# Forum Home Renovation Tools & Products  Which nail gun ? Framer or coil?

## vector101

Hi,we are about to start an extension (also need it to help finish renovation) I'm trying to figure out which best suits me,I'll need it for a fair bit of chamfer board and maybe some other framing jobs 
For the cladding it will need to drive nails under the surface so I'm assuming the coil gun wouldn't be suitable as the nails are quite flat and broad at the top so I'm assuming they'd split the timber, also the framing gun I'm looking at is a bunnings gun it's a 34 degree gun which seems to be a quite common size would this be correct?  
Thanks

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## Random Username

It's pretty much a choice based on your needs - Coil nailers are a bit heavier and a little more awkward, but they give you a full head nail, while strip nailers aren't so much of a weightlifting exercise but they'll only give you the clipped head, which isn't good visually. 
A good coil nailer should have a depth adjustment that allows you to set the head repeatably; personally, the price difference between a bunnies cheapie and a pro-level nailgun isn't that much in the price of an extension, so I'd go to a proper tool store and get their advice on a name brand nailer.

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## ChocDog

also you will find them much cheaper at hardwaresales.com . Its US based but even with shipping it will be much cheaper than in Oz. 
Also have a look at http://www.renovateforum.com/f224/na...43/#post914971 where I asked about guns suitable for weatherboards. Best is handnailing...  
I've got a framer and a DA brader. The DA has been great for skirts, arcs, etc and the framer is invaluable. Couldnt be without it. 
Specifically Ive got: 
Framing: HITACHI NR90AD
24deg, paper collated, D head, 50-90 nails 
Finisher/bradder: HITACHI NT65MA4
15 gauge (DA), 34 deg, 31-63mm nails  
Besides have good reps, I also went for these as the nail types are cheap and easily available in Oz.  
I bought both of mine through Hardwaresales.com.  I think both were re-furbished units. They work faultlessly and  wouldnt be without them. Paid about $170 for the framer and $100 for  the finisher. I think the going price for both in Aus is around   $750-850.

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## vector101

im not too worried about the clipped head nails as they'll never be visible (they will be below surface and puttied) im probably  leaning towards the framer as i think there nail heads will be less likely to split the pine chamfer boards or is it possible to get something similar to bullet head for a coil gun?i have read many previous post but the usually refer to weatherboards were people are trying to get the nails flush. not drive nails under the surface of cladding  
thanks

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## ringtail

Neither gun is suitable for weatherboards or chamfer boards. Hand nailing is the only way to do it. If you use the framer, the D head or even roundhead nail ( should you get a framer that takes roundheads) are miles too big. When the boards move you will see every single nail as a huge line of putty spots. The coil gun nails have the wrong type of head. A T nailer is possible but the models that fire a 65 mm nail are mega bucks. Galvanised jolts, hand nailed and punched are the only thing to use.

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## vector101

Well that's frustrating, there's probably 2 or3 hundred metres of boards to go up, t nailer may be the go, can you get hot dipped nails for them? Which nails wold be best for pine frame? 
thanks

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## ringtail

Yes you can get hot dipped T nails but they can be  difficult to get and they wont hold the board nearly as well as hand nailing. Even if you do use a gun, you will still have to hand punch every nail.

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## jimfish

T nailer is all we've ever used for timber weatherboards with no problems.In my opinion there is no one gun for all applications,there are specialist guns for specific applications.Sure a framer or coil gun will hold weatherboards in place but they will not give you a good finish.
Hand nailing will certainly give you a good job but for me its too slow.

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## ringtail

> Hand nailing will certainly give you a good job but for me its too slow.

  
So are you hand punching every T nail ? If not, try it and see just how much the board pulls up.  :Wink 1:

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## woodchip

> .
> Hand nailing will certainly give you a good job but for me its too slow.

  , I agree with ringtail, hand nailing is better. And quicker (or about the same...) as gun nailing weatherboards or most cladding imho. Its usually a two-person job, to properly position the weatherboard anyway, by the time you've untangled the hose or managed to get enough length of it, balanced it between your knees, or mucked around getting it off the big hook on your belt, two hammers have neatly nailed off the board! cheers

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## ringtail

It's one of those jobs that just has to be done old school to get a professional result I believe.

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## woodchip

My 2c answer to the OP, is get a framing nailer. The Bunnings framing guns are fine (if they take the standard Paslode framing nails). I have a coil gun but only use it too nail off tie downs(cyclone ties etc) & to nail off braceboards. cheers.

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## Marc

I remember when I was asking the same question some years ago. 
I have since managed to collect a ridiculous number of nail guns of all shape and forms. there is always another job that needs a different nail and so a different gun. 
For cladding I must agree that the nail gun, just like in the case of a deck is not the best choice. 
The gun is so fast in driving the nail that the head goes in the timber without pulling the board with it, leaving it a tad loose. A bit like when you shoot a pig in the bush, the bullet does not make the pig fly back Hollywood style, rather goes through and that's it.
Of course a full head from a coil gun or a narrow crown stapler of the right size would do a better job at tightening the board, but will look rather daggy and require a 5 gallon bucket of putty. 
For framing you want a gun that takes Paslode nails, since they are the one you can buy almost everywhere. I don't like the Bunnings air guns, they are inconsistent in the depth and jam easily, but they are cheap. If you are going to use it once a year, I suppose they are OK. Otherwise buy Duofast, Hitachi, Bostitch, Senco, Paslode if you want gas. I don't like gas, hate the smell and the sluggish response. For framing you want to drive 82, 90 or 100mm and for that, your compressor must be set for pressure between 90 and 120. I changed my pressure switch to one that can be regulated independently, top and bottom and set the low pressure to 90 up from 70 without changing the top, since for framing at 70 the larger nails don't go in all the way and you don't want the pressure higher than 120.  
I bought many of my 20 or so nail guns in Cash convertors. I look for top brands in good nick and take them to service to a specialised shop. Done well most of the time. Only once I bought an old Senco from e-bay and the guy told me his compressor was out of order so could not test it. The driver was broken and cost me $200 to repair. Still having paid $100 I was way ahead from the price of a new Senco framer and it has pushed dozen of boxes of 90mm nails without a single problem. I have a couple of Hitachi coil gun bought new and they are the best. My Duofast framer is a real bazooka very heavy and drives 100 mm below the surface every time.  
Good luck and let us know what you buy!

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