I'm getting more & more customers wanting FE board fences and whilst you can
buy standard panels, they are often the wrong size.

Putting up a FE fence is easy enough, but nailing the boards to the arris
rails is the time consuming bit.

In the workshop I have a small compressor & nail gun that fires 18g brads.

Questions. Would 18g brads be suitable for FE boards? If not, what size
would be OK & would I need a bigger compressor?


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
. ..
I'm getting more & more customers wanting FE board fences and whilst you
can
buy standard panels, they are often the wrong size.

Putting up a FE fence is easy enough, but nailing the boards to the arris
rails is the time consuming bit.

In the workshop I have a small compressor & nail gun that fires 18g brads.

Questions. Would 18g brads be suitable for FE boards? If not, what size
would be OK & would I need a bigger compressor?


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257



Being a Handyman you have to draw the line when its starts to become
expensive to do some jobs...you're are bordering onto becoming full time
builder?

George wrote:

Being a Handyman you have to draw the line when its starts to become
expensive to do some jobs...you're are bordering onto becoming full time
builder?


Has he registered www.medwayfulltimebuilder.co.uk yet?

--
Adrian C

The Medway Handyman wrote:

In the workshop I have a small compressor & nail gun that fires 18g brads.

Questions. Would 18g brads be suitable for FE boards?

The short answer is they are not ideal for that application. However if
you use longish brads (30 - 40mm) and stick three or four in every place
you would stick one larger nail then they will hold reasonably well. I
have planked a shed like that in the past and they are still holding a
few years later.

If not, what size
would be OK & would I need a bigger compressor?

For nail size you would probably be looking at a second fix or a framing
nailer. Something that can handle a reasonable gauge of nail at 50mm.
For most air nailers, a compressor with a 25L accumulator, auto stop
start, and a free air delivery of 4 cfm or more is usually plenty.

I would have thought in your case a better solution would be a gas
nailer like a Paslode or the newer Hitachi versions. They cost slightly
more to run, but offer much faster setup times, no need for extension
leads or an electrical supply at all, and there is no need to cart about
a compressor or air line. You could have it in the van to use on spec
rather than needing to plan ahead.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 2008-03-30 00:37:50 +0000, "The Medway Handyman"
said:

I'm getting more & more customers wanting FE board fences and whilst you can
buy standard panels, they are often the wrong size.

Putting up a FE fence is easy enough, but nailing the boards to the arris
rails is the time consuming bit.

In the workshop I have a small compressor & nail gun that fires 18g brads.

Questions. Would 18g brads be suitable for FE boards? If not, what size
would be OK & would I need a bigger compressor?

I have a selection of compressed air nailers, going from a small 22g
pin type, through 18g brad, 16g and 15g standard and a much larger
framing nailer.

18g brads would definitely be too small for this application unless you
are looking for early repeat business.

15g would be about optimal and could be run from a small compressor.

The large framing nailer is OK on a 25l compressor, but I wouldn't use
it for rapid fire work on anything smaller.

Otherwise, perhaps a Paslode would make sense for the work you do,
although the consumables cost is more.

John Rumm wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:

In the workshop I have a small compressor & nail gun that fires 18g
brads. Questions. Would 18g brads be suitable for FE boards?

The short answer is they are not ideal for that application. However
if you use longish brads (30 - 40mm) and stick three or four in every
place you would stick one larger nail then they will hold reasonably
well. I have planked a shed like that in the past and they are still
holding a few years later.

If not, what size
would be OK & would I need a bigger compressor?

For nail size you would probably be looking at a second fix or a
framing nailer. Something that can handle a reasonable gauge of nail
at 50mm. For most air nailers, a compressor with a 25L accumulator,
auto stop start, and a free air delivery of 4 cfm or more is usually
plenty.
I would have thought in your case a better solution would be a gas
nailer like a Paslode or the newer Hitachi versions. They cost
slightly more to run, but offer much faster setup times, no need for
extension leads or an electrical supply at all, and there is no need
to cart about a compressor or air line. You could have it in the van
to use on spec rather than needing to plan ahead.

