Air tools...

[avkid]

I recently got my first compressor and a finish nailer/stapler.

It's amazing how much faster everything is with air power.

This may be my new money pit now that the sound gear is almost gone.
(the difference being this will someday make more money than it cost several times over)


Today's arrival-
Paslode clipped head framing nailer.

 

[Van]

Welcome to the 70's !

 

[avkid]

Welcome to the 70's !

Hey now, it's just been rebuilt.

 

[avkid]

The little 2 gallon compressor wasn't cutting the mustard, so off to eBay I went.
$80 for the compressor and $20 worth of parts.
I'll have to tear it down and give it a thorough going over at some point, but it works great.

 

[SweetBennyFenton]

I don't know what I would do without my air system and tools. My shop would come to a grinding halt without my staplers, nailers, brad guns and T-nailer.

 

[ship]

I don't know what I would do without my air system and tools. My shop would come to a grinding halt without my staplers, nailers, brad guns and T-nailer.

Never been a fan of nailers persay and not even in part due to having to with the help of Linsemens pliers having to pull one out of someone's hand at one point. (The cordless drill caught in someone's hair was a bit less dramatic.) Used them over the years and the glue helps the nail but overall when doing bigger lumber I stll think a drywall screw is better. Both in compressing the lumber in gripping it in a strand bending sense to keep it in, but the screw threads I think also help in at least balancing that glue. The screw is also fairly easily removed for re-use of the materials, a nail is not even over that of a staple that can be removed fairly easily. The glue on a pneumatic nail... not as easy to remove.

Not persay against a nailer but thinking with my own first buys a finish nailer than narrow crown stapler, they were more useful. Sure if doing mostly stud type sets the nailer might be useful, but especially for me the narrow crown gun is really useful in range from 1/2" to 1.1/4". This for soft flat to as current project tool drawers so I can get rid of my road box and free up some space. Finish nailer is really useful for molding. Both I think a good start and needing a smaller compressor in start up costs.


Now that I finally have a 20gal. compressor and soon to supplement it with an extra 10gal. I intend to buy a medium crown gun next. The nailer.. don't expect I'll ever need such a thing but I don't do stud walls. For a stud wall, need a big compressor thus a nailer wouldn't be a starting thing I would recommend unless you also have a large compressor.

 

[ajb]

Well of course it all depends on the stuff you build and what you intend to do with it after whatever purpose you've built it for is past. Weird, throwaway 2x4-framed platforming gets glue and nails. Stock platforming gets glue and ring nails. I've not generally found nails to be a limiting factor in platforming, especially since in most cases the most significant load on the fastener is shear rather than pullout so any advantage of screws over nails largely disappears. In terms of framing, I only use screws for assembling larger components together, where I prefer GRK Cabinet Screws for flats and R4s for 2x. Both have excellent drawing power for low driving torque, and the cab screws in particular can draw very tight without splitting the lumber.

 

[ship]

Anyway, I would recommend a narrow crown gun, than a finish nailer, than a medium crown gun as first steps. But it's been over ten years sinch I worked in a scene shop so perhaps things have changed.

 

[ajb]

I agree a narrow crown is a smart choice for a first tool. It'll definitely save you a lot of labor when doing hard-skinned scenery, more so than any other fastener and does okay for cornerblocks and keystones, and in a pinch can do hollywood frames too. I frankly almost never use brads in the scene shop--maybe if we did more realistic interiors or shop-built more furniture, but thanks to the 30' rule, there's rarely a situation where you can't get away with a narrow crown in a pinch. On the other hand, finish nailers can be had cheaply, or you can even get combo narrow crown & brad guns which aren't too terrible--certainly not as horrendous as the combo wide crown/corrugated nailer I had to use once.

But if I had to pick only two tools/fasteners I would skip right over the finish nailer and get a medium crown--it does a much better job on cornerblocks/keystones and hollywood frames than narrow crown and is great for plywood box construction and platform lids.

After that, I think it's a toss up amongst:

• Framing nailer if you do lots of 2x framing
• T-nailer if you do lots of steel
• wide crown if you do lots of broadway flats (especially double-sided hard skinned or odd shapes)

Stud walls seem to be a pretty common technique these days--they have a lot of advantages over other methods, especially when it comes to leveling large platforms or building rakes. They also tend not to tear up stock platforms as much as standard legs do (Leg-o-matic not withstanding). I know it's my first choice for any platform built from two or more pieces.