16ga vs. 18ga Nailer for Pine Trim Work...

[Greg R Bradley]

The problem come with names that are not correct.

18ga and 16ga are BRAD guns, not nailers. The shaft is square and the head is the same width as the shaft. The head is longer than the shaft, usually about triple. This means the head on any of those brads is a rectangle. Even the angled 16ga brads, called nails, are the same size as the straight 16ga brads.

Angled 15ga nailer is a whole different thing, much larger and higher holding power than 16ga anything. The shaft is round-ish. The normal head is oval and has lots more holding power at the head than brads. There are special finish 15ga that have a very small ROUND head. There are special full round head 15ga nails that are offset from center so that they will still work in the guns.

[Phil Thien]

The problem come with names that are not correct.

18ga and 16ga are BRAD guns, not nailers. The shaft is square and the head is the same width as the shaft. The head is longer than the shaft, usually about triple. This means the head on any of those brads is a rectangle. Even the angled 16ga brads, called nails, are the same size as the straight 16ga brads.

Angled 15ga nailer is a whole different thing, much larger and higher holding power than 16ga anything. The shaft is round-ish. The normal head is oval and has lots more holding power at the head than brads. There are special finish 15ga that have a very small ROUND head. There are special full round head 15ga nails that are offset from center so that they will still work in the guns.

Then why do they call the smallest a pin NAILER and not a pin BRAD gun?

They're all nailers, they're all guns. They shoot a variety of fasteners.

I've got no problem with referring to 16 gauge as a finish nail. They're pretty big, the difference in holding power between 15 and 16 just isn't that great, IMHO.

Her is an interesting article:

http://www.woodcraftmagazine.com/Fre.../AirNailer.pdf

[lowell holmes]

I don't think of pins as nails. With no heads, they will not hold moulding in place like a brad or nail.

I use my pin driver to hold moulding in place until I can put an appropriate fastner in place. The pins scare me a little, they would go through a finger instantly if they hit a knot.

Of course a brad or nail will do so also.

[Phil Thien]

I don't think of pins as nails. With no heads, they will not hold moulding in place like a brad or nail.

I use my pin driver to hold moulding in place until I can put an appropriate fastner in place. The pins scare me a little, they would go through a finger instantly if they hit a knot.

Of course a brad or nail will do so also.

I think we're heading down a rabbit hole.

Let me put it like this: If I tell my wife to bring my nail guns out to the car, I want her to bring everything, not just 15 and larger.

[Rich Riddle]

I prefer to use the 16 gauge and fill the trim. If it's wood trim to be stained and finished, try to find a spot in the grain that's less noticeable. You can then use color matching wood filler.

[Jim Dwight]

Reviewing this I don't see where anybody noted the length of the fastener is chosen to penetrate 1 inch into the framing. Going deeper risks hitting wiring or plumbing. I would go 3/4 before going 1 1/4 into framing. But the trim is important too. If you need more hold you can go deeper but usually the head pulling through is the weak link.

[Art Mann]

I think that is a wise choice. However, I will warn you about using 18 gauge brads in demanding situations. I once worked with a team of volunteers building a house similar to Habit for Humanity houses. I recommended 16 gauge but it was decided by less experienced people to use 18 gauge nailers for this application because that is all most people owned. After a period of time, some of the molding started turning loose and showing big gaps. It had to be fixed.

Thanks again guys for all the very helpful information. I ordered a 16ga and an 18ga based on what everybody said. I'll see how the 16ga does and if I need more holding power, I'll step up to the 15ga. Now I just need to learn more about what type of fasteners to get for each.

[lowell holmes]

I consider the 16 ga to be a nail gun. I consider the 18 ga to be a brad gun.

I put baseboard on with the 16 ga nail gun. Door casing usually gets both, 18 ga brad into the door frame, 16 ga . nail into the drywall.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I consider the 16 ga to be a nail gun. I consider the 18 ga to be a brad gun.

The 16 ga is really considered a brad nailer.
I use mine the same way you do - on the drywall side of the casing...

Where I don't like to use my 16 ga is on the frames of pre hung doors. I really think that's a job for a 15 ga.

[Jon Endres]

I did all the trim (pine, 3/4" and 1" finished thickness) in my house with an 18-gauge brad nailer. I should have used 16-gauge but I did not want the larger nail holes. Some of the trim is separating from the wall and from door jambs because the nails are either pulling free or pulling through the trim. I had one door casing fall completely apart because of a teenage daughter slamming the door. Of course, I repaired the casing and then removed the door until she could control her drama.

So, if I had to do it all over again - 16-gauge brads in an appropriate length to embed at least 3/4" and preferably 1" into good holding wood underneath. I'd probably shoot baseboards and door casings with a 15-gauge nailer because they seem to take a lot more abuse.

[lowell holmes]

Boy, this thread is like giving a thirsty man a drink out of a fire hose.

[Jim Becker]

Boy, this thread is like giving a thirsty man a drink out of a fire hose.

Yea...but that can be a great thing. Folks doing frequent trim work really need an assortment of pneumatic guns to cover everything and balance holding power with avoiding splitting, etc. And to add to the fray, there are actually situations where a 23 gage pin gun is useful, too...

[Sean Shannon]

Pine trim in my house, all made with a home-made router table and put up with a Senco FP41XP 15-ga. angle nailer. Crown molding appreciates the extra holding power of a 15-ga. I will admit that I've never used a 16-ga. nailer for comparison. I haven't felt the need for anything else, personally. Yeah, the 15-ga. would split a piece of trim if you got too close to the edge, but the solution to that is to stay away from the edge (or use an pin nailer).

What Keith said! I'm in the middle of doing trim at my house. I've got the Senco 15ga nailer also, and I'm putting up 3/4 and 1 inch thick trim for the windows. Base molding is 3/4 MDF but it's 5 1/2" tall. Plenty of holding power with a 2" long nail. I did another room last year and have never had any issues with the trim, but I also use biscuits at joints for extra holding power.