Thread: Nail gun or stapler?

HI nutwood
A brad nailer would work fine,but as you said maybe staples would hold better.
You can get a Brad/Stapler that then gives you a choice. I bought one from bunnings for about $30 plus staples.
Have had it now for quite a while with no problems,unless you are using a gun like this every day IMHO you don't need to spend a lot of $
The only issue when using a combo unit is that when bradding you will get a bigger mark/hole left as the striker is a bit wider for the stapler.
Good luck

Originally Posted by nrb

HI nutwood
A brad nailer would work fine,but as you said maybe staples would hold better.
You can get a Brad/Stapler that then gives you a choice. I bought one from bunnings for about $30 plus staples.
Have had it now for quite a while with no problems,unless you are using a gun like this every day IMHO you don't need to spend a lot of $
The only issue when using a combo unit is that when bradding you will get a bigger mark/hole left as the striker is a bit wider for the stapler.
Good luck

Thanks for the reply. I'm surprised at the price you paid. I must confess I was expecting quite a bit more, but I am a bit out of touch in these matters. Would your tool be OK driving through the 19mm of hardwood and about the same into the battens? It seems a big ask to drive a staple that size.

Got a similar combo gun at work. It'll shoot 30mm brads in hardwood, but struggles with 32mm staples in hardwood - even at 120psi.

For $30 it's worth trying.

The Ryobi cordless Airstrike is $199 (C series brads) and will do 500 plus nails on a lithium battery. I'm currently lusting after one...

They also have a similar stapler, but I haven't seen it in the shops.

I recently purchased the spear and Jackson budget version c1 combination bradder stapler from bunnings. It misfires occasionally, but I love it. About $90 I think.

So handy during assembly, to glue and fire in a couple of brads or staples to hold everything, then screw.

Dad also found it handy when he had to repair a lot of termite infected arcs recently. Far faster than hammering home 2" nails or thereabouts into a 100 year old hardwood frame.

It leaves a double headed mark in the timber (as said in earlier comments), but they are pretty discrete.

I've been researching this question quite heavily and the best option to date seems to be a Paslode T250 brad nailer. No one seems to be able to tell me whether a stapler or a brad nailer will do the job better. The Paslode locally will cost me $275 but the difference between that and $30 at Bunnings is very minor compared with whether the tool will do the job correctly. My overall invoice for this job will be many times this amount so I'd hate it to be compromised because I didn't have the right equipment for a job that's outside our normal scope of work.
I must confess to feeling happier using brads as it's just like nailing something. Staples are a bit alien. I see the point of two legs but I suspect I can't get past school days and stapling various teacher's possessions to their desks!

would drywall screws be a better option?

I'm calculating a max 41mm fastener -- a 19mm hardwood (1-2 mm below the surface) + 8mm insulation then 14-16mm into hardwood which is doing all the holding

predrilling clearance holes through the T&G would be a right pain, but the alternative -- 15mm of a 41mm nail -- doesn't seem to have enough holding power.

Originally Posted by ian

would drywall screws be a better option?

I'm calculating a max 41mm fastener -- a 19mm hardwood (1-2 mm below the surface) + 8mm insulation then 14-16mm into hardwood which is doing all the holding

predrilling clearance holes through the T&G would be a right pain, but the alternative -- 15mm of a 41mm nail -- doesn't seem to have enough holding power.

I totally agree with you Ian. Screws would be the ideal way to go but the difference in labour would be huge. They'd have to be pre-drilled, both for clearance and pilot. Not to pre-drill into the batten would be risking it splitting from end to end. Of course, we're talking horizontal T&G so every board wouldn't need to be screwed to every batten, but still a big job. There's a surprising amount of wall in a 40' Hi Cube container!
I'm currently thinking in terms of brads. It's possible I might be able to secret nail and angle them to increase holding power. Another thought is to combine nailing with a couple of runs of screws. A really solid board every metre or so might just make the difference.

