Who doesn’t want to complete any construction, woodwork, and DIY projects with accuracy alongside saving time? With various modern tools, the right kind of Nail Gun will boost your overall project with less hassle. However, choosing the right nail gun can be confusing as there are a ton of different types of it. You can find finish nailers, brad nailers, trim nailers, etc., alongside both pneumatic and cordless options.

How to Choose the Right Nail Gun for Your Project

Are you confused about How to Choose the Right Nail Gun for Your Project? Don’t fret, we will help you out from this confusion. Here is a guideline on choosing the best Nail Gun by considering all the necessary things.

Different Types of Nail Gun

All types of nail guns have their individual application and purposes. Because of the variation in the application, power source, and physical structure, Nail Gun types are huge in the market. Pneumatic nail gun, electric nail gun, combustion nail gun power source wouldn’t match with coil nailer and Straight nail gun. Let’s go through different types of nail guns and check which one fulfills your needs.

Based on Nail Gun Application, there are five types of Nailer available.

1. Framing Nailer

They are designed for doing large projects. They have the capacity of shooting up to 3.5 inches of nails. According to nail holding capabilities, they are two types: stick and coil framing nailers. Coil nailers can preserve more nails than a stick gun.

2. Brad Nailer

Brad Nailer is multi-purpose equipment for DIY work. They use 18 to 23 gauge brad nails that are around 0.5 to 2 inch in length. Brad Nails is generally used in small woodworking projects. Such as baseboard installation, cabinet construction, and interior moulding.



3. Finish Nailer

A finishing nailer also considers a multi-purpose nailer. They generally use 15 and 16 gauge nails. They are best for people who are a beginner in a woodworking project. To trim any Hardie surface it is the best choice.

4. Roofing Nailers

They are very handy and portable to operate. And the great thing about roofing nailer is that it has a configurable system to measure the depth of shoot. They also have a coil magazine to hold a lot of nails. Roofing nails are best for installing shingles.

5. Staple Gun

Staple guns are quite handy. It works by pushing staplers on the surface, makes a rigid placement. Similar to a hammer tacker, it has an additional tool to pull out wrong placed staplers. They are best for picture framing, carpeting, and ceiling tiles.

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How To Choose The Right Nail Gun For Your Project?

When choosing the nailer, it depends on the specific project which you are using. As we know that not all nailers use the same kind of nails, that’s why nailers may vary depending on the nails needed. Besides, different types of nails are used in different types of project sizes. Then, How to Choose the Right Nail Gun for Your Project? Well, below we have discussed three important things that might help you to choose the right nailer for your next project.

1. Choose A Nail Gun Based On Project Type

Every project can be divided into two phases: First fix and Second Fix. The first fix is the term to refer to structural work on a project including foundation and installing plasterboards. And the term Second Fix is used for interior or finishing work. Each fix needs a special nail gun to accomplish the work perfectly due to variations in the work phase.

  • First Fix Nail Gun: First fix nailer is also known as a framing nail gun. They’re mostly used for completing rough woodwork such as roofing, flooring, and framing. This type of nail gun is effective at working on hard material. At this point, a question may arise, What nail gun for hardie trim? The answer is First Fix Nail Gun.
  • Second Fix Nail Gun: Second fix nail gun is known as finishing nailers. They are used for finishing off a project, for which, they come in portable sizes, handy in operation. Second fix nailers are suitable for door framing, skirting boards, and refined finish. They often come as angled or straight, to reach hard areas.

2. Choose A Nail Gun Based On Project size

When choosing your nailer, understand in what type of project you will use it. Whether it is for a small project or for a large one. If you want to start woodworking crafts, it is better to go with a pin nail gun. It’s small in size, so it is fitted for small DIY projects. Pin nailers have 22 to 23 nail gauges to cover small work. While working on large projects like building decks, framing houses, basements, a cordless nailer suits in perfectly. You can also use a framing nailer which is very powerful and effective for commercial use. Their nails are generally 2 ½”-3 ½” long and come with two types: round head and clipped head.

3. Choose A Nail Gun Based On Power Source

Do you know how a nailer operates? Different kinds of nailers operate by different power sources. The most popular one is the pneumatic nail gun. It gets power from a compressed air supply that is generated from an air compressor. A battery-operated or cordless electric gun operates from a lithium-ion battery. Which ensures a long-time power source. There is another type of nailer which is called first-generation nailer or Corded Electric Nailer which is nonportable. Therefore, if you want a portable nailer, then you should go with a Cordless Electric Gun.

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Key Factor Before Choosing A Nail Gun

Adding a Nail gun to your tools box is worth it. It not only gives you long-lasting results but also saves money. After deciding about the types of nail guns, the obvious question is what factor do I consider before getting a nail gun? Well, here is a list of four factors that you should consider before a happy purchase.

1. Ergonomics

When you use a Nail Gun it is important to fit it in your hand. A comfortable gun can be hold for hours without any hassle. So, an ergonomic feature that can make a huge difference.

2. Power Source

Based on the power source, nail guns are three kinds, pneumatic, electric, and cordless. Pneumatic nailers rely on compressed air where cordless guns are powered by batteries. So, choose your nail gun wisely which fits your needs.

3. Firing Pin

Look for a nail gun which has a hardened, tempered firing pin. Because this is the most essential part. If firing pins are not hardened and tempered properly, it may cause misfires

4. Trigger Types

Generally, Nail guns come with two types of trigger systems: Contact and Sequential triggers. Contact triggers fire the nail when the tip comes closer to the wood where a sequential trigger needs to depress the tip against the material.

Conclusion

Obviously, a nail gun is a smart investment in any project. But you need to make sure you are getting the right kind of tool which serves you well. Otherwise, it will be a worse investment. Consider how you want to plan to use, the types of your project, and the factors that are mentioned in above.

Hopefully after going through with this article the confusion on How to Choose the Right Nail Gun for Your Project narrows down. Now you are able to pick the right kind of nailers for your next project.