What types of nail guns do woodworkers need?

Have you ever noticed that too many useful things around us are made out of wood, such as chairs, tables, staircases, shoe or kitchen cabinets, home decoration, or picture frames? Not only are those, but most of our houses, doors, windows, and outdoor furniture are made of wood too. Without someone’s support, however, they didn’t reach their usable format. And the man who actually works to turn a piece of wood into a beautiful craft is a carpenter or wood professionals. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all the woodworkers for their exceptional dedication.

Are you interested in entering this growing profession? Or, think about doing some woodwork or home remodeling on your own. Whatever it is, there are some simple tips you need to learn. Besides acquiring knowledge, another most critical element is getting the right tools. Yes, man! You have to have some specific tools in your hand, either you DIY or take it as a profession.

The hammer and chisel come first in our minds when it comes to woodworking tools. However, the types of resources you’re going to need ultimately depend on the size of the project you’re going to handle. In general, the hammer, either claw, finish, or mallet is one of the most useful woodworking devices. Yet it’s a little backdated idea to use a manual hammer. The only option then left is to use a power nail gun.

A nail gun will greatly improve your working speed, along with giving you the accuracy you’re never going to find in a hammer alone. And our topic du jour is to discuss various kinds of nail guns and find out which one is better suited to your project. So, don’t go anywhere, let’s just stick with us. Actually, there are many different styles, so with a lot of options, do you know the kind to buy? Will you buy all of them, or just one or two?

Types of Nail Guns

Nail guns are handy when you’re working on your woodworking project. Knowing which one to use would make the job simpler and quicker to do. So, educate yourself about nail guns and use them wisely and correctly. Here are the 9 distinct nailers that you should be aware of:

Framing Nailers

Let’s start with a framing nailer, the most functional and robust among the other nail guns. You may use it for heavy-duty construction, such as making wood frames for building houses. Typically, a framing nailer can drive 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 inch nails to create 2×4 trusses. Based on the power source, we can classify the framing nailer into two groups – pneumatic and cordless. Pneumatic framing nailers are more efficient and reliable than cordless ones. However, when using a cordless (battery or gas-powered) nailer, you can enjoy the freedom to drive nails to tight corners as you do not have to lug any hoses or compressors.

Once again, we can distinguish the framing nailer into two categories based on the nail head they fire – the clipped head and the round head nailer. Clipped head nailers retain more nails than the round head, but you’ll get less holding strength with it. There are also certain limitations on the use of the clipped head in some states. So, before you make your decision, you need to check all this matter. You’ll get more tips and tricks like these by following the best framing nailer reviews and buying guide page.

Typical uses of a framing nailer:

• Building Decks,
• Framing House,
• Room Addition,
• Wood sheathing,
• Fencing,
• Wood siding and more.

Roofing Nailers

Roofing nailers, too, are a heavy-duty nail device, just like framing nailers. It’s more of a professional nailer than a DIY. Only when you think about taking a roofing job as a career, you might think about buying a cordless roofing nailer. Nonetheless, serious DIYers can also think about it.

There are two types – coil and strip roofing nailer is available on the market. Coil type roofing nailer gives you the ability to drive nails for long periods without reloading. Roofing nailers usually are fitted with a tool-less gauge for precise spacing. Therefore, you can choose it as a solution for quick shingle work.

Typical uses of a roofing nailer:

• Attaching roofing shingles made of asphalt or fiberglass
• Exterior drywall
• Fiber cement
• Insulation board
• Vapor barrier
• Vinyl siding

Flooring Nailers

The outlook of the flooring nailer is quite different from the traditional nail guns. These nailers are specially built to make the laying of tongue-and-groove floorboards ease. All you have to do is set the nailer against the edge of the board. Then push the nail in with a gentle hit by a mallet on the plunger. And, eventually, you’ve got your nails in the right angle and the depth. You’ll even find a pneumatic flooring nailer on the market. The basic concept is the same for both types, except pneumatic flooring nailers use air pressure to do the job instead of hit by a mallet.

