Finish Nailing 101
When it comes to attaching woodworking projects together, nothing beats the power and accuracy of a pneumatic finish nail gun or brad nailer. These two types of guns work for similar projects but have a completely different design that creates perfect joined wood for a wide variety of home improvement projects.
Nothing beats joining trim, molding or baseboard using a quality finish nailers. These nail guns should be at the top of any serious woodworkers must-have list. By using a 1-2 ½” finish nail, these nail guns can really make sure that smaller pieces of material stick together without being damaged by the nail itself.
These types of nail guns use a stick style nail cartridge that helps to fasten small pieces of wood together perfectly without the need for lots of wood glue.
Finish Nailer Purchasing Tips: When you’re looking to buy a quality finish nailer, look for a nail gun design that offers a tool free adjustable depth. This allows the user to quickly and easily set the depth of the nail, so hand setting isn’t necessary.
Brad Nailers
This lighter and smaller nail gun is just like a finish nailer except that it shoots smaller brad style finish nails that can attach even the smallest pieces of wood without splitting the material. The more notable difference between the finish nailer and the brad nailer is the angle of the nail magazine. Brad nailers often have a straight nail magazine while a finish nailer often use a 34 degree angled magazine. Angled finish nailers are angled because they use larger gauge nail. And because a brad nailer uses smaller nail sizes such as the ¼” brad, they can easily be stacked in a straight line without worrying about backfires clogging up the gun.
Things to consider when buying a Finish Nail Gun: Look for a brad nailer that uses a sequential trip trigger. This prevents the gun from double firing and ruining delicate woodworking projects with a misfired nail.
Oil-free brad nailers work best. Oiled pneumatic finish and brad nail guns can often leak oil from the tip of the gun, permanently ruining your finer woodworking projects. Choose an oil-free brad or finish nailer to get the most out of your nailer purchase.
A swiveled tip can help to keep your hose out of the way. They are often showcased as an additional feature of the nail gun. Don’t fall for the hype. You can purchase a swiveled air chuck and install it on any finish or brad nail gun in the world.
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