You may ask yourself, “Why would I need a power nailer when I have a perfectly good hammer?” Well, if you only hang the occasional picture then you probably don’t need a nailer, but if you hammer more than just a few nails a year then you owe it to your arm to give power nailers a closer look.

The primary job of any nailer is to fire a nail into wood so that you don’t have to pound it in by hand. That being said, there are actually many different nailers and staplers available for a variety of applications. Nailers range from light to heavy-duty, so it’s a good idea to keep your project in mind as you research these tools.

At the light-duty end of the spectrum you have headless pinners. These tools fire 23 to 24 gauge headless fasteners which are great for light wood assembly, finish and trim work, moulding and decorative trim, mirror and picture frame assembly, craft work, sign work and a great deal more. Since the fasteners are very small and headless they only make a tiny hole so you don’t need to use filler to hide them. This makes these units a great time saver for lighter work.

Brad nailers are great for medium or light-duty projects and are a good multi-purpose choice if you are just starting out. They fire 18 gauge nails up to 2” long and are a favorite among crafters and DIY-ers. Common uses for this tool include repairing furniture, installing moulding, crafts, lattice and making photo frames.   

If you’re installing cabinets, staircases and chair rails on a regular basis then a finishing nailer is the tool for you. They fire 15 or 16 gauge fasteners and are better for jobs that require a little more holding power. This is not a nailer that you would use everyday, but it is a good investment if you are planning to take on a few larger renovation projects.

When it comes to heavy-duty fastening, framing nailers are the only way to go. Any project which involves framing, sub flooring, fencing, decking, modular housing construction or major remodeling is going to require one of these tough little numbers.

Any job that involves asphalt shingles or insulation board is probably going to call for a roofing nailer. They generally hold a large number of nails and are designed to take a lot of abuse, as anyone who has dropped one off the roof can attest to! This is not a tool that you will see in every workshop, but it does serve the purpose for specific jobs.

Palm nailers serve a slightly different purpose. You can only feed them one nail at a time, but they are extremely lightweight and compact. This allows them to easily fit where a conventional nailer or hammer and nail would be unable to go. These tools average around 3 lbs and fit easily into the palm of your hand.

Although they don’t fire nails, staplers tend to fall into the nailer category as well. Staples are more visible than nails and do not leave as nice a finish on your project, but they are good for hidden areas on furniture or crafts, as well as for making boxes and shipping pallets.

Another major difference between nailer types is how the nails are fed into the tool.

Coil nails come on a strip of paper which is wrapped around itself and fed into a round nailer magazine. Coils can easily hold up to 300 nails which means you don’t have to load the nailer as frequently. However, if you drop the coil then it needs to be re-wrapped before you can load it into the magazine.

Stick nails are attached to one another with glue in straight strips. Since they aren’t on paper strips they can’t uncoil if you drop them but you aren’t able to load as many nails into your tool at one time. This means more frequent reloads if you are doing large jobs.

Most nailers on the market today switch back and forth between sequential and bump firing modes, although there are still a few models which feature either one type or the other. Each serves a specific purpose so it is a good idea to know which is which before selecting your tool.

Bump firing allows you to hold down the trigger and fire a nail every time you “bump” the nose of the nailer against the work surface. This speeds things up a lot when you need to fire a large number of fasteners quickly.

Sequential firing requires that you put the nose of the tool against the work surface and then pull the trigger each time you want to fire a nail. This is much better for precise nailing that is required in furniture and picture frame construction.

Pneumatic nailers are most common and require a compressor for operation. They are not as transportable or manoeuvrable as the cordless versions, but you can run them all day without stopping, as long as you have a place to plug in your compressor.

The cordless versions need to be cleaned more often than pneumatic nailers, but they will sink nails just as quickly and don’t require as much start up time. They are also more portable and allow you to get into spaces that pneumatic nailers cannot reach. Unfortunately, like all cordless tools, they do have a limited run time since they don’t operate off of a wall current.

When choosing the speed of your drill the most flexible and popular option is a variable speed feature. This allows you to control how fast your drill bit rotates within a pre-set range. The speed is usually controlled through a trigger mechanism on the hand grip. The further you pull back on the trigger, the faster your drill bit will rotate. This feature allows you start and finish jobs with more control than a single speed drill. It reduces the chance that you will over-drill holes or that the tool will slip and damage the surface of your project. It also gives you the control you need to use your drill as an electronic screwdriver.    

There are a few other features to keep in mind while you are shopping for your new nailer. A non-marring tip (or nose) will protect the work surface and keep the tool from marking up your project. Easy jam clearance makes the tool easier to use and reduces down time if the fasteners jam up. Nail size and nail depth adjustment should also be easy to change with few or no tools for minimum hassle. These are not essential features but these little things will make your job easier over the course of a day.

So whether you’re framing pictures or framing houses just remember; with some proper research, and a little practice, the right nailer can easily become the latest (and greatest) addition to your toolbox.

Now that you know what to look for, come see our selection of Nailers.

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