Typical uses of flooring nailers:

• It only can drive nails into tongue-and-groove floorboards.

Siding Nailers

Unlike flooring nailers, siding nailers are also designed to do a specific job, and that is the installation of the siding. This sturdy nailer comes in handy when you need to fit together thinner pieces of wood or synthetic materials with a wooden frame. Typically the siding nails are shorter in size 1-1/4 to 2-1/2 inches with larger heads. Many siding nailers are compatible with aluminum nails, making them suitable for the mounting of aluminum siding. Though you can use a framing nailer for siding work, however when you need the superior result, it’s better to use a siding nailer.

Typical uses of siding nailers:

• Installing of thinner wooden piece and non-wooden piece to wooden frames or surfaces

Palm nailers

If you want everything under your palm, you can go for a palm nailer. Yes! You can do everything that other nailers can but on a small scale with a palm nailer. Even though it is small in size, it’s more accurate than other bigger nailers, and it will give you more control and excellent balance. With a palm nailer, you can shoot only a nail at a time, and it allows you to drive a wide range of nail from 1-1/2 inch to up 6 inches. It is available in battery, pneumatic, and electric variations.

Typical uses of palm nailers:

• Tight spots,
• Joist hangers,
• Smaller projects.

Finishing Nailers

When our previous nailers are more of a specialized nail gun, finishing nailers will give you versatility. Yes! You can use finish nailer in several indoor and outdoor finishing jobs, making furniture, and more. Finishing nailers are medium-duty nail guns designed to drive 1 inch to 2-1/2 inches 15 to 16 gauge nails into little cumbersome baseboards or moldings. Finishing nails are with smaller heads, therefore, left an almost negligible footprint.

Typical uses of finishing nailers:

• Interior and exterior trim work,
• Crown molding,
• Base molding,
• Door and window casings,
• Cabinets,
• Chair rails,
• Staircase,
• Hard and softwood flooring

Brad Nailers

Brad nailers are little smaller and lighter in comparison to the finishing nailers and designed to drive thin, delicate nails or brads for crown molding or trimming jobs. It is more of a DIY tool than a professional. The brad nailer is useful for smaller woodworking, upholstery, and household repairing projects. With a brad nailer, you can usually drive 5/8 inch to 1-1/2 inch 18 gauge nails.

Typical uses of brad nailers:

• Baseboards,
• Crown molding,
• Trim work, including door and window casings

Pin nailers

When you can drive 15 to 18 gauge nails with finish and brad nailer, pin nailer will allow you to drive more delicate 23 gauge nails or pins. Therefore, pin nailers are the smallest and more delicate finish carpentry tools to buy. As pins are often headless, and it has very less holding power. So, carpenters mostly use them in gluing tasks to keep things together in place.

Typical uses of pin nailers:

• Delicate finishing work in carpentry,
• Thin crown molding,
• Delicate trim pieces,
• Thin veneers,
• Small furniture trim,
• Crafts, jewelry cases, and hobby work

Crown Stapler

The crown stapler, also known as a staple gun, does not look like other nail guns but drives staple or U-shape nails to fasten a wide range of materials.

Typical uses of a crown stapler:

• Upholstery: To attach a piece of fabric to the frame of a sofa or chair.
• Carpeting: To fix carpeting to floors and even walls for soundproofing.
• Carpentry and Home Repair: To fastening boards and panels.
• Construction: To build birdhouses or dog houses.

Still curious, let see the video below

Conclusion

Now you know all sorts of nail guns and their uses. If you’re thinking about just getting into woodworking or DIY projects, you could start with finishing or brad nailer. Or, if the heavy-duty jobs are on your mind, then framing nailers are an excellent choice. Getting a better understanding of the available nailers would make it easier to choose the correct one for the project you are going to launch. Happy woodworking!