+- Woodnet Forums (https://www.forums.woodnet.net)
+-- Thread: Brad nailer or finish nailer, which should I buy? (/showthread.php?tid=7362450)
Pages:
1
2
Brad nailer or finish nailer, which should I buy? - Jacob_Wood - 04-24-2021
It’s a bit difficult to decide to buy the right nailer for me. Can anyone let me know what criteria should I need to focus on before buying a nail gun? And also, which companies make nailer better? As Dewalt, Bosch those are expensive.
If you have any recommendation about the best one in affordable budget then please suggest me. A lot of thanks in advance!
RE: Brad nailer or finish nailer, which should I buy? - MT Woodworker - 04-24-2021
I personally have Porter Cable, worked well for many years
I have a Brad, Finish, and Pin nailer, and also a narrow gauge crown stapler, upholstery stapler and even a framing nailer
I use them all...
RE: Brad nailer or finish nailer, which should I buy? - museumguy - 04-24-2021
(04-24-2021, 07:02 AM)MT Woodworker Wrote: I personally have Porter Cable, worked well for many years
I have a Brad, Finish, and Pin nailer, and also a narrow gauge crown stapler, upholstery stapler and even a framing nailer
I use them all...
Do you have the newer ones made by B&D or older ones? It makes a difference.
As to the OP's original question, what type on nail gun depends on what you want to do. I have a 16g finish nail gun, an 18g brad nail gun and 2 23g wire nailers. I would probably suggest an 18g brad nailer as your first purchase. Using 2" nails you can secure trim in your house, such as casing, base molding and chair rail. Using shorter nails, you can attach decorative moldings to projects that you build. Now, some prefer 16g nails for house trim and some prefer 23g for smaller decorative moldings. I was just giving examples of possible uses.
As for brands, it's hard to say. Since I have purchased mine, companies have been sold, designs have changed, etc. Hopefully, someone that has recently purchased a nail gun can chime in.
RE: Brad nailer or finish nailer, which should I buy? - MT Woodworker - 04-24-2021
Mine are all older, 20 plus years or more easily
RE: Brad nailer or finish nailer, which should I buy? - R Clark - 04-24-2021
I agree that it depends on the work to be done.
- General use around the shop -- 18 ga brad nailer. My brad nailer is a Dewalt that is about 15 years old.
- Attaching small pieces to workpieces -- 23 ga pin nailer. My pinner is a Harbor Freight...pinners can get real expensive and the HF has done a good job for me. When my first one broke after several years, I just went and plunked down another $20 for a second one. Used that one last night, in fact, to attach some small trim pieces to a stair railing.
- House trim (base board, crown moulding, etc.) -- finish nailer. My finish nailer is a Dewalt, also about 15 years old.
My other pneumatic nailer is a Hitachi narrow crown stapler. I use it on the occasional cabinet carcase and I used it to attache the OSB sheets to my wall studs when I was outfitting the shop.
RE: Brad nailer or finish nailer, which should I buy? - kurt18947 - 04-24-2021
(04-24-2021, 06:45 AM)Jacob_Wood Wrote:It’s a bit difficult to decide to buy the right nailer for me. Can anyone let me know what criteria should I need to focus on before buying a nail gun? And also, which companies make nailer better? As Dewalt, Bosch those are expensive.
If you have any recommendation about the best one in affordable budget then please suggest me. A lot of thanks in advance!
Like most I have a few. 23 ga. Airlocker brand, 18 ga. Accuset, 15 ga. Porter Cable, narrow crown accuset, Harbor Freight upholstery stapler. 15 ga. holds the best, can drive up to 2 1/2" slight headed nails but makes the biggest holes to fill. 18 ga. is a good general purpose tacker. 23 ga. holes are nearly invisible and hold more than you'd think they would but they are headless. The narrow crown stapler is good for plywood where the staples aren't seen, they hold a lot. Upholstery stapler is a powered substitute for the manual wide crown wired stapler. I use them all but not often for any one. As others have said it depends on what you do the most of.
RE: Brad nailer or finish nailer, which should I buy? - KyleD - 04-25-2021
Lots of good advice here. I would add that any shop anywhere has use for an 18 gauge nailer. Nailers are a fairly simple machine. The cheap ones sold at harbor freight work well. I started with a harbor freight and 20 years later it still works as good as my Senco. No matter the brand keep a little bottle of oil with the nailer and put a few drops in every day before you use it. I will also add do not get the combo nailer that can drive brads and staples. It always leaves a larger oblong hole in the wood to fill in.
RE: Brad nailer or finish nailer, which should I buy? - Bill Wilson - 04-25-2021
A finish nailer uses a larger nail, with a larger head. I use mine mostly for heavier nailing tasks, like door frames and trim, where it has to go through drywall, into the framing. I rarely use it in the shop. I just don't do much that requires nails that heavy for woodworking projects. That's where the brad nailer comes in. I use it where I'm nailing wood to wood and want a little strength and holding power. It gets used occasionally in the shop, but mostly I use a 23ga pin nailer for shop stuff. The headless pins are great, but very small, ideal for very light duty tasks. The 23ga nailer is great for stuff that is difficult to clamp.
My finish nailer is a Senco. My brad nailer is a Bostitch and my pin nailer is a Porter Cable. All have served me well, but buying them individually, like I did, I probably spent more than I would have, had I bought them as a package.
RE: Brad nailer or finish nailer, which should I buy? - MT Woodworker - 04-25-2021
Buy them all
You will find a use for all of them
RE: Brad nailer or finish nailer, which should I buy? - Tapper - 04-25-2021
I have them all, mostly Porter Cable, including coil nailer (roofing). Small stapler is Ridgid and 15ga is Hitachi; Senco framing nailer. Over the years they've all worked well, fortunately. Were I you and in the market right now I'd first buy the 18 ga. brad nailer. Will do lots of jobs in a workshop as well as home improvement projects. My brad nailer is a Porter Cable and is probably nearing 20 years old now. Still works great!
Doug