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For convenience - Click any IMAGE or BLUE text for information about that item.
  There are so many nail guns to choose from. Here we cover everything you might want to know in the simplest way possible. If you're interested to learn about a particular type, scroll down.
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Gauge
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Shank Diameter
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16 gauge
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0.0625 inches
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15 gauge
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0.0720 inches
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14 gauge
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0.0800 inches
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Finishing nailers available from Amazon.com
(in 2019)
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Price range
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Brad Nail Gun's
Reach for a brad nail gun when you need to fire nails from 5/8" to 2" long and 18 gauge (0.040 inches, roughly 3/64" diameter).
Brad nailers help when you're trying to balance holding strength against nail visibility. A brad nail leaves a smaller hole than a finish nail but holding power is less so there's the trade off.
Brad nailers available from Amazon.com
(in 2019)
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Price range
$$$
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Pin Nail Gun's
You'd use a pin nailer when you don't want to be able to see a hole or need to fill one.
Pins are great for trim work when you want to hold something as the glue dries. You can buy pin nails with a tiny head or even headless.
Pin nails are available in 21 gauge and 23 gauge.
You can fire a pin nail through a one inch piece of hardwood into another and pull them apart by hand. That's the down side, the upside is that you'd be hard pressed to see the hole it made.
Pins are great for trim work when you want to hold something as the glue dries. You can buy pin nails with a tiny head or even headless.
Pin nails are available in 21 gauge and 23 gauge.
You can fire a pin nail through a one inch piece of hardwood into another and pull them apart by hand. That's the down side, the upside is that you'd be hard pressed to see the hole it made.
Pin nail chart
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Gauge
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Shank diameter
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21 gauge
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0.0285 inches
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23 gauge
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0.0226 inches
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Pin nailers available from Amazon.com
(in 2019)
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Image
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Click for details
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Price range
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Framing Nail Gun's
There are 2 types of framing nail guns, Coil and Stick.
Coil type framing Nail Guns
Coil nail guns come with an adjustable canister designed to accept a coil of nails.
They take up to 400 smaller sheathing nails.
Roofing nail coils hold less than 200 nails because of their larger heads.
Nails are always angled at 15 degrees and 'collated' (held together) by plastic or wire.
A coil nailer can fire an entire canister of nails in a single session.
You to get into a small space but they are heavy which can be an issue if your firing over head for long periods.
Nails range from 3/4" to 4" long and shank diameters range from 18 gauge 0.0475" (pallet nails) to 10 gauge 0.1350" (framing nails).
They also come in flat of domed/conical coils.
Take a flat coil and a domed/conical coil and lay them next to each other on a flat surface. You'll see that the domed coil rises in the center (like a dome).
This is important, don't use a domed/conical nail coil in a flat coil gun or vice versa.
Coil nail chart
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Nail diameter
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Typical nail use
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0.080
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Framing, Sheathing
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0.090
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Framing, Sheathing
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0.092
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General construction, Carpentry, Framing
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0.099
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Framing, Decking
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0.100
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Sheathing
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0.113
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Framing
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0.120
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Framing, Sheathing, Roofing
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0.121
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Siding
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Coil type framing nailers available from Amazon.com
(in 2019)
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Image
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Click for details
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Price range
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Stick type framing Nail Guns
Stick nail guns have magazines holding 2 banks of nails with anywhere from 25 to 40 nails in each.
Nails are at an angle with the head of each nail resting the head of the one next to it.
Paper, wire or plastic collated nail sticks are available for a stick framing nail gun.
Paper disintegrates instead of getting trapped under the nail head. It also wont won't litter the job site or hit the user.
They also hold more nails than wire or plastic collated sticks but you pay more money for the privilege.
Plastic collated nail sticks are the cheapest but they tend to jam your gun. They can also fire pieces of plastic at you when you pull the trigger.
Wire welded collation is the most durable option on the job site.
One downside is that they can leave fragments of wire under nail heads. They also discharge fragments of wire in use so you must be careful.