Nice thought - I could pretend to be Tommy Waslsh :-)

I've always regarded those as a potential PITA - I'd rather use a
compressor. Batteries to charge, fuel cells to worry about, brads 5 times
the price - and my mate who owns the hire shop won't hire them (Paslode) out
anymore because he's had so many problems with them.

For the price of a Paslode I could buy another bigger compressor & whatever
air tools I needed & still have change.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

On 2008-03-30 10:20:11 +0100, "The Medway Handyman"
said:

John Rumm wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:

In the workshop I have a small compressor & nail gun that fires 18g
brads. Questions. Would 18g brads be suitable for FE boards?

The short answer is they are not ideal for that application. However
if you use longish brads (30 - 40mm) and stick three or four in every
place you would stick one larger nail then they will hold reasonably
well. I have planked a shed like that in the past and they are still
holding a few years later.

If not, what size
would be OK & would I need a bigger compressor?

For nail size you would probably be looking at a second fix or a
framing nailer. Something that can handle a reasonable gauge of nail
at 50mm. For most air nailers, a compressor with a 25L accumulator,
auto stop start, and a free air delivery of 4 cfm or more is usually
plenty.
I would have thought in your case a better solution would be a gas
nailer like a Paslode or the newer Hitachi versions. They cost
slightly more to run, but offer much faster setup times, no need for
extension leads or an electrical supply at all, and there is no need
to cart about a compressor or air line. You could have it in the van
to use on spec rather than needing to plan ahead.

Nice thought - I could pretend to be Tommy Waslsh :-)

We could get you the braces....


I've always regarded those as a potential PITA - I'd rather use a
compressor. Batteries to charge, fuel cells to worry about, brads 5 times
the price - and my mate who owns the hire shop won't hire them (Paslode) out
anymore because he's had so many problems with them.

For the price of a Paslode I could buy another bigger compressor & whatever
air tools I needed & still have change.

What size compressor do you have?

Andy Hall wrote:
On 2008-03-30 10:20:11 +0100, "The Medway Handyman"
said:

John Rumm wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:

In the workshop I have a small compressor & nail gun that fires 18g
brads. Questions. Would 18g brads be suitable for FE boards?

The short answer is they are not ideal for that application. However
if you use longish brads (30 - 40mm) and stick three or four in
every place you would stick one larger nail then they will hold
reasonably well. I have planked a shed like that in the past and
they are still holding a few years later.

If not, what size
would be OK & would I need a bigger compressor?

For nail size you would probably be looking at a second fix or a
framing nailer. Something that can handle a reasonable gauge of nail
at 50mm. For most air nailers, a compressor with a 25L accumulator,
auto stop start, and a free air delivery of 4 cfm or more is usually
plenty.
I would have thought in your case a better solution would be a gas
nailer like a Paslode or the newer Hitachi versions. They cost
slightly more to run, but offer much faster setup times, no need for
extension leads or an electrical supply at all, and there is no need
to cart about a compressor or air line. You could have it in the van
to use on spec rather than needing to plan ahead.

Nice thought - I could pretend to be Tommy Waslsh :-)

We could get you the braces....

SWMBO bought me some last birthday :-)


I've always regarded those as a potential PITA - I'd rather use a
compressor. Batteries to charge, fuel cells to worry about, brads 5
times the price - and my mate who owns the hire shop won't hire them
(Paslode) out anymore because he's had so many problems with them.

For the price of a Paslode I could buy another bigger compressor &
whatever air tools I needed & still have change.

What size compressor do you have?

Small one, 6 litre reciever, 1.5hp, 80l/min
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/77351/...essor-1-5hp-6L


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

George wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message . ..
I'm getting more & more customers wanting FE board fences and whilst
you can buy standard panels, they are often the wrong size.

Putting up a FE fence is easy enough, but nailing the boards to the
arris rails is the time consuming bit.

In the workshop I have a small compressor & nail gun that fires 18g
brads.

Questions. Would 18g brads be suitable for FE boards? If not, what
size would be OK & would I need a bigger compressor?


