Nailer?

[Al Willits]

During my quest to spend every dime I make on wood working tools, I picked up a Brad nailer, and it seems to do just fine on thin woods, but with the kitchen cabinets and window replacement coming up, and a few other projects I might use a nailer on, I need the next step up from a Brad nailer.
Not real sure on nail sizes, but something that will do basic nailing around the garage/shop.

Any suggestions on a basic reasonably priced nailer??

Al

[Jim Becker]

I'm very happy with my 15 guage angle finish nailer...shoots "real" nails, rather than flat brads and is great for the heavier work. That said, some folks prefer the 16 guage brad nailers for the same work.

PC, Senco, Hitachi, Bostich...all have very nice guns available. I like doing business with Costal Tool for these items, but there are a variety of sources. (My guns are all Senco produced...most have the retired Accuset brand name on them as I bought them a few years ago)

[Paul Greathouse]

I prefer the Senco guns. A finish nailer would be the next step up from your brad nailer. They would be great for cabinets and heavy trim work. I have the SFN1 and the SFN40. They range from a 1 1/8" - 2 1/2", 15 gauge nail. They are also oilless which is beneficial for stained wood. (you wouldn't want to get gun oil on wood that you will be staining)
They both have the angled magazine to get into tight spots.
Check out the Senco website for more details. The best place to purchase for a better deal is on Ebay. Your should be able to find a used nailer for a fair price. Be careful though, many of the new models require oil, such as the SFN30 & 35. The newer models are a little cheaper but the oilless models are worth the extra price.
I am not a Senco dealer and have nothing to gain by recommending them, I just think they are excellent tools. They also make great framing nailers too.

[Nancy Laird]

David likes his Senco 15ga, but the PC DA250B is a great nailer too, in 15ga. For the lowest price, go to www.toolseeker.com (http://www.toolseeker.com). (No, I don't work there or have any financial interest.)

Nancy

[Corey Hallagan]

I use a 16 ga Porter Cable Finish nailer for larger moldings. 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 sizes are good. I recently installed a prehung closet door with it and have used it to do all my base board and crown molding with it. An angled nailer would be nice though.

Corey

[Bob Childress]

Al,

Most brand name finish nailers (15 or 16 ga.) work well. Think about what you will use it for mostly. If for work in your home, consider a cordless nailer (like DeWalt's) that lets you grab it, use it, and store it without the hassle of lugging the compressor, et al. around. But for prolonged use, the pneumatic ones are much lighter and less expensive initially. Or, do like I did and end up with both. :o

[Gail O'Rourke]

I have both pneumatic and cordless - there is a picture of the cordless Dewalt in the library post - it is a work horse, comes with 2 battery - and those are really long lasting. It's a life saver for me.

[Dan Mages]

I saw on Amazon that there are now Stanley and Bostich lines of nailers available, with Stanley being 20-40% cheaper. Does anyone know if the Stanley versions are good quality? the old addage that you get what you pay for comes to mind...

Dan

[John Piwaron]

the PC DA250B is a great nailer too, in 15ga.
Nancy


Ditto the PC nailer. I use that one plus their brad nailer. Each nailing task has it's own requirements. Some need a little more, some a little less. Hence, 2 nailers.:)

[Al Willits]

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Each nailing task has it's own requirements
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There lies part of the problem, I'm not sure what each type of nailer will do. (there's that learning curve again) I will probably use this nailer for nothing heavier than installing window frames when we replace the kitchen windows, and then in the garage/shop for basic furniture/cabinet building.
I don't anticipate a lot of useage, but using the brad nailer did make life easier, so I'd like to add the next one up to my wish list.

I do have a fairly decent compressor and enough air line to go most anywhere around the house, so I'd perfer a air nailer over a battery unit.

X-mas is coming up...:)

Al

[Mike Buelow]

Longtime lurker, first time poster...

I have the Stanley Bostitch N62xxxx. Got on ebay about three years ago, no manual, no accessories, questionable history, etc. for ~$120. It has run pretty much flawlessly despite my efforts to destroy it (dropping it, nailing into blueboard/plaster) etc. The little tab that removes the magazine broke recently, but now I just use a flat screwdriver to pry open the tab. No biggie.

It does gets oil often.

If you go 15ga just make sure you are sure you want it nailed. Those long 15ga nails are tough to remove, usually takes some time with my linesmans pliers or vg's to get them out (after ruining the top board).

[Dan Clark]

Check out ToolsofTheTrade. (It has a dot Net extension.) The did a comparo of 15g finish nailers. The Hitachi NT65MA2 took first place. I got it based on their recommendation and am happy with it. It's light and well balanced. Works very well.

Dan.

[Chris Johnson]

I just bought the 15g dewalt(dw51275). So far I am extremely happy with this gun. One of the best parts about it was the price. I got a refurbished gun from tool king (through amazon) for the bargain price of $89.

chris