Popular Woodworking 2001-10 № 124, страница 22

PW

Recommends

occasional user

• If you're an occasional woodworker, there are lots of other tools you should buy before you get a brad nailer and compressor. When you start building lots of cabinets with trimwork, you'll be ready for one.

serious home woodworker

• Accuset A200BN, This 2" brad nailer has earned a permanent place in our shop at the magazine. It feels good in the hand and is amazingly reliable.

• Porter-Cable BN200A, Porter-Cable's 2" brad nailer is surprisingly lightweight and balanced. We also like the fact that the safety is behind the nose of the gun so it's easier to put that brad right where you want it.

• Craftsman 18424, If money's a little tight, this lightweight 2" gun will save you a few dollars over the other brands.

advanced woodworker or professional user

• Senco SLP20, For years, this has been the industry standard in professional shops. Its reliability and versatility are well-documented. With proper care, this tool will last you a lifetime.

• Senco FinishPro 25, This newer tool fires longer brads than any other brad nailer on the market, 2^1/s".

• Makita AF502, Though expensive, this tool has one of the most unique and convenient safety devices, built into the entire nose-piece. A separate lock-off makes the option of bump or sequential fire safe. This is a quality tool for the pro woodworker.

These tools have been tested or used by

the editors of Popular Woodworking

and have earned their recommendation.

Safety Features

In general, brad nailers are required to fire only at a moderate pace. While some nailers offer what is referred to as bump firing (pull the trigger and fire repeatedly by depressing the nose safety against the wood), this isn't really a necessary or recommended feature for woodworkers. Rather a sequential firing tool with a restrictive nose safety (requiring the nose be lifted off the wood before the trigger will fire again) is the better woodworking choice.

Another common safety lock-out is the use of double-triggers. A double trigger requires first one, then a second trigger be pulled to fire the gun. These guns do not have a nose safety.

Jamming

One last feature is a way to easily remove jammed brads from the chamber. Many brad nailers offer a removable nose to quickly clear away the jammed brad. This nose-piece may require an allen wrench to remove, or use a simple flip-latch requiring no tools. While this is a feature to consider, today's nailers are less prone to jamming and we wouldn't base a purchase on this feature.

Pneumatics for Newbies

As mentioned earlier, one of the great ways to enter the pneumatic world is to purchase one of the nailer/compressor combination kits. Available in a number of different configurations, most include a 2hp compressor, gun, hose and fittings for between $250 and $300. If you piece out the components, this is an economical way to get started.

One word of caution, though. While we recommend a 2" capacity brad nailer for most woodworkers, it's not that easy to find a starter kit with a 2" capacity brad nailer. Accuset offers one for around $300, but most brad nailer kits will include a or 1⁵8" capacity nailer. If you plan on purchasing two brad nailers, or anticipate using a larger finish nailer, then this is still an economical route. If not, you may want to still consider piecing together your set, starting with the larger capacity brad nailer.

Finally, some companies offer a tool that will fire both brads and staples. These are good in a pinch, just be prepared to fiddle with the gun a bit when you switch from firing brads to staples. PW