Electric Nail Gun Recommendations?

[creepykenny]

i normally use a bostich crown stapler along with glue, usually gorrila glue but it really depends upon location since the stuff expands so much

much love for the crown stapler, i also have a finish nailer that i picked upon for cheap at lowes but have yet to use it.

 

[Phetishboy]

Some of the cabinets were put together with staples, yet some of the cabinets were put together poorly so...

If it's between using staples that you won't see or finish nails you won't see, go with finish nails. It's very easy to fill the hole with putty or filler and make it disappear.

I would recommend that anyone not JUST use brads/staples/nails. Use them in conjunction with good carpenters glue, either Elmers or Titebond. Titebond makes a great waterproof glue (Titebond II), sold at Lowes and most places, and it has a longer set up time than the regular glue. It's great for this hobby and woodworking in general.

Joey

Crown staples and Elmers Wood Glue have never failed me. 2 shafts and an 3/16" crown vs. 1 shaft and an 1/8" head. As Fritz can attest to, 2 shafts always wins.

 

[joeycuda]

Gorilla Glue has it's place, and when I used it..it seemed strong as sh*t. But..I think it's bad for (fine) woodworking because of the expansion thing. I guess that's part of its strength.

A woodworking magazine last year did a bunch of tests on yellow carpenter's glue (Titebond, Elmers, etc) and Gorilla Glue. The yellow glue won out in most ways, which I didn't expect. It's all about application, surface area..

 

[2percenter]

How can I tell how many psi a staple gun requires? I see some crown staple guns that are not unreasonably priced for this task, but then there's the compressor. I can borrow a compressor from someone, but it's not the most convenient. So, I saw a cheap compressor at Home Depot that states it can do 100 psi. When I look at the nail gun descriptions on amazon, it never states a minimum psi.

 

[Wundercade]

100 psi isn't too bad. Most attachments are going to require between 40-80 psi. The problem comes when you have a small compressor you'll have to wait for it "catch up" between shots which creates a lot of down time and prolongs the project. So you really want to focus on getting a pancake compressor (if you can) as a minimum investment.

 

[2percenter]

100 psi is very high. Most attachments are going to require between 40-80 psi.

That's good to know. I guess I hesitate since the compressor is an "Air Compressor and Inflation Kit" which makes it sound completely wimpy. I was trying to find a link to what I saw at home depot, and I can't, but I found this. I'm pretty sure this is the same compressor and it comes with a nail gun. I guess it would work for a crown staple gun too...

Thanks.

 

[Mike Doyle]

You might be able to put together a combo of a used compressor from Craigslist like this one for $40 bucks: http://kansascity.craigslist.org/tls/1647548473.html

Then grab a brad nailer for $25 bucks or so from Harbor Freight.

You might find a compressor and nailer on your local Craigslist even cheaper than that.

 

[pmichelsen]

I will co-sign the craigslist idea, though you have to make sure you can tell a good used tool vs a used up tool. Right now with construction jobs being pretty slow, a lot of people are selling stuff fairly cheap. I just picked up another Bobcat for a song and I browse everyday looking for more bargains.

 

[arch8ngel]

Any decent compressor should have a regulator that you can dial to whatever pressure you like up the compressor limit.

Also, most tools are built to tolerate over 150 psi without failing, as a safety feature.


Personally, I'd recommend running a nailer/stapler for finish items between 70 and 90 psi depending on what kind of wood you're working with.