I need opinions on air nailers

[Beaudrow Graves]

I need to get an air nailer that is big enough to drive 3.5" nails into old oak lumber. I don't know much about the framing guns so any advice as far as what to get/not get would be helpfull.

Thanks in advance.

[Greg Peterson]

You're looking for buying advice for a framing nailer?

They're all pretty expensive. I've used a Hitachi framing nailer and thought it was pretty nice. Then I bought a Grizzly $100 special framing nailer. Now I think the Hitachi is an excellent framing nailer.

IME, you get what you pay for.

[Ben Grunow]

I have decided, after owning paslode, porter cable, senco and stanley bostitch that I Senco is the only way to fly (full time carpenter framing, trim etc).

Just pay attention to the driving power for the gun you are buying as you will notice the difference. Get the most you can afford in the style you want. I frame with short magazine senco stick nailer and it is scary. Dont know about nailing in oak though.

[Mike Holbrook]

I am a large fan of Hitachi nail guns. There is a company called SUPCO that makes guns, with Hitachi parts I was told. My framing nail gun was the first I bought and I had no idea how much framing I would be doing so I bought the SUPCO. If I had it to do over I would probably go ahead and buy the Hitachi. I have the big Hitachi finishing gun and love it. I bought it originally to counter sink large finishing nails in Choice Deck boards. The Hitachi was the only gun that would sink nails that deep in the plastic and cedar boards. That was some 6 years ago, not a single nail has reared its ugly head.

[Michael Schwartz]

I have a Full Round Head gun from Senco and it has worked out pretty well.

[Joe Chritz]

Many guns will have problems driving a nail that long into old oak.

My paslode impulse has problems sometimes with 2x SYP treated lumber when building treated basement walls. My Porter-cable drives them fine with the PSI turned up to the recommended max.

Oak will be harded to drive a nail into then the Southern Yellow Pine.

How many do you have to do? Maybe look at a palm nailer and bulk 16d nails. Its not as fast as a stick nailer but it will drive anything you can put it on. Plus its a cool gadget to have if you do any decks using joist hangers.

If one of the palm nailers won't work I really like the two fraiming nailers I have. The impulse won't drive 16's into old oak.

Joe

[Steve Clardy]

You'll be hard pressed to find any framing gun that will drive nails in full depth in old oak.
My house was built in 1931, framed in oak.
My pc gun would not nail pine to the oak, and get full depth. I had to finish driving them in by hand, and usually bent the nail over.
I borrowed a senco, and it would not do the job either.

[Von Bickley]

My choice would be Senco...;)

[Scott Long]

I own a Stanley Bostitch that I am very happy with, but I haven't triewd to run nails throught oak like that.

My suggestion would be to look into a palm nailer, the repeated blows should send the nail home. And you don't have to but a whole case of special nails for a small job.

[Marc Prudhomme]

harbor freight baby,Harbor Freight

[Dick Bringhurst]

I have two Senco's (full head and clipped head). My SIL has the Hitichi. Ii'd trade bothe the Senco's for the Hitichi. Don't know about oak. Dick B.