Nailguns- am I dumb for resisting?

[MikeT]

So far on my project, I have a small 2 gallon compressor and a palm nailer (thanks to recommendations for readers here), but I am resisting buying a nail gun for framing, etc.  So many people are telling me that I am foolish, that they are safe, etc.  But then I read this on cnn.com:

Nailguns taking out weekend warriors
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/04/12/injuries.nailguns.reut/index.html

I have two kids (12 and 14) plus other folks who are less familiar with building than I who are helping (or plan to help) and I just think that nailguns are not the silver bullet--that the time it takes to nail is relatively small compared to the time thinking, carrying, measuring, lifting, cutting, drilling, etc.

What say you?

[peg_688]

I watched a similar report on the net this AM , Most nail guns do have safety triggers , but if your building one house I'd hand nail it.

Guns where made for everyday use carpenters thet save your elbow and shoulder , some what , I guess, from the repetive type injury we carpenters get from to much work.

Guns are nice for some things , when aligning parts in trim or a shop setting building cabinets , and the like you can't beat a gun .

In framing what a gun will not do is pull parts together tightly / suck things up tight,

Sloppy framing is in part due to lazy carpenters , or those that don't care or don't know / haven't been trained right / production framers / etc .

IF THE PARTS ARE NOT SUCKED UP / PULLED TIGHT WITH A HAMMER YOU'LL HAVE A SLOPPY JOB!

 So all that been said , I like my guns , I could build without them but !!

 YMMV.    

G/L PEG

[John_C]

I own quite a few nailers & staplers mostly left over from when I built boats and had a crew.  When I was rebuilding the log home foundation there were places where I couldn't swing a hammer so I bought one of these


I like the fact that it drives about any nail so I can buy a pound or two for special circumstances.  I think a finish nailer or siding nailer would save more time in the construction of one house.  I find finish nailers particularly useful.  I've used nailers for so long my aim with a hammer isn't what it once was. I seem most capable of producing a distressed look in finish work.  :-/

[JRR]

I'd get a motorcycle.  

(Wait a minute ... I already have one!  With over 100k miles on it.  But I own nary a nailgun.  Too scary!)  

[glenn-k]

A lot of it depends on how much time you have, how much flesh you are willing to risk, how much you train yourself to think about whether you and everyone else are clear each time you shoot - and then how lucky you are when something doesn't go as planned.

I only have a few days between jobs to accomplish things many times so I us the nailgun and the palm nailer.  I feel pretty safe with it.  My son and one co-worker have each stuck a nail in their hand and Fred shot me in the back with one when a nail glanced off the side of a piece of wood.

The deer fence I built in 2 days would have been very hard to do by myself without it.  Probably would have taken me an extra day or more.

Not a Harley is it, JRR?  If so I will have to change my mental picture of you.

[JRR]

Beemer.

[glenn-k]

Oh -- okay -- there you go.  I was afraid I was going to have to shave your head and add earrings every time I saw one of your postings.  

[MountainDon]

Nail guns are a lot like those other guns, they're only as safe as the person holding one. They can save some time and your arm though. So Depends.  :-/

I have several different purpose guns. If I had to only pick one of them I'd choose to keep my small finish nailer and forgo the framing, the larger finish and the stapler.

PEG made a good point, an air nailer will shoot the nail right thru the open joint. You need to stop and hammer it home. I constructed some home-made trusses once with nailed and glued plywood plates at the joints. The air nailer couldn't even squish the glue out of the joint.

My 2 cents worth

[glenn-k]

I keep a large hammer nearby to beat dents in the wood in the general area of the nail head if it doesn't go all the way down. :-?

[Zero_Punch]

I've never used one for framing but as a flooring installer air nailer's and staplers are a time saver and elbow saver but now I have trigger finger  .
They are production tools and if you take the production tools away from home builders either the wages of the workers would have to go down or the cost of homes  would be much higher than they are now.  As far as building your own home you may get a certain amount of pride saying "I pounded in every nail myself" but for repetitive nailing of sheeting I'll go pneumatic.

