What Goes Bad On A Central Pneumatic Nail Gun

Pneumatic pivot, brad, and finish nailers make project assembly as unproblematic as pulling a trigger. Simply these tools tin can likewise pb to plush (and painful) goofs if used improperly. Follow these pointers to go the about from any pneumatic nailer.

1. Don't leave 'em proud

Ideally, a nailer'due south driver should set the fastener about ¹⁄₁₆ " below the surface. Many newer nailers have on-tool mechanisms (shown below) to easily arrange bulldoze depth. For nailers without on-tool aligning, y'all tin can tweak the hose air pressure, and consequently fastener depth, using your compressor's regulator. Before using your freshly adjusted nailer, burn down a few fasteners into a scrap piece of project stock to make certain they set to the right depth. Proceed in heed that hard or dense wood species, such as hickory or hard maple, may require additional air pressure level to drive the fasteners.

Orange brad nailer with blazon

2. Rule of thumb: Keep it away!

The finer the fastener, the more likely it will follow the wood's grain when fired. Occasionally, that tendency to wander causes the fastener to blow out the side of a joint, as shown. Now imagine the nasty surprise if your fingers were at that place. Never place your paw in the path of an off-grade nail.

To assistance preclude stray fasteners, motion your nailer and then the chiseled point of its fasteners runs perpendicular to the wood grain. That style, the bespeak will cut across grain patterns rather than post-obit them (as shown at below).

Chunk of wood and illustration

iii. Listen your magazine

While assembling a large projection, yous may not realize when your nailer runs out of fasteners: Many nailers even so burn, leaving an empty dimple in the woods. Every time y'all burn down your nailer, its driver punches forrard, and if there isn't a fastener in line below it to blot the impact, the driver slams into the wood at total force—potentially rounding or chipping its edges with each fire. This can lead to smash jams, partially ready fasteners, or a broken driver.

To prevent this, make a habit of checking the nailer'southward magazine earlier you begin a nailing session, and proceed an eye on your nailer'south reload indicators, equally shown in a higher place.

4. Put the pins in properly

Pinners shoot fasteners with no crowns or heads, making it difficult to decide which end is the point. Fortunately, pin manufacturers print arrows on fastener sticks to ensure that y'all load them chisel-indicate-down.

Loading them backwards tin can cause the tool's driver to strike the chiseled point, likely driving it with a glancing blow that leaves the pin proud of the wood. If done repeatedly, this can deform the tool'southward driver until it won't work properly.

Dark-green nailer

5. Try a lighter affect

If you lot find an extra dimple virtually a nail pigsty (below), it probable resulted from pressing down too hard on the tool when pulling the trigger. Slight recoil from the nailer causes information technology to elevator off the workpiece, and with the operator pushing downwards forcefully, the nose of the nailer strikes the wood again.

When using a nailer, apply but enough pressure to depress the nose tip. Depending on the weight of your nailer, you may not need to press down at all before firing.

Boom hole and paring in wood