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Pneumatic nail gun or electric nail gun
- Thread starter rongpeng
- Start date
sfriedberg
Active member
Your question is too simplistic to give an accurate answer.
"Nail gun" covers everything from guns that drive 23 gauge headless pins to guns with extended magazines that drive 3.5" long framing nails. And specialities like plastic cap nailers for attaching soft sheet goods (like felt). And there are closely related tools like staple guns. So the first thing you must consider is the specific application.
The second thing you should consider is that you've omitted an entire very important category, namely combustion-powered nail guns, typically powered by a small cartridge of butane gas. Significant brand name in this category is Paslode.
Desirable features for nail guns include
1) portability
2) power to fully drive a nail full depth in the hardest material
3) speed (especially for roofing nailers)
4) repeatability/accuracy
5) lack of misfires/jams
6) capacity to work all day
7) easy of use (reloading, unjamming, positioning, setting aside)
8) ergonomics, including weight and weight distribution
9) ease of maintenance
No drive technology (pneumatic, combustion, electric) has a dominant advantage in all these categories.
Ignoring some electric staplers, combustion guns and electric guns usually have the advantage in portability as they are cordless/hoseless.
A well-designed nail gun can drive a nail full-depth in hardwood, using any of the three drive technologies, but not all guns are that well designed or made.
A well-designed nail gun can drive several nails a second, with no noticeable trigger delay, using any of the three drive technologies, but not all guns are that well designed or made.
A well-designed gun drives nails to a consistent depth time after time, using any of the three drive technologies, but not all guns are that well designed or made.
A well-designed gun avoids misfires and jams, using any of the three drive technologies, but not all guns are that well designed or made.
Assuming no power/fuel shortage, pneumatic guns can work all day long. Electric guns need batteries, and combustion guns need fuel cartridges.
A well-designed nail gun can be reloaded and/or unjammed in seconds, without tools, using any of the three drive technologies, but not all guns are that well designed or made. Positioning of pneumatic guns in tight locations can be obstructed by the hose, and in some designs of electric or combustion guns, by the position of the battery. A well-designed nail gun can be given a rafter hook or belt hook, using any of the three drive technologies, but not all guns are that well designed or made.
A well-designed nail gun is well-balanced for one-handed use, lines up the driver naturally with the line of the user's forearm, and can be held one-handed for hours. This can be done with any of the three drive technologies, but it is more difficult for electric guns due to the weight of the motor and battery pack.
A well-designed nail gun can have all typical wear parts (piston seals, driver pins, etc) quickly replaced using minimal tools. Historically this has been easiest for pneumatic guns, next easiest for combustion guns, and least easy for electric guns.
-------------
For any specific application, the best nail drive technology depends on what models the manufacturers are offering at the moment. The superiority of a nail gun is determined more by the quality and refinement of its design than by the drive technology.
"Nail gun" covers everything from guns that drive 23 gauge headless pins to guns with extended magazines that drive 3.5" long framing nails. And specialities like plastic cap nailers for attaching soft sheet goods (like felt). And there are closely related tools like staple guns. So the first thing you must consider is the specific application.
The second thing you should consider is that you've omitted an entire very important category, namely combustion-powered nail guns, typically powered by a small cartridge of butane gas. Significant brand name in this category is Paslode.
Desirable features for nail guns include
1) portability
2) power to fully drive a nail full depth in the hardest material
3) speed (especially for roofing nailers)
4) repeatability/accuracy
5) lack of misfires/jams
6) capacity to work all day
7) easy of use (reloading, unjamming, positioning, setting aside)
8) ergonomics, including weight and weight distribution
9) ease of maintenance
No drive technology (pneumatic, combustion, electric) has a dominant advantage in all these categories.
Ignoring some electric staplers, combustion guns and electric guns usually have the advantage in portability as they are cordless/hoseless.
A well-designed nail gun can drive a nail full-depth in hardwood, using any of the three drive technologies, but not all guns are that well designed or made.
A well-designed nail gun can drive several nails a second, with no noticeable trigger delay, using any of the three drive technologies, but not all guns are that well designed or made.
A well-designed gun drives nails to a consistent depth time after time, using any of the three drive technologies, but not all guns are that well designed or made.
A well-designed gun avoids misfires and jams, using any of the three drive technologies, but not all guns are that well designed or made.
