Which brad nailer?

[Stevan Sweeney]

I am interested in purchasing a brad nailer to assemble some bookcases using ply and 1" dimensional lumber. Should I be looking at 16 or 18 gauge nailers?
Thank you.
Steve.

[res057]

An 18 guage will do just fine for this. Use a quality glue and let the brads hold things in place while it dries.

[CWSmith]

Steve,

I think we need more detail. How is the ply and 1-inch lumber being used. Which for sides, which for shelves? Are you just using butt joining or are you cutting dados and fitting the shelving? Using glue with the brad nails just used as "holding" until the glue sets or are you just depending on the brad nails holding the shelves in place (not much shear strength in brad nails)?

CWS

[Stevan Sweeney]

Thank you .
Plywood cases, dados, rabbets, face frames,and biscutt joints. All to reinforce glue up joints.
I have an Arrow electric 18 gauge nailer that can not deal with anything harder than pine. I end up setting the nail by hand and often just bend the top. Unacceptable.
Steve.

[threecreeks3]

Try a paslode air gun..itll last forever.....Sam

[res057]

Love my paslode. On my 2nd one. Literally wore the first one out, had no misgivings about getting a new one. The angled head version is a little more handy for tight quarters. But 16g is a little large for some finish work.

...edit...I'm talking about the impulse cordless

[Newman]

The Paslodes work great - I've got a few. But, I like my Dewalt cordless - it only requires a battery, no stinky fuel cell to worry about, and it's quiet to boot...

[res057]

I haven't used the DeWalt. Does it have a "wind-up" lag like the Senco?

[Newman]

I haven't used the DeWalt. Does it have a "wind-up" lag like the Senco?

No, it's quite fast, and can even bump fire. I had the Senco AirFree 15GA cordless, and it was a frustratingly slow POS.

[CManinLa]

Steve,

Posts before do talk about some very good nailers. I recently purchased a compressor & a couple nailers for some DIY projects around the house. Didn't want to spend too much money & didn't need anything to build a house. I settled on the DeWalt D55141FNBN.
http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_detail.asp?productID=15658
I paid 259.00 at Lowe's. It included the brad nailer (18ga) & finish nailer (16ga). This should provide me the tools to get through most of my projects (shelving, molding, etc.). Just about all brands have some type of 2 or 3 nailer set for under $300.00. I settled on the DeWalt because it is easier to store than most of the 'pancake' compressors.

I also purchased an airtool kit from Grizzley for 25.95 (included tire inflator, glow gun, cleaning gun & spray gun).
http://www.grizzly.com/products/h5530
It's a cheap package, but I was able to stain lattice work around my deck in a few hours rather than days with a brush.


Good luck in your decision.

cm

[jjk1]

The Paslodes work great - I've got a few. But, I like my Dewalt cordless - it only requires a battery, no stinky fuel cell to worry about, and it's quiet to boot...

The DeWalt is awesome. Heavier than Paslode, but MUCH better IMO. I used my finish nailer for quite a bit of crown and had no problems. The "headlights" even help in dark corners. Fires as quick as you can pull the trigger.

[Stevan Sweeney]

Thank you all for your generous relplies. I think I will go with the PC BN125 18 gauge nailer and see how that goes. I can see that a #16 gauge nailer is a genuine step above the #18, so both might be the long term solution.
Thank you all for your time.
Steve.

[Velosapien]

If you're buying the nailers I recommend you pick up a combo kit as it's substantially cheaper than picking up the nailers one at a time. That is unless you want to invest in a higher end compressor, otherwise the small portable type included will do fine for light woodworking. Actually come to think of it the price of those combo kits you basically end up getting the compressor for free once you add up the individual cost of each gun.

[Newman]

Steve,

Posts before do talk about some very good nailers. I recently purchased a compressor & a couple nailers for some DIY projects around the house. Didn't want to spend too much money & didn't need anything to build a house. I settled on the DeWalt D55141FNBN.
http://www.dewalt.com/us/products/tool_detail.asp?productID=15658
I paid 259.00 at Lowe's. It included the brad nailer (18ga) & finish nailer (16ga). This should provide me the tools to get through most of my projects (shelving, molding, etc.). Just about all brands have some type of 2 or 3 nailer set for under $300.00. I settled on the DeWalt because it is easier to store than most of the 'pancake' compressors.

I also purchased an airtool kit from Grizzley for 25.95 (included tire inflator, glow gun, cleaning gun & spray gun).
http://www.grizzly.com/products/h5530
It's a cheap package, but I was able to stain lattice work around my deck in a few hours rather than days with a brush.


Good luck in your decision.

cm



That Dewalt compressor is also a lot quieter than most, if not all, pancake compressors - just something to consider if working mostly indoors.