hello all...
going to try do finish out my basement, and wanted to get a Framing
Nail Gun. i know they're a bit expensive for a newbie like me, but i
have a bulging disc in my back which means swinging a hammer in a
non-straightforward way (like hammering at an angle, bent over) can
cause my back to flare up and leave me unable to work on it at days at
a time. so i need something easier to do the job and a nailer seemed
like the logical choice. i thought about renting one, but it could
take me months to do my basement and given the unpredictability of my
back issue, i could end up paying more to rent it than to just buy
one. plus, i figure the investment in the tools is worthwhile as well
as being cheaper than paying someone to do the job,
so... enough of my health history...
what model(s) do you all recommend? it seems a i could get a Paslode
Cordless Nailer for around $400 which seems like the easiest to use
versus about $450 for a standard nail gun AND a compressor to provide
the air.
ANY and ALL advice is welcome. i'm such a newbie at this, i want to
get the right thing.
thanks!
ap
I am about 80% done with a 2000 SF basement finishing project, and
decided to use wood studs because they are much easier to frame around
obstacles, support beams, windows, and so forth. I suggest a good
quality pneumatic framing nailer (Porter Cable, for example) with at
least a 3 HP compressor. I put the compressor in the garage and ran
1/2" copper tubing for air into the basement (could have used hose for
a more temporary arrangement). I think you'll find the investment
worthwhile. The framing nailer needs to be close to commercial
quality because it will get a lot of abuse. The compressor will have
lots of uses. For trim and lighter work, I've purchased foreign-made
brad and trim nailers from Harbor Freight, and they've worked just
fine.
For what it's worth.....
BPS of Wading River
On 7 Jan 2004 05:53:08 -0800, [email protected] (ap) wrote:
>hello all...
>
>going to try do finish out my basement, and wanted to get a Framing
>Nail Gun. i know they're a bit expensive for a newbie like me, but i
>have a bulging disc in my back which means swinging a hammer in a
>non-straightforward way (like hammering at an angle, bent over) can
>cause my back to flare up and leave me unable to work on it at days at
>a time. so i need something easier to do the job and a nailer seemed
>like the logical choice. i thought about renting one, but it could
>take me months to do my basement and given the unpredictability of my
>back issue, i could end up paying more to rent it than to just buy
>one. plus, i figure the investment in the tools is worthwhile as well
>as being cheaper than paying someone to do the job,
>
>so... enough of my health history...
>
>what model(s) do you all recommend? it seems a i could get a Paslode
>Cordless Nailer for around $400 which seems like the easiest to use
>versus about $450 for a standard nail gun AND a compressor to provide
>the air.
>
>ANY and ALL advice is welcome. i'm such a newbie at this, i want to
>get the right thing.
>
>thanks!
>
>ap
ap said:
>what model(s) do you all recommend? it seems a i could get a Paslode
>Cordless Nailer for around $400 which seems like the easiest to use
>versus about $450 for a standard nail gun AND a compressor to provide
>the air.
If you are into woodworking, I would go for a compressor type. You
may then use the air for brad nailers, blow guns, finish sprayers,
filling your bicycle and car tires, etc. The cordless/airless nailers
are heavier than the air powered types.
I have a Senco FramePro, it works fine. It's a little on the unwieldy
side if you have to hold it above your head and fire nails all day,
but overall I like it. I got it to speed the replacement of a termite
infested portion of the walls and roof of our house. I got a free
FinishPro15 brad nailer with mine, and it's a nice piece as well. It
toe-nails fine, a heck of a lot faster than hand nailing, just remove
the pad from the tip so that the teeth can dig into the wood for
proper placement of the nail. You may have to hand finish driving a
nail or two, but overall, it saved a bunch of time. It shows no
signs of quitting, and should have a nice long life expectancy if
taken care of properly.
