Compressors and nailers

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cute fuzzy bunny I imagine after my second request, in writing on a bag of dog poop and on fire, they'd take me off the list.

My problem was getting Fedex or USPS to ship the flaming materials... but the lawyer letter seems to have done the trick.

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords My problem was getting Fedex or USPS to ship the flaming materials... but the lawyer letter seems to have done the trick.

And how is that different from a flaming bag of dog poop?

[farmerEd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HFWR And how is that different from a flaming bag of dog poop?

Its the same thing, but costs more.

[MasterBlaster]

Per the safety issues...

My brother was a roofing contractor when he was younger. One day his compressed air staple gun accidentally dropped and fired a 2 inch staple through his substantial boot into his foot and ankle.

besides the pain, That injury cost him many months of lost work and the associated lost wages.

These things really are somewhat dangerous even if they are of high quality.

I wouldn't own one myself, they are an accident waiting to happen.

A roofing contractor needs to own this equipment. Do you really need this nail gun ?

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords My problem was getting Fedex or USPS to ship the flaming materials... but the lawyer letter seems to have done the trick.

Its an extra fee item, on their services menu right under "signature required". "Flaming dog poop delivery...$14.95". UPS does a nice job, fires it right up the moment of delivery, drops it on the doorstep, rings the bell and runs away.

USPS wont do it though.

[GatorBuzz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasterBlaster Per the safety issues... My brother was a roofing contractor when he was younger. One day his compressed air staple gun accidentally dropped and fired a 2 inch staple through his substantial boot into his foot and ankle. besides the pain, That injury cost him many months of lost work and the associated lost wages. These things really are somewhat dangerous even if they are of high quality. I wouldn't own one myself, they are an accident waiting to happen. A roofing contractor needs to own this equipment. Do you really need this nail gun ?

Roofing guns are almost always triggered differently than your everyday average nail gun. The roofing guns activate the moment the tip of the gun (can't remember the actual name of it) is pressed against the roof (or whatever else it hits). Some framing guns are even more dangerous than that; they expel the nail by simply pulling the trigger. However, most of the guns that are recommended from other people throughout this thread require two steps to activate the gun. The gun tip has to be pressed down and then the trigger pulled.

While this might seem subtle, it is a great safety feature. Accidental drops, etc. with this type of gun will not cause the gun to discharge. Now, it is still a dangerous tool, as all are. But it's not that bad if you are simply aware of what you're doing and treat it as if it's a snake. My grandfather used to say that all power tools and snakes should be treated with delicate hands b/c both of them want to bite you. I've always remembered that. *knocksonwood*

[calmloki]

safety features can be subverted - i've known some framers who had their guns rigged to fire every time they hit material. 'course the gun didn't care what the material was..... now here's an interesting invention for saws:
Finger Saver: Amazing SawStop Cuts Anything But Your Fingers - Gizmodo

[GatorBuzz]

They really don't even need to be subverted. Many framing guns are designed to discharge the way you described.

[BUM]

Easy big fella,
Sounds like you might need or want a few really nice tools, esp. that framing nailer, only to have them underpowered by a wimpy compressor. You will never hear, "Oh darn, my compressor's too big".

Take one more look at a SamsClub 190411 and 190558.

[MasterBlaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GatorBuzz Roofing guns are almost always triggered differently than your everyday average nail gun. The roofing guns activate the moment the tip of the gun (can't remember the actual name of it) is pressed against the roof (or whatever else it hits). Some framing guns are even more dangerous than that; they expel the nail by simply pulling the trigger. However, most of the guns that are recommended from other people throughout this thread require two steps to activate the gun. The gun tip has to be pressed down and then the trigger pulled. While this might seem subtle, it is a great safety feature. Accidental drops, etc. with this type of gun will not cause the gun to discharge. Now, it is still a dangerous tool, as all are. But it's not that bad if you are simply aware of what you're doing and treat it as if it's a snake. My grandfather used to say that all power tools and snakes should be treated with delicate hands b/c both of them want to bite you. I've always remembered that. *knocksonwood*

Well it's been a number of years since the accident. But as I recall my brothers professional roofing gun required both the tip trigger and the handle contact switch trigger to be depressed. Nonetheless when the gun was dropped, for some reason the gun fired with the severe consequences described in my post.

If you were suggesting that staple guns are unsafe and that nail guns are safe then I'd have to disagree. Talk to anybody that works regularly with these type things and they'll tell you about accidents.

[GatorBuzz]

Not suggesting that at all, MasterBlaster, as I indicated in the second paragraph of the post you quoted above. All nail guns are dangerous, but so are all cars, swimming pools and many other everyday things we use. Just pointing out that a gun with a two-step discharge is safer than one with a one-step discharge. Everyone on both sides of my family are construction workers or professional fishermen. I know very well how dangerous tools, especially nail guns and saws, can be. Accidents happen to even the most careful of people.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BUM Easy big fella, Sounds like you might need or want a few really nice tools, esp. that framing nailer, only to have them underpowered by a wimpy compressor. You will never hear, "Oh darn, my compressor's too big".

Joe Piscopo said it best in "Johnny Dangerously": "It shoots through schools!"

