Need advice on nailer and compressor

[Louis Brandt]

Hello,
I would like some advice on buying a power nailer and compressor. At this point, I don’t have a need for a brad nailer or a pin nailer, but I would like to have a nice finish nailer and a nice compressor, so here are my questions:
First, if I want to do such things as install chair rail molding through sheetrock walls and into the studs behind them, am I correct in assuming that I do need a finish nailer, not just a brad nailer?
Second, I’ve read a lot of postings on the forum which seem to suggest that the oilless "pancake" type compressors that I see at Home Depot and Lowe’s are noisier than other types. Is this true, and is the fact that they are noisier the only reason that I’d want to consider a non-oilless compressor? I don’t think that I’d mind the noise, as long as there are no other shortcomings with that type of compressor.
Louis

[Scott Loven]

oil compressors will last longer and make less noise, they can also leave oil on things like carpet. Oilless can be made smaller/lighter. Put a cardboard box over it.
Scott

[glenn bradley]

My brad nailer shoots 16ga. (as opposed to the more common 18ga) from 3/4 to 2 1/2". I have had no problem shooting 3/4 material through drywall and into studs with my little 3gal CH oiled compressor. It is, by the way, quite loud . . . it was also quite cheap; guess there was a reason. At any rate, not sure of the real difference in brad vs. finish nailers outside the nail head type. I'm sure someone who knows more than I will chime in here.

[Bob Childress]

Louis,

First of all, the oiless pancake compressors are a little noisy, but remember they only kick on every now and then if oyur just nailing brads or finish nails. Not a big issue IMHO. There are some nice combo sets out there (porter-Cable, Bostich, Senco) that will do you well in a hobbyist, DYIer mode. Commercial folks would want a larger compressor.

I have the PC pancake and finish nailer (and brad, staple, pin nailers, too) and they work well. But the others work well too, so I'm not pushing PC. You will find you use a brad nailer A LOT, so think about getting one as well. Sometimes you can get a kit with both finish and brad nailers w/the compressor.

And yes, generally you will be driving finish nails through chair rail/sheetrock/stud and then going back and filling the holes.

You will not regret jumping into the air nailer lake. It opens up a world of possibilities.

[tod evans]

louis, "buzzer" type compressors are considered throw-aways, they`ll last quite a while in a hobbiest enviornment but know that as a rule they`re not a life long investment.....on the otherhand a good nailgun can be a life long kinda deal, with a little upkeep a goodun` will outlive you and i in a non-production enviornment. for trimming,(chairrail-crown-base) my favorite is sencos 15gauge, not the accuset but the real senco. i`ve gotta lot of holes in my left hand from shooting the old 16gauge "t" nails, they tend to curl back and bite you much more so than a 15 gauge.....02 tod

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Get a bigger one than you think you need.
I bought a Sears with a 30 Gallon tank and a 5 HP 220-VAC some 26 or so years ago. I bought it to drive a paint sprayer. Since then I have purchased a number of air driven tools all of which I rather like using. An air powered ratchet wrench is a dreamy tool. Ya gotta get one if you work on your own cars.

Had I just bought what I thought I needed I'd have gone through a couple of compressors. Right now I am thinking of upgrading to a larger stationary compressor.

On the flip side of Oil are the Oil-less compressors which are I think best suited for finish spraying. But then you can always get a SATA with it's own blowers and be perfectly happy.
I still wipe my last coat. No spray booth in the future for me.

[Luis Oliveira]

I guess it also dependes on how much $$$ do you want to spend.
I have:

Porter-Cable C3150 Job Boss 4.5 Gallon, 150 PSI, Oil-Free Compressor $300.00
DEWALT D51275K 15-Gauge Finish Nailer Kit $175.00
DEWALT D51238K 18-Gauge Brad Nailer Kit $99.00

I am very please with my setup. I can basically do everything you mentioned and the compressor has enough left in case if in the future you want to do light framming.... you never know...

Another consideration is to buy a finishing nalier that is cordless and does not need a compressor. I don't know how good they are and are too much money for just one tool $400.00 on average.