Being a Handyman you have to draw the line when its starts to become
expensive to do some jobs...you're are bordering onto becoming full
time builder?

Nah! I just keep my eyes open for gaps in the market & this seems to be one
locally. I don't mind investing in the kit to do the job if it means I can
earn a few quid extra. Good money in small fencing jobs.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

I've always regarded those as a potential PITA - I'd rather use a
compressor. Batteries to charge, fuel cells to worry about, brads 5 times
the price - and my mate who owns the hire shop won't hire them (Paslode) out
anymore because he's had so many problems with them.

They can be. I had to return my first Paslode when it became
unreliable (Screwfix were fine about it).

However battery recharges are very infrequent, much, much less so
than cordless tools and the gas cartridges are sized to at least last
as long as required to use the whole box of nails they come with (mine
always, really consistently last 10% longer).

I can see several reasons not to hire them out other than reliability,
safety being a significant one - all too easy not to remove the gas
cartridge before clearing a jam - and I suspect the bolt cycling, even
on a gun with no nails in it, could cause a really nasty injury.

For floorboards they're absolutely great, but big downside for fencing
would be the weight and awkwardness of holding boards in place whilst
nailing with one hand. That's ok for a few nails, a bit tiring for
1000's

OTOH you can get stainless or hard galv'd nails - and AIUI you do a
lot of decking.

I've also got a Tacwise cordless nailer/stapler (which I got at a huge
discount) - but the downside which would make it unusable is how
slowly it cycles to draw the bolt back for the next nail - it would
drive you crazy.

I've no experience of air nailers, but they sound a better prospect
than the other two.

On 2008-03-30 10:59:11 +0100, "The Medway Handyman"
said:

What size compressor do you have?

Small one, 6 litre reciever, 1.5hp, 80l/min
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/77351/...essor-1-5hp-6L

Should

be OK for a 15g nailer

Might be a bit undersized for a framing nailer.

The only thing to watch with 15 g nailers is that some will only go
down to 32mm as minimum length of nail. That's OK for boarding a
shed since one would be going into at least 50mm of framing timber, but
might be marginal for a fence - actually maybe not if the framing is
32mm itself. There are 25mm 15g nails available, but not all nailers
will take them.

15g nails are not *much* bigger than 16g, but the nails have more
substantial heads which is really the issue.

On 2008-03-30 11:18:20 +0100, "The Medway Handyman"
said:

George wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message . ..
I'm getting more & more customers wanting FE board fences and whilst
you can buy standard panels, they are often the wrong size.

Putting up a FE fence is easy enough, but nailing the boards to the
arris rails is the time consuming bit.

In the workshop I have a small compressor & nail gun that fires 18g
brads.

Questions. Would 18g brads be suitable for FE boards? If not, what
size would be OK & would I need a bigger compressor?


Being a Handyman you have to draw the line when its starts to become
expensive to do some jobs...you're are bordering onto becoming full
time builder?

Nah! I just keep my eyes open for gaps in the market & this seems to be one
locally. I don't mind investing in the kit to do the job if it means I can
earn a few quid extra. Good money in small fencing jobs.

There is indeed, and now is the perfect time of year. Squally and
windy weather and people wanting a quick fix to slightly broken fences
before the summer. Definitely a distress purchase, I think.

wrote:
I've always regarded those as a potential PITA - I'd rather use a
compressor. Batteries to charge, fuel cells to worry about, brads 5
times the price - and my mate who owns the hire shop won't hire them
(Paslode) out anymore because he's had so many problems with them.

They can be. I had to return my first Paslode when it became
unreliable (Screwfix were fine about it).

However battery recharges are very infrequent, much, much less so
than cordless tools and the gas cartridges are sized to at least last
as long as required to use the whole box of nails they come with (mine
always, really consistently last 10% longer).

I can see several reasons not to hire them out other than reliability,
safety being a significant one - all too easy not to remove the gas
cartridge before clearing a jam - and I suspect the bolt cycling, even
on a gun with no nails in it, could cause a really nasty injury.

