Framing Nail Gun

[Charles Webber]

I need to buy a framing nail gun. I am not familiar with them. I will be building crates for a company in my garage. After reading reviews, I am leaning towards the Metabo HPT 36V cordless forming nailer. I was worried about the cordless thinking it wouldn't be able to keep up, but after reading a lot of reviews it seems the battery life will be ok. Plus I am in a garage so not having to hear the compressor noise will be a big plus. And I would also have to buy the compressor if I went pneumatic so the price is about the same. Can anyone give me any advice on if I am making a mistake by buying cordless as well as this particular nail gun or any other? I have to buy soon so can't do much more research (want to start building this weekend).
THANKS!!!!

[Cameron Wood]

That weighs 16+ lbs vs about 9 lbs for comparable air one. It will probably last a small fraction as long (I recently sold a Hitachi one over 30 yrs old & still worked fine). When it breaks, you are dead in the water. Some very quiet compressors available these days, and the air will run different tools.
I would think about a coil nailer- compact & holds a lot of nails, and a 1/2" crown stapler. Not sure what crates you are building, but most have plywood, which is often stapled. Mine takes up to 2" long.

[Cary Falk]

I would have no issues with buying Metabo/Hitachi nail guns. I have several. That being said I'm not sold on battery nailers. I have a 16- and 18-gauge Dewalt battery nail guns I bought to put up trim in the house, so it is quieter, and I don't have to either have a compressor in the house or have a hose running everywhere. From a functional standpoint give me a regular nail gun. If I am in the garage, it will be air nail guns. It may be just the Dewalts. I don't know. Also, buy a full head and not a clipped head framing nail gun. clipped head are not up to code in some places.

[Richard Coers]

Also, buy a full head and not a clipped head framing nail gun. clipped head are not up to code in some places.
Clipped head nailer will be fine for crates.

[James Jayko]

I had that Hitachi battery powered framer. It was great. I mean, I did a basement and wasn't framing house after house, but I have nothing but good things to say about it.

[Cary Falk]

Clipped head nailer will be fine for crates.

Sure, but if you need it for some framing later you will wish you just got a full head in the first place.

[Charles Webber]

I should have stated I need to use 3" common nails for the build. The crates are heavy duty that have to hold a lot of weight. So the only plywood is the bottom pallet style base. The frame of everything else is 2 x 6. The person that was building them before me was using 3 " decks screws and 3" common nails (about 100 per crate).

[Aaron Inami]

I have started seeing fencing contractors using cordless nail guns in the last year or so. It's much more convenient than having to deal with portable air compressors and hoses.

That being said, the weight is not 16 lbs. The specifications say 11 lbs for the Metabo 35V cordless framing nailer. This is compared to 7.5 lbs for the normal Metabo air framing nail gun. While 11 lbs is not that much, the difference between 11 lbs and 7.5 lbs in one hand is considerable. It depends on your muscle amount and endurance if you are building a LOT of crates at a single time.

[Cameron Wood]

Common nails are .148, that gun will not take those.

What did your predecessor use?

[Warren Lake]

cameron i have that framing nailer purchased from an old retired framer. still works fine, can double fire a bit too easy but thats probably operator error. The cartridge for the nails is very long rather have a coiled one but it works well. No experience with battery. Swivel fitting on those things makes them nicer to use.

[andrew whicker]

100 nails then?

I would go pneumatic all day over battery. Not only is cordless heavy, it's heavy in an unbalanced way. You have to sort of fight the weight. Air nailers seem to be weighted better in my experience. I have a relatively cheap rigid framing nailer. I have heard the Hitachis (old ones at least) are pretty sweet.

My friend (ex framer) swears by top load. My rigid is bottom load which I guess is slower. Idk. I don't build houses.

[George Yetka]

How often are these being built? If they are every once in a while you can buy a couple $100 pneumatics. If 1 breaks toss it. If its all day every day I would go for something nicer. I would not go cordless though.

Alot of the crates we get similar to the one you describe are put together with a collated screw gun (they do 3"). These are better for the end user. Id rather unscrew than break my back prying.

