Gas powered Framing Nailer

[Fla._Deadheader]

How well do they drive nails in HARD wood ???  Anyone use one in Live Oak or Exotic hard wood ???

[ScottAR]

Tried to nail together some glue lam beams once...  Had to finish
by hand...  Air powered one wouldn't do it either though. 

[Fla._Deadheader]

I was afraid of that. I'm sawing some hard stuff for a customer. He wanted to put a complete 2nd story on an old block house structure. They use 4½" wide blocks here, and pour the holes full. With Earthquakes, I told him there would be WAAAYYYYYYYYYY too much weight overhead, and his family might get buried under that weight.

  The stuff here weighs 3-4 pounds, or more, for a 1 foot piece of 2 X 6. Nailing means drilling holes, first.  : : :

[ScottAR]

Stanley bostitch used to have a "spike nailer" I think it was called?

Would drive up to a 5inch spike.  Maybe get something like that
with short nails and give it a go.   There are also nailers that work
around 450psi.  That would work probably...   

Unfortunately, neither of these options are cheap... 

[Fla._Deadheader]

Do they use the gas cylinders ??? That's a LOT of pressure ???

[Mr Mom]

you need the tool my dad got from my grandpa it uses .22 blanks to
shoot nails in concrete walls.

Thanks Alot Mr Mom

[Dave Shepard]

The standard Bostich is 1050 inch/pounds, and the heavy duty is 1350. The standard won't drive a 16 all the way into a glue lam, but the heavy duty should. Bigberta, as the high power nailer is called is 2075 in/pounds, and will drive a 6 1/4" spike. The gas powered ones I have used seem to be on par with the standard Bostich air-powered nailer. The heavy duty Bostich guns are big money, around $1200 I think. The high pressure air guns are around $450, and the compressor is $1500. If you could regulate a scuba tank to around 300 psi, I bet that would drive a lot of nails.

[Fla._Deadheader]

Thanks for the replies, Guys.  8)

[ScottAR]

I stand corrected, it's only 400psi....  www.maxusacorp.com/

[Modat22]

framers in my area are really liking a belt clip CO2 regulator that lets them run standard framing guns and roofing guns without a compressor.

Its a 5 to 10 pound tank that is filled with liquid CO2 with a guage and regulator on top. Adjustable from 0 to 150 PSI I think.

The Butane powered jobs still aren't as powerful as hose connected ones and degrade as the chamber dirties.

[Fla._Deadheader]

Thanks Modat  ;D

[Dale Hatfield]

I have a Pile of The Paslode  Co2 guns. All but 2 in  varying stages of  disassemble . They work great new.  But wont nail your hardwood. But they have to be kept very clean  . Or they wont fire when you need most. They also  went meant to nail sheeting on as they will do it but overheat . They have a place as we kept buying them . I think I have 6 or 8 guns and only 2 still work.

[Modat22]

http://toolmonger.com/2007/03/09/hot-or-not-portable-compressed-co2-regulatortank-for-nailers/

Link to the regulator I was talking about. Cost 4 bucks to get a tank refilled or you rent a big CO2 tank with the adapters and refill your own.

[geils]

How about a Palm Nailer?  Porter Cable makes them now and they run about $100 or so.  In that hard wood, you might still need to predrill, but the little nailer should push the spike through as long as the head of the nail fits in the head of the nailer.  I've driven 20D spikes with mine.  They do need a good source of 100psi air.

[Fla._Deadheader]

There is no electricity, on the site. Guy wants to rebuild the house, and, the wood I am sawing is too hard to drive a nail with a hammer. Gasoline powered generators are scarce. Thought MAYBE a CO2 might work, but, looks like he is in for drilling with a battery drill and a hand full of batteries.

  I might get to build him a hydro system. Also might build a Wind System. Then he will have lots of power. Timing is the trick.

  Thanks for all the input guys.  8)