Tools, Sharpening and Power Machinery - Nail gun

I am planning on to finish my basement. What kind of nail gun will do the job. I do have an air compressor which can deliver 125 PSI. I don't want to spend to much money but the product should be good enough to help me to finish my basement. http://forum.doityourself.com/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=12#
Smilie

Thanks,
Jeet

IMO - any decent "name brand" framing gun will suffice for the DIYer who won't be using it every day on the job. You can get any number of brands at your local big box store for around $150 or less that, while not intended for the professional framer, will suffice for the average DIYer.

I finally broke down and bought both a framing gun and a trim nail gun for my last basement project. Can't imagine how I got along without them for so long....... Have fun!

Thanks. If someone could pls. let me know the nail size I should be looking at?

I just bought a framing nailer and did a LOT of research before buying. Without question, the one most used by the pros is the Hitachi. It's a bit pricier than most others. However, if you want to just use it for the basement and then resell it on Ebay, there's a big market for used Hitachi's because of the fact that all the pros use them.

I ended up going with a Bostitch. If you think you'd ever have a deck (or something of the nature) in your future, this is a great model because it can also use "positive placement" nails. These are what is required for joist hangers, etc.

I bought a Porter Cable Job Boss compressor/finish nailer combo kit and then bought a refurb'd framing nailer. I figure I'll end up using the finish nailers a lot more than the framing nailer.

Good Luck!
Tom

Thanks. If someone could pls. let me know the nail size I should be looking at?

8penny framing nails..

what do you guys think of the porter cable BN200A???

what do you guys think of the porter cable BN200A???

I got one with my Porter Cable kit and it worked well attaching quarter round trim to baseboard. Low noise, low recoil, easy operation -- it worked for this DIY'er.

Framing nails - the ones that I use are 3" long, which is longer than 8-penny.
Brad nails, used by the BN200A referenced earlier, work great for quarter-round.
For crown moulding, finish nails, typically 16-guage would be appropriate.

I have the BN125A, the less expensive version that uses 1-1/4" brads. If you are going to do larger moulding, door frames, etc. you will need a finish nailer as well. I would recommend using a cheaper brad nailer and move up to the finish nailer when longer fasteners are required.
Those small 18-ga. brads will curl back or deflect inside the wood if a knot is encountered. The 16-ga. finish nails are a bit less likely to do that.

so for doing things like putting on molding around door frames, baseboard etc the BN200 would suffice? Not sure of the differences between brad nailer and finishing nailer....

edit: ok I think I understand the differences. Basically the brad is a lightweight nailer whereas the finish can drive bigger nails deeper. So, for example, what would one use to do crown molding around the top of kitchen cabinets? Maybe I'm better off jsut buying a finish nailer. I need to put trim back on door frames, crown molding on kitchen cabinets, baseboard the whole house - that sort of thing.... advice?

Crown moulding = finish nailer. Here are your options:

Since you are not doing this for a living, the cost of nails is probably not an issue. For subcontractors, it's a different story - the GC may furnish 16-guage finish nails because they can buy them at a discount in bulk. The 15-guage nails are more expensive and are not usually furnished, so the sub's expenses go up significantly: free nails vs. more expensive nails at your own expense.

16-guage finish nails and nailer:
Straight magazine, cheaper, smaller nails with a T-head that leaves less to fill with caulk/putty before staining/painting. Nail shanks are rectangular. More commonly used commercially. May be able to find used/refurbed.

15-guage finish nails and nailer:
Angled magazine, larger nails with a D-head that leaves a larger hole to fill. Nail shanks are round, usually coated on the point with adhesive. Likely a heavier nailer compared to the 16-guage.

I have the 15-guage and like it very much - handles like an undersized framing nailer.

thx for the feedback. I'm going to skip the brad and find a 15-guage finish. :)

I just bought a Bostitch 15ga finish nailer. A very nice gun indeed! It's light (magnesium) and handles well. It is also oilless, meaning it won't stain your finish wood by spewing oil on it. I paid 169.00 for mine, but they were 149.00 at Menard's last time I was in there.

Bostitch N62FNK-2 (http://www.bostitch.com/default.asp?CATEGORY=BOS%5FFINISH%5FAND%5FTRIM%5FNAILER&TYPE=PRODUCT&PARTNUMBER=N62FNK-2&SDesc=Industrial+15%2DGauge+Oil%2DFree+Angled+Finish+Nailer+Kit)

Don't spend anything. Use metal studs. So much easier. :thumbup:

If you need to use wood look at Grizzly brand=more than adequate. Actually pretty good.

So what nails would be ok for framing a basement? Are 3" ok or do I need 3.5"?

Most 2x material is only 1.5" thick, so a 3" nail should be adequate to fasten them together without the nail point protruding on the far side. The joint should be designed so that the nail is in shear rather than tension.

there is no structural work in framing a basement.. Couldn't possibly need more than 10 penny-3" Have some 8 penny 2.5" handy too. Make sure you have a tool belt with ample pouches. It is a necessity.

Or else just go metal :wall: :wall: So easy + resistant to everything + holes for wires are already there + perfectly flat in all directions +framing around ducts is so much easier.

there is no structural work in framing a basement.. Couldn't possibly need more than 10 penny-3" Have some 8 penny 2.5" handy too. Make sure you have a tool belt with ample pouches. It is a necessity.

Or else just go metal :wall: :wall: So easy + resistant to everything + holes for wires are already there + perfectly flat in all directions +framing around ducts is so much easier.

Your family in the steel business? I've seen you pimping the stuff in a lot of threads!! LOL

Just kidding of course. I very well might do metal on my soffits. I have to justify the compound miter saw I bought so it's wood for me. Besides I know nothing about working with the steel (I know I know, it's easy)

Joneq is not a pimp--- anymore anyway. :cheshire:
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" I have to justify the compound miter saw I bought so it's wood for me."

That is not a good enough reason to use wood. Save the saw for the Spring and build a deck or something.
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"Besides I know nothing about working with the steel" + "
So what nails would be ok for framing a basement? Are 3" ok or do I need 3.5"?"

Steel or wood. You are in learning mode, and steel is so much easier to learn and more importantly it is simple to fix[mistakes].
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"I've seen you pimping the stuff in a lot of threads!! LOL
You mean like the one you just hijacked!!!!!" I seem to remember someone named jeet49 Just kidding of course" :eek:

So I priced 8' metal studs today at the big orange box. $7.00 EACH!!!!!!

The 10' track was $8.XX IIRC.

How will it be cheaper to go metal again?

"How will it be cheaper to go metal again?"

Please quote where I said it was cheaper. It is just better,easier, faster,etc,etc etc.

Post # 15 " Don't spend anything" was to jeet49[before you hijacked the thread] and was referring to the nailer.

Joneq is officially out of this thread. Enjoy