I frequently have 18 gauge pin nails bend and come out the sides of parts I’m trying to assemble using them (attaching a face frame to a cabinet for example). Using a Hitachi air powered pin nailer. Even angling the nailer slightly to encourage the pin to not come out the most visible side is not 100% effective. Is this a universal problem with 18gauge pins? Any way to avoid it? Would a battery powered Dewalt nailer be any better? Thanks for the feedback!
Wayward pin nails
- Thread starter TDeal
- Start date
18 gauge can be a little flimsy in the longer lengths particularly in ring porous woods like ash and oak. I learned the hard way years back to keep my fingers away from the potential path of the nail when holding things together.
Another problem can be the pin's chisel point is not evenly sharpened. Try running a row of pins across the bench grinder to blunt the points and try that on some scraps.
Another problem can be the pin's chisel point is not evenly sharpened. Try running a row of pins across the bench grinder to blunt the points and try that on some scraps.
I found that turning the nailer 45 or 90 degrees to one side sometimes eliminates that.
It's not the gun, it's the nails. The points are cut differently, depending on the type of nail--brad or finishing--, and the cut angle causes the shank to deflect in a particular direction, almost every time.
Brad nails will deflect side to side--across the head of the gun. When you use them hold the gun perpendicular to the board into which you are nailing (man, sometimes proper English is awkward).
Finishing nails will deflect front to back--in line with the gun. When you use them hold the gun parallel to the board you are nailing into.
The best thing you can do is get a piece of 1/2" scrap and blast a series of nails into it, turning the gun in different directions until you get the pattern of whatever nail you're using. As a backup search WOOD Magazine for "Avoiding Nail Blowout". It should direct you to a couple of articles. A universal search will probably turn up multiple articles and videos on this.
FWIW I learned this the hard way too. It's a bear nipping, countersinking the exposed tips with a punch, and patching the indentations with filler. Not what you want to be doing when you're making fine furniture.
Brad nails will deflect side to side--across the head of the gun. When you use them hold the gun perpendicular to the board into which you are nailing (man, sometimes proper English is awkward).
Finishing nails will deflect front to back--in line with the gun. When you use them hold the gun parallel to the board you are nailing into.
The best thing you can do is get a piece of 1/2" scrap and blast a series of nails into it, turning the gun in different directions until you get the pattern of whatever nail you're using. As a backup search WOOD Magazine for "Avoiding Nail Blowout". It should direct you to a couple of articles. A universal search will probably turn up multiple articles and videos on this.
FWIW I learned this the hard way too. It's a bear nipping, countersinking the exposed tips with a punch, and patching the indentations with filler. Not what you want to be doing when you're making fine furniture.
Here's a good article explaining how the nail deflects in relation to the placement of the gun.
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