Never fire it towards yourself, and always have a controlled grip on
these things. Unless you replace the trigger mech with a sequential
fire trigger, you can fire a nail through your head if you're not
careful. They tend to bounce when firing, and if your don't have a
good, controlled grip on them, they can bounce and fire another nail,
so be careful if you are not familiar with their use.
There are 1001 uses for the air from a compressor for a woodworker.
FWIW,
Greg G.
[email protected] (ap) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> hello all...
>
> going to try do finish out my basement, and wanted to get a Framing
> Nail Gun.
There are decent framing nailers for around $200-$250 or less. No need
to spend $450.
Small pancake compressors (though noisy) are available at reasonable
prices
as well. There may be a combo compressor+nailer available at a
discount.
By selecting 1/4" air hose rather than 3/8" or 1/2", the weight of the
hose is reduced quite a bit, sacrificing the ability to shoot nails
quite as fast as you might like.
Once you have the compressor and hose, other nailers and staplers can
use the same air source, should that be in your future.
Consider the following combo kit:
Hitachi 725297 Framing Nailer with 2 HP Compressor Combo Kit
I have this nailer and compressor, though I did not buy them together.
They work very well.
ap,
Save yourself a bunch of money and just use deck screws. A 3/8" good corded
drill with some #2 bits and you're good to go. I've built 3 garden sheds
from the ground up and the only nails were used on the siding. All the
framing was done using screws. Easily reversible too, should you make a
mistake.
Bob S.
"ap" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> hello all...
>
> going to try do finish out my basement, and wanted to get a Framing
> Nail Gun. i know they're a bit expensive for a newbie like me, but i
> have a bulging disc in my back which means swinging a hammer in a
> non-straightforward way (like hammering at an angle, bent over) can
> cause my back to flare up and leave me unable to work on it at days at
> a time. so i need something easier to do the job and a nailer seemed
> like the logical choice. i thought about renting one, but it could
> take me months to do my basement and given the unpredictability of my
> back issue, i could end up paying more to rent it than to just buy
> one. plus, i figure the investment in the tools is worthwhile as well
> as being cheaper than paying someone to do the job,
>
> so... enough of my health history...
>
> what model(s) do you all recommend? it seems a i could get a Paslode
> Cordless Nailer for around $400 which seems like the easiest to use
> versus about $450 for a standard nail gun AND a compressor to provide
> the air.
>
> ANY and ALL advice is welcome. i'm such a newbie at this, i want to
> get the right thing.
>
> thanks!
>
> ap
If you want to go the nail route, I'd recommend an air compressor over
the Paslode. Sounds like you're a DIYer and have a whole basement to
finish plus who knows what other projects are in store for you. With
the compressor you can buy lots of other air tools down the road like a
finish nailer to install the trim.
With that said, framing nailers are big and not very light. Simulate
using one before buying. Get down low to simulate some toenailing at
the floor then do the same over your head for the ceiling. I think
you'll find it's not that easy on your back.
Bob's suggestion to use screws sounds like a pretty good idea to me.
You can buy a nice screw gun for $100-150. I find a screw gun is
surprisingly nicer to use than a drill/driver for driving screws. I
didn't expect there to be that much difference, but I bought one anyway
because I had to screw down a plywood floor. I figured for the number
of screws I had to use if there was any improvement in the gun over my
drill/driver it would be worth it. Well, I really like the screw gun!
--
Larry C in Auburn WA
"ap" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> hello all...
>
> going to try do finish out my basement, and wanted to get a Framing
> Nail Gun. i know they're a bit expensive for a newbie like me, but i
> have a bulging disc in my back which means swinging a hammer in a
> non-straightforward way (like hammering at an angle, bent over) can
> cause my back to flare up and leave me unable to work on it at days at
> a time. so i need something easier to do the job and a nailer seemed
> like the logical choice. i thought about renting one, but it could
> take me months to do my basement and given the unpredictability of my
> back issue, i could end up paying more to rent it than to just buy
> one. plus, i figure the investment in the tools is worthwhile as well
> as being cheaper than paying someone to do the job,
>
> so... enough of my health history...