For floorboards they're absolutely great, but big downside for fencing
would be the weight and awkwardness of holding boards in place whilst
nailing with one hand. That's ok for a few nails, a bit tiring for
1000's

OTOH you can get stainless or hard galv'd nails - and AIUI you do a
lot of decking.


Thats another possible use - fixing the boards is time consuming & although
I prefer screws, nails would be much faster.

I've also got a Tacwise cordless nailer/stapler (which I got at a huge
discount) - but the downside which would make it unusable is how
slowly it cycles to draw the bolt back for the next nail - it would
drive you crazy.

I had an SIP cordless nailer - gave it away in the end.



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

On 2008-03-30 11:43:58 +0100, "The Medway Handyman"
said:

wrote:

OTOH you can get stainless or hard galv'd nails - and AIUI you do a
lot of decking.


Thats another possible use - fixing the boards is time consuming & although
I prefer screws, nails would be much faster.


A framing nailer can do this and you can get nails with a spiral shank
which hold better than the straight or even ring shank types.

For deck work, where you would want a fairly high hit rate, you would
need a more substantial compressor. 15l should be enough, but 25l
better and able to do more. You could use a 25l for site work, but I
would say that that's about the largest for in and out in a day type
applications.

Thats another possible use - fixing the boards is time consuming & although
I prefer screws, nails would be much faster.

Yes, I agree with you - there's something nicely aesthetic about
screws in decking. You might be able to offer screwed decking as a
slightly higher priced "quality" option?

I had an SIP cordless nailer - gave it away in the end.

Tacwise isn't that bad - but is probably the only power tool I've
bought that hasn't had sufficient use to justify it's existence.

On 2008-03-30 12:06:28 +0100, " said:


Thats another possible use - fixing the boards is time consuming & although
I prefer screws, nails would be much faster.

Yes, I agree with you - there's something nicely aesthetic about
screws in decking. You might be able to offer screwed decking as a
slightly higher priced "quality" option?


Only if he buys it in B&Q :-) (Oh no, that's warped, not screwed).

wrote:
Thats another possible use - fixing the boards is time consuming & although
I prefer screws, nails would be much faster.

Yes, I agree with you - there's something nicely aesthetic about
screws in decking. You might be able to offer screwed decking as a
slightly higher priced "quality" option?

snip

I used stainless screws for my home-made fencing. Still none of the rust
stains I hate so much :-)

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

Andy Hall wrote:

and able to do more. You could use a 25l for site work, but I would
say that that's about the largest for in and out in a day type
applications.

Our new place came with what was once a nice shed - about 8x12' pent.
Alas the roof had gone as had half the floor, and the back right corner
was well rotten as well. Anyway, did a resurrection job on it, new roof
and floor, and then used the good boards from the old floor to replank
rotten corner. I found using a framing nailer and 2" nails I could just
about run at the capacity of the compressor for short bursts - doing a
nail every 0.5 sec or so up a run of boards. So realistically the 25L
was more than enough.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

The Medway Handyman wrote:

I've always regarded those as a potential PITA - I'd rather use a
compressor. Batteries to charge, fuel cells to worry about, brads 5 times
the price - and my mate who owns the hire shop won't hire them (Paslode) out
anymore because he's had so many problems with them.

I think if you use them correctly then the fuel cell will do the full
pack of nails, and the charging is infrequent since it only uses
electrical power for ignition.

I am told the Hitachi version irons out some of the shortcomings of the
Paslode as well.

