970]

I would double check with anyone who has used one for what you are doing ie through oak into more oak. We use them a lot at work but mainly into soft wood and they work well but i do remember once doing a softwood deck and using the ring nails and i gave up and screwed the deck as the nails just wouldnt fire all the way every time. Most times i screw down any decking i do but in that case they wanted it nailed :roll: .

I personally think its better to screw it down and i think the 350 will struggle with two lots of oak, up to you.

 

[RogerS]

One thing's for sure...you won't get them out in a hurry!

 

[big soft moose]

I would double check with anyone who has used one for what you are doing ie through oak into more oak. We use them a lot at work but mainly into soft wood and they work well but i do remember once doing a softwood deck and using the ring nails and i gave up and screwed the deck as the nails just wouldnt fire all the way every time. Most times i screw down any decking i do but in that case they wanted it nailed :roll: .

I personally think its better to screw it down and i think the 350 will struggle with two lots of oak, up to you.

yeah that was what i was wondering - I guess we'll do a test run an see - if not it'll be a feild test of impact drivers dewalt vs bosch blue (not really a fair test because the DW is 14.4v and the bosch is 10.8v)

 

[OPJ]

They're a real godsend, if it's something you can afford. I've only ever used one on a staircase (only to fix the spacers in between each spindle) and there's certainly plenty of power there.

If you have lots of cordless 18v kit, another option might be to consider the DeWalt and Makita guns which are, again, cordless - but, if you already have the batteries, you could just buy the gun and not have to worry about the cost of new gas cartridges...

 

[Lons]

Had my 350 for 4 years and use it regularly, admittedly only softwood but I've nailed some pretty hefty stuff and never had a problem with the amount of fire power needed.

It's a lot of money to justify but I had a stable conversion to do and I really can't count how many man hours were saved and the thousands of nails used.

If I need to know in more than a couple of dozen sizeable nails - the gun gets an airing. The only downside to it is that it needs regular stripping / cleaning / lubricating to keep the gun on song.

I don't buy paslode nails anymore btw as you can can compatible (ebay a good source) at half the cost. If you get one, pm me and I'll give you a link to the company I've used several times.

cheers

Bob

PS keep your body parts well out of the way - it bloody hurts

 

[Shane]

Must be just me that doesn't like paslodes then. The ones I've used only worked 50% of the time cos of the rubbish battery terminals and whatever I did to it couldn't get the heads to bury properly and had to finish with a hammer.

hand me back my hammer and/or cordless drill ta

 

[Carlow52]

IMO the 350 wont do the oak on oak as described on a consistent basis, if at all.
In addition the paslode nails or the off market ones are too soft to drive with a hammer unless they are nearly flush and getting out a 1/2 driven paslode with out marking the timber is a pita

Final point, very difficult to get bows and bends sorted with nails

 

[big soft moose]

They're a real godsend, if it's something you can afford. I've only ever used one on a staircase (only to fix the spacers in between each spindle) and there's certainly plenty of power there.

If you have lots of cordless 18v kit, another option might be to consider the DeWalt and Makita guns which are, again, cordless - but, if you already have the batteries, you could just buy the gun and not have to worry about the cost of new gas cartridges...

cheers for that - but we arent thinking of buying one, the team we share premises with has a paslode that they use on softwood boardwalks and i was wondering if we could use it on bridges and ramps - but we work in oak or ecodeck for durability

however from the replies here it seems unlikely so we'll be impact drivering - i'll try to remember to post some WIPs tho its much more rustic than most of the woodwork done on here.

 

[Mattty]

They're a real godsend, if it's something you can afford. I've only ever used one on a staircase (only to fix the spacers in between each spindle) and there's certainly plenty of power there.

If you have lots of cordless 18v kit, another option might be to consider the DeWalt and Makita guns which are, again, cordless - but, if you already have the batteries, you could just buy the gun and not have to worry about the cost of new gas cartridges...

cheers for that - but we arent thinking of buying one, the team we share premises with has a paslode that they use on softwood boardwalks and i was wondering if we could use it on bridges and ramps - but we work in oak or ecodeck for durability

however from the replies here it seems unlikely so we'll be impact drivering - i'll try to remember to post some WIPs tho its much more rustic than most of the woodwork done on here.

I suspect Ollie was getting confused with a finish nailer.. either that it it was a very rustic staircase he was making.

 

[OPJ]

I suspect Ollie was getting confused with a finish nailer.

D'oh! Good point, Mattty.