"novel8" wrote in message
...
Don't know much about them, but have seen them in action on the home
improvement channels. In regard to the small ones like nailers and
drllls, do they need an air compressor? Just how does it get its
'power" if not from an compressor?

They are good for what they are good for, and one size does not fit all.

Compressors are commonly a "pancake" compressor, an electric unit with a
corpuscle shaped storage tank. Not much volume, but not needed with a
nailer.

Available in gas engine drives for construction sites where electricity is
not available.

If you have ever used an air nailer versus the regular means of fastening,
you will know there is worlds of difference. Say, in the amount of framing
one man can do in one day with a nailer versus a hammer. AND, the man isn't
worn to a nub at the end of the day.

For baseboards, it is infinitely easier, not having the bent nails common to
nailing in a contortionist position common to baseboard applications.

For small nailing applications, such as brads, staples, and small nailing,
they are the cats meow because if you can aim it where you want it, that's
where it goes, and in most of those situations, you are doing things three
handed. If you've ever hung on a ladder, and tried to get a wall to line up
and be plumb and square and just get a nail in there just to tack it and
hold it, you know what I'm talking about. With a nailer, when it's right,
BANG. Six milliseconds. No moving between the first and second hammer
impact.

If you've ever gone over the work of a framer at the end of the day, and see
how close they come to right, the nailer wins out, so long as the framer was
sober and know half ass what he's doing.

There is a limit that one will hit, and that comes to air volume. Tools are
all rated at volume of air they consume. An air ratchet will consume a lot
more air than a 15 ga. brad nailer. Those big inline sanders used in auto
body work require a lot of air. So, it will all depend on the tool you want
to run. In some cases, you can't do the work faster than the compressor can
put out, and in others, you have to do a little work, and wait ten minutes
for the compressor to fill up, then do another five minutes of work, and
wait another ten minutes.

It all has to do with the tool, and what it is that you are wanting to do.

All in all, they will improve the quality of work a man can do, and increase
sometimes greatly the amount of work a man can do in eight hours.

HTH

Steve