cross-nailing door casing

[thehusker]

Looking for good advice on how not to split door casing when cross-nailing through the mitred upper corners. I tried it last night with my 18 ga nailer and split one side.

[Sawdustguy]

There is always the option of buying a small gauge nail gun which will prevent that.

Will your gun accept 18 gauge "Headless" nails? It's the head of the nail that could be causing the problem

[chfite]

You could try a pilot hole.

[thehusker]

I have a porter cable nailer. Is cross-nailing completely necessary if you have tight miters and make sure the casing is nailed tightly to the wall?

[Sawdustguy]

Nope! Not necessary at all. It's used to help keep the wood together during expansion and contraction times. If you put a dab of glue on the miter and have tight miters, I wouldn't worry about it. You'll be fine.