Thread: Trade Air guns

Hey Tiger If you have the compressor already then go with a framer, but buy a proper one. There are plenty to be had on eBay now as a lot of tradesmen are moving away from air operated guns, I'm of the old school and my Senco is still going strong at 15 years old, it handles hardwood with ease. A second hand Senco or Paslode will outperform and outlast a new Bunnings special. As for bradders I bought a factory reconditioned Bostitch 15 gauge bradder from the US for $185 delivered, when it arrived it looked as though it had never fired a shot, it shoots brads from 33 - 65mm. I've had it for over a year now and shot about 6 boxes of nails and it hasn't missed a beat, with the Aussie Dollar where it is they're probably even cheaper now. Hope this helps.

Anyone seen this finish nailer?

AEG POWERTOOLS [ AUSTRALIA ] PRODUCTS | Nailers | AFNDA180 | AFNDA18152B

Seems to run off an 18v battety and thats it!

Their promotions page has it for around the $499 range.

Looks interesting....

My Bostich air powered framer will drive a 3 inch nail 1/4 inch below the surface of a hardwood frame if I set the depth control that deep. I would be curious if an 18v unit would do that.
The other problem with battery powred tools is the preponderance of different batteries and chargers. Unless your other tools are 18v AEG then it could be a pain.

(Quickly looks up "preponderance": greater in number, ok, got it. Gonna use that somewhere, love the way it sounds, almost as good as sesquipedalian.)

Battery powered nailers have been around a while now, Senco being right up there. The PASLODE framers powered by gas and fired by battery are a bit big and heavy but even their price is coming down, saw the model 30 framer for $500 somewhere recently.

I have been waiting for some time for a hard core review on the AEG tool line up, particularly the cordless. A little birdy told me their batteries are compatible with Milwaukee though I have no first hand experience.

I agree that a second hand brand name tool may be a good deal, but a lot of ex tradie tools have had a hard life, and you always have to consider why it is being sold. The trade air tools are solid and have a years warranty, I doubt if many home users would wear one out. Mine worked faultlessly out of the box. I was using a mates gas gun and loved it but it didn't have the punch for hardwood, I was going to buy one but talked some sense to myself and instead of a $700 purchase got the trade air for $99. Was so happy I went back and got the 3 piece bradder.
Note there are differences between the C bradder which takes 16 g nails (more suited to architraves) and the C1 bradder -18g which is thinner and better for picture frames etc.

If I may butt in here, I am about to put up a lot of pine panelling onto 20mm battens, what air nailer do I need? Buying from the US is no problem so a good quality one can be on the budget and I will just claim it as a job cost from the treasurer.

I'm no expert but I would suggest that you look at the diameter and length of the nail required and work back from there. Bunnings have a range of nails. C = 16g, C1 =18g.
Then you have to consider whether you want an angled or straight, and that is partial preference and depending on need to work into a confined area ( for angled)

Originally Posted by Mini

If I may butt in here, I am about to put up a lot of pine panelling onto 20mm battens, what air nailer do I need? Buying from the US is no problem so a good quality one can be on the budget and I will just claim it as a job cost from the treasurer.

This should do you nicely:

Bostitch SB-125BN Factory Reconditioned 18-Gauge 1-1/4-inch Brad Nailer - Bare Tool

Ridiculously cheap and the shipping isn't too bad.

Thanks Doken, I'm into cheap and that fits the bill. I might buy two in case one doesn't work.