Compressors and nailers

BUM said:
oops almost forgot the "jitterbug" sander and the palm nailer (not what you're thinking).
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Palm nailers are cool when you need one! You can chase a nail in in a really restricted narrow spot.

BTW: regarding shooting shards of metal at a great rate of speed _ that's a true fact. I was working in a house shooting a twisted stud in at the top, holding the stud and firing the nail in at an angle into the upper plate. Was by myself and I recall thinking that I needed to be careful and not shoot myself in the hand as I pulled the trigger. The nail popped the corner off the stud and deflected, grazing my forefinger knuckle and removing the skin. I felt very fortunate not to have a nail through my knuckle. What's worse would be nailing yourself to your work. Which happens.
 
Anyone have any experience with the Kobalt stuff Lowes sells? I went in to get a few tidbits and do some window shopping and it seems the Kobalt compressors had good specs and some decent prices.

I was looking at this one
1.5-HP 17-Gallon Air Compressor

Bigger tank and better specs than the porter cable and it was the only one they were out of.

Right out front there was an 80 gallon version for $499. Got a few tim allen grunts.
 
Given the tremendous work load that you expressed needing the guns and compressors for, why not just rent them when you need them, saving money spent untill you really need to. :duh:
If you must buy, I've had good luck trolling the tool aisles at Lowes, and sometimes HD, looking for tools that someone purchased and brought back - usually worth at least 10% discount, and sometimes, if you talk to the store manager, as much as 22%. Also could apply to the HD stores that rent equipment out, they often sell some items after awhile, at a discounted price, and they provide a guarentee with them.
As to brand, I've used Porter, Kobalt, Dewalt, CH, and others, and with the amount of work you plan to use them for, they should all work well for you - just be sure to get the ones that have sufficient PSI and CFM ratings to drive the tools you will use.
My answers would be different if you were a full time contractor using those tools every day - but we are talking about home use here.
Good Luck!
 
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Bigger isn't better whenit comes to compressors. (Maybe if you are doing a lot of painting)..

I have both, a big sucker that is very heavy and difficult to move around even though its on wheels, and takes a long, long time from the time you turn it on until it is ready to use. This was the first one I bought.

Then I bought the little one from PC with the 3 nailers - didn't think I needed another compressor but it was a bundled deal.

Well I haven't turned on the big one since I got the little one (and I use them probably 5 times a week). Runs quieter, is ready to go within seconds of being tuned on (doesn't need to fill a huge tank of air), and its very easy to carry around to where I want it.

Don't underestimate the hassle of dragging around a 150lb compressor to the room you want to use it (plus depending on the plug I used the big one kept blowing the circuit breaker).
 
FarmerEd - I use the same "How much would it cost me to pay someone to do this? Hell I can buy a bunch of specialty tools for that much!" rationale. Dude that lives next door to me just paid some handyman $700 to replace about 12' of rotten fence and a gate. And he was as slow as molasses. With a framing nailer I could do that job in about 2 hours for about $50 worth of lumber...most of which I already have.

I've generally disliked renting gear unless its a one time use/heavy gear item. For example, I probably wouldnt buy a Bobcat (but heyyyy.....) or a ditch witch. But a tool I can reuse periodically is a no-brainer for me. By the time you rent it out, figure out how it works, notice that something on it is broken, argue with the guy when you bring it back over whether you broke it or got it that way, pay for it, haul it both ways, yada yada yada...I'd rather just buy one.

At this point i've got about 400' of rot and termite infested 17 year old redwood fence that I've propped up and made relatively dog-escape-proof...but its all going to have to be replaced soon. In a couple of years we're going to strip and reside the house and while I could borrow one of my BIL's guns to help his crew, it'd be pretty nice to be able to work on it when he (and his tools) arent around.

I'm always whacking little wood projects together...just made a small potting table to put the dozen strawberry plants my wife wanted up off the ground...framed in a whole house fan...built a giant dog house not that long ago...so the smaller guns would come in handy.

So its not like the stuff isnt gonna get used. But its not going to get the use patterns my power drill and reciprocating saw get.


As far as the big noisy compressor, based on a few comments above I was starting to think about just getting a big one with a lot of SCFM (which the medium to larger Kobalt ones seem to have), leave it in the garage and get a couple of extra lengths of hose to reach around the house and most areas of the yard...wheel it out to any remote areas during fence work.

That PC amazon item would be perfect if it included a framing nailer. Thats where i'm stuck. I cant find a decent framing nailer that doesnt cost $200+ except for that costco kit that has the brad nailer and stapler included. And that pairing (either way) shoots me over $500 :tongue:

But if I can get away with $130-150 for one of the Kobalt compressors and $200 for the costco kit, I've got the 3 guns I need, no duplicates, a bigger/stronger compressor, and i'm in the $330-350 range...
 
cute fuzzy bunny said:
I use the same "How much would it cost me to pay someone to do this? Hell I can buy a bunch of specialty tools for that much!" rationale.
Click to expand...

I told my wife 5 years ago, if the septic system dies, I am going to get one of these:

excavator.jpg



OK, maybe not quite that big, but given it costs about $40K in these parts to have a new one put in, I'd still be able to get something pretty nice and still save money! :)
 
Yeah...but ya have to dig up the old one and dispose of it...

Considering I had an old toilet sitting in my side yard for six months before I got around to hauling it to the dump, i'd hate to see how long it'd take me to get rid of a septic tank...
 
farmerEd said:
OK, maybe not quite that big, but given it costs about $40K in these parts to have a new one put in...
Click to expand...

Wow! Whaddya do, line those things with gold?

I can get a brand new aerobic system installed, including digging/blasting into solid limestone, for $15K. Why so darned high in your backyard?
 
I forgot to mention, if you're really not in the mood for plunking down 300-500 bucks, you could always use stainless steel screws and screw the fence in. It'll take you longer but it keeps you from spending money. I'm not sure what type of fence you're building, but I used 2 1/2 inch stainless screws for my pasture fence (corral board into 4x4's) and those things aren't going anywhere. Once you get your system down you can start moving along pretty quickly.

Oh, and 40k for a septic system? I believe I'd have to rig up an outhouse.
 
I did exactly that with the fence I built for my wifes old house. But I used powder coated deck course to fine thread deck screws and a drill with a screw sleeve on it. That went pretty quick but nowhere near as quick as KACHUNK! KACHUNK! KACHUNK! :)
 
And harbor freight has some incredibly cheap stuff with decent specs...but i'll bet its pretty flimsy.
 
cute fuzzy bunny said:
And harbor freight has some incredibly cheap stuff with decent specs...but i'll bet its pretty flimsy.
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In my experience with wood chippers that would be a big "yes".

They'll also put you on their mailing list from hell, from which it'll take them a minimum of 18 months of earnest fumbling to remove you.
 
I imagine after my second request, in writing on a bag of dog poop and on fire, they'd take me off the list. ;)
 
cute fuzzy bunny said:
I imagine after my second request, in writing on a bag of dog poop and on fire, they'd take me off the list. ;)
Click to expand...
My problem was getting Fedex or USPS to ship the flaming materials... but the lawyer letter seems to have done the trick.
 
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 ?
 
Nords said:
My problem was getting Fedex or USPS to ship the flaming materials... but the lawyer letter seems to have done the trick.
Click to expand...

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.
 
MasterBlaster said:
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 ?
Click to expand...

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*
 
They really don't even need to be subverted. Many framing guns are designed to discharge the way you described.
 
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.
 
GatorBuzz said:
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*
Click to expand...

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.
 
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