Stick nail chart
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Firing angle
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Collation
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Diameter
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Use
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21 and 22 degrees
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Plastic
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0.113", 0.120" & 0.131"
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General construction, Carpentry & Framing.
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28 degrees
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Wire
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0.113", 0.120" & 0.131"
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General construction, Carpentry & Framing.
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30, 33 and 34 degrees
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Paper
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0.113", 0.120" & 0.131"
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General construction, Carpentry & Framing.
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Stick type framing nailers available from Amazon.com
(in 2019)
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Image
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Click for details
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Price range
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Palm Nail Gun's
A palm nail gun rests in the palm of your hand with a strap to hold it in place.
One big difference is that they don't carry nails onboard. A palm nailer fires one standard nail at a time rather than onboard, collated nails.
There are two types, Pneumatic and cordless.
Pneumatic palm nailers use compressed air via an airline.
Cordless palm nail gun don't use a compressor or an air hose. They are easier to use but more expensive.
A standard palm nailer will hammer 1.5 to 3.5 inch nails.
There are heavy duty palm nailers capable of hammering upto 6" nails.
A conventional hammer needs space to swing, a palm nailer does not making it great in tight spaces.
A magnetic head surrounded by a collar will hold your nail in place for you to align it before driving it home.
You can hammer a typical 3 inch nail in 1 second.
A traditional hammer might bend your nail, damage the wood or hit your thumb.
A palm nail gun will keep each nail in position and your fingers out of the way. There's also no way to slip off the side of the nail your hammering so it's almost foolproof.
One big difference is that they don't carry nails onboard. A palm nailer fires one standard nail at a time rather than onboard, collated nails.
There are two types, Pneumatic and cordless.
Pneumatic palm nailers use compressed air via an airline.
Cordless palm nail gun don't use a compressor or an air hose. They are easier to use but more expensive.
A standard palm nailer will hammer 1.5 to 3.5 inch nails.
There are heavy duty palm nailers capable of hammering upto 6" nails.
A conventional hammer needs space to swing, a palm nailer does not making it great in tight spaces.
A magnetic head surrounded by a collar will hold your nail in place for you to align it before driving it home.
You can hammer a typical 3 inch nail in 1 second.
A traditional hammer might bend your nail, damage the wood or hit your thumb.
A palm nail gun will keep each nail in position and your fingers out of the way. There's also no way to slip off the side of the nail your hammering so it's almost foolproof.
Palm nailers available from Amazon.com
(in 2019)
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Image
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Click for details
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Price range
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Staple Gun's
There are 3 types of Staplers:
1. Manual (hand powered). 2. Pneumatic (powered by compressed air via an airline). 3. Powered, electrical (corded or cordless).
They each have their uses.
Manual - Used for light duty applications, light DIY and repair uses. They are great for craft projects or light commercial use. The downside is that continued use can be painful and fatiguing. One big advantage is that they are very light and portable. They fire a variety of staple sizes but the harder the material or the larger the staple the less capable they are.
Pneumatic staple guns - These use compressed air to fire staples into your material. They are more powerful than manual staplers and more capable for larger projects. They can also fire larger staples with ease.
Powered staple guns are more expensive than a manual stapler. They are more powerful, less fatiguing and don't need a compressor with an airline. A better option for light professional and heavy DIY use and some also fire brad nails.
1. Manual (hand powered). 2. Pneumatic (powered by compressed air via an airline). 3. Powered, electrical (corded or cordless).
They each have their uses.
Manual - Used for light duty applications, light DIY and repair uses. They are great for craft projects or light commercial use. The downside is that continued use can be painful and fatiguing. One big advantage is that they are very light and portable. They fire a variety of staple sizes but the harder the material or the larger the staple the less capable they are.
Pneumatic staple guns - These use compressed air to fire staples into your material. They are more powerful than manual staplers and more capable for larger projects. They can also fire larger staples with ease.
