Is 16 Gauge Brad Nailer Actually a Finish Nailer?

Thanks for all the helpful info that I have received here.

Seem like 16 gauge brad nails are not the same as 16 gauge finish
nails. Therefore, a 16-gauge brad nailer is not the same as a 16-gauge
finish nailer. OK, I get it.

Also thanks for another newsgroup member who has warned me the
possibility that a 16-gauge brad nailer may only support up to 2"
nails and I need to use 2-1/2" nails in order to go through the wood
trim, the dry wood, in order to reach the stub. Indeed, that 16-gauge
brad nail in HF can only support up to 2" nails. This means it is not
appropriate for my need. I will need to look elsewhere.

Thanks again.

Jay Chan

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Jay Chan) wrote:

> I am looking for a 15-gauge or 16-gauge brad nailer in HF. But I get
> confused when they described a 16-gauge nailer as a "brad nailer"
> instead of a "finish nailer". They called it a heavy duty 16-gauge
> brad nailer. Is it really a "finish nailer"? If this is so, I may get
> it for nailing baseboard (and then use a 18-gauge brad nailer to nail
> the shoe molding into the baseboard).
>
> Thanks for any info in advance.

You might be able to answer your own question if you look at the brads
themselves. In my opinion, the 16 gauge look the same but just a little
bigger than 18 gauge brads. 15 gauge look just like standard finish
nails, so, yes, I'd say the 16 is a larger brad nailer and not a finish
nailer.

I put up 7/8" thick poplar door trim, baseboards and header trim
recently and am glad I went with a 15 gauge over the 16. The condition
of much of today's lumber being what it is (slight twist, bow, etc.)
needs a secure nail to help hold it in place. I used an 18 g. to put up
a frame & panel section on the same wall - here the wood was at most
1/2" thick and I did the milling to straight and square, so there wasn't
an issue of coaxing pieces into place.

--
Owen Lowe and his Fly-by-Night Copper Company
Offering a shim for the Porter-Cable 557 type 2 fence design.
<http://www.flybynightcoppercompany.com>
<http://www.easystreet.com/~onlnlowe/index.html>

The missing piece of information is that there's a difference between
brads and finish nails. A 16 gauge brad nailer will most likely not
be able to shoot 16 gauge finish nails.

IMHO brads are not structural nails. They should be used with a
secondary fixative, like glue. We used 16g finish nails for all the
moulding in our house.