Different Types of Air Nailers - Part 1
The first air nailer was invented in 1959 by the Paslode Company. Although it’s a staple (pardon the pun) of many workshops today, this tool didn’t really earn mainstream acceptance for a long time. At first, most people in the industry didn’t trust the technology and simply dismissed it as a novelty.
Finally, around the early 1980s, professionals in the carpentry and framing industry began to take notice. These trades people found that air nailers provided tremendous ROI by improving speed and productivity.
Today, these tools are considered a basic essential for any workshop.
Although carpentry and framing are still a primary markets for these air devices, more models have been adapted for other industries such as flooring, roofing and more…
If it can be nailed, there’s probably a specialized instrument for it. (Insert witty punchline here)
Below, I’ve outlined some of the most commonly used varieties of air nailers.
Framing Nailers
Framing nailers are used mainly for drywall installation, wall framing, fence building and other related tasks.
Framing can be tough because the members are often unstable and wobbly during assembly. One alternative is to set up a series of jigs and clamps to hold everything in place. But this can be time consuming and impractical for on-site custom installations.
Although faster, assembling frames by hand also posses its own challenges. If you don’t have all of your forces aligned just right, everything can fall apart and you’ll have to start over from square one. It can be pretty frustrating.
A framing nailer helps eliminate a lot of these challenges by quickly forcing in a nail through the wood without needing any extra tools to hold it in place.
They’re well adapted for stand-up nailing applications, and compact enough to get into tight spots.
Their light weight and low price also makes them a popular choice for hobbyists.
Most units accept nails that range in length between 2 1/2” to 3 1/4”. For best mobility, we recommend also purchasing a slim-profile air hose to go with your gun.
Finishing Nailers
Finishing nailers are ideal for projects where 2 pieces of wood must be nailed together, but the head of the nail must be hidden from view.
These devices are meant to be used with special nails whose heads are smaller in diameter. This makes it easier for the nail to be driven completely into the wood, leaving only a small dimple that can be filled in with putty afterward.
One of the biggest advantages of using a finishing nailer comes from the fact that you no longer need to glue and clamp wood before nailing. The speed and power provided by these tools allows you to simply align the pieces and fire.
This saves a lot of time around the shop.
Another advantage is that these tools reduce the likelyhood of having the wood split as it would with manual hammering.
Sometimes the recoil of these machines might leave small dents in the wood. If you’re going to be using one of these nail guns for finishing projects, make sure that your nailer has an attachment to prevent marring of the surface.
Typically, 18-gauge nails are the best for this purpose. But they’re limited to about 2” in length. You can try a heavier gauge for longer nails, but this will also leave a larger hole.
If you want to further minimize the size of the holes, you may want to also add a pin nailer to your collection.
[To Be Continued in Part 2...]
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