# Which nailer?



## Sawdust68 (Aug 12, 2018)

Hello folks,

I am about to invest in a nailer or two. My projects are small using 1/4 to 3/4 inch plywood (current project: dollhouse). I have been looking at an 18 ga. brad nailer and a pinner. I am not sure which would work best for the 1/4" walls and roof. I am leaning toward a couple of Bostitch nailers and a Craftsman 6 gal pancake compressor (Lowes). Your guidance will be greatly appreciated.


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## David Bradford (Sep 12, 2019)

For your 1/4" parts a 23 ga pin nailer. I have Bostich guns and pancake compressor myself.


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## graeme.c.payne (Jun 21, 2017)

If there's a Harbor Freight near you, take a look at their tools. I have one of their framing nailers (for a couple of years) and a small brad nailer for about 3 months. They get air from a Lowe's (6 to 8 gallon?) compressor. They both work just fine for me as a part-time casual woodworker. 

If you are putting nails in wood as a construction professional, they may not hold up as long as the $$$$ brands. But for my uses they are fine. 

Why the framing nailer? I needed one for a specific task, building a wall to make an office in part of the workshop. Looking at options, it was cheaper to buy one from HF than rent one for a week from a big-box store. Since then it has only had a few days of use, and I will probably drop it off at the Habitat for Humanity store by the end of the year.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

The Bostich guns are nice because they don't need to be oiled. However, ergonomically my PC 18 gauge is more comfortable than my Bostich brad nailers. I have an Hitachi framing nailer and it has a lot of power. It seems more powerful than the Holzher it replaced. I also have an Hitachi pin nailer. It works well but it has a safety on the trigger and I wound up taping it down so I didn't have to use it. That's never been an issue in the two years I've had it but if someone else has a brand that works well I'd go with theirs. The Bostich narrow crown stapler uses 6mm staples instead of 1/4" and the Bostich brand staples are way more money here so you may want to check that out. I also have a Campbell Hausfeld in 1/4" and it has worked fine and staples are cheap. Medium crown I've only ever used a Bostich so I have nothing else to compare it to.


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## Flipsaw (Mar 11, 2016)

I have PC nailers , but I have to say I enjoy using my Ryobi cordless nailers more lately. Have both the 18ga and the 23ga pinner. No worries about hoses or the noise of a compressor. Just my 2 cents


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

For 1/4 inch ply I usually use staples if I can (for cabinet backs, etc). For a doll house the brads should be fine as a backup to the glue.

I have a California Air Systems quiet compressor, definitely worth the extra $60 over your average compressor. I honestly forget to turn the thing off sometimes it is so quiet. I got mine on a black Friday deal, and signed up for their credit card to get an extra $50 off, fantastic buy. Lowes and HF have their own knock offs of the CAL compressor now, you might be able to score something very similar for less.


I have a Accuset 23 ga pin nailer, and love it to death.

I use the super cheap HF 18 ga pin nailer and the 18 ga nailer/stapler combo. For the $ they can't be beat. Just fire a few test brads into similar wood and adjust the regulator on the compressor.

I CAN'T STAND my HF 16 gage nailer, I only use it if I absolutely have to

I have a Hitachi 15 gage nailer that I use for everything the 18 ga brad nailer can't do. It is an awesome piece of equipment.


https://www.amazon.com/California-A...ateway&sprefix=california+air+,aps,146&sr=8-5


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I have and like my Hitachi 18 gauge nailer. Often use it on projects to hold things in place until I can get a few screws in place. For this purpose I often use the 2.5 inch nails, the maximum size. It also uses easy to get Porter Cable nails. 

I have an off-brand 23 gauge pin nailer that is useful for holding things in alignment during glue up. I think with really short pins you could use it for miniatrues, but it will not hold things together. A light pull or twist will pull the pieces apart.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

My nailer of choice for a doll house build.


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## roxanne562001 (Feb 5, 2012)

I have a harbor freight pin nailer that works great for thin material. I also have their 18 ga brad nailer /stapler that works well also. The pin nails don't split the thin stock. I use that on toys I make. I use both of them weekly for the past several years with good result. I can't advise you on the compressor. I have a large stationary air compressor unit. You can never have to much air


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## Bushwhacker (Jun 16, 2009)

Sawdust68 said:


> Hello folks,
> 
> I am about to invest in a nailer or two. My projects are small using 1/4 to 3/4 inch plywood (current project: dollhouse). I have been looking at an 18 ga. brad nailer and a pinner. I am not sure which would work best for the 1/4" walls and roof. I am leaning toward a couple of Bostitch nailers and a Craftsman 6 gal pancake compressor (Lowes). Your guidance will be greatly appreciated.


