Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Pneumatic Nail Guns

Why not use deck screws and a hammer drill?

To much of a PITA Dwight

I think the speed of shooting a nail in is a big plus when putting together a gazebo or other structure.

some applications, though, do require screws...like decking boards and such, but if a nail works, and you have a gun that shoots it in less than a second, why not use it?

Thanks all. I will still be using a lot of screws. When I'm working by myself, it sure makes it a lot easier to square things and tack them together with a nailer. Then I finish with screws.

There are a couple of Bostitch and Cable-Porter finish/framing nailer kits. I'll probably pick one of them up on Friday when I go to town.

I don't know what my old "portable compressor" weighs, but it doesn't fit in my tractor loader bucket. It is a vertical unit on wheels, but it is only somewhat portable, even in the shop. I'm thinking it goes about 200 lbs, so it isn't real portable. I almost never use it anymore. I just hate to get rid of it, as it is good for painting. The impact wrench is real handy once or twice year, and the air hammer was invaluable when I removed a bunch of ceramic tile. I've still got one more bathroom to go.

Again, thanks.

Ken, if you are going to use screws plus nails,it would be O.K. to tack with the finish nailer. They are pretty strong as long as there is not to much pressure or weight on the members.

agreed on the amount of weight they can handle, but my PC finish nailer, I dont know about yours, only holds nails between .75" and 1.5". If you need to go through anything bigger than a 2x4, the nails aren't reliably set enough to hold something square, at least in my level of relative inexperience.

-skinny

You are using a brad nailer which is great for window and door casing as it is so thin that it will not split on the edges. A finish nailer uses nails 2 1/2" long. Brad nails are 18 ga. and finish nails are 16 ga.

aha...like i said...limited experience.

Skinny and Kenny sounds like a "modern" couple.

For screws, I like the SPAX Brand. T-Star drive and high quality extended bits. These things really hold!

I've never stripped one out, or broken one yet.

My Mom's wheelchair ramp is about as solid as they get!
(a wee bit over engineered )

A bit on the pricey side, but good stuff!

i just use the 25 lb. buckets of deck screws from big box stores. They have worked fine with maybe a hand full of bad ones. Of course I thought 16d gal. would last forever, they rust out after 25 or so years. Been there,replaced them,got the T-shirt.

I'll take square drive over phillilps any day, and I'd take Torx drive over square drive just as quickly.

Torx is the best but they don't have them in the 25 lb. buckets here. Actually with my stunted fingers, the phillips are faster to load.

Thanks all.

I need to get a bunch of things done over the next few weeks.

I was ready to do an online order, but I had to go into town today for a doctor's appointment.

Where we live, we are fortunate that our TSC, Lowes, Sears, Home Depot, and a major Walmart store are real close to each other -- and just across the highway from my doctor's office.

I made a round through all the stores. Then I went back to Sears, where I bought a Craftsman $200 finish nailer for $70, and a $300 framing nailer for $100. These were returned units, with no cases, no manuals, no accessories -- no nothing, except for one year warranties.

I took a chance on the prices.

I went next door and bought a bunch of nails for both nailers from the local Lowes store.

I downloaded the manuals for both via the Intenet.

As far as I can tell, both nailers work exactly like they should.

If I don't post for a few days, it means I've nailed one of my fingers or hands to something far away, and I cannot get to my keyboard until I chew my way free.