Official Luthiers Forum!

This might have needed to be in the off topic section but the shop that I am building is a dedicated guitar shop....

I am framing now, all new to me....., and it is going well and much easier than I thought it would be. I posted a month ago and you guys all helped me out greatly with tool recommendations for a chop saw, circular say, tool belt, speed square, and more. And I bought and am using what you recommended and the stuff is excellent.

Now, after swinging a framing hammer all evening, much of it over my head, I would like to get a nail gun. I don't have a compressor so here are my questions:

1) Please recommend a nail gun that will get me through framing, help me finish my entire basement and build a large deck next spring. It should be able to shoot 16-d framing nails and smaller.

2) Even though I am using Liquid nails for the sill plates I would still like to shoot a concrete nail once in a while so I don't have to wait for the Liquid nails to set up. Do nail guns shoot masonry nails too and if so please recommend one that does?

3) Do nail guns come in kits with a compressor? If not how much of a compressor do I need, this is all I will ever use it for?

Many thanks!

Hesh,

1.The Porter cable gun will suit your needs but for a few bucks more you can get the Dewalt.
2. The nail gun will not shoot through concrete. Get a Ramset for about 80 bucks from the depot and some special nails and bullets will do the trick.
3. You can get the Porter cable pancake compressor and some come in kits with some finish nailers. However, I would get a little bigger compressor to run the framer. You can get a decent one from Dewalt or Porter cable in the 300 dollar range.
Good luck!

Hesh:
I am surprised you havn't purchased a compressor for your shop yet. A compressor is the heart of a decent shop, it will be used every day. I don't bother to shut mine off at night as it holds air and thus doesn't cycle, and I use it all the time. You will need a quick connects for the various tools and at least 50' of hose. Get the good flexy, rubbery hose to avoid clumsiness, an air powered buffer (they make a little one for automotive uses, perfect for buffing guitars), small spray gun, air brush, several sizes of nail gun, spray nozzle for blowing out the shop vac filter, cleaning the bench, etc. etc. I could not function without air. One tip... spend another $75 and get a QUIET compressor.

HAVE FUN! Don't shoot a nail into your foot! Mikey

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The Biggest Little City, Nevada
www.hammondguitars.com
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Hesh, honestly just go out and rent the compressor and nail gun. If this and the deck next spring is all you'll be using them for, than why buy another tool that will never get used? That's a waste, save it for some zoot!

But if you want to buy one, I'd buy a small home owner's compressor like a 8 gallon, 1.3hp unit. This is similar to what I have and it's all I've ever needed for framing in a wall in my townhome, doing the finishing work like baseboards and trim and also finishing my guitars in my spary booth. It may cycle more than something with a larger tank but it will work just fine. You won't break the bank with it, it's small enough to leave in your garage (for all those years that you won't ever use it) or in your shop where you may find some sort of use for it in time. Most smaller units come in a kit with lots of little items and some come with a nail gun (usually not a framing nailer though, just a brad nailer for nailing baseboards and small stuff).

If I didn't have a small compressor already, I'd go to Costco and get this kit

Honestly, rent the framing nailer. They can be rather expensive (like more than the compressor) and you will most likly never ever use it again. But the compressor you will find a use for I'll bet. Go to a rent it center or even HD and tell them what you are doing and ask them to hook you up with a framing nailer and some nails.

Oh, you don't want to use a framing nailer for concrete nails. That would be devistating to the gun. Usually you would use a ramset 22 caliber single shot nailer for wood to concrete. You can rent that too. But if you've only got 15 nails to drive in to the concrete, get the right nails and a 25lb sledge hammer (yup, rent that puppy too) and drive those nails in.

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Oh Filippo, I hope for your sake my friend that Billy doesn't have a picture of you somewhere

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Hesh:

I bought a Bostich that takes a coil of nails. The advantage is that you don't have to reload as often. I've had it for 4 or 5 years and have had no problems. I don't think I could swing a framing hammer any more. I haven't manually driven a screw for awhile either! Life is really pretty good, right?

Danny R. Little

Thanks guys!

Mikey bro when I first started building guitar I bought a compressor too. It sat in my bathtub for two years and I never used it once. Then I gave it away to my nephew who wanted one to blow up his motorcycle tires. When it was gone I never missed it either.