Assuming no power/fuel shortage, pneumatic guns can work all day long. Electric guns need batteries, and combustion guns need fuel cartridges.
A well-designed nail gun can be reloaded and/or unjammed in seconds, without tools, using any of the three drive technologies, but not all guns are that well designed or made. Positioning of pneumatic guns in tight locations can be obstructed by the hose, and in some designs of electric or combustion guns, by the position of the battery. A well-designed nail gun can be given a rafter hook or belt hook, using any of the three drive technologies, but not all guns are that well designed or made.
A well-designed nail gun is well-balanced for one-handed use, lines up the driver naturally with the line of the user's forearm, and can be held one-handed for hours. This can be done with any of the three drive technologies, but it is more difficult for electric guns due to the weight of the motor and battery pack.
A well-designed nail gun can have all typical wear parts (piston seals, driver pins, etc) quickly replaced using minimal tools. Historically this has been easiest for pneumatic guns, next easiest for combustion guns, and least easy for electric guns.
-------------
For any specific application, the best nail drive technology depends on what models the manufacturers are offering at the moment. The superiority of a nail gun is determined more by the quality and refinement of its design than by the drive technology.
Pneumatic, for the simple reason that electric nail guns may not have as consistent force. It depends on the design of the electric. A simple plunger design is sensitive to limitations on supply due to such things as long extension cords. I do believe there are some electrics that use a more complex mechanism but they would be higher priced.
For professionals, cordless nail guns are often preferred but good ones tend to be expensive.
Bottom line: Pneumatics are generally more cost effective assuming you already have a compressor.
For professionals, cordless nail guns are often preferred but good ones tend to be expensive.
Bottom line: Pneumatics are generally more cost effective assuming you already have a compressor.
TDegenhart
New member
Take a mighty power compressor to drive one of any pin or nail over the ocean to China.
Tom
Tom
woodchuckNJ
New member
without a doubt pneumatic..
more control. more power.
The battery units are catching up... but the best portable is still paslode which uses gas cartridges.
go pneu.
more control. more power.
The battery units are catching up... but the best portable is still paslode which uses gas cartridges.
go pneu.
There's a 3000 psi one on a Mountain in WV.....
And let's not rule out the old standard, "powder actuated" nail guns....
TDegenhart
New member
Isn't that something like the nail guns that the Iowa had? 16 inch vs 16d? The same aren't they?
Tom
Here's a power supply for an electric one - limited though to a measly 120 mile range. It would keep you from nodding off on the job:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...rks-120-mile-ac-powered-low-impedance-charger
If this was actually a serious question - as Sfriedberg said, it all depends.
plastikdreams
Active member
The real question is...why ask about nail guns on a machinists site?
Exactly...this question would be much better answered here!..(C)2021 manicurist. 111402, inc. all rights reserved.
And thanks. D.Doug for alerting us to this egregious spam...I was about to lose sleep over it.
Stuart
stephen thomas
Active member
Been watching this and am prepared to consider that it is spam primarily given low post count.
Building pallets is not really of major interest on a woodworking site, neither is construction, generally.
However, there is leeway historically, & the question is legitimate on the face of it.
So far the actual spam links have been provided by PeteM & atomarc, humour appreciated.
smt
Building pallets is not really of major interest on a woodworking site, neither is construction, generally.
However, there is leeway historically, & the question is legitimate on the face of it.
So far the actual spam links have been provided by PeteM & atomarc, humour appreciated.
The real question is...why hang out on the woodwhacking forum if woodworking tool questions, albeit loosely related ones, offend you?
smt
That will depend on how many pallets you want to make. Are you making one pallet every few days or are you making truckloads of pallets ...
Also will depend a little if you have air available or also need to get a compressor. But generally I would get a pneumatic (hitachi nr83) I would only get a battery gun if you were doing very little AND had no compressor AND had tools already that used the same batteries.
Try an "Electric Rail gun"...should get you the distance your after.
michiganbuck
Active member
Electric nail gun
Big B
Active member
I like my Paslode gas powered framing nailer because it's nice to not have to drag a hose around. But if I were making pallets out of 3/4 inch top boards I'd probably use my 7/16 stapler with 2" staples. It's pneumatic but dragging a hose around doesn't seem like much of a problem for building pallets.
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