18 gage or 15 gage nailer

[Cooler]

Should I use my 15 gage angle nailer or my 18 gage pin nailer for door and window trim?

[JosephP]

15...

[woodhead]

18 for trim to frame, 16 for trim to wall. 15G has too big of a head.


Well, that's just the way I do it.



Al

[crokett™]

I use 16 for the jamb to the roughed in opening, and 18 for everything else.

[mike4244]

I use the 18 guage BRAD nailer for most window and door trim. Your 18 gauge is a brad nailer not a pin nailer. If you have a pin nailer too it is handy for outside miter joints used in conjunction with glue. If you have to slightly bend a trim piece then use the 15 gauge ,will hold better. Often long lengths like door trim have a slight curve and need to be pulled or pushed to straighten, this is where the larger nails are best. Use the 15 ga to install the door frame.

mike

[Robert Adams]

I also use an 18 and 16. Depends on the trim. The bigger trim like RB3 need a long nail and I will use the 16 on it. The thinner areas I will use the 18. 

        The big benefit to a 15 is the angle as it makes it much easier to use. It will also shoot longer nails than a 16 or 18. 

         What I would like is the smaller stapler that is used in factories. It's a smaller gauge staple and a narrower crown. They have been using them since the 50s for attaching trim to doors at the factory. They hold very well and don't make too big of a hole.

[K. L. McReynolds]

I also use an 18 and 16. Depends on the trim. The bigger trim like RB3 need a long nail and I will use the 16 on it. The thinner areas I will use the 18. 

        The big benefit to a 15 is the angle as it makes it much easier to use. It will also shoot longer nails than a 16 or 18. 

         What I would like is the smaller stapler that is used in factories. It's a smaller gauge staple and a narrower crown. They have been using them since the 50s for attaching trim to doors at the factory. They hold very well and don't make too big of a hole.

Stanley Bostich 7/32" crown stapler and staples for the staple wish.

I used a 16 gauge nailer for years, 1&1/2" nails for door window trim and 2&1/2" for base and crown moldings. I have an 18 gauge nailer, but seldom use that for moldings.

[Robert Adams]

Stanley Bostich 7/32" crown stapler and staples for the staple wish.

I used a 16 gauge nailer for years, 1&1/2" nails for door window trim and 2&1/2" for base and crown moldings. I have an 18 gauge nailer, but seldom use that for moldings.

 Thanks. Now I know what to look for. It would be a handy tool for smaller stuff where a regular 18 ga staple is too big. Mainly small shop stuff.

[Cooler]

I ended up using my 16 gage nailer.  

My problem with the 16 gage (and micro pinner) is that the pins sometimes follow the grain and veer wildly off from straight and poke their noses out (this happened when I corner pinned some of the miters.  A vise grip enabled me to pull these out.

The 15 gage works fine for most painted items.  If I paint I'm going to fill the holes whether they are 15 gage or 16 gage, so that is no difference.  

Mostly I picked the 16 gage because it is smaller, lighter and easier to handle.

Thanks for all the replies.

Regards,

Cooler

[Cooler]

I went to use my 15 gage nailer the other day and it failed.  I only used it for one job about 10 years ago so I was very surprised.  

I brought it to a local repair shop (Porter-Cable approved service), and he took it apart while I watched.  A white plastic part (looked like nylon) had disintegrated.  He had to order a new part.  The repair cost $20.00 labor + $18.00 for the part.

I asked if it was something I had done, and he said, "No, it was something you had not done."  I asked what was that, and he said the plastic dried out because it had not been used.  Makes no sense to me at all.  But it is back and working fine now.