I believe Home Depot had a combination pan cake and two nailers for 100.
Haven't been back to see lately but they may still be there.

David


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

There are a lot of things that would be almost impossible to nail the conventional way and for that reason, a nail gun is a must. A pin nailer may go through your 1/4" shingle unless you turn the air down quite a bit. For most everyday jobs a cheap HF gun will do the job. I have a 16 gauge as well as the 23 gauge pin nailer from HF. Both to me are worth their weight in gold. I have used mine for at least 5 years and they owe me nothing. I also have a PC 16 gauge that I use when a heavier gauge is needed such as installing molding. Whatever brand you get check out the nails or pins at HF they cost much less there.


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## Garyk (Dec 29, 2011)

Note: the Hitachi is now a Metabo product. Same gun just a name change. I have a Hitachi framing nailer that works just fine. Buy whatever feels right in your hand. Many of the nailers are made by the same companies under various names. My personal opinion on Craftsman (and I have a few is that they are good home shop tools but not designed for everyday use for a production environment, but that's just me. I don't depend on the small pins or nails as the only connector of projects. I use them more to hold things in place while the glue dries. With small wood (dollhouse) the 23 gauge is less likely to split the wood and the hole is almost invisible. The HF things I have bought don't seem to hold up as long as other brands so I buy them selectively. The newer brands they now sell seem to be an improved product. The choice of tools seems to be in the personal choice category. I try to stick with brands that stand behind their products, such as Whiteside router bits, Timberwolf bandsaw blades and etc. Although they cost a bit more they last for years.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

mgmine said:


> There are a lot of things that would be almost impossible to nail the conventional way and for that reason, a nail gun is a must.


A must? No. Nice to have? Yes. They have been making doll houses for who know how long, and didn't use a nail gun for most of them. I've got two nail guns. However, if you don't count the one my older son has had since it was new and I never got a chance to even try, I have one nail gun, that I have had for a year or two. I suppose one of these days I should unbox it, and see if it works. 

When I was in 4th grade shop class, we made a porch style bird "house", without a nail gun. That got me in the habit of knowing I could do things without one. Actually, I'm not sure if they were even selling them then. That would have been around 1950.


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## BCR (Mar 30, 2009)

I have many nailers, but after reading a few articles on best (pinners) with least wood punch, the Hitachi is the best rated. So I have that for 23g, I use a Ridgid as a 18g brad, and a PC for 14g framing (man that thing can kick). I have a HF that I use only as a stapler, but it is a 18g brad/stapler combined. And for staples it is good, for brads it is HORRIBLE as it jams on every 20th or so brad.


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## BCR (Mar 30, 2009)

JOAT said:


> A must? No. Nice to have? Yes. They have been making doll houses for who know how long, and didn't use a nail gun for most of them. .


Agreed, other than our disabled fellows (like myself) it is a must, with 2 shattered wrists, I can no longer swing a 2 ounce peen hammer.
But for any normal person, no they are a luxury. I have a 2 story doll house I keep putting off. She is only 1 now, so I have time.

But dollhouses have been made as far back as ancient Egyptians. So a good 2,000 years not sure they had air compressors back then.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

JOAT said:


> A must? No. Nice to have? Yes. They have been making doll houses for who know how long, and didn't use a nail gun for most of them.


Hammering framing nails all day can cause issues with the elbow and wrist on that hand so a nailer can be a prevention against chronic stress on those body parts which in the long run makes them a very cheap investment. As for the smaller guns they allow you to hold a part with one hand and nail with the other which you can't do if you aren't able to start a nail first. In lots of cases hammering one nail loosens others that are already in. Once a nail pulls loose it never holds as well again and nailers don't tend to be as prone to do that.

Please also keep in mind that the OP didn't ask whether he should buy some nailers, he asked for recommendations. I'm pretty sure he wasn't talking about using a hammer.