[glenn-k]

A bucket of pride and $4.50 will buy you a cup of coffee.

Give me the air nailer.

[desdawg]

$4.50? Oh yeah, California Coffee. Everything is so much better there.

[builderboy]

I'm watching a 1/2 million $ home go up across the lake from me. They used air shot staples to put the OSB sheathing on. Forgoing the bit about saving time and the arm, can this be as good (strong) as real nails lovingly pounded by the owner builder? I'm not against air nailers, but I don't want to forgo build quality.

[peg_688]

If I was build a 1/2 million dollar shack there would be NO OSB used  

Staples can not be used in my area , they clain / say they don't have as much shear strenght as a nail.

Your area may vary if it is not a earthquake pron area.

Personal I like staples for nailing off sheathing, in my limited reshearch when tearing out stuff that is stapled (sheathing) I find / think it holds as well or brtter then  gun driven nails.  This may in part be due to personal bias ( since I like staples ) , or partly due to OSB being easy to tear out , agian IMO OSB is not a strong as CDX ply, based on my "study"/ experience with remodeling .

OSB that is or has been wet /  has mold or rot , (if it rots :-/ it sort of turns to straw "like"  mush   )  tears out way easier than 3/4 shiplap , or sqr. edged boards nailed with 2 8d brite nails , those old brites really hold , unlike sinkers , Most commonly used today , or gun nails , even the ring shanks seem to pull pretty easy when driven thru OSB, they seem to get sort of "Greased" by something in the OSB .

 CDX is harder to rip out , it does have delaming issues , MTL due to Govt. / EPA , issues with glue use , just like paint all the "good " chemicals have to be removed INCASE some ones kid drinks or eats it  :-/ Who the hell lets their kid eat paint   :-/ :'(

They could eat cake  

I'm sure it's some Govt. (Bush type ) super seceret plan for all housing to fall down so the mass's will have to be come subservent to a master Govt, run by the Shrub  

Oh back to OSB the stuff is crap , I would not used it on my own house , clients have the option to choise between the two based on price .

Thats my . 25 cents on that    

[glenn-k]

Ahhhh - PEG , you are starting to see the light.  Follow the money.

[builderboy]

"who lets their kids eat paint?" - the same folk who feed them cdx for lunch. - hence the need to make it "safe". I'm going with cdx ply and real friggin nails. The hell with the arm- I'll recover. It's only one small cabin.

[peg_688]

I'm going with cdx ply and real friggin nails. The hell with the arm- I'll recover. It's only one small cabin.

 but if your building one house I'd hand nail it.

Sage advise , from post #2 of this thread  

[builderboy]

Thanks guys. There's no replacement for replacement for experience.

[builderboy]

oops. one to many replacements there.

[MountainDon]

Right on builderboy.

( also FYI, you can edit any of your own posts. lick on "modify" at the upper right of any of your posts.... I use it frequently   )

[builderboy]

Thanks MountainDon. I tried "licking" on modify and got a bad taste in my mouth.  

[peg_688]

Thanks MountainDon. I tried "licking" on modify and got a bad taste in my mouth.  

Well it pays to keep your equipment clean , yanno in case ya gotta lick on it  

I think Mtn. D will be doin a lil editing when he logs on  

[glenn-k]

Mountain Don can't change that --- I wish I had a lock button in my administrative tools.

Hey , Don.  Do you need a Licker License to use the Lick button?

[peg_688]

 Mountain Don can't change that --- I wish I had a lock button in my administrative tools.

Hey , Don.  Do you need a Licker License to use the Lick button?

I meant his own post ya gink

So this leads to "licker in the front , poker in the rear!" ,  I guess  

So  sorry

[peg_688]

 Huummm guess we can't play poker ( the card game )   what kinda gestapo place is this anyway :-/ on the forum    AAAAAggh At least not out back