[Tom M King]

I did build houses, and have a number of framing nailers. A cordless is a Lot slower. I just don't like them for almost anything. If the wood is hard, a heavy nailer is better all the way around. My first framer was a Senco SNIV. It's heavy, and not made any more, but if I need to drive nails in dry Oak, or even a lot in dry Pine, it's the one that gets the call. For building pallets I would bounce nail most of the nails required. If you're going to bounce a hundred nails as fast as possible you need a good supply of air.

[roger wiegand]

Are you paying for the consumables? If so I'd compare carefully. At 100 per crate it will add up quickly. FWIW I hate the Bostich pneumatic gun I have-- double fires at the slightest provocation, but I'd still go with a pneumatic, albeit a higher quality one. Most of the year you can put the compressor outside the door so you don't have to listen to it. If you don't already have a compressor you'll learn to love it for many different uses.

[John Pendery]

Used to do a lot of framing, still occasionally do some. You will regret a battery framing nailer. They are clunky, slow and cumbersome for continuous use. I recommend whatever the Metabo version of the Hitachi NR83A2 is and a pair of 3M work tunes to compensate for compressor noise if you are working alone.

[Charles Webber]

All.....I appreciate all the responses. I got a couple of photos so you can see what they want me to build. It is for a company I work for and I am going to do it on the side. These are shipped internationally and the crates will never come back to us. The company is purchasing all the material and I will be paid a fee per crate I build. I am building between 10 and 20 a month. The guy that was building them before me said he would use about 100 3" nails per crate. He said about 15 deck screws per crate. I hope this helps on any alternative feedback! Again, much appreciated.

[George Yetka]

All.....I appreciate all the responses. I got a couple of photos so you can see what they want me to build. It is for a company I work for and I am going to do it on the side. These are shipped internationally and the crates will never come back to us. The company is purchasing all the material and I will be paid a fee per crate I build. I am building between 10 and 20 a month. The guy that was building them before me said he would use about 100 3" nails per crate. He said about 15 deck screws per crate. I hope this helps on any alternative feedback! Again, much appreciated.

Are you building on site they look pretty heavy. I would get a Pneumatic setup

Paslode is also an option but I would setup to do 10 a day so you you may need a spare battery. Basically 500 for the gun and 50 a day in hardware and gas

Metabo compresser/framing nailer set with hose $350 and $30 a day in nails

[Cameron Wood]

Definitely get an air compressor.

I've had really good result with this- very quiet, not quite the capacity for continuous nailing, but not far off, lasts forever (don't get oil-less), surprisingly heavy but small and low current draw.

https://www.amazon.com/Makita-MAC700-Big-Bore-Compressor/dp/B0001Q2VK0/ref=sr_1_7?crid=1OAV3WI9T7RTC&keywords=Makita%2Bair%2Bcompressor&qid=1694457315&s=hi&sprefix=makita%2Bair%2Bcompressor%2Ctools%2C149&sr=1-7&th=1

Any old nail gun will work for that- start with a cheap one.

[andrew whicker]

Did you add in the cost of audiobooks into your pricing?

: )

[andrew whicker]

Have you built one yet? How long do they take?

I picture a short table on a lazy Susan so that I can turn it around and nail it from one spot. Idk man. This could be both a good contract or a bad one. 20 seems like a lot on top of a 40 hr job plus commute etc. Maybe I'm just slow.

[Charles Webber]

I haven't built one yet. I am hoping once I get in a groove we can start cranking through them. Lazy susan ID is great. Thank you. I am doing it from my garage on weekends. Really took it as my 14 year old son wants to make money and he is doing it with me (it will force us to spend time and work together as he never wants to do anything with Dad!).

[Charles Webber]

It is in my garage on the weekends. What size of a compressor should I get?

[Tom M King]

With two helpers, or one good helper, I would build 20 of those before lunch one day without having to get in a hurry. Cut all the parts first, and then assemble them. When you get materials, load so that what you need first is on the top. I would use a lighter pneumatic framer for that job. I have an old Dewalt that would get the call.

Look at cfm, not tank size. For minimum compressor out of the ones I have, I would use a twin tank Emglo.

[George Yetka]

https://www.aircompressorsdirect.com/California-Air-Tools-CAT-4620AC-Air-Compressor/p70264.html
5.3 cfm portable

Get them to lend you a pallet jack. I would build one on the floor then build the second right on top of it and roll them out stacked. Less bending and less handling.

