[Stephen Matthew]

I am looking into buying a nice air nailer to help in some quicker box assembly

it seems that an 18ga brad nailer would probably work well, but will a 2" brad go into mdf without bending??

will a 15ga finish nailer do the job better???

can you find 15ga finish nails??

is a 16ga brad nailer a better idea??

will a 15 or 16ga nailer leave marks on softer woods???


etc etc.. as you see ive got a lot of questions, i just dont want to spend 100 bux plus on something to find out it doesnt work as well as i wanted it to... ive been looking at porter cable and dewalt mainly but am willing to go with anything that will do the job...

thanks for the help!

[kai m]

Medium crown staples are nice, if you want strength.

[Hank Frankenberg]

I have a Craftsman 18-guage brad nailer. It's a recent model and takes up to 2" brads. The guage is plenty strong. Remember, the brads are not for joint strength - they're to hold the panels in alignment while you apply clamps, so you do not need 16 or 15 guage brads. Accurately cut panels with sufficient glue applied will give you very strong joints.

[Wayne Ernst]

The "search" option is our friend

Seriously, here's a discussion quite close in nature that recently occured on this board. Some good information there.

[AllanRW]

http://www.houseoftools.com/product.htm?pid=12745
First nailer I bought and this thing is still going after 8 cases of brads with 1000 per case.
Best $19.99 CND I every spent.
Yes it was on sale and is at least every other month.
Next nailer I bought.
Bynford Bynford 2" 18 Gu. Brad Nailer w/ Depth control.
$69.95 CDN / $52.81 USD
Products Index - Air Tools - Nailers, Staplers, and Accessories - Finishing Nailers / Brad Guns
Manufacturer Information (Bynford ) -Shipping Information

The Bynford 2" 18 Gauge brad nailer accepts common 18 gauge brads from 5/8" to 2". It has an adjustable depth control to set the depth of countersink, and a catch on the front of the gun for quick clearing of any jams. Comes in a blow molded plastic case, and a 1/4" M style coupling.

We have sold over 1000 of these nailers from this factory, and our return rate has been well under 1%. Although I'm not recommending it for heavy industrial use, this is by far the best nailer we have ever come accross anywhere close to this price.
direct from the KMS tools site.

My wife fell over laughing when she seen the brand of this nailer.
Still jokes to this day.
Same thing got this one on sale for $29.99 with a free case of brads.


Just watch out for sales ,take care of the nailer .Keep the tracks clean ,give them a littel air tool oil every other use and you would be surprised how long they will last.

Al

[GuyMaren]

In the US, Harbor Freight often discount their 18 gauge brad nailer to $15.00 or $20.00, and many people posting to the Usenet news group rec.woodworking swear by them. I also like the idea of using a crown stapler instead. However, those are usually a little more expensive.

[John E Janowitz]

I have a 16ga Porter Cable. At the time I didn't have an air compressor so I got the little combo nailer and pancake compressor kit. I'm looking into the idea of the stapler for the future though. The brad nailer works great but doesn't really pull the pieces together tightly.

John

[kai m]

Here's some reviews of medium crown staplers. Mainly you see the galvanized staples with glue (the glue is activated by the heat of penetration). Very strong with aspects of permenence.




toolsofthetrade.net/articles/showarticle.asp?articleID=2012

[Robert_Dufresne]

16g nailer is the way to go if you want something solid.
18 g is too small