Types of air tools

fburke

I am looking to install molding in my living room. I was looking into buying an air compressor and nailer to do this and to use other air tools.


What type of nailer should I use? Brad, finish. Staples? I am pretty new to this and it’s all Chinese to me.

I want a good all around compressor one I can use air nailers and mechanics tools also and somewhat portable.


Any suggestions?

Thanks!

PK.

I was at Home Depot or Lowe's the other day and they had a Porter-Cable compressor kit that came with several nailers, 4 I think. It was around 350 bucks. It was a great deal. The compressor isn't big enough to paint a car with, but you could knock a wheel off with an impact I bet.

With air compressors, bigger is better. Buy as large a compressor as you can afford that will still be as portable as you want.

PK.

Oh yeah, for hanging moulding, having both a 16 ga. and an 18 ga. nailer will let you hang pretty much anything.

kemerick

My 2 cents is to go big with the tank. The larger the tank the better. You are far better off getting a 30+ gallon tank unit and then just buying a few 50' hoses to get where you need to go. Plus they look great sitting in your garage

Even a small motor can fill the larger tanks. For most situations, the larger tank is what provides the "power" you need to get the larger jobs done, especially when it comes to using tools that use alot of CFM.

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handy man88

If you're just planning on installing molding, then you don't need anything too big. The PC pancake should work, but it's very loud. If you plan on doing other projects in the house, where most of them may be during the night, you might want to consider buying a super quiet Makita hot dog compressor.

For molding, a finish nailer should be perfect. Brad nailer is moreso for tacking something in place before you screw it in (ie bookcases). Staples are moreso for something like holding down fabric/upholstery, or laying down resin paper before putting hardwoods down.

space_coyote

Having used both, it's worth it to spring for the 'angled' finish nailer rather the 'straight'. You'll find yourself not being able to get into tight spaces with the straight nailer. I'm sure someone here might disagree.

Kingfisher

Getting a 3 gun and compressor kit from a hd or lowes store is your best buy the compreesor in these kits will cover anything you need short of spray paint and automotive tools .

scorrpio

With portable compressors, HP and tank size parameters are not too useful. The important value is SCFM at 90psi. Consider: Sears has a Craftsman 1.1HP, 17gal compressor rated for 3.3 SCFM. And my 2.5HP, 4gal Makita delivers 4.2 SCFM.

That PorterCable deal at HD might be nice (btw, Amazon has what I think is a better deal on a Bostitch kit) but the comp they got is oilless. For the dubious 'maintenance free' claim, you get a much louder comp with a shorter life span. Oiled units are a little costlier, but IMHO, are way better.

What's up with SCFM? Well, every tool needs some. Smaller nailers/staplers will be totally happy with 2.5-3 SCFM. (The 6gal pancake comp in PC kit delivers 2.6). Heavier framers and roofers really need something closer to 4, but will be more or less ok on a 2.6 if you go slow. Impact wrenches generally want 3-4, and ratchets want 4+. Continuous operation tools like sanders are beyond the scope of portables and want a stationary unit that can deliver 6+ SCFM.

So, decide what your needs are, and get a compressor that fits them.

Guns:
For most interior trim work, the standard thing is an 18ga brad nailer But for heavier stuff, 15-16ga finish nailer is used as well. The nail holes are then filled by spackle for painted trim, or with wood putty for stained. On delicate trim that is to be stained, sometimes filling even 18ga holes with no trace is hard. In those cases, a 23ga pinner is the ticket. Staplers are great for tacking up insulation, upholstery, etc. Better guns can usually handle longer nails, have more precise depth adjustment, and will seat nails consistently to that depth. With a cheap, poor quality gun, be ready to go at the nails with a nailset and hammer. A 23ga pin is about impossible to finish off if left proud, so a quality gun there is a must.

Hose: check HarberFreight - I found their reels and hoses cheap but very adequate. I think that rubber hoses are much better - lie flat when unrolled, more manageable than PVC. If you want your hose neat instead of all over the place, you want a reel. It is also a good idea to get an inline air filter/oiler.

troubleseeker

Any of the packages at the big boxes will run a nailer for weekend projects, just be aware that the included equipment is not models that are intended for hard daily use. When you start using air tools or spray equipment, you need much more air than can be supplied by a pancake, or even the typical twin stack portable for that matter. Most air tools require upwards of 7 to 10 cfm, which is way more than these small portables can supply. A large air tank will get you buy for tools using short bursts of air like an impact wrench, but grinders and drills are air hogs,

cat44

nobody has mentioned paslode cordless. i have the framer and 16 gauge angle finish nailer and i love them. some pro's will tell you they are not fast enough for production and they're right but for 1 room, no hose or running compressor you cant go wrong. i actually have 2 compressors, 1 4 gal makita and a 33 gal craftsman and yet i still grab the cordless more than you think.