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Finish Nailer – What to Buy?

boiler7904 | Posted in Tools for Home Building on April 16, 2007 10:58am

I’m in the market to buy a finish nailer and a 18 ga. brad nailer for a few projects around the house that I’ll doing over the next few months.  Projects are crown molding, shelves, a window seat, garage cabinets, closet organizer of some sort and whatever else my wife comes up with.

For the 18 ga. brad nailer, I’m going with the Hitachi that shoots up to 2″ brads.

The question becomes what to buy for a finish nailer.  My main question is why would I need a 15 ga. vs. a 16 ga.?  I like the Hitachi products and can find them locally at roughly the same price.  The 15 ga. seems like it would be more useful in tight corners (which I’ll have a few) but is it overkill for the projects I have in mind?

 

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  1. bubbajames | Apr 16, 2007 11:23pm | #1

    I have that gun (15 ga. finish nailer) and I got a small brad nailer free as a bonus.

    It is a great gun that has never let me down! No jams, no misfires, no problems.

    I would say to go with this over the 16 if you could only have one gun.

  2. YesMaam27577 | Apr 16, 2007 11:25pm | #2

    In general, a 15ga nailer will be great for larger sizes of crown. It can also be used for big baseboards, and even for hanging lightweight doors.

    The extra length available with the bigger nails can be a boon too.

     

     

     

    Support our Troops. Bring them home. Now.  And pray that at least some of the buildings in the green zone have flat roofs, with a stairway.

  3. Tomrocks21212 | Apr 17, 2007 01:56am | #3

    I trimmed for a long time with a 15 ga. and a small finish stapler. The 15's nails are pretty beefy and hold a good bit. I now have a 16 and an 18 as well, but the only time I use them much is when I'm using 2 different nail lengths, like when I'm casing out a window.
    I'd definitely pick the 15 over the smaller gun.

  4. rpait | Apr 17, 2007 03:00am | #4

    All you need is a crown stapler that also shoots brads. this notion of finish vs this and that is not necessary. I bought one of each thinking that they all served a specific purpose and have come to the aformentioned conclusion. You have to decide what you are doing. a 16 guage nailer serves all purposes. If you need something smaller get a 23 guage pin nailer. There is no advantage I can see of you buying a 15-16 guage something and also a 18 guage whatever they do the same job. You should be using biscuits a glue and clamps anyway! Stay away from the festool also, dont make me come down there.

    1. bubbajames | Apr 17, 2007 06:13am | #6

      So, you are hanging crown and doors with this stapler/brad nailer?

      1. rpait | Apr 17, 2007 09:29am | #8

        and using backerboards for more complex crown. with doors I secure the door jambs with it and make sure I use at least one 3 inch screw through the top hinge to prevent sag. I have had no problems with this system.

        I bought my first air compressor from the home depot and it came with 3 guns. I realized real quick that two of them were useless unless I made crafts or picture frames.

        The gun I use now is a bostich and it works great for me. The only other gun I use is a t-nailer for attaching wood to concrete or block.

    2. ptp | Apr 18, 2007 03:38pm | #13

      <<All you need is a crown stapler that also shoots brads>>I have one of these and no longer use it for shooting brads. With air pressure set high enough to sink the brads, the driver leaves an extra wide impression because it's made for driving the staples. I don't like that wide indentation on finished surfaces as it requires more filling. I bought a brad nailer for brads and use the stapler combo only for stapling now and I'll never go back.

      1. rpait | Apr 19, 2007 03:52am | #14

        the brads are only good for small projects anyway, the stapler is the best. I was on the stanley website and they have a stapler with an extra narrow tip which may even work better than the combo one. All the molding that comes on prehung doors is stapled anyway.

  5. FastEddie | Apr 17, 2007 04:37am | #5

    I have a Bostich 15 ga magnesium nailer.  It does a good job when it works.  Unfortunately it kams very frequently, even shooting Bostich nails.

    "Put your creed in your deed."   Emerson

    "When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it."  T. Roosevelt

  6. User avater
    BruceT999 | Apr 17, 2007 06:20am | #7

    You might want to look at the Ridgid 18ga and 15ga guns. They come with swivel air connectors, adjustable belt hooks and exhaust air ports, spare soft tips, oil-free, good fit and feel and so far have performed perfectly for me.

    BruceT
    1. User avater
      basswood | Apr 17, 2007 03:12pm | #9

      The same Ridgid brand guns you bought are also sold by Milwaukee (just red instead of orange)...if you or anyone else out there likes to avoid HD.

  7. netanyahu | Apr 17, 2007 03:56pm | #10

    Senco 15 ga angled finish gun.  Works great and lasts for years.  The Porter Cable is good too, less expensive, but not quite as nice. 16 ga. nails are to flimsey, you would do better with 15's since the heads are almost the same size and they hold better than 16's.  An 18 ga. brad nailer is extremely handy though, for smaller moulding.  I've used the Porter Cable and Senco brad nailers quite a bit and I am pleased with the results.

    1. User avater
      boiler7904 | Apr 18, 2007 06:33am | #11

      Thanks for confirming what I already thought.

       

      I'll be ordering this:

      Hitachi NT65MA2 15 ga. finish nailer

      and this:

      Hitachi NT50AE2 18 ga. brad nailer

      once the almighty tax refund comes.  Can't get here soon enough. 

      1. User avater
        basswood | Apr 18, 2007 02:43pm | #12

        I have the Hitachi 18ga. you are buying...nice gun. Works well, very light and ergonomic.The only negative is noise. That Hitachi is much louder than the Porter Cable I used to use (a trade off due to light weight materials=less sound absorbed) I always wear earplugs when using the Hitachi...never had to with the PC.

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