Nail Gun?

[matt]

Urm - kinda quite like the idea of a nail gun. I hadn't really appreciated the benefit until I witnessed Norm's liberal use of "brads"... Not so much the volume but more the ability to hold something in place whilst fixing with the gun (as opposed to fighting with the piece and nail whilst hammering). Also... had to make some "storage" shelves for the in-laws and a nail gun would have been ideal for fitting the slats. So, I'll get to the point (no pun):
1. What to look for? This one caught my eye.
2. What's a "brad" . How is it different to a nail?

Budget: Would be nice to get a suitable one for £40-60; however, if there is sound reason to spend more then I've got an open mind.

Cheers.

 

[Modernist]

Just bought a Tackwise on offer from Rutlands (18G 30mm) and it's fine. I have used a £380 DeWalt 16G and the TW is not much different except that it lacks a little heft and you have to hold the front down on longer brads.

 

[Andy Pullen]

I owned a cheap electric nailgun some years ago that ended up getting recalled due to some safety issue but I found that I had to hold the tip quite firmly against the wood and it had a tendency to mark it and it wasn't up to hardwood at all. I then went on to a cheap compressor and nailgun from B&Q warehouse and despite the fact that I own £700 worth of Paslodes now I still mainly use the compressor one in my workshop merely adding a better airline than the coil type it came with. You will also find a thousand uses for the compressor once you have it and on a restricted budget this is the way I would go again because you will be able to nail hard timbers with it and they work real sweet, just like Norms. I am sure with shopping around that you will get a set for £50-60 just make sure the 18g nailer takes up to 50mm nails cos some only do up to 32mm.
Regards Andy.

 

[DaveL]

I will second Andy's comments.
I have an Arrow electric nailer, its pants. Firing 1/2" brads into softwood you have to be heavy on the front or it will not drive then right home.
I have a very cheap air nailer and a nailer/stapler, they came from Aldi/Lidl cost not more then £25 each, dead good for quick try outs, workshop jigs and pinning backs on things. I do not like seeing 'brad' holes in the front of things so if its not going to be painted I don't use it, sorry Norm.

 

[matt]

Thanks for the feedback. So compressed air guns are better than electric. I'm off to see what I can find...

 

[matt]

So something along the lines of this pair:

Nailer
Compressor

 

[engineer one]

if you are only going to use it a little at a time, then the B&Q type set with a compressor and gun in one is decent place to start.

probably today it is called a performance pro,but with them who knows???

i use ace&k.

paul :wink:

 

[tiler99]

I have a tacwise....infact i have 2 ( different models) they are ok but also i have a compressor and the air nailer you have the link for from Axminster. No comparison, the air tool is ahead by miles.

 

[DaveL]

Matt,

That is a usable pair, but buy a straight air hose, you will not believe how much stuff you can knock over with the curly hose in the workshop. :twisted:

 

[Anonymous]

My understanding is brads have heads, pins don't. I only use pins. lot less damage, you can even get polyester pins now which sand down with the timber.

 

[Scrit]

I haven't seen those, Senior. Any idea who supplies them?

Scrit

 

[Anonymous]

Think mine are senco or omar, i'll have a look today, if I remember, the old brain is a bit sieve like at present.

 

[matt]

Perhaps I'm being stupid but the compressors look like they've got single cylinder petrol engines on them - I am mistaken, am I not? These things are powered by an electrical supply?

Also... the spec for the one I linked above looks like it is 6L which seems to small according to the nailer spec stating that it will work with the "smaller 25L compressors" - or have I got that wrong somewhere along the line? If 25L is "smaller", what the heck to you use a 6L one for - blow drying the cat?!

As per usual - I'm confused...

 

[engineer one]

matt they are air cooled compressors run by electricity. what looks like an engine is where the air get compressed.

what you need to look for is the output in cfm or bar.

for my machines i need between 6 and 8 bar which is 84-112 psi

maybe what you have seen is the bar relationship.

paul :wink:

 

[matt]

Thanks, Paul. That makes more sense. The smaller compressor is rated at 116psi / 4.5cfm and the gun's operating pressure is spec'd at 60-95psi. Sounds like a good match and comes in at £103

They do a package deal at the moment. Same gun but larger compressor rated at 7cfm but no mention of PSI. The package, including 5000 25mm and 5000 50mm nails, comes in at £122.

So... is the bigger compressor worth it for the extra money? Add nails to the first one and the like-for-like pricing is £115 v £122.

For £7 the package seems hard to refuse, except it's a much larger compressor to fit in to my garage size workshop, and my current plans only extend to using it for the nail gun...

Decisions, decisions...

 

[engineer one]

trust me you will find it invaluable, and find many other uses for it.
try to make sure that you get a blower gun with it, and maybe even a tyre inflator.

the blower makes short work of getting rid of dust which gets stuck in places you did not even know you had. :lol:

what sort of hose comes with it??? have you got proper teflon tape for all the connections, what connections come with it?? has it got wheels, what other things do you need to buy. make sure you get some oil for the nail gun with it.

how much bigger is it??

you will later learn to regret the not spending an extra 7 quid.. :roll:

paul :wink:

 

[ecp]

How about this - if ll you need is a nail gun
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SIP-Tankless-1-5- ... dZViewItem

 

[matt]

Once again, thanks for the comments.

I may have to put the extra bits on a future wish list - the budget is looking a wee bit tight. I have PTFE tape. Comes with a "7.5m coiled hose and fittings". Is the oil for the gun special?

As for the size... 510 x 240 x 415mm v. 670 x 240 x 600mm...

 

[matt]

How about this - if ll you need is a nail gun
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SIP-Tankless-1-5- ... dZViewItem

Oooh... that looks interesting but also raises more questions... "Tankless" - Pro's and con's???

 

[Slim]

Matt,

Where abouts are you?

On Monday I will have a brand new and unopened Bandit & Nailer surplus to requirements. If you want it (for a reasonable price), its yours.