Air Compressor and Nail Guns
1. This is my compressor. It’s a little Porter Cable pancake compressor. It packs 135 PSI (pounds per square inch) of pressure. Every pneumatic tool has it’s own operating pressure requirements. You must refer to that tool or operating manual when setting the operating pressure on the air compressor before using said tool with said air compressor. 🙂
Pros: It is light enough for me to pick up and carry around the job site (my home). It’s got enough pressure and capacity to power all my nail guns.
Cons: The small capacity tank requires the motor has to kick on frequently to maintain enough pressure to power my nail guns. It doesn’t cut it for powering a paint sprayer. The motor has to run constantly and even then, there is just not enough air pressure to work with that tool. (At least that is my experience.)
*Important step that is often overlooked or unknown: The tank must be drained of condensation so it doesn’t rust out your tank or get forced into through the hose and into the nail gun.
My 16 gauge Porter Cable Finish Nailer is my go to gun. I use it when I build anything from picture frames and cabinets and when I install moulding and wainscoting. It requires a range of 70 to 120 PSI.
I have an 18 gauge Craftsman finish nailer/stapler gun that I can only use as a stapler because it jams EVERY time I try to use it as a nailer.
It would be handy if the NAIL gun aspect worked for tight to reach spots but I’ve been surviving without it.
*I use it all the time to staple on the backs of my cabinets.
See my full review of the 18V cordless DeWalt nail gun.
My DeWalt Framing Nailer packs a punch! It has a strong recoil so I use two hands as often as possible with this bad boy.
This nailer has dual fire options. I can switch out the trigger to a bump fire trigger which would allow me to hold in the trigger and fire a nail every time I bump the nose guard. I think that’s an accident waiting to happen so I have never switched to the Bump Fire Trigger!
***It’s important to know that not all guns have the same safety features so make sure you read your owners manual to understand how to safely use the gun that you have!***
Did you remove this video? I tried to watch it, and it said you had removed it. boo
I even grabbed my breakfast so I could multi-task
~a
I did but I’m uploading it again. (I had to go back and add a couple things that got cut out. It’s so hard to make sure I touch on EVERYTHING.)
i cant watch cuz I’m at work, but do you buy nail guns/etc at Harbor Freight? I love that place. I’m trying to find a paint gun right now that I can hook up to my compressor…i may have to use an automobile paint gun sigh
Katy,
I advise caution when buying power tools from Harbor Freight. They’re great for some things but I would personally not purchase a no name brand nail gun. Aside from possible jams and overall reliability concerns, I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of a jam clear gone wrong.
Harbor Freight is great for “disposable” tools (i.e. single project uses) whose overall performance is not critical and longevity is irrelevant.
Just one tool guy’s opinion. Good luck.
Fong I am an engineer but not nearly paranoid enough it seems. 🙂
I have an 18 gauge combination nail gun/stapler that I bought at HF for less than $30, and it is awesome. No problems so far. The contractor that lives down the street from me said he had the same one for years, so it was worth it.
I have not had good luck with cheap paint guns, however…
I haven’t ever purchased a nail gun from HF but I have an awesome grinder/sander that I bought there.
p.s. I ALWAYS disconnect the air hose before clearing a jam! 🙂
Apologies if I came off sounding harsh. Sometimes the paranoid engineer in me can’t keep his mouth shut.
I started buying no name brand tools from everywhere like swap meets, thrift shops, local hardware stores (before the big chains) and later online retailers like eBay and Harbor Freight. In fact, I still do from time to time. They all serve a purpose for someone at some time and I certainly didn’t mean to imply any are inherently dangerous.
Always disconnecting the air line is a good safety tip but I’ve had electrical nailers fire on me during a jam clear without power so it’s not always fail safe. Then again, that’s what safety glasses are for. =)
Katy–I bought a paint gun at Woodcraft that hooks up to our large compressor (13 gallon, maybe–I’m guessing, I know it is two digits!). It was only $35 so I was skeptical, but it worked great on a project I just completed last week. I can’t speak for the spray gun’s longevity because I haven’t had it that long. It’s a Woodriver Pro Spray Gun. I used it on this:
and here’s the link to the product:
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2021128/25126/WoodRiver-Pro-HVLP-Spray-Gun-with-600cc-Plastic-Cup.aspx
thanks, I will check it out. Sounds like it would be great (if it works with my pancake compressor)
I saved it to watch this morning and it’s gone 🙁
Love it! I have nail gun envy 🙂 Never used a power tool (well besides a drill) in my life but totally want to build furniture and install molding. Someday!!
Great job lady! I have the same compressor and brad nailer. The only thing you didn’t show off was the safety feature on the nose of the nailer. Or maybe I missed it…I am up far too late tonight.
I know. I woke up this morning thinking about how I could have organized and presented my thoughts better and covered more… I think I might delete and start over!