Choosing The Right Nail Gun

Nail guns can make construction projects easier, but you also need to be concerned with nail gun safety. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that 32 percent of nail gun accidents that wind up in the emergency room are from consumers and “do-it-yourselfers”.

When you are choosing a nail gun, it is important to make sure that you get the right gun for your project. As with any construction equipment, you can reduce the chances of injuries by making sure that the equipment you have is designed for your project, and that you know how to use it.

When choosing a nail gun, it helps to know your options and understand their differences. The are there are three primary types of nail guns to consider, and they are:

Framing Gun – A framing gun can drive large nails deep into almost any type of wood. These types of guns are used for roofing projects, drywall, wall framing, and any other heavy duty nailing project.
Finishing Gun – A finishing gun is used on large finishing projects such as crown molding and heavy baseboards. You can also use these guns to do woodworking projects, and finish up cabinets.
Brad Gun – A brad gun does smaller finishing work such as quarter round trim on walls, and trim around windows. A finishing gun can often be too powerful for some types of trim and delicate wood, and that is where a brad gun comes in.

Power Sources For Your Gun

According to AirCompressorSpy.com, the three primary power sources for nail guns are air compressors, gas, and hard-wired electrical cords. The type of power source you choose depends on your project.

The most powerful and reliable power source for a nail gun is an air compressor, but you are limited by the length of the hose on the compressor and its size as to where you can use it. Gas-powered nail guns use a battery to spark gas, and that fires the nails into their destinations. While being cordless is convenient, you will have to have a lot of charged batteries on hand if you want to get anything done. Hard-wired nail guns tend to be the least powerful of them all, and they are really only useful for light finishing work.

The Right Gun For Your Project

For big jobs, a pneumatic framing gun (pneumatic means air compressor powered) would do the job. However, you could also choose a gas-powered gun if you will need to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time. Hard-wired brad and finishing guns are quick and easy solutions for interior finishing work.

When you choose the right nail gun for your project, then you can get professional results and reduce the possibility of injury, especially injury to hands which is one of the more common types of injury. Be sure to compare the guns that are available to the project you are doing to the construction equipment that fits your needs. As with any construction project or work, in addition to choosing the right nail gun, following the correct nail gun safety protocol is also something not to overlook.