framing nailer question

[Greg Stanford]

What do we think of the framing nailers harbor freight offers? I'm building a privacy fence & had thought I'd borrow a neighbors (I hate to do that anyway & why's he got a tool I don't have?) but I'm to be going through Mobile this weekend & there is a Harbor Freight there. They show two 10 gauge framing nailers that would do what I need them to, one says its "6 in 1" whatever that means. It would see limited use w/ me as I do very little framing. Anybody have any experiance w/ either of these? Thanks for any info.

g

[Michael McCoy]

I have the angled nailer from HF. We originally got it to build crates but it's been going strong through that and a couple of home projects. The only negative I had is that it is a bit heavier than the more pricey ones.

[Jim Becker]

As an alternative, check out your local pawn shops...a used framer isn't a horrible thing for incidental "around the house and property" use.

[Allen Prell]

I own the 6-in-1 HF framing nailer. The 6-in-1 simply means it can shoot a variety of different nails -- various angles and full head/clipped head. I've just finished framing up my basement (I know it didn't happen without pics which will be coming soon) and went through around 2000 nails. The nailer worked fine for the most part and jammed maybe three times where I actually had to take anything apart to clear the jam. I cannot comment on how it compares to any other nailer since this is the only one I've ever used but for a single project it sure beats renting one.

Would I buy it again to frame up my basement? Yes. It worked and was cheap.
Would I buy it again if I needed it for more than occassional work? No, then I'd go for a high quality nailer and look more closely at weight. The HF seems like it might be on the heavier side.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
b d <--that's two thumbs up for the HF framing nailer.
Just keep it oiled & make sure you have a moisture seperator in the air line.
The only real drawback I could find, other than the weight, is a lack of available parts to rebuild one.
Honestly, that seems to be the only drawback to most low end nailers.


They show two 10 gauge framing nailers that would do what I need them to, one says its "6 in 1" whatever that means
The 6 in 1 means that it can use 21, 28 and/or 34 degree angled nails, either clipped head or full head.
Get the 6 in 1.
I made the mistake of getting the fixed 28 degree one.
28 degree fasteners aren't real common at the local borgs.

[Jim Podsedly]

I have the 6 in 1 nailer and built a deck and a 12 x 12 shed with it without any problems with the nailer. the problem i had was that the compressor had a hard time keeping up. I only have a PC 6 gallon pancake compressor. I need one with higher CFM and then i would be all set.

Jim

[Bill Webber]

If you are a home owner type (not a professional builder) consider a Porter Cable palm nailer. I bought one for what I thought was a one time job. I had to get some joist hangers into an area in which I could not swing a hammer. The palm nailer worked great. I was going to sell it after that one job but SWMBO convinced me I should keep it. I've used it for everything else I've needed to nail for the past 3 -4 years. I was surprised at how handy it was and how often I was using it. No special nails, No special tools. It does 6d - 12d with one attachment and does finish nails with another. I've not used the finish nailer.

Bill W.