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## billyjim (Feb 11, 2012)

Flipsaw said:


> I have PC nailers , but I have to say I enjoy using my Ryobi cordless nailers more lately. Have both the 18ga and the 23ga pinner. No worries about hoses or the noise of a compressor. Just my 2 cents


I agree. The cordless models are perfect for what you need a nailer for.


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## BCR (Mar 30, 2009)

Depends, if you have a good air compressor. Then the added cost of batteries may not be on the table. If money not a concern, and weight, then yeah a cordless may be the answer. Could depend as well on how long you plan on using it, air will last all day and into the next. The battery (a single one) will last a couple of hours. So make sure you consider cost of at least 1 extra battery. Perhaps rather than ratings on a nailer, look at what batteries you currently use, that will limit your choices real quick.


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## ScottyDBQ (Jul 5, 2008)

I have a PC 18 ga 1 1/4" nailer, a Grizzly 18 ga nailer – 2 inches and a Grizzly 18 ga nailer stapler combo as well as a HF 23 ga pinner. I have a PC pancake compressor which is adequate for my needs. All of the nail guns have worked fine for me, but when you look at 23 ga pinners, check to see if they have a safety. The HF does not and I recall that some of the other lower-priced pinners I looked at did not either. I do not have a battery-powered nailer or pinner, but they may be a good option for you to consider. The battery would add some weight to the unit but you would avoid wrestling with the air hose.


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## Sawdust68 (Aug 12, 2018)

Thank you everyone. Your advice is very much appreciated. And yes hammers did come before nailers. Lol. I will let you know how I make out. Again thank you.


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## Zippity (Jun 4, 2018)

Do yourself a favour. Buy a cordless one. Ryobi


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Don't knock tack hammers; actually, they are really useful tools. However, even I would not use one to make a doll house with. No nailer either. For things like that, it is 100% glue (Titebond II), no metal of any type. No hammer, no nailer, or compressor noise, just relaxing quiet, and the glue holds up very well. Might take awhile longer, but a lot more relaxing. Works for me.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

JOAT said:


> Don't knock tack hammers; actually, they are really useful tools. However, even I would not use one to make a doll house with. No nailer either. For things like that, it is 100% glue (Titebond II), no metal of any type. No hammer, no nailer, or compressor noise, just relaxing quiet, and the glue holds up very well. Might take awhile longer, but a lot more relaxing. Works for me.


Once again Theo the OP was asking for nailer recommendations, not building methods or hammer recommendations.


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## OCEdesigns (Jan 31, 2019)

I have both Bostich and Hitachi and never an issue. Ihave brad nailers, roofing and framing nailers. You really can't go wrong with either.As for compressors I have a Bostich pancake for smaller jobs but a 60gal stationary for when things get real! LOL But any pancake will be just fine. Find one that fits your budget and go.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Once again Theo the OP was asking for nailer recommendations, not building methods or hammer recommendations.


Understood. Just telling why I don't use nailers.


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## Danman1957 (Mar 14, 2009)

We all seem to have several nailers, I also have a 23 ga. pin nailer that I just love, my 18ga is the one I use most, the first one I bought is a 16ga Bostich and I recently had to have the trigger mechanism changed after 10+ years of use and abuse, and the last one I bought is a framing nailer. If I knew then what I know now, I would not have purchased the 16 ga unit. I find it too big for moldings and with no heads it is not good for framing, so I rarely use it. As for compressors, I have 2. A small unit under my workbench for most tasks, and a 26 gal DeWalt with 5 HP and a good output rating handles the framing nailer or any other air tool I own.
You can't use a framing nailer with a small volume compressor.
Happy shopping !


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

JOAT said:


> A must? No. Nice to have? Yes. They have been making doll houses for who know how long, and didn't use a nail gun for most of them.
> 
> What I said was some things were *nearly* impossible and the emphasis is on* nearly* not dollhouses in particular. I can't identify anything in particular but I know in the past that a nail/ brad/pin gun was the only thing that I could use. This is usually the case with thin unsupported wood or extremely small molding such as 3/16" quarter round. Try to nail that securely without a pin nailer and see how it goes. Besides the ease there is also the speed. Years ago I made several hundred feet of lattice fenceing. Actually over 500 feet. Each piece of lattice was 1/4" thick so together they were 1/2". At each crossover, they had to be hand nailed with a 1/2" brad. It took hours and hours and hours to do the nailing. More time than any other step on the project. I recently made a section and it took under 5 minutes and didn't hit my finger one. Nuft said


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I agree Art. I have 7 that I can think of without going out and counting to make sure and I don't regret buying a single one. I particularly liked your comment about banging your fingers trying to hold small ones. I bought a $3 plastic spring loaded holder from LV for doing those but I can put 20 pins or brads in in the same time I could start and drive one with a hammer that way.

