pin nailer, how thin wood can it handle ?

[Michael Wildt]

Looking for pin nailer info. I do not have one yet, but I have a need to make a rectangle using an L shaped molding all corners would be mitered. I was considering putting a nail (in this case a pin) in each corner to hold it together. Problem is that the molding is pretty thin, less than 1/4". Would a pin work for this or would it split the wood.

[ed vitanovec]

I bought a Harbor Freight for around $23 and it worked great, used it on 3/16" thick Cherry trim.

[Gordon Eyre]

The answer to your question is yes. If you can afford a Grex pinner you would love it.

[Ronald Blue]

I have a Porter Cable and it has served me well. You don't have to worry about splitting the wood and the holes are almost invisible. I think you will like the result.

[Mike Henderson]

I bought a 2" Grex pinner (P650L) because I wanted the longer pins. I've also owned a Porter Cable that was limited to 1". If you don't need the longer pins, the Porter Cable is a fine pinner, especially when you consider the difference in price (the PC 1 3/8" pinner is about $100, while the Grex was $329).

I shoot pins into veneer and the pins do not split the veneer.

Mike

[Michael Wildt]

Thanks guys, you answered my doubt on this. Since I'll not be doing a lot of this I'll first see how it goes without pins, but its tempting to justify a new tool of course.


I have a 18g porter cable that works great so if I was to choose one it probably would be porter cable again simply due to cost and the minimal amount of usage it would see. That said I'm curious to why the Grex is highly praised. Is it the lack of 'dent' in the wood by the piston ? I find that can be somewhat controlled with the 18g.

[Jim Neeley]

Lack of dent and the ability to go from 3/8 to 2" in a single pinner. I have the PC and the bought the 650L Grex. As said above the pins are tiny and also make good "clamps" for many glue-ups. Initially I was concerned about them not holding without heads but if you put in two pins at opposing angles (say, one leaning 20* left and on 20* right, you will find it very strong and nearly totally invisible. Any yes, they'll go all 2" into bubinga without bending.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I've used my PC along with some glue to fasten strips of less than 1/16" thick poplar without even a hint of splitting.

I've probably shot pins into pine much thinner than that also.
I use a lot of screeen door trim molding - the flat stuff with the three humps - for decorative trim. I glue it and shoot 1/2" pins into the depressions between the "humps".
Since a lot of that trim is mitered on the corners, I shoot a lot of pins right near the very edge - and it still doesn't split.

FWIW - 18 ga will split that stuff like a wedge splitting a log.

[Larry Browning]

Here is another vote for the $23 Harbor Freight pin nailer. I have one and think it is the bee's knees! I have had mine for 2-3 years and it has never jammed or miss fire even once. I think the Greg is literally more than 10X the cost. I refuse to believe that it is 10X better. Plus, you already have said you only need it for one specific project. Why not spend $20 bucks on "supplies" instead of a $300 "capital asset investment" just to find out if it works for you? If you like it (which you probably will) you can then consider spending a little more. Go to Amazon and search for pin nailers to see a large varsity of other options as well.
That's my 2 cents.

[Jim Becker]

I routinely use a pinner to help fasten 1/4" or slightly less trim work on tack trunks that I build for folks. I use 1/2" pins and shoot them at slightly varying angles. No issues. I've done this with material that is much thinner, too. Remember, with some guns you can also adjust the depth of penetration so that you don't sink it too far, too. I've never had a 23 gage pin split anything, either.

[Steve Griffin]

That said I'm curious to why the Grex is highly praised. Is it the lack of 'dent' in the wood by the piston ? I find that can be somewhat controlled with the 18g.

IF you think about it, driving a long pin into hardwood is an amazingly difficult job for a tool to do. Some cheaper pin nailers can't handle longer pins, leave bigger mark and/or can't drive the pin deep in all woods. I've also read here on the creek of some people having trouble with nails not driving straight and blasting out in random directions, and I suspect they have a cheaper nailer.

I've had a Max for years and it needs service, and since I had to have a pin nailer to complete a job I just picked up a Grex. These shoot 1 and 3/8s pins, which is all I can imagine using. Anything less than that cannot attach 3/4 thick wood.

95% of the time I use adhesive with a pin nailer. Attaching 1/4" nosing, cabinet filler strips and moldings for example all get glue and the pin just holds things together until it drys. But things like stops for glass installation don't need glue.

For your average hobbyist, a pin nailer is hardly a must have tool and is easy to live without. For pros and serious woodworkers it's a great tool to own. ( I hope my competition keeps thinking they don't need one....)

[Steve Rozmiarek]

The reason I bought and love my Grex is that the stuff you you a pinner for are the finishing touches. Who wants to mess up a project at that stage? Trim and all the little tiny doll house type stuff I have used mine for is also expensive and time consuming to make. We've all seen nailers misfire and make a mess, so I justified the more expensive gun to myself by the thought process that it would be less prone to errors. So far zero issues. It really is a great gun, I own 9 air nailers of various types, ( yes, I have an addiction ), and it is by far the most reliably trouble free one of the herd.

