Experience with Bostitch Big Berta

[Beaudrow Graves]

Has anybody here used one of these massive framing nailers: BIGBERTA160-2 (http://www.bostitch.com/default.asp?TYPE=PRODUCT&CATEGORY=BOS%5FFRAM%5FNAILER&PARTNUMBER=BIGBERTA160-2)? I really think it is what I need for my pole barn project! Any thoughts?

[Jason Roehl]

I guess it depends on what your "pole barn project" is. What are you nailing to what?

[Beaudrow Graves]

I'm using reclaimed barn lumber (old oak) to build a new pole barn.

[David G Baker]

I didn't know they made a nailer that would shoot a 6 1/4 inch nail. Can't imagine where that would be needed in the pole building construction. The longest nail in my pole barn is 3 1/2". My old barn has some 6 inch spikes driven through round logs. Bet the guys that built my old barn, approximately 60 years ago, wish they had the Bigbertha.
Wonder where a person can find nails for the Bigbertha. I pay a fortune for 3 1/2 inch nails. Imagine what a box of 5000 6 1/4 inch nails would weigh and cost.

[Russ Buddle]

I have not used this nailer. However, reclaimed oak is going to be HARD. I would not expect the nails to be driven easily by this or any other nail gun. I build pallets with Bostich and Senco framing guns, and when a nail is driven into a hard knot in green (not dried) oak, the recoil of the gun is sometimes severe. I would expect the dry aged oak to be worse, especially with the larger nail. Could you try this gun on some sample boards before purchasing one?

[Jim Becker]

At 15+ pounds...you better start eating your Wheaties!!

[mark page]

Gun would be great for landscaping timbers, 4x4's, 4x6's, etc. But don't think I could lift it consistently for a days work, especially horizontally. As far as the aged oak, if it is native oak, I can hardly hammer nails through the stuff without pre-drilling holes. This wood will be flint hard. Good luck.

[Jason Roehl]

Now that you've mentioned old oak, I'm pretty sure it won't work. The specs indicate a top pressure of 120 psi. Most standard framers will go to 100 psi or thereabouts--mine does. I tried nailing some pine 2x4s with 3-1/4" nails to my garage studs (old oak), and my framing nailer couldn't do it. After they were left about a half-inch proud, I still had to pound on them a half dozen times to set them, bending about half of them over in the process.

You're probably much better off buying a good impact driver and using TimberLoc-style screws (or a similar product). They're pricey from what I've read, but they are self-tapping and structural rated (unlike standard construction screws) if used with an appropriate fastener schedule.

There are also high-pressure framing nailers available that run at around 300 psi, for nailing into LVL beams, but the nailer and high-pressure compressor will set you back close to a grand as well. (All guesstimates in this paragraph--price and pressure--it's been a while since I've read a review of them).

[Joe Chritz]

I would have to try it before I bought it.

Unless you are building many barns I would go for a palm nailer. Not as fast as a stick nailer but you can use bulk nails and it is handy for many projects.

It will drive any length nail including the 5" spikes used for the headers.

Joe

This is a picture from amazon but most borg's carry them.

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B0000225L0.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_V45489972_AA280_.gif