[Jim Dwight]

I do woodworking as a hobby, it is not how I make money. But I've done some fairly major house remodeling and I made most of my furniture. But crate building is not furniture. I have a HF framing nailer, pneumatic, and a Milwaukee cordless battery framing nailer. I've probably only put a couple hundred nails through each of them. I would rather use the Milwaukee, however. I have multiple compressors so that is not the issue. The hose is a hassle. It springs leaks that have to be fixed and gets in the way frequently. No similar issue with the cordless. The Milwaukee also adjusts easily for depth of drive and at least on the softwoods I've used it on it had plenty of power, including for the occasional knot. I have a bunch of Milwaukee 18V batteries and they charge in an hour so that is not an issue for me. If you have a quick charger a could batteries should probably let you work continuously. The cordless is a little heavier which can be an issue but wouldn't seem to be so much for crates. Might be for a 14 year old. But he would probably manage fine. For high volume daily use pneumatic is probably the way to go. They last a long time and most are pretty easy to reseal so they can be returned to work quickly if they quit. I suspect cordless are not that simple but neither my Milwaukee, which has seen limited use, or my 18V 18 gauge pin nailer (a Ryobi which has driven at least 15000 pins, mostly 2 inch) has needed anything. I would be confident a cordless would finish the crates and still be usable. If you think the compressor would be something you would use for other tools, the pneumatic could be the way to go. But purely for this framing nail project I would get the cordless.

[Jim Becker]

Charles, if you're amicable to a pneumatic framer, join SMC as a Contributor so you can PM me -- I can help you out there, but I see you don't have a compressor, so the battery version may be the better bet. Be sure that any gun you choose shoots full round head framing nails which are generally required by code pretty much everywhere.

[Bill Dufour]

If these crates will go out of the country be very careful of what wood you can use.
Bill D.

[Jason Roehl]

A little rabbit trail here:

For those of you struggling with double-fires from your pneumatic nailers, there is some technique involved. I had problems at first, too, because I was “squeezing” the trigger like I would for a firearm. You can’t. You have to yank that trigger and release it. Second, you have to allow for some kickback—if you try to hold the nose safety to the wood all the way through the nail being driven, it will double-fire before you get the trigger released.

Even better is to install a sequential-trip trigger. My framing nailer came with one 20 years ago, which I promptly installed because I wasn’t going to use it for nailing off sheet goods for a living. A sequential-trip trigger does not allow the nailer to fire by holding in the trigger and then compressing the nose safety—for each nail, you have to compress the nose safety, then pull the trigger.

As for compressors, I’ve had a California Air Tools unit for a couple years. It’s very quiet, and you’ll find lots of other uses for it over time.

[Steve Eure]

While building an addition on my shop, I bought a Milwaukee framing nailer, 18 volt, since I already had the Milwaukee battery platform. For me it was a big mistake. It did the job required of it, but climbing up a ladder and trying to use it one handed was a major pain. Even sitting or kneeling down to nail the frames together was not too pleasant for me. The gun is too heavy for long term use for me. I have a very large compressor in a nearby room that would not have been too noisy to use, but I listened to too many utubers who are in the trades and much younger than me. Live and learn.

[Ken Krawford]

I was all ready to "ditch the hose" and switch to a cordless framing nailer and then I compared the weight differences ! It certainly depends on how many minutes/hours per day you'll be using the tool but don't underestimate the weight differential.

[Myles Moran]

It is in my garage on the weekends. What size of a compressor should I get?

I'd go for an ultra quiet option. For the budget option, harbor freight has some. For the premium option, California air tools is the original. At this point though most all companies make one.

I'd go for at least 20 gallons if you have the room and budget for it. Those vertical tank ones are nice. That said I'm still using the one I bought when I framed a garage and it's a little twin tank senco portable. Works great but it sure is loud.

[Tom M King]

I would want to bump nail most of those nails. For places with three or four nails, I would put it in place and after firing the first nail, don't release the trigger and bounce the next two or three using the recoil to help-would be less than one second per nail. You probably can't do this to start with until you get the feel, but I would want the option. If you can't use one after a little bit of practice without double firing, then don't use the bump function.