So I just don't seem to use a compressor for how I build and frankly the noise that they make drives me up a wall.

I really like Filippo's idea for the Paslode. These ate around $375 at Lowes, in stock where I live, and no compressor is required.

I also found this: http://cgi.ebay.com/Paslode-Cordless-Framing-Nailer-900420_W0QQitemZ350088432091QQihZ022QQcategoryZ61574QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

It's a link to Paslode's distribution sight for refurbished units for almost half the price of a new one and again no compressor required. Is Paslode a quality company and could a refurb unit he a good play for me? Any one know if these units have a warranty?

Robbie bro thanks for the info and I can see that to drive concrete nails I need a different solution.

Yep the problem with renting for me is that I am likely to want to use it for a couple of months and then again next year. The rental fees would buy a couple of them for me if I kept it that long.

Hesh, I'd go with the hammer drill for your sills like Todd said. It goes doesn't take long. You could rent the hammer drill since you'll only need it for a day or less.

The compressor you had was probably a diaphragm type, which are notoriously loud. If you get a piston-type, they're much quieter, but heavier and more costly.

You'll love a nail gun. Fast, splits and bent nails will be nearly non-existent. But BE CAREFUL! Nails from a nailgun in the finger are no fun. DAMHIKT.

Post pics!

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Well I just got back from Lowes armed with a new Paslode and a box of ammunition..... and a couple cans of fuel. No one there knew anything about them but several of the guys had seen them in action and said that it was the easiest and most precise way to go.

I live in an area where the builder of my house is often around building another house. I noticed that the one sill that exists in my basement (under the stairs) is pressure treated and not a nail is in sight. So I suspected that it was glued down.

I stopped down the road and talked with my builder and he says that it is in accordance with local code to use liquid nails for sills provided that you also use pressure treated lumber.

Anyway I started last night and used LN for the sill plate and later this week a neighbor is going to loan me a device that you hit with a hammer and it shoots a concrete nail through the sill into the concrete floor. Since the walls will just be studs I can add the concrete nails later and this way I can keep going and not have to purchase yet another one-trick-pony tool.

Many thanks everyone for your very valued help!

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Hey man, that's a nice deck

I never use a nail gun I use liquid nails! I was thinking of doing a tutorial but I glued myself to the bench!

Hey... a... where's your picture Fillipo?


Really nice work on the deck Todd!!!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Billy bro Fillipo posted his picture some months ago but I never saved it because I like Fillipo.

I only saved your picture.........

Well I am off to Lowes again this morning to take back this nail gun that won't work......

The plan is to exchange it for one that does and possibly, if anyone there knows how these are supposed to work, get some validation that it indeed does not work and it's not user error here. It's a bit different when you are trying to get something that you have not used before to work and the term "work" means fire a sharp, metal nail....... I can't tell you how many times I pulled the trigger wondering if the thing was going to blow up in my face.....

Anyway the battery shows charged, the nails are loaded correctly, the fuel cells are OK date code wise and spit when tested (and stink too major) and if you pull the trigger REALLY hard the motor will run but the gun does not fire. Go figure.....

Hang in there, Dude. It's all part of the PITA and frustrating learning process. Not only will you be better for it but many who have never used a nail gun will learn at the same time. While experience is the best teacher, the tuition is sometimes costly in terms of money, time and gas for additional trips to Lowes.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

I have returned....

The folks at Lowes could not get it to work either and today there was an older gentleman there who had one and he said that mine was defective because it would not work for him either.

So they replaced the thing AND replaced the fuel cells without me even asking which surprised me. Where I used to live you had to fight everyone every inch of the way to not get ripped off....... Notably at one point I had 5 people helping me and no one was assuming user error...... Very nice people.

In addition they placed one of my used fuel cells in the new gun, loaded a strip of their nails, and made sure this one worked also using the battery from the old one that was fully charged. So it was a defective gun.

Thanks for the help everyone!!!!

Hesh, I use framing nail guns all day long,I,m a contractor we use case hardend nails when driving into coccrete they work great just be careful with these guns as the nails sometimes follow the grain and can come out of the wood in places other than where you a aiming.