Yesterday I was putting up sheathing on my shop addition with a 1/2" crown staple gun and 2" coated staples. I put in twice as many as I would have put nails in and in 1/4 the time. Why anyone would want to do that swinging a hammer if they don't need to is beyond me.


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## MikeDilligaf (Sep 19, 2010)

*MikeDilligaf*



Zippity said:


> Do yourself a favour. Buy a cordless one. Ryobi




Agreed!

Have both air and cordless.

Bought a Craftsman 18v 18g nailer years ago and it works very well even with maple without making any adjustments for depth which by the way there aren't any adjustments on the Craftsman.


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## bfblack (May 2, 2012)

I have the Porter Cable BN200C and it is oil less. I am quite satisfied with the nailer. The attached photo shows it in action. My local woodworking club typically builds about 500 doll beds/cradles using (nominal) 1/2" Baltic Birch plywood. These toys are donated to various charities at Christmas. Each bed requires 12 each 1 1/4" 18 gauge brad nails. The nailing is done in a "production" environment in which we had four teams of two people per team and we nailed the 500 beds in about 3 hours. I think three out of the four teams had PC nailers.


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## bentbrent123 (Oct 23, 2011)

I have an Accuset brad nailer. I looked long and hard to find the largest spread in brad lengths, this was it. It shoots as short as 5/8" and as long as 1.5". Accuset is a Senco brand. That is one of the very top stapler/nailer brands going. I have never had a bit of trouble with it. I would stay away from Harbor Freight brands, they are garbage. I used to work as an RV technician. A coworker bought one of their nailers. It broke after 2 days. That is not to say that HF doesn't also sell quality brand names as well. kp91 posted about an Accuset pin nailer. For a small project like yours, a pin nailer may be better. 

As far as a compressor goes, you have to think about how much you will use it. Just for this project, a pancake will be adequate, but they don't produce much air. Nailers and such don't use much air, but rotary tools use a bunch. They are things like die grinders, angle grinders air drills etc. The key to getting an air compressor is CFM. How many 'cubic feet per minute' will it produce. It's frustrating to be working on a project and have to stop while the air builds back up. Good luck

Brent


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

bentbrent123 said:


> I have an Accuset brad nailer. I looked long and hard to find the largest spread in brad lengths, this was it. It shoots as short as 5/8" and as long as 1.5". Accuset is a Senco brand. That is one of the very top stapler/nailer brands going. I have never had a bit of trouble with it. I would stay away from Harbor Freight brands, they are garbage. I used to work as an RV technician. A coworker bought one of their nailers. It broke after 2 days. That is not to say that HF doesn't also sell quality brand names as well. kp91 posted about an Accuset pin nailer. For a small project like yours, a pin nailer may be better.
> 
> As far as a compressor goes, you have to think about how much you will use it. Just for this project, a pancake will be adequate, but they don't produce much air. Nailers and such don't use much air, but rotary tools use a bunch. They are things like die grinders, angle grinders air drills etc. The key to getting an air compressor is CFM. How many 'cubic feet per minute' will it produce. It's frustrating to be working on a project and have to stop while the air builds back up. Good luck
> 
> Brent


Brent both my Porter Cable and my Bostich 18 gauges shoot from 5/8" (maybe smaller, I'd have to check the specs) to 2". I have used some really cheap ones that only went to 1 3/8" and they also didn't last long. Probably similar to HF.


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

"Why anyone would want to do that swinging a hammer if they don't need to is beyond me."

Because it feels so good when you stop hitting your fingers with the hammer you just can't get enough of it.


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## bentbrent123 (Oct 23, 2011)

Chuck

Thanks for your post. I made my post straight from memory, without actually checking. My Accuset does shoot up to 2". I didn't mention before, but it uses 18 gauge. I've never tried a Bostitch. I have several Porter Cable tools and love them all, just no nailers.

Brent


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