>
> what model(s) do you all recommend? it seems a i could get a Paslode
> Cordless Nailer for around $400 which seems like the easiest to use
> versus about $450 for a standard nail gun AND a compressor to provide
> the air.
>
> ANY and ALL advice is welcome. i'm such a newbie at this, i want to
> get the right thing.
>
> thanks!
>
> ap
Missed the OP's post so I'll jump in here.
<Greg G.> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> ap said:
>
> >what model(s) do you all recommend? it seems a i could get a Paslode
> >Cordless Nailer for around $400 which seems like the easiest to use
> >versus about $450 for a standard nail gun AND a compressor to provide
> >the air.
That was my consideration when I bought the Paslode Impulse Framing nailer a
couple months ago.
Had some heavy duty framing to do in my garage so I got the Paslode.
No hose, and lightweight.
I'm real happy with it and will probably get the Impulse Brad nailer soon.
The only downside, is that the Paslode only accepts about 50 nails at one
stretch, I'm constantly reloading.
> If you are into woodworking, I would go for a compressor type. You
> may then use the air for brad nailers, blow guns, finish sprayers,
> filling your bicycle and car tires, etc. The cordless/airless nailers
> are heavier than the air powered types.
I have a compressor and a Porter cable nailer but hate dragging the hose
around and the magazine sticks way out the back.
With the Paslode I slide the battery in, and go, less than 15 seconds. I
leave the fuel cannister in it all the time.
With the Porter Cable I have to turn the comressor on, unroll the hoses,
etc.......
> I have a Senco FramePro, it works fine. It's a little on the unwieldy
> side if you have to hold it above your head and fire nails all day,
> but overall I like it. I got it to speed the replacement of a termite
> infested portion of the walls and roof of our house. I got a free
> FinishPro15 brad nailer with mine, and it's a nice piece as well. It
> toe-nails fine, a heck of a lot faster than hand nailing, just remove
> the pad from the tip so that the teeth can dig into the wood for
> proper placement of the nail. You may have to hand finish driving a
> nail or two, but overall, it saved a bunch of time. It shows no
> signs of quitting, and should have a nice long life expectancy if
> taken care of properly.
>
> Never fire it towards yourself, and always have a controlled grip on
> these things.
Last week I changed nails in the Paslode, from 3-1/4" to 2-1/2" to nail some
plywood.
Un beknownst to me at the time there was 1 long nail still in the magazine.
When I pulled the trigger the long nail went clear through the plywood, hit
the concrete floor and whistled past my right ear and hit the opposite wall
24' away.
Picked the nail up and looked at it, the point was dulled and the shank was
bent.
It could have killed me!
I put the gun down and went in and watched Emeril for awhile.......
Unless you replace the trigger mech with a sequential
> fire trigger, you can fire a nail through your head if you're not
> careful. They tend to bounce when firing, and if your don't have a
> good, controlled grip on them, they can bounce and fire another nail,
> so be careful if you are not familiar with their use.
>
> There are 1001 uses for the air from a compressor for a woodworker.
>
> FWIW,
>
>
> Greg G.
There is another option .Try steel studs, half the work and no hammer
swinging. Also none of the inconsistency of construction grade lumber ( i.e.
out of square)
"ap" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> hello all...
>
> going to try do finish out my basement, and wanted to get a Framing
> Nail Gun. i know they're a bit expensive for a newbie like me, but i
> have a bulging disc in my back which means swinging a hammer in a
> non-straightforward way (like hammering at an angle, bent over) can
> cause my back to flare up and leave me unable to work on it at days at
> a time. so i need something easier to do the job and a nailer seemed
> like the logical choice. i thought about renting one, but it could
> take me months to do my basement and given the unpredictability of my
> back issue, i could end up paying more to rent it than to just buy
> one. plus, i figure the investment in the tools is worthwhile as well
> as being cheaper than paying someone to do the job,
>
> so... enough of my health history...
