How to choose a nail gun?

gspencer

I am about to embark on a construction project that involves some decking and fencing and was looking for a framing nail gun for the deck frame. I also wanted to put up some screening and was looking at using the nail gun to attach merbau slats onto a frame. (looking at nailing 19mm merbau pickets onto 42x42mm merbau frame). I was advised that the framing gun would likely cause splitting into hardwood and would need another one for that.

Since I really can't throw a hammer, it would seem that I am looking at two - a framing nailer and a brad Nailer. I was originally looking at battery powered ryobi guns, but it would appear that the economic changes if I need two and I would be better off getting Ryobi Airwave nailers and a compressor.  

Have anyone got any advice on how I should choose a nailer for these applications?

JacobZ

Hi @gspencer,

Thank you for your question about choosing nail guns for your projects.

A framing nailer is predominantly used for rough framing, where the timber is likely to be clad with another, finer material that will hide the roughness. They fire thicker, more robust nails, which are better for creating solid structures like stud walls and flooring systems. Being a larger nail, they displace more timber when they are fired, and they leave a much larger entry hole, which is why they can't be used for finish work and are more prone to splitting timber. 

A brad nailer is used for finishing work. They fire thinner nails, which are driven below the surface of the timber before being covered with a suitable filler and sealed. As the nails are thinner, less timber is being displaced, and the entry hole is smaller, meaning they are less likely to split the timber, and the holes they create are much easier to conceal, which is much better for finish materials.

As a very basic rule of thumb, a framing nailer is used for structures, and finish nailers are used for attaching cladding or finish materials to those structures.

For your deck framing work, I would be much more inclined to recommend a drill and driver. You really wouldn't get that much benefit out of a framing nailer, as decks are almost exclusively built with screws.

Of the two, a finish nailer would be a better investment, as it can do something a drill and driver can't: it can fire nails that are almost imperceptible to the eye, meaning they can be covered with filler without being obvious. A finish nailer like this Ryobi 18V ONE+ 16GA Brad Nailer would be good for attaching the merbau pickets to your frame.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob