What features to look for in a used/CL finish nailer (and compressor)

[laughing_paddler]

DIYers and builders-
I've been slowly re-modeling / re-finishing a room in my century-old house and the time draws nigh to reinstall all the stripped and re-finished old-growth oak baseboards, window/door casing.

Rather than hammering away at all the finish nails and potentially jarring some of the plaster/lath walls loose (no I did not gut the room completely), I think it is also time to get a nailer and compressor. I see several on the CL listings in Mpls/StP and am at a loss for what I should look for, avoid, etc in features, size, angles, brands etc.

Can anyone offer a little advice on this? I expect to need to do some other finish nailing in the next year and after that may just re-sell on CL, so I'm not looking for the biggest/baddest/best etc.

I see ridgid, hitachi, senco, masterforce, all in my price range.
Thanks in advance!

[waffle]

Check out harbor freight. I have finish nailer from them that cost about $50. If you can get a name brand for less than that jump on it. If not the harbor freight nail gun has been great. I've used it all over the house for a year (remodeling most of the house) and its only jammed twice both times due to me forgetting to oil it.
The big name brands will have some fancy features that make it more convenient to load nails or unjam it, but if you are a casual DIYer and wont be using it non stop for years then the cheapo one is probably going to work fine for you.

[Spork]

I have both a Senco and a Porter Cable nailer and have been happy with both of them.  The PC is probably 10+ years old... still no issues.

My compressor is a 20gal Craftsman from 15+ years back.  I've heard stories that these are not overly reparable when they break.  But again: no issues.

It would be good to be able to fire some nails... make sure they sink okay.  You might also pump up the compressor and then open the bottom drain and see just how icky it is.  There will always be a little rust there -- even if you drain it religiously.  But you don't want a nasty pile of ick coming out.

Long term: I would put a dryer and an oiler on it (if it doesn't have one).  The dryer will minimize water headed toward your tools and the oiler will automatically oil them.  (You'll want the ability to hook in the hose both before and after the oiler so you have the option for oil or no oil.)

[WiscDave]

Big Sky Tool tends to have good prices on reconditioned nailers. I have a couple of Grade C Hitachis from them that I've been very happy with and the prices are as good or sometimes better than Harbor Freight.

[WiscDave]

I should add that if you sign up for Big Sky Tool's daily deals -- they sometimes lump compressors and a couple sizes of finish nailers together at better prices. If you're not in a hurry, it might be worth waiting on that. When I got mine, it was something like $140 for a twin tank compressor, an 18 gauge nailer, and a 15 gauge nailer together.

[Rural]

Our finish nailer is Porter Cable; we've been happy with it. It's an old one, bought secondhand. I have known a compressor to die, once, but we'd had it over ten years when that happened.


+1 on trying to check to see if it will drive what you need, especially with old growth. You're dealing with harder wood than most.

[Thegoblinchief]

Also, like folks have done in past threads with bikes and cars, there's no harm in posting links to a few CL ads in this thread and having other folks say whether they are good/bad deals.

[laughing_paddler]

Thanks everyone for the tips/ideas. I couldn't find any compressors on CL that looked good, so I went ahead with one a colleague said all the carpentry forums he reads are all a-buzz about:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/California-Air-Tools-1-6-gal-3-4-HP-Ultra-Quiet-and-Oil-Free-Aluminum-Tank-Air-Compressor-1675A/202977395

Gave me something to spend part of my bonus points from the Chase freedom card sign-up!

Also, like folks have done in past threads with bikes and cars, there's no harm in posting links to a few CL ads in this thread and having other folks say whether they are good/bad deals.

Good point TGC- being newish to the forum I wasn't sure if that was frowned on here.
Thanks!

[BeerBeard]

California tools is the only oil-free compressor I'd ever buy, good pick!

[monarda]

We have both a 16 ga finish nailer and an 18 ga brad nailer. Both Porter Cable, and bought one on CL, the other on eBay. At first we wondered if having both was a good idea but we're now glad we have both.

We also have a denailer that we use when we're reclaiming hardwood flooring.

We have a small compressor from Sears. I think a 3 gal? It's their 2nd smallest size. The California tools one looks nice.

[monarda]

We have both a 16 ga finish nailer and an 18 ga brad nailer. Both Porter Cable, and bought one on CL, the other on eBay. At first we wondered if having both was a good idea but we're now glad we have both.

We also have a denailer that we use when we're reclaiming hardwood flooring.

We have a small compressor from Sears. I think a 3 gal? It's their 2nd smallest size. The California tools one looks nice.

Reviving this old thread because we just got some used maple flooring that we had to denail.
We made a YouTube video on the denailing- as described in my previous post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fhWQ1PxGPI

Enjoy!

[Roboturner]

we got our 18g heavily-used on ebay for cheap (Bostitch - highly recommend, it's great even though it looks like it went through the ringer). Got a cheap new knock-off brand 16g on Amazon and it's a total jamming POS (looks nice though :/). Our Framing nailer is a PC, and that works well, but I've used a few Bostitchs over the years, and that brand is by far my favorite - never had an issue regardless of how rough they've looked on the outside.

So I suppose my rec is to pay for a used trusted brand over buying a Chinese knockoff to save a couple bucks.

[lthenderson]

I have five nail guns from staples all the way to roofing nails, all Bostich and all but one bought for pennies on the dollar at estate auctions. The one I bought new was the finish nailer and the only reason I got it new was because I had a need for one before I found one at an auction. All have worked flawlessly over the years. If you go for a quality brand, I wouldn't be afraid to buy them used because there isn't a lot that can go wrong with them.

[Just Joe]

I won't say good thinks about DeWalt nailers. Both have failed now, and the compressor won't shut off once pumped up. I think I can fix them. The piston is made of plastic in the gun and cracks.