What Air Pressure For Finish Nailer?

The air pressure depends on the type of nail. We use Brad-type nails in our finish nail gun.

These nails are usually thin, with two standard gauges of diameter. The 18 gauge brad nailers are more delicate. That’s why it’s perfect for intricate moldings.

In comparison to 18 gauge, 16 gauge is more refined and more robust. They’re also helpful for the standard door, window, and base trim applications. This weapon’s fame stems from a unique reason.

As it has no nail head, people love to use it as a weapon. It leaves a tiny hole that can be quickly filled with wood mastic and is undetectable.

A 16-gauge nailer requires a pressure of between 120 psi and 60 psi. Hardwoods, such as maple, need more pressure than pine, which is a much thinner wood.

Now, we know what air pressure is needed for a finish nailer. But how should we use the air compressor to meet the requirement? Move forward to get the answer.

Why Air Pressure is Important for a Nail Gun?

Nail guns are essential and popular equipment for wood building and wood finishing projects.

With the help of their easy and simple functions, it has replaced traditional hammers and hand nails. But how does a nail gun work?

Usually, nail guns need the help of compressed air to function. It fires pins into the wood by pressing compressed air.

But a pneumatic nail gun doesn’t require a constant air supply. It needs only a short bush to drive nails to the wood. And this required air pressure varies from gun to gun.

How to Use an Air Compressor?

The compressor is a simple piece of equipment. When the system is switched on, air fills the chambers to the extreme pressure of 110 psi.

The regulator button controls the force that enters the air hose.

Run your air compressor and pneumatic nailer at around 90 psi. Reduce the load to 80 psi if the nails are moving too deep into the wood.

Alternatively, if the pins aren’t going in far enough, increase the pressure to 100 psi.

The pressure will decrease with continued use. The compressor will resume if the air pressure drops below a certain amount. The finish nailer holds small brad nails up to 2 inches long and “U” designed staples.

Precautions Using an Air Compressor

While using Pneumatic Finish Nailer and Air Compressor, always keep these things in your mind,

-Before firing a nail, you must press the nailer’s safety tip into the wood. The pistol will not fire if this is not done.

-Before using the nailer and compressor, it’s essential to put on eye protection and ear protection.

-It’s critical to release all the air from the compressor once you’ve finished using it. Moisture will build up and rust the tank if you don’t let it out.

-Begin releasing air by lowering the regulator.

-After that, remove the safety valve ring. It will close on its own, so you’ll have to pull it open a few times or keep it open.

-Consider removing the nailer’s hose until the tank is empty.

-Splash a few drops of penetrating oil onto and into the air inlet to maintain the nailer oiled. After that, cover the air inlet to store your nailer and compressor.

For better understanding, now we will have a look at different nail guns and their PSI requirements.

Nail Gun Pressure Requirements–What PSI?

PSI is an abbreviation for pounds per square inch (or pound-force per square inch). Most air tools require a PSI of 70 to 90.

Although any air compressor can easily manage 90 PSI, you should have more airflow than you need.

The necessity of air pressures varies from gun to gun. Different nail gun applications and types need different air pressures.

And the air compressor controls it. Now have a look at the list of the top three popular nail guns and their required PSI.

Framing Nail Gun – Framing nailers need the most airflow. They require 3- to 3-1/2-inch nails. And air pressures for framing nail guns typically range from 130 to 100 psi.

Finish Nail Gun – As we have discussed earlier, a finish nail gun requires 80-100 PSI air pressure.

Roofing Nail Guns – These guns use coiled nails. The air pressure for this is between 100 and 90 psi.

How Much Power Do I need in a Brad Nailer/Stapler?

The air compressor you need depends on how many nails you want to fire and the speed at which they are being fired.

Compressors work by using pressure, so if a nail takes 70-90 pounds of pressure per square inch (PSI), then your gun needs around that much PSI for proper operation.

For example if I have my compressor running at 60 PSI then I would only be able to use about 9 SCFM per nail which is not so bad but let’s say we’re trying out a new gun designed specifically for heavy duty jobs like construction or demolition-then your going from 30-50 nails in one minute guaranteed (if all goes well).

What Size Air Compressor Do I Need?

Air compressors come in various sizes. Their size has no bearing on whether or not they are powerful enough.

Instead, you should evaluate other factors to find a suitable air compressor for you. Always know that bigger isn’t always better.

When it comes to air compressors, this is especially true. There are big air compressors with low air pressure.

Air compressors with high air pressure are also available. It isn’t easy to judge an air compressor’s capability solely based on its size.

Don’t be fooled by the scale of an air compressor. Consider what air it can generate per minute in cubic feet (CFM). CFM ranges from 30 to 140.

Passenger tire inflation is typically managed by air compressors with weaker CFM scores. Industrial air compressors need higher CFM scores. Find an air compressor that meets your air output requirements.

FAQs

Finish Nailer Damage: PSI Too High?

Adjusting the depth of drive is a great suggestion, and it seems that adjusting air pressure doesn’t work for me. I’ll try to adjust the knob on my drill press instead.

What is Regulated Pressure on an Air Compressor?

The pressure regulator is the key to your success in powering up all of those tools for which you need a lot of air. Without it, we would have no control over what these powerful devices do with their compressed gas.

The compressor has a pressure regulator that you can adjust to balance the air on your hose. If there is too much pressure, it’s destroying some of my favorite power tools and I want to make sure they last longer.

How Much psi Do I Need for Baseboards?

Too many times, I’ve been in a situation where it seems like my compressor isn’t doing anything. And then when the nailer kicks on and nails go flying without any problem.

You can tell what kind of pressure you have because if there are too few holes or not enough power behind them, your compressor needs to be turned up while something is wrong with the nailer’s air supply that might need some adjustment (or replacement).

Final Words

In this article, we tried to provide you with the information about what air pressure for finish nailer, hope it will help.

We have all the information and resources necessary to help you make an informed decision on which finish nailer will work best for your project or job site.

Read Related Articles