For the price of a Paslode I could buy another bigger compressor & whatever
air tools I needed & still have change.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hitachi-1st-fi...QQcmdZViewItem


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

I used stainless screws for my home-made fencing. Still none of the rust
stains I hate so much :-)

--
Rod

I was going to suggest screws too; the heads of the basic Screwfix pozis
don't stain in tanalised wood (they do darken inside)

On Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:59:32 +0100, "newshound"
wrote:


I used stainless screws for my home-made fencing. Still none of the rust
stains I hate so much :-)

And after much research I discovered that the only nailer for which
stainless nails are available is the Paslode

Anna
--

~ ~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England
|""""| ~ Lime plaster repair and conservation
/ ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc
|_____|/ www.kettlenet.co.uk

On 2008-03-31 07:23:28 +0100, (Anna Kettle) said:

On Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:59:32 +0100, "newshound"
wrote:


I used stainless screws for my home-made fencing. Still none of the rust
stains I hate so much :-)

And after much research I discovered that the only nailer for which
stainless nails are available is the Paslode

Anna



You can get collated nails for 18g brad nailers, 15g and 16g nailers,
staplers, coil type roofing nailers and for framing nailers, Anna.

They are more readily available in the U.S. - e.g.

http://www.stainless-nails-brads-staples.com/Senco.htm

but can be obtained in the UK, typically to special order.


A while ago I bought some 15g 32mm nails and some 50mm roofing nails
for a framing nailer from http://www.topgun.co.uk; although had to buy
2000 of each as min quantities.

On Mar 30, 1:37*am, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:
I'm getting more & more customers wanting FE board fences and whilst you can
buy standard panels, they are often the wrong size.

Putting up a FE fence is easy enough, but nailing the boards to the arris
rails is the time consuming bit.

In the workshop I have a small compressor & nail gun that fires 18g brads.

Questions. *Would 18g brads be suitable for FE boards? *If not, what size
would be OK & would I need a bigger compressor?

--
Dave - The Medway Handymanwww.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

I wouldn't have thought a brad nailer of any description would be
suitable for this job. Won't the brads just pop through the boards as
the expand and contract? I think you need nails with decently sided
heads.

I used a Paslode framing nailer with 32mm nails for mine (borrowed off
a neighbour). It was important to hit the centre of the rails though
otherwise the nails protruded!

Steve

Steve

On Mar 31, 12:19*pm, stevelup wrote:
On Mar 30, 1:37*am, "The Medway Handyman"



wrote:
I'm getting more & more customers wanting FE board fences and whilst you can
buy standard panels, they are often the wrong size.

Putting up a FE fence is easy enough, but nailing the boards to the arris
rails is the time consuming bit.

In the workshop I have a small compressor & nail gun that fires 18g brads.

Questions. *Would 18g brads be suitable for FE boards? *If not, what size
would be OK & would I need a bigger compressor?

--
Dave - The Medway Handymanwww.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

I wouldn't have thought a brad nailer of any description would be
suitable for this job. Won't the brads just pop through the boards as
the expand and contract? I think you need nails with decently sided
heads.

I used a Paslode framing nailer with 32mm nails for mine (borrowed off
a neighbour). It was important to hit the centre of the rails though
otherwise the nails protruded!

Steve

Steve

That should read decently *sized* heads of course!

John Rumm wrote:
The Medway Handyman wrote:


I am told the Hitachi version irons out some of the shortcomings of
the Paslode as well.

For the price of a Paslode I could buy another bigger compressor &
whatever air tools I needed & still have change.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hitachi-1st-fi...QQcmdZViewItem


Done a little research on that, seems like the green Hitachi NR90gc has
been replaced by the Hitachi NR90gc2 which is grey. Some problem with a
coil thingy? Can't find the Hitachi NR90gc2 at less than around £350.

Won't fire less than 51mm nails so no good for fencing.

Thanks for the thought though.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

The Medway Handyman wrote:

Done a little research on that, seems like the green Hitachi NR90gc has
been replaced by the Hitachi NR90gc2 which is grey. Some problem with a
coil thingy? Can't find the Hitachi NR90gc2 at less than around £350.

Won't fire less than 51mm nails so no good for fencing.

Thanks for the thought though.

Perhaps they have not done a version of the smaller Paslode...

Having said that, I would have though 2" was about right for fencing?
(19mm feather edge onto 3" diagonal aris rails)

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:45:34 +0100, John Rumm wrote:

Having said that, I would have though 2" was about right for fencing?
(19mm feather edge onto 3" diagonal aris rails)

I was thinking the same but 3/4" rails into 4" posts.

--
Cheers
Dave.