Nail Gun Question

Hello everyone,

I had a question regarding the accuracy of nail guns.
Are the nails suppposed to go in straight?

I borrowed my brother in law's bostich brad nail gun (16 gauge) for a frame I built for our bathroom mirror and I had at least 3 nails blow out the back of the frame.
The frame was made from 1x4 oak pieces I got from Home Depot.
It just seems wierd that the nail would angle itself like this.

I am getting myself a nail gun and would like suggestions for a good brad nailer.

I appreciate the feedback!

 

Welcome to the forums!

The nail most likely blew out the back because you weren't getting a straight on shot [you probably angled the gun slightly] nails could have been a little too long also. Gun nails are thinner than conventional nails so it doesn't take a lot for them to bend or angle if they hit something hard like a knot.

Senco and Bostich are good brands. I have a Rigid 16 gauge nail gun from Home Depot that I'm pleased with. Another thing to consider is 15 gauge versus 16. Most 16 gauge nailers have a straight clip while most 15 gauge are angled. Angled will allow you to get in corners easier.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

I was holding the nailer what I thought was flush and it worked for most of the nails.

Is there any way to truly prevent a nail from bending?

 

Gun nails work well but you have to keep in mind that obstructions or tough material can cause them to bend ..... still beats a hammer, nail and punch Main thing is to hold the tip of the gun firmly against the wood.

 

Part of the value of gun nails is how thin they are and how small a hole they make but this does make them prone to bending when hitting knots and such.

 

Brad nails (and pin nails) in particular can follow hard grain in the wood. One way to minimize this is to hold the gun 90 degrees to the grain. If you look at the stick of brads, you will see they have a chisel tip. If you hold the gun parallel to the grain, the tapered point will be more likely to follow the grain and head sideways. If you hold the gun perpendicular to the grain, the chisel tip actually tends to cut the grain rather than follow it.

It's similar to the old trick of blunting a nail when nailing near the edge of a board to lessen splitting because the blunt tip severs the wood fibers rather than separating them, causing a split.

The above trick works for brad nails and pin nails; but finish nails and framing nails have pointed ends, not chisel ends, so it's not effective for them.

 

It takes more skill than you might think to hold the gun straight. I'd say that was your problem. Not using a longer nail than is necessary will also help.

 

I agree with all. Using too long a nail will cause blow outs following the grain. If your nail blew out, it was too long, anyway.

 

One minor point... brad nails are 18 ga. A 16 ga gun uses finish nails, not brads.

 

Glue holds the joints. The brads are there to hold it together until the glue dries. As Brant notes, 16 gauge is too big for frame work. I would use glue and a set of picture frame clamps.

 

@Cicrush13 The difference between the two is that the brad nailer is straight whereas the finisher has an angle clip of nails. The brad gun drives smaller 18 gauge nails while the finisher uses 16 gauge nails. You can use a nail gun like PowRyte Basic 100191 16 Gauge Straight Air Finish Nailer - 3/4-Inch to 2-Inch