PS: The prices above as just street prices I know you can buy them for less if you do a bit a digging and wait for some sales...

I hope this helps.

Luis

[Paul Kinneberg]

louis
I have a craftsmen pancake compressor and a Porter cable DA250 angle finish nailer. I just put chair rail up in our pool house and it worked great. I do have a brad nailer but would not hang trim with it. I have trimmed out three basements with this nailer and I just love it. the only issue is the trigger is sensitive and you can shoot two nails if your not careful. You can fix this by writing to porter cable and they will send you a new trigger, that won't allow you to bump nail, for free. As far as noise yes my pancake is extremely noisy and slides accross most floors but its easy to get around and I wear ear plugs.
Paul

[Rob Diz]

It's another one of those tool slippery slopes. Get ready for a ride.

Sure, I started with a PC "kit" that included three guns and a pancake compressor. Fun stuff to use. Just wear your ear muffs, and everything will be fine.

Now I working my way into HVLP spray guns. Needed a larger more powerful compressor. I will keep my little pancake for jobs around the house etc, but will run most of my stuff off of the larger compressor with a larger CFM rating. Of course, a new oil compressor with a decent sized tank will cost a few bucks.

I (or should I say my wife) ended up finding something used. Keep your eyes open and you can find a stationary model to go with the pancake. It's the best of both worlds.

[Al Lupone]

I started with a Coleman 20 gal airless. NOISY. Picked up a lowes clearance 60 gal 3 cylinder 14.5 cfm CH with a 100% duty cycle. It's wonderful. Had to put up a few hundred feet of oak molding I made. Bought two HF brad nailers & a clearance Ridgid 2 gal oilless. Worked great but is noisy.

Decided to deal with the water problem in my basement. That meant digging out the dirt down to bedrock. Now I have to break out all the bluestone ledge so just picked this little unit up. It puts out 160 cfm at 100 psi.

It also came with several jackhammers & multiple bits. Had to supply my own earplugs & safety glasses.
Al

[Dave Boxmeyer]

and I was only getting a compressor to drive nail guns, I'd seriously consider the Porter Cable refurb compressor & gun kit that Amazon currently has on sale. You get a 6 gal compressor that puts out plenty of air for a gun or two (I have this compressor) and two guns for $154 (after the $25 off $150 special that is available.)

Provided you are just using this on an infrequent basis (e.g. DIy'er or hobbiest) and you are just looking to drive guns, this should suit your needs great and is one heck of a deal (IMO.)

The compressor is loud, but it's nice and easy to carry around the house for odd jobs and puts out sufficient air for the needs you described in your original post.

[Mike Jones NM]

I'm a big fan of the porter cable. I have one of there pancake compressors and we are starting to build house number 5 using it. No problems with it at all.
As for the guns, all of mine are also porter cable, brad nailer, 16 gauge finish nailer, 1/4 and 1/2 crown staplers and framing gun. All have given good performance. I also run air tools, chisel, ratchet, impact etc with it.
Next purchase is a 15 gauge angle finish gun, just haven't found the right excuse to buy it yet.

["Gary Brewer"]

I have a bigger air compressor but got tired of dragging it around and wanted something easily carried. I bought the small, cheap, light porter cable pancake compressor. It isn't much louder than my old sears or newer makita. My son was building a house in the Pittsburgh area and I brought it down to help with installing his hardwood floors he put through out the house. He then bought a framing nailer and built a three wide double deep garage ( must be a phalic symbol in Pennsylvania ). He used the compressor for the framing, sheathing, and to nail the roof on ( I bought the roofing nailer ). Then he finished the basement. Yes he used the compressor and nailers. That little cheap, light compressor has worked like a trooper. My son has adopted it and I had to get another to replace it. I am shocked at how well it has held up to all the use and abuse it has been given. He is not a professional carpenter so he never taxes the capactiy of the air compressor. It doesn't look like much but it is a good start to using air equipment. Amazon.com has them on sale all the time and there are refurbished ones and package deals that can make it very cheap. Both of my other compressors are better made and have more capacity but neither one has been as good a value or as convenient to use.