Walls and Ceilings - Looking for tips for securing wall studs
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nickdu
08-28-09, 12:43 PM
I just framed over a closet which will later be used to extend a shower stall into a bathtub. I removed the header and the 2x4's holding it up and added two studs where the door was. First I cut a length of 2x4 for the base plate where the opening was and nailed it to the subfloor with 3" smooth nails. I didn't add glue, hope that's ok. Nailing in the studs was a bit difficult so I'm guessing there are some tricks/techniques which pros use to make it easy. Here are a couple questions I have.
1. I purchased a nail gun assuming it would make the job easier. Do most use a nail gun or do it with a hammer?
2. One reason I went with the nail gun was because I assumed there would be less movement of the stud as the nail was being driven in as opposed to using a hammer. While this may have been the case the stud was still shifting as I was securing it. How do most people brace the stud as they're nailing it in?
After I had finished nailing in both studs I thought that having a 14 1/2" block of wood would probably help not only figuring out where to place the next stud but also help secure the stud while nailing. Of course the 14 1/2" wouldn't work for the studs which are closer together (the ones at the end of a wall).
3. I purchased the bostitch F28WW framing nailer. So far the only nails I found that fit it are the ones were the shaft is attached to one edge of the head as opposed to the nails in which the shaft is attached to the center of the head. My initial impression of these nailgun nails is that they have some drawbacks from the "normal" (non-nailgun nails). While trying to drive them further into the wood with a hammer they seemed to not transfer the force as well (going in different direction) as the "normal" nails. Are there "normal" nails for this nailgun? I think I've seen "normal" nails for the coil guns. Do I have to go that route if I want to use "normal" nails?
4. Is there a reason for the angle of the magazine on the nailgun? Mine is a 28 degree one. What I thought it might be for is toe nailing, but I also doubted this was the case. Regardless I did use it that way as it appeared to be easier to toe nail that way. I layed the magazine flush against the stud which produced an angle between the head and the stud. Toe nailing without doing it this way seemed difficult, but maybe it's just because I'm new to it.
Thanks,
Nick
1. I purchased a nail gun assuming it would make the job easier. Do most use a nail gun or do it with a hammer?
2. One reason I went with the nail gun was because I assumed there would be less movement of the stud as the nail was being driven in as opposed to using a hammer. While this may have been the case the stud was still shifting as I was securing it. How do most people brace the stud as they're nailing it in?
After I had finished nailing in both studs I thought that having a 14 1/2" block of wood would probably help not only figuring out where to place the next stud but also help secure the stud while nailing. Of course the 14 1/2" wouldn't work for the studs which are closer together (the ones at the end of a wall).
3. I purchased the bostitch F28WW framing nailer. So far the only nails I found that fit it are the ones were the shaft is attached to one edge of the head as opposed to the nails in which the shaft is attached to the center of the head. My initial impression of these nailgun nails is that they have some drawbacks from the "normal" (non-nailgun nails). While trying to drive them further into the wood with a hammer they seemed to not transfer the force as well (going in different direction) as the "normal" nails. Are there "normal" nails for this nailgun? I think I've seen "normal" nails for the coil guns. Do I have to go that route if I want to use "normal" nails?
4. Is there a reason for the angle of the magazine on the nailgun? Mine is a 28 degree one. What I thought it might be for is toe nailing, but I also doubted this was the case. Regardless I did use it that way as it appeared to be easier to toe nail that way. I layed the magazine flush against the stud which produced an angle between the head and the stud. Toe nailing without doing it this way seemed difficult, but maybe it's just because I'm new to it.
Thanks,
Nick