Compared to any other quality nailer, I personally don't think it's price is out of line either. That Harbor Freight gun falls into the "too good to be true" category in my opinion. Guess it's just a personal call for each of us.

[Larry Browning]

It would be interesting to hear form someone who has used both, the HF pin nailer and also one of the high dollar ones like the Grex. If have only used the HF version, so I have no real reference point. The HF can leave a small dimple, but that can be eliminated by driving it thru an old rubber mouse pad I have. I have gone thru a whole box of 3/4" pins and not had a single misfire. There is no doubt in my mind that the Grex is a much better tool than the HF, but is it 10X better? Not to me is isn't, while to others it is. I kinda think of the Grex as the Festool of pin nailers.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I kinda think of the Greg as the Festool of pin nailers.

I'd agree with that Larry, but because I don't have any Festool tools, maybe more like Powermatic vs Griz.

[Larry Browning]

I'd agree with that Larry, but because I don't have any Festool tools, maybe more like Powermatic vs Griz.
I was trying to say how way over priced I feel this tool is. Not necessarily comparing it to HF. Some people think the inflated price is worth it, others don't. I fall into the latter group. If I was to be in the market for a better pin nailer I would look at a Porter-Cable, Bostitch, or Senco. Those will be priced somewhere in between.

[Gordon Eyre]

I own a Bostich brad nailer (three actually) but when it came time to buy a pinner I read the reviews on each brand and it became very clear that the Grex was head and shoulders above the rest. I bought the Grex and I do not begrudge the money it cost at all. It buries the pin in the wood no matter the length of the pin or the type of wood. That goes for hard maple or poplar and everything in between.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Larry, I was with you, but ya lost me. A Porter Cable will cost $90, a Senco #10 is around $100. Those are both 1" max guns, and I suppose the Harbor freight one is too.

A Grex 650 is $300 ish, with pins, and a Senco #11 is $210 with no pins. Pins don't cost much, I think the Grex comes with about $15 worth. That puts the two 2" guns within $75 of each other. I needed the 2" pins, as do many others, so this is not as easy of an argument as buying the fashionable machine.

Of the 9 air nailers I own, 4 are Senco, 3 are Hitachi, 1 Bostich, and one Grex. I am very familiar with Senco, and I chose to spend the extra money because I didn't want the same old Senco problems in a pin nailer if I could avoid it, and it was worth the bit extra to avoid. Every one of my Senco's, while all perfectly usable guns, have quirks. The framing nailer is pretty random on depth control, the 15 gauge is easy to clear jams in, which is good, because it jams, the stapler is a decent gun, but a bit underpowered in a few instances, and the 18 gauge is just a sweet nailer. I figured that a company the built that many guns with issues may have trouble with a pinner. The Grex is like I said earlier, perfectly consistent.

To be fair in my review of the others, all the Hitachi's are coil nailers. One siding, two roofing. They work well as long as the coils feed right, which is about 95% of the time. The rest of the time, depth will vary, nails will be crooked, etc. The Bostich is a flooring stapler, which is an animal, but it can turn a 2" staple into a lump of flooring ruining mangled iron sticking out of the tongue faster than you know what happened, then you fix for 15 mins.

The point of all that is, I know what a nailer is capable of, I know why they do most of the stupid things they do, and most of the time, spending more on a gun built to better specs results in less problems, so for me, it was not an effoert to keep up with the Jones'es that inspired me to by the Grex, rather the desire for reliability and 2" capacity.

It was money very well spent btw.

[Larry Browning]

Steve,
It all boils down to how you want to spend your money. For me a pin nailer is a nice to have item, not a must have. I would much rather spend $23 than $300 on an optional item. For others it may not be an optional item and they will spend more. That's all I am trying to say. I have a pretty limited woodworking budget and to be honest, about $25 was about my limit on a pin nailer. So I probably wouldn't even have one if I hadn't stumbled up on it in the store.
For you the Grex is the right choice, but for me, not so much.

[Jim Neeley]

For the OP, I inserted 23ga pins to hold some ~3/16" maple trim on the edge of my router table, mostly to hold it while it was drying. The table is large and I inserted 15-20 pins and there was no sign of splitting.

[Tom Ewell]

I use a Cadex pin setter, works well for what you need.

Might also consider the use of "super glue" (CA) products designed for wood work like Fastcap 2p-10.

Small trim joints hold together fairly well with the use of these glues but they will pull apart if stressed, so a picture frame application would still need mechanical fastners.

[Curt Harms]

I'd go along with a gun capable of more than 1" pins. I have an Air Locker which shoots 1 3/16" (really 30mm). It has a nose safety which limits its ability to get into small spaces. I suspect the double trigger setup is better. I think a gun that shoots 1 3/8" (35mm.) would be sweet. That would fasten 2 3/4" pieces without coming out the other side. When I bought mine the longer sizes were not offered yet.