A nail gun, also known as Nailer is a power tool that used to shoots nails into the materials. It can be either powered by compressed air, gas, or a battery. The nail gun is very useful in carpentry, roofing, framing, or other DIY/home improvement repair works. A nail gun not only can prevent our fingers from getting hammered, but it can also speed up the work process if there are many nails needed to be driven into the materials. There are few advantages to using a nail gun over a hammer: 1. it is precise, it has better control on the nail, and can shoot it accurately. 2. It is safe as it reduces the chances that our fingers being hammered. 3. It is fast and easy with a simple push on the button. 4. No damage to the workpiece and nails. The nail gun can drive the nails directly straight to the material at the right depth and position without bending the nails or damaging the materials. This can greatly improve the quality of craftsmanship. In addition, there is no need to carry a box of nails as the nails are arranged/loaded in a strip or coil style when using with the nail gun. Due to its benefits and popularity, there are many types of nail guns available and it can be challenging to choose the right one for the project. Here we will introduce few common types of nail guns that must be known by carpenters or construction specialists.
We can classify the nail gun by the way of how the nails are loaded into the gun. There are two types of nail loaded ways which are coil-style and strip-style. A coil-style nail gun, which is also known as coil nailer or siding nailer, is using wires to join and coil all the nails together to form a round magazine. The average number of nails it can carry is around 350 nails and some advanced models even can carry more nails. We can complete some simple tasks without having the need to reload the nails constantly. A coil-style nail gun has a big drum magazine, it is inside the nail gun and unlike the strip-style magazine that is out of the nail gun, this has made the coil-style nail gun easier to use in a tighter space. The strip-style nail gun has a long magazine that is located out of the nail gun and strips of wire or plastic hold the nails in place. The average number of nails it can hold is around 40 nails. The strip-style nail gun is much cheaper than the coil-style nail gun. This reason has made the strip-style nail gun become the preferred choice for those who have more budget constraints or don’t use the nail gun frequently. In addition, the weight of a strip-style nail gun is evenly distributed, unlike the coil-style nail gun which is heavier in the front of the nail gun. It is easier to use a strip-style nail gun to drive the nails more accurately.
Here is the list of common nail guns with their idea applications.
Brad Nail Gun
Brad nail gun is a specialty gun and light-duty nailer that is used for ultra-thin nails (18-gauge nails). It is best suited for DIY projects or some finishing applications such as light furniture, cabinets, carpet, or other precision works that require high accuracy. The brads are small enough to leave a tiny hole that is barely noticeable. In addition, a brad nail gun is commonly used for installing thin molds and lightweight trims as it won’t split the materials.
Framing Nailer
As per name suggests, it is intended to use for housing frames. It is a heavy-duty tool for large construction and manufacturing projects. , it drives a long nail (up to 3 and 1/2 inches in length) that can be inserted deeply into the dense lumber and create durable and firm frames. Sequential trip firing mechanisms and tool-free depth-drive adjustment are available in most of the models.
Finish Nailer
A finish nailer is used for carpentry work. It is mainly for precision tasks such as installing trim, doing molding, or building furniture. It can drive 15 and 16-gauge nails up to 2 and 1/2 inches in length. It is smaller than the framing nail gun and bigger than the brad nail gun. Its features a highly precise and accurate firing that has made it an ideal choice for most kinds of jobs. It usually has an angular design that allows us to handle it easily in a tight space or some hard-to-reach places.
Flooring Nail Gun
A flooring nail gun is also known as a cleat nailer. It acts as the flooring staple that secures the floor plank or floorboard to the ground. It is quicker and more energy-saving with the use of a flooring nail gun.
Roofing Nail Gun
A roofing nail gun is a specialty tool that mainly used by professional roofers for the installation of roofing. It is a coil-style nailer that allows for storing more nails at a time and complete the roofing works efficiently. It can be used for different types of roofing material such as asphalt shingles, insulation boards, fiberglass, tar paper, etc.
Pin Nailer
Pin nailer is very useful for some small and precise wood-crafting projects that using thinner pieces of wood as it can shoot the thinnest nails that range from 22 to 23 gauge head or headless nails that won’t damage the wood materials. A pin Nail gun is specially designed for accurate shots with the correct power to drive the nails and leaving no marks in the materials.
How to choose the right nail gun for your projects?
When selecting the nail gun, it much relies on the specific project/work that we are using the nail gun. If you are working for furniture making, then you may consider a brad nailer that is suitable for small projects. A heavy-duty framing nail gun is suitable for some fencing projects or you may need to consider a high-gauge pin gun when doing the most delicate task. As we know that not all nail guns using the same nails. We need to understand the gauge of the nail gun and nail are best for the job as if the nails go too small or too big will affect the work results. We also need to decide the power source of a nail gun should choose a battery or air source. Air sources can provide a stronger force while battery sources can offer greater reliability and conveniences. The weight of the gun should also be taken into consideration as it should relate properly to the task on hand.
In conclusion, each type of nail gun has its own field of work and purpose. If you are professional and require quality work results, it is suggested to use a different nail gun for different work. MecHero Malaysia supplies different types of nailers for meeting your requirements. You can always contact us at +6011-7000 7687 or email us at my.mechero@gmail.com for an inquiry about the nail gun for industrial or home use. As a steel and online hardware store Malaysia, we also supply a wide range of steel material, general hardware, or mechanical components. Tell us your requirements now and we can advise you accordingly.
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