I will agree with Myles about getting a quiet one if it's in the budget. Another good thing about California Air Tools compressors is that they are available with an aluminum tank, which is a lot better for draining without worrying about dirty rusty water, plus less weight. I have a 1hp one with small tank to use inside houses and when it's a better choice, but you have to wait for it with a framing nailer. I wouldn't want to wait on a compressor for this job.

Tank size matters little. I have a 30 gallon one from Home Depot that doesn't put out as much air as the little twin tank Emglo. I've been trying to find someone to give that one to. It will bump fire some nails, but then you have to wait longer for it to fill again. When I was building new houses, I had a 5hp two stage 80 gallon in a step van that would run a framer for nailing on roof sheathing that I never had to wait on. We'd put the sheathing on with hand nails enough to hold it in place, then snap lines and bump fire the rest.

[George Yetka]

Another option would be to grab a craigslist or facebook marketplace compressor and nailer till you get a couple months in and the project can pay for a decent compressor and gun. You may find the you dont want to continue and you could probably throw the stuff back up for what you paid for it. Other wise you can get a better compressor/gun later and then have 2 guns to nail if working as a team

[Patrick Kane]

Another option would be to grab a craigslist or facebook marketplace compressor and nailer till you get a couple months in and the project can pay for a decent compressor and gun. You may find the you dont want to continue and you could probably throw the stuff back up for what you paid for it. Other wise you can get a better compressor/gun later and then have 2 guns to nail if working as a team

I second the craigslist/facebook compressor and nail gun. My dewalt compressor is off craigslist. A divorcee was selling her husband's compressor he left behind after the split. 5-6 years later and it is still going strong. I also concur with the preference for pneumatic. I dont have a ton of experience with cordless, but my brother in law has a paslode that is terribly slow. I have a metabo hpt framing nailer that i picked up from a warehouse return retailer for 60-70% off retail, and it has been a champ all summer. Probably shot 8,000 nails through it for framing a 16x24 shed for my parents. It hasnt jammed once(i probably over oil it), and it is fairly light. I think i paid $70 for the gun a few months ago, and maybe $100-150 for the compressor years ago. That 4.5 gallon compressor retails for $450 now, and i doubt i get a similar deal for it today, but i think you should be able to get yourself up and running for $300 or less. $100 for a decent used compressor, $100 for a good used gun, $25 for an acceptable hose and $75 in nails. If you have more budget, then get a larger compressor. I didnt look at the crate pics too closely, but i dont know that 2 guns with a 14 year old is going to speed things up dramatically. One person can batch cut parts as the other is assembling and nailing etc.

I didnt bump fire the HPT nailer(i dont know that it has that option?), but the dewalt compressor never lagged behind me while i was framing and sheathing. It would occasionally kick on in the middle of me using the gun, but eventually you have to stop for 10 seconds to put a trimmer in place, or nudge a sheet this way or that. My point being, it's unlikely you will have the opportunity to fire 100 nails sequentially and without pause. When you pause, the compressor gets to catch up without losing an acceptable tank pressure.

Good luck. I think a side hustle for a teen is a fantastic idea. I wish my dad had me doing stuff like that when i was a teen. It wasnt until i was 22 that i started working out of my basement shop and building it into what it is today.

[Bill Dufour]

My local nail store sells gun nails by the case for about 1/2 the box store prices. I think they also sell new and used guns.
Bill D

[Greg Quenneville]

I bought a DeWalt framing nailer when I started building our house. It was powerful but heavy. I since have switched to Paslode framing and finishing guns and find them excellent. No compressor, lightweight, ample power for 3” nails.

Also: made in USA, if that matters to you.

[Michael Drew]

I've worked as a framer for a few years, then kinda did my own thing. The most typical framing nailer was one that would drive 3.5" nails. They were either Senco or Passlode, beat to hell and scratched up, but they just worked - always. When I built the home I'm in now, I went a different direction than pneumatic and bought a couple Passlode fuel cell nailers. I had a pretty complicated roof that would require me to jump around a lot in the rafters and tresses, and I didn't want to deal with a hose/tether. I used the piss out them and they flat out worked. They are light and compact, and can rapid fire damn near as fast as a pneumatic gun. It never missed a beat with sheathing nailing and kept up with me moving as fast as I could across a sheet of OSB..... Maybe not for you, but worth consideration.