Switched from hand nailing to a framing nailer for stair stringers...

Was always against nailers for stringers, thought hand nailing was the only way to keep things tight. Then I got a big deck job with 6 sets of stairs, and my buddy loaned me his Paslode for one set. After 3 hours of hand-nailing the first stringer set, I did the next one in 45 minutes with the nailer... and the joints were actually no different. So I picked up a used framing nailer on craigslist for $120 that weekend. Has anyone else had a tool change their mind on something they were stubborn about?

3 comments

3 Comments

wadew5127d ago

Couldn't believe you actually admitted hand nailing sucked after all that stubbornness.

danielnelson27d ago

Man I bet your shoulder is still sore from all that patting yourself on the back for finally admitting it.

angela58727d ago

Yeah but you're missing the point about "actually no different"... I've seen plenty of nailers where the head sinks too deep or the angle is off, leaving a gap you can't fix. Hand nailing lets you feel the joint and adjust as you go, especially on those tight stringer connections where the wood's not perfectly straight. Not saying your buddy's setup wasn't dialed in, but with a used nailer off craigslist you might end up chasing issues that hand nailing just doesn't have.