Thread: Coil Nailers

Hi , You are not far from Toowoomba, try master hire, I think they hire them.
Then you can try before you buy. Registering the nails is easy with a few practice runs. On decks here the most common timber in meribu? (cant spell) and it seems to take machine or hand nails readily if used quickly. Ironbark or spotted gum will do for the bearers and joists. TGs with phos nails are ok even on dry ironbark. Good luck, Bill

Bill

Thanks for that suggestion. I will look at hiring, depending on cost, for an evaluation. I am a particular fan of spotted gum, but it is a love shared by our white ant friends. I wil probably look at barriers in the ground (termimesh etc)to combat that issue.

I'm sure it is ridiculously obvious, but you will have to explain TG though.

Thanks again.

Regards

Paul

Paul,
Triple grips, better and stronger than skew nailing and usually specified. The pink nails used with them are phosphorus coated, you can also fix them with the coil nailer.
I dont usually use a coil nailer on hardwood decking cause I find it hard to set the nails after, and overdriving them with the gun might cause splitting in the deck .
There are stainless nails avail with a smaller head, possibly the domed nails you mentioned. Some fit the 70 series framers. Might be worthwhile to ring senco or similar and check whats new cause we only see what the hardware stocks. Bill

A deck shouldn't be too much of a concern with termites unless it is going to be real close to the ground.

Why not use steel piers which you can purchase from One Steel and then sit your timber bearers, joists and decking on top. Termites require darkness to access the timber and by putting the deck on steel piers you are isolating the timber from the ground and it would then be easy to see if they were building tunnels on the steel piers by periodic inspection.

Yea I know. Who does periodic inspections. But at least they give you peace of mind.

Bill

I understand the TG now. Just wasn't with the abbreviation. I saw in one thread where somebody used the SS dome heads and then punched them after. He modified a nail punch to fit in an air hammer. Does that sound like an option? I appreciate it is often the nail head penetrating the timber that is the final straw in producing the split.

Barry

Yes I have pondered the limited use of steel. One corner of the house is all too close to the ground, but I could use a different system there where there is insufficent room. The decking is going to be 3.6m wide generally and wider in some places. Inspections may be difficult and all too infrequent.

Regards

Paul

Paul,
the post you read about handnailing decks was probably mine. I hate handnailing and avoid it like the plague (I own 6 different nail guns) but I don't believe it's possible to get a really good job with a gun. Bullet head nails driven flush are the easiest on the eye and on bare feet. I've yet to see any type of gun that will give you a small, flush head. They all have large flat heads and you'll split the boards if you try to drive them flush.

Mick

Mick

You have realised my worst fears. I have reached the depths of despair on only the second day in 2005. As you may have gathered from the questions I originally posed, I was really looking for somebody to say I was fussing over nothing. I also really wanted a nailing gun. I just want one! I even bought a suitable air compressor about a year ago partly in preparation for the day I could justify a nailing gun.

Looks like I am going to have to dig out the old Estwing and restore the leather handle that fell apart or borrow my son's new rubber handled Estwing. Now there's a thought; Perhaps he could come with it and operate it under supervision. A wet lease.

Perhaps he could build the whole damn deck. He is after all currently looking for a building/carpentry apprenticeship. It would be good experience for him....wouldn't it?

Thank you for your comments.

If anybody has devised a satisfactory way of pre-drilling/recessing to accept the nail head and then nailing into that same spot, I would be most interested to hear. I am still interested in people's comments regarding the relative merits of different nailing guns. I might be able to find some other justification to buy either a coil nailer or a framing gun.

Regards

Paul

Paul

Here is a web page that may be of interest to you.

http://www.outdoorstructures.com.au/decking_dom_4.php

Bazza

Very definitely of interest. I have only given it a brief perusal, but the links too are interesting. Only trouble is it brings up more negative vibes. Dare I say it looks like another nail in the coffin for the nail gun.

Regards

Paul

although my days of doing decks are over (thank christ ...

As Mick said the best result will be from hand nailing but on a large deck it's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. You'll get more than satisfactory results by going the SS or Gal dome head twisted shank route, in the trade here in Canberra that's the preferred method used.

The only minor negative I see with dome heads is a slightly larger head compared with bullet head nails and the gun may not fire the nail in flush with the surface of the board, if that's something you don't like just hammer in flush by hand afterwards. The info at outdoorstructures.com about gun nailing is related to fixing guns and T-nails, you won't have those problems with twist nails. That said, no matter if hand or gun nailed there's no guarantee a board won't twist up after a while exsposed to the elements, that's the nature of timber.

As for splitting, that depends entirely on the species and how green/dry it is. I've had to pre-drill for every nail on some decks but in general you'll only need to pre-drill the joints and hand nail those, forget about using a gun for the joints.

I can't see the need to buy a coil nailer for just your deck, hire one and buy yourself a framing gun, much much cheaper. To save both yourself and the son from much pain and misery (see smashed fingers and thumbs) hire a coiler and try it out on a few boards, if you don't like the result then go with the hand nailing.

good luck with it, and post some pics of the end result

Pope

A glimmer of hope on the horizon perhaps. I take your point about cost. Of all the nailing guns available coil nailers are the most expensive. However the framing guns seem to be large, unweildy and best suited, strangely enough, to framing. Although an extension is planned, in a non professional situation, I can tolerate nailing the frame by hand. I felt the coil nailer would be more versatile being able to use nails down to 32mm with some models, albeit with a spacer.

I am trying to reduce the physical side of things as much as possible. My wife maintains I have spent a lifetime making life difficult for myself. She says if there was an easy way to do something I would find a hard way. Without wishing to agree with her in any way an example would be making house doors from ironbark after first cutting down the tree, instead of buying a pre made door from the hardware supplier.

I am determined to try her way this time (only because of my desire to please you understand) and if I can find sufficient uses for a particular nail gun I will be happy to purchase. We also have to build a verandah on the other side of the house and it may be lined under the roof with TGV boards as was the house (cathederal ceilings).Again another application for a smaller style nail gun.

I noted the hand nailing and pre drilling of joints over joists.

Thank you.

Regards

Paul

Pope

PS. I didn't notice this was your inaugaural post. What a good first contribution. Welcome to the forum. Will try to remember to post pix, but don't hold your breath. The other thing my wife says is that everything I do takes four times as long as my original estimate!

Regards

Paul

Regards

Paul

thanks for the welcome, happy to help where I can...

Being a carpenter and needing high quality tools, it's not something I'd consider but in your case (I'm assuming) any nail gun you bought wouldn't get that much use ?
There are some very cheap guns around around these days, you could get both a framing and fixing gun for around $500 in total and for the occasional use you'd probably get a reasonable life out of them. (I'll dig up some links if you need) I honestly think a coil nailer in your situation would be a waste.

ps: don't argue with the missus, she knows best, make it easy on yourself

I have just finished another deck with Deklok.

These little guys drive into the side of the decking board, so the top surface of the deck is not penetrated by anything.

They are slow and will take at least 150% longer than hand nailing, but what is a few extra days when people can't see how the boards are fixed.

Oh, an they are really only great with hardwoods, I've done over 700 sqm in cypress and 270 sqm or merbu.

Here's the blurb on a similar product

http://www.renewresources.com/deck_brackets.html

JR