Originally Posted by nutwood

I've got a little job to do which requires nailing 19mm hardwood T & G onto DAR 50 x 25 hardwood verticals. This is to line out the inside of a 40' shipping container. The verticals are glued to the steel and there's a 8mm layer of thermal break insulation on top of them.
I've got a good compressor but both my nail guns are too big for the task so I'm looking for something a bit more delicate. The finish is not of high importance as the end usage is as a work space, however I don't wish to make an unnecessary mess. Without the insulation, I'd probably have liquid nailed, with the occasional hammered bullet head but the insulation means the fastenings are going to be doing all the work.
Given the limited thickness of the verticals (aprox 20mm), I was wondering whether staples would serve me better than nails? I've not had any experience of pneumatic staplers so would welcome advice on this question.

Would it be easier to fit the insulation between the battens then no nail ? I would go for screws every time but the the time consumption will be a pain, or possibly secret nailing through the tongue ? Hope this helps ?

Or even..Just a thought, fitting you T&G and battening the outside face. Screws through the battens into the T&G then into the battens that are secured onto the container.

Originally Posted by Last Dog

Would it be easier to fit the insulation between the battens then no nail ? I would go for screws every time but the the time consumption will be a pain, or possibly secret nailing through the tongue ? Hope this helps ?

Insulation is the thermal break kind. The air gap between the steel and the insulation is important to prevent conductive heat transfer. Original design was using 35mm battens and conventional insulation which would have made my life much easier!
Like the idea of angle nailing through the tongue. The tool I'm considering at the moment is a Paslode T250, probably firing 38mm x 1.6 mm brads. At a 30° angle, allowing a bit of insulation compression and firing into the root of the tongue, that should be close to 23mm penetration into the batten.
Opinions on the Paslode would be welcomed. Other option was the smaller Paslode Liteline, firing 1.2mm (C1) brads, but that seemed a bit light duty.

Originally Posted by ian

would drywall screws be a better option?

I'm calculating a max 41mm fastener -- a 19mm hardwood (1-2 mm below the surface) + 8mm insulation then 14-16mm into hardwood which is doing all the holding

predrilling clearance holes through the T&G would be a right pain, but the alternative -- 15mm of a 41mm nail -- doesn't seem to have enough holding power.

Originally Posted by nutwood

I totally agree with you Ian. Screws would be the ideal way to go but the difference in labour would be huge. They'd have to be pre-drilled, both for clearance and pilot. Not to pre-drill into the batten would be risking it splitting from end to end. Of course, we're talking horizontal T&G so every board wouldn't need to be screwed to every batten, but still a big job. There's a surprising amount of wall in a 40' Hi Cube container!
I'm currently thinking in terms of brads. It's possible I might be able to secret nail and angle them to increase holding power. Another thought is to combine nailing with a couple of runs of screws. A really solid board every metre or so might just make the difference.

Another possibility ...

just thinking -- the container is made of steel, a flexible nail should bend and become a "clinched" after it passes through the batten and hits the wall of the container

Originally Posted by Last Dog

Or even..Just a thought, fitting you T&G and battening the outside face. Screws through the battens into the T&G then into the battens that are secured onto the container.

Now there's an idea. I might run that past the client. Couldn't do it everywhere, but even a few battens where shelving is going would help. Could skew screw into the floor and ceiling joists. To some extent the T&G will hold itself up, as long as it can be prevented from bulging, some extra battens would certainly help. If they'd go for built in shelving life would be easier as well, but it all has to be removable.

Originally Posted by nutwood

Now there's an idea. I might run that past the client. Couldn't do it everywhere, but even a few battens where shelving is going would help. Could skew screw into the floor and ceiling joists. To some extent the T&G will hold itself up, as long as it can be prevented from bulging, some extra battens would certainly help. If they'd go for built in shelving life would be easier as well, but it all has to be removable.

As long as the T&G isn't cupped and you don't mind having the battens proud, it could be a result? I was thinking of the Kingspan type insulation that you would cut and fit between the battens and allow you do secure directly into the battens without having to go through insulation. Even covering the frame with a waterproof membrane should you wish.