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!***
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…
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 for your comment Allison.
Every week (well, both weeks so far) after I finish up and then worry about whether or not I included enough information or too much or did it make sense…and then get irritated about the amount of time I spent making and worrying about the video, I decide I’m not going to do any more. It takes so much time and it stresses me out.
But then I get a comment like yours that makes me glad I took the time to do it and gives me enough encouragement to do- maybe just one more!
This is soooooo good!!! I use all these things at my Dad’s when we build sets, but I’m under his direction so while I am comfortable with them and know how to use them and hook them up, that’s all I’ve known!! Boy, am I gonna sound smart now!!! hehe!!!! Thank you so much for all the great information!!!
Great video! I learned a lot and can tell you that I’ve never seen Mr. Woodsy oil his nail guns OR drain the compressor tank at the end of the day! I’m going to ask him this when I see him later today and he is probably going to tell me that he always does it (but I’ve never seen him do it)!