On Sun, 1 Apr 2012 06:10:37 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

wrote:
Some years ago I was doing some construction for a guy, and he handed
me a power nailer for nailing studs. I tried it, and thought it was
obnoxious. It was heavy, had that blasted air hose fighting me for
the proper angle I wanted to toe nail, and it would shoot a nail
before I had the stud even and straight. I told him to buy some real
nails and grab my hammer out of my toolbox. That damn power nailer
cut my productivity in half, wasted several studs that seemed to
shatter, and this dont account for these power nailers being
dangerous. No thanks. I can build easier and faster with a plain
hammer and nails.

Your experience differs from mine. Buy yourself a pneumatic brad nailer -
toe in the water, so to speak. In short order, you'll be working out for the
Olympics - in the Hammer Throw event.

I watched a team of roofers work on my neighbor's house. There was one guy
with a air-driver tack applier, and four others, each equipped with a hammer
and a supply of shingle tacks. I swear the pneumatic tool outpaced the
combined output of the four with their primitive tools.


Roofing is one place I could see using a powered nailer. I say *could*.
meaning if it was designed well, and shot actual roofing nails. Somehow
the thought of a tool with an air hose attached on a roof seems like a
pain to handle. A hammer belt holder easily holds a hammer, but how do
you fight with an air tool with a 20lbs of hose trying to pull it to the
ground......

On the other hand, the "nail" matters even more. I recall somewhere
around 1990 a neighbor had his house re-roofed. They used a staple
rather than a nail. The staples had a crown about an inch wide. The
roof went on quickly and looked the same as a hand nailed roof. Shortly
after, there was a storm with high winds. The shingles on that roof
came off in sheets, leaving at least half that roof naked. Neighboring
homes with hand nailed shingles (many were older shingles), stayed
intact other than a few blown off tabs and damages from tree branches
falling on the roofs. Those staples just did not hold. I noticed the
shingles that landed in my yard were cut where those staples ripped thru
them, or the staples just pulled out and remained in the shingles. Upon
seeing that, I knoew I would never have them used on my home. In fact
the owner of my home (a relative), had to get a new roof several years
later and upon my advise, told the roofing company that he did not want
staples. He had to pay a little more but they used plain old roofing
nails, driven with a hammer.

Saving a few hours on a job is great, but not if the resulting job is
poor and prone to damage from storms that should not occur if the proper
nails are used.