thinking about buying small commpressor

[Lark]

i dont really use a compressor much apart from nail and blow air to clean. and not that often either

i have seen this around.

http://www.toolchestdirect.com/makita-a ... -2358.html.

dont know weather thats oil free compressor or anything else like this out there thats small

 

[RogerS]

Link doesn't work.

Quite a few of us use the small Clarke Bandit from Machine Mart. It does use oil but in practice doesn't seem to be much of a problem.

Roger

 

[Joiner]

B&Q recently had a give-away with their 6 litre compressor at under £30.

I first bought a version of this compressor about six years ago, when it came with the reservoir in the actual frame. It also came with an excellent nailer that is still giving good service. The compressor eventually gave up after four-plus years, but having bought it for £49.99 I wan't fussed. Went to get another but the only one available was the one identical to that currently on offer, with a conventional tank under the compressor, so I bought that at £49.99. I've used it for site work with that original nailer because the 6 ltr tank makes it light and easy to carry around. That replacement compressor is still going strong after two years pretty hard slog (on site) and I recently bought a second one (for that silly price of under thirty quid) as a spare in case that other one gives up and to keep tooled up in the workshop with a second nail gun to save having to keep reloading different sizes of nails.

They are excellent pieces of kit.

 

[Lark]

http://www.toolchestdirect.com/makita-a ... -2358.html

it was because of the "." on the end


was there link for b&q one or in store only


http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... lstaple-gu
cant really tell how big that is

 

[RogerS]

To be honest I think it's pricey for casual use. I've used my Clarke Bandit for firing very large nails when fixing ceiling joists into 200 year old oak. Down to brads.

 

[Lark]

what sort of size it it cant really tell from the pic.

i have an aldi one i think bit big needs fixing but under warranty but still bit big for me

 

[RogerS]

Unless someone gets there first, I'll measure mine tomorrow.

 

[Lark]

that would be great. thank you very much. hopefully just what i want save me £60 or so

 

[Joiner]

The 18g finish nails are more like panel pins. For greater strength use a gun that will take at least 16g.

The Machine Mart compressor looks identical to the B&Q one and you can get a Rockwell nail gun that will take 16g finish nails for about forty quid, which (if those compressors are still available) makes the whole package a lot cheaper than Machine Mart.

The other thing to consider is that B&Q's no-quibble exchange policy gives them an edge over Machine Mart's insistence on having a faulty machine back for assessment by their 'technical department'. They've had the bunch of rubbish otherwise known as a Woodstar BS52, returned for refund, for two weeks now.

You takes your choice.

My machines have to work hard for their living and earn a place in my workshop and van. I wouldn't reccommend them otherwise.

 

[Lark]

i only want the nails to be hidden as much as possible. and not like the aldi one where if you push nail gun against the wood it makes like a dent.

and online is easier for me and i dont drive yet what was stupid of me to wait and only learning now.

i might see if i can get a look at b&q some time tho

 

[slemishwoodcrafts]

I have the 24 litre B&Q compressor, which came with two nailguns, a 16g finish nailer and an 18g nailer/stapler. Was £130 for the package, and the two nailguns work very well, although the 18g one stopped working for some reason, but I prefer now to use the 16g as it is a much better finish on the wood.

I have the compressor plumbed into a system and it just sits in the corner of the shop and I operate it by remote control. I think it works very well, use it mostly for nailing and dusting but I also use it to spray paint etc and inflate car tyres.

regards,

Michael

 

[Lark]

is 16g smaller /harder to see than 18g?

 

[RogerS]

is 16g smaller /harder to see than 18g?

No , the other way round. Brads are tiny and 18g. Next size up is 16g. Framing nailers fire much larger nails. Think structural work like making stud partitions.

You mentioned in passing but I sense it is important to you, about the indentations sometimes made in the wood when you fire. Some nailers come with rubber buffers. It aslo depends on the user technique, pressure used to fire in the nail Not really an expert on this.

 

[Lark]

good thats what i fort it was 18g... and my aldi one has the no rubber.

 

[Lark]

did you have some time to measure it up yet

 

[Joiner]

Roger is correct. You adjust the pressure until you get the penetration you want. As a joiner, I have it putting the heads about 2 mil in so that I can get a good layer of wood filler in. When using the 25mm nails to hold bead in place (usually just the one centrally placed), then I back the pressure off to leave the head a couple of mil above the surface.

Don't underestimate the holding power of a 16g nail.

Nor should you have your fingers anywhere near the sides of whatever you're nailing because if you have the gun angled slightly and the nail hits a knot or decides to follow the grain (more likely with 18g though), it'll punch a painful hole in your finger.

The easiest way to remember the relative sizes given in gauges is to think how many of a particular size you'd get to the inch. You'll get 18 to the inch if 18g, 16 to the inch if 16g, 8 to the inch if 8g, etc. The bigger they are the fewer you'll get so the smaller the number.

You can use 18g in a 16g gun, but they'll come out in pairs (or try to) and they're more likely to jam. They'll also splay inside the wood.

 

[Jake]

That estimation surprised me a bit, as the difference between 16g and 23g seems much bigger, and so it is, but at the same time, it is not a bad approximation for anything 16g and above!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge

 

[eggflan]

I also have a clarke bandit , had it for a few years now and it is used everyday . It came with the nail gun that is also working still and its had a lot of abuse , the nail gun does leave a small dent in softwood no matter how carefull you are (its got a round wire nose) I bought an axminster one from Wizer and that leaves no marks at all and is also quieter when fireing :wink:

I use mine with 30mm 18g brads to hold 18mm pine together and the little bandit only takes a few seconds to refill every 10 mins of heavy use .

I paid around £80 for the bandit nail gun kit and i would replace it with the same if it ever packs up :wink: they also sell the compressor on its own without the gun but cant remember the price

 

[Lark]

thanks for the reply. i often buy my tools from axminster never got there brand stuff but i am only diy so not as if i buy loads

 

[Joiner]

Sorry Jake, the "numbers to the inch" was used for illustrative purposes only. The "g" size has always given rise to confusion, much easier if we'd all go metric, but then how would you manage the overlap? I don't know why they don't just label nails in the closest metric size and give the 'old' Imperial size in brackets - stop all the confusion in the minds of newbies.

Heresy in the minds of some traditionalists, but at 66 I don't mind being burned at the stake. Probably about time!