What type of nail gun do I need?

[The Fake Cheap]

It will be used for mouldings and door casings.  I'm considering new, used and will also look at rental prices.  I took a quick look around the hardware stores yesterday, seems like there are a lot of options.  Any brand recommendations?  I certainly don't need one of the high end ones.  Thanks.

[ShoulderThingThatGoesUp]

I have a Ryobi (Home Depot store brand) trim nailer that uses a battery pack and it's all I need to save a lot of time on these sorts of jobs.

[Spork]

Officially you're supposed to use finish nails.  But for most trim you can get by with an 18ga brad nailer.  I did a ton of trim with a brad nailer before I finally bought a finish nail gun.

It's also going to depend on if you have a compressor or not.  If you have a compressor (which is useful in many other ways)... I'd just get a pneumatic nail gun.  If you don't have them, I'd add both a dryer and an inline oiler to the compressor to protect them.

I've got an 18ga Porter Cable that I've had 15+ years and it still works great.  I also have a 15ga Senco that works like a champ as well.

[lthenderson]

I have a Bostich finish nailer and also a brad and pin nailer. Between those three, I feel I can do just about any interior woodworking project. For interior trim work, I like the finish nailer although like someone else mentioned, a brad nailer might work if you don't have any dips in the wall. If you do, you really need a finish nailer so that the head of the finish nail will help hold the trim sucked up against the wall. For building wood projects, I like using a little bit of glue and my pin nailer to hold on all those pieces of trim until the glue dries. You can barely make out where the pin is which makes finishing things easy.

If you don't have an air compressor and won't be doing a lot of trim work, I would go battery operated. Hauling my small compressor here and there and setting it up for just a handful of nails is a real pain. However, I mostly use it in my garage where the hose reaches everywhere and in that application, I really like the essentially unlimited power supply.

[The Fake Cheap]

I don't have a compressor, and don't foresee getting one.  I didn't know battery powered nail guns existed, but it seems like that is a good route for me to go.  I do have to do mouldings and door casings on my entire lower floor, but not a big deal if I have to do this over several sessions and/or days, so the recharging of the battery wont be an issue.   The walls are straight as far as I can tell, but it sounds like a finish nailer is the way to go.

Thanks for the great info everyone.

[younggunner]

- Porter Cable is very good
- I have a husky that is a cheap alternative though PC seems more quality
- Paslode makes a trim nailer that runs off a fuel cell.. Very convenient especially if you don't have a compressor...

[Papa Mustache]

FWIW I bought a pair of nailers and a compressor as part of a package deal. Have not used them that much - a couple thousand nails? Don't know if they'll last or not but so far, so good. DeWalt brand. Recall it being cheap and on sale.

Compressor doesn't have alot of capacity for anything else but you could also pump up tires or power an air brush. Have tried an air gun to blow dust and it just runs out of "blow" in seconds. Running air tools would last 2-3 secs at best. ;)

I don't use that compressor as much now b/c I have since purchased a refurb Morgan 60 gal upright compressor which can do everything. I have a couple of air hoses that allow me to run air to the bedrooms from the garage if I want to run the nailers that far away.

[worms]

Since this is MMM can I suggest a hammer?

Generations of chippies managed before nail guns were invented and if push mowers and bikes are the MMM solution, then surely the good old-fashioned hammer must be in there, too?  Someone will be able to calculate for you just how many fewer days away from early retiral you are if you invest the value of a nail gun (assuming you already own the hammer!).  🙂

[lthenderson]

Since this is MMM can I suggest a hammer?

Generations of chippies managed before nail guns were invented and if push mowers and bikes are the MMM solution, then surely the good old-fashioned hammer must be in there, too?  Someone will be able to calculate for you just how many fewer days away from early retiral you are if you invest the value of a nail gun (assuming you already own the hammer!).  🙂

Said the person without a nailgun! Honestly I have to laugh because that is the way the world is going. My daughters don't know how to look up a phone number without the internet since phone books are no longer used. Someday, there will be a generation that has never used a hammer. I used a hammer and nail set for 20 years before I bought my first nailgun at an auction. I have since bought two others also at auctions. I wouldn't trade them for the world since they can do things a hammer and nail set can't easily do and have made my life much easier. But I still use my hammer and nail set now and then especially when dragging my air compressor around seems like too much work.

[Mr.Tako]

A hammer and nail is the kind of 'nail gun' that will put the 'gun' in your arms!

[Spork]

There is nothing wrong with a hammer, nail and nail set.  But it really doesn't compare.  It isn't just the time putting the nails in.  It's the time putting them in accurately, sometimes pre-drilling, filling the holes with filler, tossing out a few bits of trim because you put a few awful donkey kicks into them, etc.

If you're putting on one piece of trim: hammer, nails, nail set.
If you're putting on a whole house of trim, or fighting gravity putting large bits of trim above your head, or doing jobs that need 3 hands to hold things in place while you nail: there just isn't a substitute for a nail gun.

[worms]

Honestly I have to laugh because that is the way the world is going. My daughters don't know how to look up a phone number without the internet since phone books are no longer used. Someday, there will be a generation that has never used a hammer.

I'll admit to being a dinosaur!

I once walked into a laboratory and found them using a fancy gel electrophoresis set-up to distinguish between two infectious diseases - until I pointed out that one was caused by a 2cm-long beastie and the other by a 0.5cm-long one.  They didn't even need to use a microscope, never mind complex biochemistry!

[beardsly]

Honestly I have to laugh because that is the way the world is going. My daughters don't know how to look up a phone number without the internet since phone books are no longer used. Someday, there will be a generation that has never used a hammer.

I'll admit to being a dinosaur!

I once walked into a laboratory and found them using a fancy gel electrophoresis set-up to distinguish between two infectious diseases - until I pointed out that one was caused by a 2cm-long beastie and the other by a 0.5cm-long one.  They didn't even need to use a microscope, never mind complex biochemistry!

I agree 100% the first nail gun I purchased was an 18 guage Bostich (~$100).  Probably the best tool I ever bought.  I've replaced casings on dozens of doors with it.  Nail guns can use very small (low SCFM) compressors since it's only a quick "shot" of air vs continuous discharge on air tools such as a grinder or sander.  My dad purchased a cheapo 18 guage nailer which constantly jammed so he was constantly borrowing my Bostich.

[ShoulderThingThatGoesUp]

I do much, much, better work with my trim nailer than I do with a hammer and nail set.

For what it's worth, MMM has a whole article about how great nail guns are: Why We are Not Really All Doomed

[WSUCoug1994]

I am a DIYer for nearly everything.  I was able to pick up a battery powered DeWalt on Craigslist for cheap.  The guy had used it once for a small project.  I got lucky but you will usually find great deals on tools on CL.  I have bought most of my collection used and they were all practically new.