Question for carpenters/construction people about framing nailers.

[The Sauce]

I have some building projects coming up and want to buy a framing nailer. there are some good deals at amazon on refurb PC nailers. I just don't know what the practical difference between a round head and clipped head nailer is. Can someone explain this to me?

 

[hypn0tik]

If I'm not mistaken, Goosemaster is in the construction business. He should be able to help.

I'm sure there are others as well.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

a round head nailer uses nails that are just that: with a full round head (like a regular nail)

a clipped head nailer shoots nails with a narrow, flat head

as far as I am aware, there is really no difference....some manufacturers just prefer one style over the other.

that said, if you aren't used to using one, I'd go for one with round head. They will probably be easier for you to hit with your hammer since you will be bound to have quite a few that don't set due to your inexperience.

 

[skyking]

round head nailers are bulky, with a drum to allow for the longer chain-style nail belts. The traditional air nailer has straight clips of nails with a small clipped area to allow for the head of the next nail to pass by. I prefer the old nailers because they seem a bit easier to wield, getting into tighter spaces.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Originally posted by: skyking
round head nailers are bulky, with a drum to allow for the longer chain-style nail belts. The traditional air nailer has straight clips of nails with a small clipped area to allow for the head of the next nail to pass by. I prefer the old nailers because they seem a bit easier to wield, getting into tighter spaces.

you can get round head in clips too.

 

[Sluggo]

I bought a Senco at Home Depot, came with a free palm nailer that I sold on ebay to get $50 of my money back.

Senco @ Home Depot

The Senco uses clipped head nails which are relatively cheap at Home Depot, and my favorite thing is that it was about the lightest and smallest of all the framing nailers they had there.

The rail that holds the clips isnt as long as some nailers, which limits how many clips you can put in, but it also made it easier to use in tight spaces. My only complaint is that 90% of the time when the gun gets between 2 clips in the holder it shoots 2 nails, one from each clip. That may have been more of an issue with the brand of nails than the gun, but it did it with 2 different brands.

The guys at work that use the guns extensively use lots of Hitachi framing guns, which use round head nails.

 

[Greenman]

Clipped head nails aren't legal in many areas for structural framing. They are mostly used for building fences and pallets. Useless in my opinion. Get a full round head nailer, then you never have to worry about having the right gun.
The nailers that use the long straight clips are referred to as ?stick nailers? and are most often used for framing, they generally have a claw around the nose of the tool so you can toe nail with them.
Most use plastic collated nails, which I don?t like because the bits of plastic often fly into your face, and also get stuck under the head of the nail. If your hanging siding that?s a real problem.
The nailers that have a round drum are called coil nailers, they hold more nails, are collated with wire (it doesn?t hit you in the face), and the tool is shorter. Over all I prefer a coil nailer.

 

[Norton]

Originally posted by: Greenman
Clipped head nails aren't legal in many areas for structural framing.

Was going to bring that up but I'll reinforce it now.

Depending on what you are buildiing, you might just consider a palm nailer. Framing nailers are a very specialized tool where as a palm nailer can be used for all kinds of projects. Amazon has the Bostitch PN100 Palm Impact Nailer for $39 on sale right now.

That being said, I picked up a Makita AN922 full head nailer awhile back for $128 new. Couldn't pass it up for that price.

 

[Greenman]

I'm not a big palm nailer fan, I only use one when nothing else will work, and they use a lot of air, so unless you have a fair sized compressor, you end up waiting for pressure to build up again.
I use a coil nailer for framing and siding, a hardware nailer for installing hangers and clips, a couple different finish nailers for trim, and a wide crown stapler for underlatment. I've been looking at the Passlode Impulse framing nailer, but nails and fuel are on the high side.

 

[Norton]

Originally posted by: Greenman
I'm not a big palm nailer fan, I only use one when nothing else will work, and they use a lot of air, so unless you have a fair sized compressor, you end up waiting for pressure to build up again.

Good point on the air. I'm just thinking that a palm might be a more practical tool to a homeowner/DIY. But if money is not the concern, buy an assortment of guns!

 

[The Sauce]

Yah, I'm not interested in the Passlode. I have a limited amount of work to do - rebuilding a small cottage and building a wood shed and such. I was looking at a refurb PC round head at Amazon for about $180. Thanks for all of the advise.

 

[Squisher]

Yeah, my Porter Cable round head nailer has never jammed.

 

[Greenman]

One more refurb you might want to check out is this one, it will also work as a hardware nailer if you buy the hardware nose piece. (Takes about 5 seconds to change).
http://www.toolking.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=17988

 

[The Sauce]

Originally posted by: Greenman
One more refurb you might want to check out is this one, it will also work as a hardware nailer if you buy the hardware nose piece. (Takes about 5 seconds to change).
http://www.toolking.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=17988

Ooh...Toolking. Very bad choice. I got burned by them before. Resellerratings of 2/10 lifetime. I'll look into that nailer though. Thanks.

 

[Greenman]

Originally posted by: Snatchface

Originally posted by: Greenman
One more refurb you might want to check out is this one, it will also work as a hardware nailer if you buy the hardware nose piece. (Takes about 5 seconds to change).
http://www.toolking.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=17988

Ooh...Toolking. Very bad choice. I got burned by them before. Resellerratings of 2/10 lifetime. I'll look into that nailer though. Thanks.

I had no idea toolking was that bad, I don't think I ever checked their rating.
I've spent several thousand dollars there over the past year without a single problem, so either I'm lucky or they are trying harder.