[ERD50]

And safety goggles too. I know a guy that had a nail deflect back up off a knot, and right into his eye.

The only thing that saved him was that when they got him to the hospital, a doctor was prepping another patient for a scheduled eye operation. They were able to get him in just in time with all that equipment set up to save the eye (which was still partially damaged and sensitive to light after that).

Be careful out there!

Also - have you considered the fuel powered guns? I think they use butane - no compressor required.

-ERD50

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I've seen them but never looked into them. I was sorta hoping someone would come up with something electric by now...I guess 110v solenoids that can be packaged into a handheld unit arent strong enough to fire a 3" nail into a piece of wood

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cute fuzzy bunny I've seen them but never looked into them. I was sorta hoping someone would come up with something electric by now...I guess 110v solenoids that can be packaged into a handheld unit arent strong enough to fire a 3" nail into a piece of wood

It sure is an engineering challenge. When I'm trying to drive a nail into some part of my anatomy I can never decide whether I'd like to be electrocuted or scorched in the process...

I think a big honkin' oil-lubricated compressor is probably the simplest, most rugged, and most reliable way to go.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Actually, the worst harm I think i've ever done to myself is with a hammer.

Besides, between the cobra payments and the dog knee surgery, I think i'm tapped out for the summer.

Maybe if I get a great price on selling the old house, or the market tanks keeps tanking and I can put some of this cash to work

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Couldnt stand it anymore when I saw this model at the local Tractor Supply Company store on clearance for $129

Clarke 2 HP Pancake Air Compressor-4 Gallon Free Shipping

Most of the less expensive models I came across had weak CFM ratings, bad reviews, or some other issue. And I didnt feel like dedicating a quarter of my garage to a 30+ gallon unit.

I see Amazon has the same campbell hausfeld 3 gun kit (framing, finish and brad) that costco is selling at $199 for $189, no tax, free shipping.

So I'll end up with a small but mighty oil lubricated, reasonably quiet compressor and the guns I wanted for about $300 total.

The porter cable $299 set was inviting, but the CFM rating was pretty weak for the framing gun...2.6 from the compressor while the gun wants 4.1 for steady use, and it didnt have a framing nailer, which is the gun i'll probably use the most.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

A little epilog.

The Clarke compressor I bought turned out to have some defect problems, and since TSC didnt have another one to swap it out with, they took it back and I ended up buying this one

Amazon.com: WEN 2271 14-Y Amp 2 HP 5-Gallon Oiled Pancake Compressor (Yellow tank): Home Improvement

For $99. Nice CFM ratings (5.2@40, 4.2@90) and a slightly larger tank, 5 gallon vs 4.

Amazon has been bumping the price since I got it, but just dropped it back to $99 and threw in free shipping.

If you want a small, lightweight compressor that can run a framing nailer, this is well recommended. Its pretty quiet (oiled), I can carry it around easily with one hand...its about 45lbs, and i've been using it for almost a month with no problems.

Picked up a nice little accessory kit from sears on sale for $15 with a 50' hose, blow gun, lots of connectors/tips/inflators. Another 50' hose for ten bucks, and that amazon CH nailgun kit for $189.

$313 with taxes only on the sears kit, no shipping charges.

I couldnt find anything anywhere near this price range and portability that still offered the high CFM ratings needed for a framer, big grinder, ratchet or sand blaster. Its probably going to be a little weak for sand blasting, but I probably wont be doing a whole lot of that.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Followup: I decided I wanted a bigger tank once I started replacing the 9000 feet of rotting fence at the house. Turned up a pretty good deal.

Walmart sells a briggs and stratton manufactured unit, in 10 and 15 gallon sizes. CFM ratings are the same as the Wen unit, which other than having a small tank, worked great.

The 10 gallon unit is regularly priced at $98. The 15 gallon unit comes with a cheap but functional air hammer, ratchet, wrench and grinder, lots of tips for those, a bunch of accessories but no hose and is $180. I got the 15 gallon but I wish it came without the cheapo tools for $120-130. Its the same motor on both, just the tank size is different.

Oiled, single stage, direct drive, vertical tank, wheels and handle. Not as loud as some of the oilless ones but not super quiet either. I kept looking at the craftsman units but anything oiled with a large tank was a brazillion dollars, mostly just the "pro" models. I saw some clearance 26 and 33 gallon units, but they were oilless and I decided they just took up too much garage space.

I almost bit on a 220v Palmgren 8 gallon oiled belt driven unit on Amazon when it was $199, but between the time when I put it in my cart and went to check out a little while later, the price had gone up to $269. First time I've seen an online seller change the price of an item while it was in the cart. Amazon advised that this is their policy and that they adjust prices constantly. Tank was a bit small anyhow, although based on what I saw it'd fill about twice as fast as the one I ended up getting.

This worked out well, I can flip it on while I get my stuff together, about 3-4 minutes later its full. I unplug it and roll it out and I've got enough air to do a couple of sections of fence before the pressure drops too low to drive the framing nailer.

I'll probably find some uses for the air hammer and some of the other tools. If nothing else, Gabe likes playing with them and they're heavy duty enough to be dropped a lot...