Woodworker's Journal 2004-28-4, страница 43
Ij Craftsmai makes a tool that will sl-oot both brads and staples, expanding its versatility but limiting fastener length to 1V»". Place Each Brad with Precision and Power Placing each brad: When you're assembling a cabinet or chest, unlike framing a building, you want to jositioi. each brad with precision. And you may need to squeeze a brad into tight quarters — an inside corner or the narrow fillet of a molding. Consequently, the size and design of the nailer's nose and safety are an issue. Here's where there's differentiation amongst the brands and models. While I found nor.e impossibly clumsy, cheek this before you buy. You II see that some designs have a wide nose, others a very narrow one. The safety can be in front of the drive point or behind it. A plastic pad, intended to eliminate scratching and to cushion the impact of recoil, is a feature on some nailers. Often it expands the footprint Choose a nailer that has a footprint you can be comfortable with. But rest assured, with practice, you'll develop an eye for deftly placing brads, regardless of the particular tool you select. Hazards There are some hazards, even physical dangers, you should be aware of. Safety glasses were pack aged with more than half the nailers; there's a message in that. A louder message is the safety incorix)i ated into every nailer. II you merely squeeze the nailer's trigger, nothing happens: it won't lire a brae across the room. The spring-loaded safety is deactivated by placing the tool's nose on the workpiece and gently pressing. Now when yoa squeeze the trigger, one brad is fired into the work. To fire a second brad, yo:i have to release the pressure on the nailer momentarily to reset the safety. The Makita is the only nailer I tried with a trigger-controlled return, which arguably makes it the safest nailer in this regard. So long as you hold the trigger, the safety won't reset. The system has two benefits, actually. One is that you can prevent recoil dings by holding the trigger un.il you've lifted the nailer's nose clear of the work. 'Hie other is that you can lire only one brad per trigger squeeze. Why is this significant? Have you watched construction carpenters and roofers at work? They'll tap tap tap their way across a surface, firing nails in rapid sequence. What they are doing is holding the trigger and using the safety to fire die nails, an approach called bump (or bounce) firing. Of the nailers I tried, those from Hitachi, Grizzly, and Campbell Hausfeld would bump fire. The Craftsman nailer can be switched to a bump-fire mode. Paslcde, Porter-Cable, and DeWalt make an optional trigger that enables bump firing. Other brands/models are incapable of it The obvious hazard of bump firing is accidental discharge. You get accustomed to holding the tool with your finger on the trigger, and you bump the nose against another tool, your workbench, or worse, against your body or someone else's. Pow! You've nailed it. Errant nails are a significant hazard. The situation is this: Individual 18-gauge brads are very limber Compressor and Brad Nailer Combos ror the woodworker without a compressor, getting imo pneumatics is a costiy step. A package combining a nailer with an appropriate cnmpressr.r might help. For jjst jndar $10C, CampDell Havsfed sells a lightweight, Icw-capacity compressor and a no-irills naPer/stapier (right). Foi $200, Sunco will put a pro-quality brad nailer and tiny compressor m your hands (left). The compressor is lightweight and won't power much more than a small nailer. Aod a C-note to the kitty, and Po'ter-Cable (center) supolies a package with some legs. Yoj get a brad nailer and a finish na':ler, along with a 25' hese, quick connect fittings, and a 2 HP, six-gallon pancaxe compressor. 43 August 2004 Woodworker's Journal |