>
> what model(s) do you all recommend? it seems a i could get a Paslode
> Cordless Nailer for around $400 which seems like the easiest to use
> versus about $450 for a standard nail gun AND a compressor to provide
> the air.
>
> ANY and ALL advice is welcome. i'm such a newbie at this, i want to
> get the right thing.
>
> thanks!
>
> ap
"cordless" pasloads have their place.... Contractors who want to come in, do
a small job (touch up something) and not have to drag around the compressor.
I think you would be better served inveting in the compressor, which could
be used to drive different sizes of guns (brads, finish).
I had a Porter Cable framing nailer, with a dual tank prter Cable
compressor. I used it to build a 1600sf addition. Then I gave it to my
brother-in-law (because he helped me ALOT, and he lost his engineering job
and was playing contractor for the last year, and I didn't see myself using
a framing gun any time in the foreseeable future). That compressor could
have run two guns, so I overbought a bit there.
It was a good tool, maybe not up to the riggors of daily use for years. But
I was very pleased with it for my use. I am satisfied that I got more than
my +/- $400 worth out of it for that one big project.
I'm not sure that framing in some basement walls justifies the investment,
but I, for one, will not stand in the way of tool purchase justifications.
That said, the deck screw idea is not without merit if the scope of the
project is faily modest.
-Steve
"ap" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> hello all...
>
> going to try do finish out my basement, and wanted to get a Framing
> Nail Gun. i know they're a bit expensive for a newbie like me, but i
> have a bulging disc in my back which means swinging a hammer in a
> non-straightforward way (like hammering at an angle, bent over) can
> cause my back to flare up and leave me unable to work on it at days at
> a time. so i need something easier to do the job and a nailer seemed
> like the logical choice. i thought about renting one, but it could
> take me months to do my basement and given the unpredictability of my
> back issue, i could end up paying more to rent it than to just buy
> one. plus, i figure the investment in the tools is worthwhile as well
> as being cheaper than paying someone to do the job,
>
> so... enough of my health history...
>
> what model(s) do you all recommend? it seems a i could get a Paslode
> Cordless Nailer for around $400 which seems like the easiest to use
> versus about $450 for a standard nail gun AND a compressor to provide
> the air.
>
> ANY and ALL advice is welcome. i'm such a newbie at this, i want to
> get the right thing.
>
> thanks!
>
> ap
> 1) will it do the job
Driving nails is the LEAST demanding job for a compressor.... Bottom end
will do you just fine. a $100 pancake jobbie will do what you need.
> 2) price
Above.
> 3) noise (have a newborn in the house)
Well, that's a problem. I'm no guru, but my understanding is that you have
to get into the 220V 2-stage monsters before they get quiet (that's just
whole different class of machine).
Even if you could put the compressor outside and run the air line in a
window, The guns are kind of loud.
You can mitigate the noise problem, but not eliminate it.
I agree with the other newsgroup member suggestion of using metal
studs and screws. This is much easier to screw the metal frame
together than trying to sort of "toe-nail" the screw in an angle to
secure a wooden frame. And you don't need to worry about if a wood
stud is not straight or insects damage.
I have a limited experience with using metal studs when I was working
for a part time job. And I found them to be easy to work with. Later
on when I finished my basement, I used wood studs, and I didn't like
that.
Jay Chan
I'm not sure that framing in some basement walls justifies the
investment,
> but I, for one, will not stand in the way of tool purchase justifications.
8^)
> That said, the deck screw idea is not without merit if the scope of the
> project is faily modest.
>
> -Steve
>
good advice as is the screw driver idea. what size/brand compressor
should i look at. considerations:
1) will it do the job
2) price
3) noise (have a newborn in the house)
>
>
>
On 7 Jan 2004 05:53:08 -0800, [email protected] (ap) asked for advice
I can't give you any advice but I would like to thank you for knowing
the difference between "advice" and "advise."