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Blowouts: Watch the Angle
Problem: Nail Blowout
Solution: Angle The Gun In
Once you master this angle technique, you’ll have no trouble shooting nails exactly where you want them. Start by positioning the center of the nail gun tip exactly where you want the nail to enter the wood. Then carefully align the nail gun with the path you want the nail to take, just like when you line up a pool cue before striking the ball. Photo 1 shows what can happen if you get careless and angle the gun wrong. When you’re nailing into door jambs or other areas where only one side shows, point the nail gun slightly to the hidden side where it won’t show if the nail pops through.
Occasionally nails hit a knot or follow the grain—and pop out despite your best effort. If this happens, break or cut off the protruding nail with a nipper and use your nail set to recess the remainder.
End Splitting: Place Nails Accurately
Problem: Split Trim at the Ends
Solution: Nail Farther From End
Driving nails with these tools is so simple that it’s easy to get carried away and put nails where they don’t belong. (Ask any painter who has to putty all the extra holes!) With practice, you’ll get a feel for where the nail comes out of the gun and be able to drive a nail precisely. Photo 3 shows the result of placing a nail too close to the end of a molding. The same thing will happen if you nail too close to the end of a baseboard, especially on short pieces. Make sure to keep nails a few inches from the end of moldings to avoid splitting the wood. Brad nailers, which drive thinner and shorter nails, are the exception. With these, you can usually nail within 1/2 in. of ends and 1/8 in. of edges without splitting the wood.
Wrong Nail Size: Use the Right-Size Nail
Problem: Exposed Nail
Solution: Use The Right Size
Changing nail sizes in the middle of a job is bothersome. It’s tempting to use the nails that are loaded and hope for the best. But it’s a bad idea. We should have used a 3/4-in. brad or at most a 1-in. 16-gauge nail on this miter. A good rule of thumb is to pick a nail long enough to go through the material you’re fastening and penetrate the underlying wood about 3/4 in. to 1 in. Allow more penetration for heavy-duty jobs like nailing door jambs, and less for fine work like securing miters.
I own a 15-gauge nailer and a brad nailer and keep them both connected to separate hoses while I work. (Install a T-fitting at the compressor to connect two hoses at once.) With this setup, it’s an easy matter to pick up the brad nailer for intricate jobs like pinning miters.
Underdriven Nails: Adjust the Pressure and Nail Length
Problem: Nail Not Set
Solution: Increase Pressure
Nails that don’t set, or that are left sticking out, are usually the result of pressure that’s too low, a nail that’s too long or an improperly adjusted nail gun. If the nail is sticking way out, try increasing the air pressure to the maximum allowable for your nail gun (90 to 100 lbs., or check your instructions). If the nail still won’t set, try loading shorter nails or brads.
The nosepiece on some nail guns is adjustable to help control how deep the nail is set. Use this in conjunction with pressure adjustments to fine-tune your nail gun until the head of the nail or brad is slightly recessed. Keep a nail set handy for the occasional protruding nailhead.
Don’t bother pounding in nails that protrude more than 1/4 in. They’ll just bend over and dent the trim. Instead, grab the shank and bend it back and forth until it snaps, or use a side-cutting pliers to cut the nail near the surface. Then recess the rest with a nail set.