Powered staple guns are more expensive than a manual stapler. They are more powerful, less fatiguing and don't need a compressor with an airline. A better option for light professional and heavy DIY use and some also fire brad nails.
Staple chart
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Gun description
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Staples used
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Sized available
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Light duty manual type
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Light gauge, flat crown staples
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1/4", 5/16", 3/8" or 7/16
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Medium duty manual type
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Medium gauge, flat crown staples
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3/8", 1/2" or 9/16
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Heavy duty manual type
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Heavy gauge flat crown staples
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5/16", 3/8" or 17/32"
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Electric staple gun
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Flat and round crown staples
(some will also fire brads) |
5/16", 3/8", 7/16", 1/2", 5/8" or brad nails
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Carton closure stapler - Pneumatic
(compressed air type) |
1/2-inch crown staples
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3/8" or 5/8"
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Flooring stapler -Pneumatic
(compressed air type) |
18 gauge
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7/16", 1/2" or 5/8"
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Roofing stapler - Pneumatic
(Compressed air type) |
Wide crown, 16 gauge
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from 1/2" to 1-1/2"
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Staple guns available from Amazon.com
(in 2019)
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Image
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Click for details
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Price range
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Flooring Nail Gun's
Flooring nailers use either Nails or Staples.
Nails are also known as cleats in fact flooring nailers are often referred to as cleat nailers.
Fasteners fire at an angle, deep into the corner of the tongue and through into the sub floor.
Boards attach to the floor forced against each other.
Fastener heads should sink out of the way of the next board.
You can buy manual, or pneumatic flooring nail guns. The choice is a personal preference.
The same advantages and disadvantages apply.
Physical effort makes a manual gun less than ideal for large floors or regular use. There are advantages though.
Manual guns are lighter, easier to transport and faster to set up.
A pneumatic flooring nailer will need a compressor and an air hose.
Once you're set up, you get to complete your work faster and with ease.
Pros and Cons of Cleats vs Staples
Cleats are like nails with either an L or T shaped head. They won't grip the board as well as they do the subfloor which is a good thing.
They have a sharp tip, a rigid body and a smooth shank to allow for seasonal movement. Cleats are available in 15, 16, 18 or 20 gauge and a variety of lengths to suit each application.
Staples hold well but wont allow the flooring to adjust as well for seasonal movement. They can crack the tongue as they pin the board in place. Creaking floorboards are often attributed to use of Staples rather than nails.
The upside is that staples are cheaper.
They are available in 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" crown sizes and a variety of lengths to suit your board thickness and subfloor.
Nails are also known as cleats in fact flooring nailers are often referred to as cleat nailers.
Fasteners fire at an angle, deep into the corner of the tongue and through into the sub floor.
Boards attach to the floor forced against each other.
Fastener heads should sink out of the way of the next board.
You can buy manual, or pneumatic flooring nail guns. The choice is a personal preference.
The same advantages and disadvantages apply.
Physical effort makes a manual gun less than ideal for large floors or regular use. There are advantages though.
Manual guns are lighter, easier to transport and faster to set up.
A pneumatic flooring nailer will need a compressor and an air hose.
Once you're set up, you get to complete your work faster and with ease.
Pros and Cons of Cleats vs Staples
Cleats are like nails with either an L or T shaped head. They won't grip the board as well as they do the subfloor which is a good thing.
They have a sharp tip, a rigid body and a smooth shank to allow for seasonal movement. Cleats are available in 15, 16, 18 or 20 gauge and a variety of lengths to suit each application.
Staples hold well but wont allow the flooring to adjust as well for seasonal movement. They can crack the tongue as they pin the board in place. Creaking floorboards are often attributed to use of Staples rather than nails.
The upside is that staples are cheaper.
They are available in 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" crown sizes and a variety of lengths to suit your board thickness and subfloor.
Flooring nailers available from Amazon.com
(in 2019)
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Image
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Click for details
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Price range
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That's how we keep the lights on around here... Sometimes...
Written by Mark Newton of Mark Newton Custom Woodcraft
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