|
I'd be a little hesitiant to run this nailer off of a pancake compressor. This tool has a 3/8 inch air fitting and does use quite a bit of air. With that minor work I've done on it, I get the sense that this nailer is built to be put together one way and I'm not afraid to do any major service disassembly if ever need be.I did notice someone offering a nail set tool for the cleat nails and regret not purchasing it. While this tool is one of the most expensive I've purchased, its price is only a small percentage of the cost of the flooring being installed. The nailer also came with the finished floor foot that I installed. The instructions were understandable and it takes driving about three nails to get the hang of using it.There was alot of bad internet talk about the air consumption of this tool and bad performance because of it. It's a little tough to find a small compressor that produces the air the specs call for, so for a few extra dollars I figured a little extra in the storage tank would go a long way.If you are unfortunate enough to jam the nailer, figuring out how to clear it does take a while to figure out (basically take the foot off and come up from the bottom). I was able to do the job with a flat screwdriver, but after doing it the first time I understood why there's a special tool for it.The only thing this unit didn't come with was a way to store it.
While I did have the option of renting this tool, I chose to purchase it so that I wouldn't be influenced by the "meter is running" thoughts and took my time with the installation.The nailer requires some assembly and the appropriate allen wrenches were included. Since I borrowed a portable compressor (30 gal, 120psi, single-stage) with a 1/4 inch inlet hose set-up, I put a 6 inch 3/8 brass pipe on the tool then used a 1/4 inch air fitting off that with no problems at all. This tool is certainly a "keeper" and since I plan on using it a couple more times over the next few years, I'm looking into finding something like a large ammo can to keep it nice. Later, I picked-up a 20 gal, 150psi, single stage compressor and set it up 3/8 inch and found no difference.
Just make sure that you don't let the nails run too low or it will misfire. It is simple to position correctly and use. When you get too close to the walls etc. The angle of the nailer that is needed to position it for nailing the floor also means that it cannot fit in tight places. The Bostitch Pneumatic Floor nailer is great. We laid a hardwood floor in the kitchen, dining room, and hallway in one weekend. you can use a finish nailer and angle it to set nails.This tool made laying the floor a very easy project for us. The only time that you cannot use the nailer is when you are too close to the cabinets or walls.
It came with all attachments for different floor thicknesses - all I had to buy was an air hose hook up (to the nailer) and nails. But when Home Depot salesmen can't figure out the problems, that indicates something wrong with the brand. Loading was extremely easy - drop the nail strip in and close the loader. One was last year with a rental nailer; the latter was with the Bostitch. You don't even need to pick the loader up off the floor to reload - just drop in another strip (like a paper stapler) and go for it. To be fair, rentals receive a lot of punishment and the jams I experienced might have been caused by abuse and neglect. This is a great nailer; I highly recommend it. Last year's floor took 13 hours to complete.
I did have one jam, I believe caused by a defective nail which broke into two pieces and one piece got caught in the "delivery chute." I merely removed the bottom plate (with the allen wrench provided with the nailer) and extracted (let it fall out) the broken nail. Comparing this to a rental, I did two rooms with the same area dimensions(both were rectangles with no special cutting). that is when you strike the nailer with the mallet (again, provided with the nailer) snap it back up - do not let it bounce as that can cause the nailer to jump away from the board and drive another nail into the top of the board. The ease of hitting goes a long way to help you finish your job and not be worn out doing it. I won't mention those brand names here, but this one made by Bostitch is far superior to the others I've tried. I've rented other nailers but because of problems with rentals I decided to buy this one.
Also, the loader moves with the last nail in the strip so you can see when you are running out of nails. No other problems have occurred. The floor I just finished (with the new Bostitch) took 5 hours (including the 10 minutes spent on the broken nail). The high design means you don't need to be on your knees to use it. Also, these other brands are extremely difficult and complicated to load. It doesn't take much of a whack to make this gun drive the nail, so be careful to avoid "double tapping".
Now if the can just invent one that nails close to the wall. I suppose all nailers can experience this problem, but it seems to be more severe with easier to use nailers like this one.
I can do jobs at least twice as fast with the Bostich. Great tool. I don't subcontract much work. I've used both a small 5 gal low CFM compressor, as well as a larger 26 gal high CFM, and both worked great with this tool. Prior to this I used a Porta-nails 402 manual nailer. I'm a residential remodeler.
I.E. I bought this nailer about 3 years ago, and have yet to have an issue with it. The difference in labor between these two is amazing. As others have mentioned just be aware of how many nails you have left, and be sure you're placing the foot correctly on the piece of flooring. Most of the projects I do are all taken care of in house. I've used this tool with, and without the additional finish flooring foot, and both have performed.
Well worth the money. I've used this nailer on at least 5-6 jobs, and probably close to 10,000 s/f of flooring, and it's still running like the day I bought it.
I am no flooring installation expert but consider myself reasonably handy around the house and have learned that following directions is usually the best approach. The hand filing requirement should have told me something.Anyway, I then tried to install my hardwood. It worked like a charm once that foot kit was removed.Burning half a vacation day to figure this out really made me unhappy. It is wider than the original base and has a couple of rollers on it and is meant to provide a more stable platform that also prevents marring of the pre-finished flooring surface. I can't believe that Bostitch would make this accessory without testing it fully which is really quite frightening.
I thought I had a defective unit and was ready to send this in for repair, but then thought I would deinstall the foot kit and try again and hope I would luck out. I thought I had some contamination in my compressor set up and switched out my hose and fittings but that did not work. Of course that did not work either. I took a couple of vacation days to install some pre-finished red oak Bruce strip flooring in my home. I dutifully installed this thing after having had to hand file out the misaligned screw holes to fit it. Unfortunately, I could not get the nail cleats to seat flush in the tongue of the strip flooring for the life of me. Bingo. That is the upper limit of Bostitch's recommendation on their website.
This nailer comes with the MIIIFOOT-KIT which is basically a piece of black plastic that replaces the white base on the nailer. Those things stuck out like a sore thumb and did not allow the groove of the adjoining strip to cover over them without pounding the heck out of the flooring. If I had to do this again, I would certainly look at other options. I then thought I would just overpower the problem and jacked up the regulator pressure to a whopping 120 psi.
|
May be eligible for FREE Shipping offer
