Roofing guns

bostich hands down, mine have more “miles” than any gun I have, still work, easy to load. I have seen a “friend” replace 3 porter cables in the last 3 years. My personal opinion is bostich, all my guns are bostich.

Maybe location has a role to play here aswell. My old Bostitch guns used to work great in the warm summer, but when it got below 0 I started to get worried. Under -10 is when the Bostitch failed.

Yes I use winter oil, 3-5 drops per 10sq.

thank u all for your opinions i think i will buy a max next

Loved the bostich N45,but only use hitachi now.

That was the last model that Max USA made for Bostitch.

We have two Max’s and they are great but I HATE how they dont have rubber on the sides. they slide on anything above 5/12. Keep in mind i use palisade underlayment so that doesnt help either. i resorted to duct tape around mine yesterday to try and help it stick.

Not to hijack the thread but how bout shingle shears? anyone use them and if so what brand? i want one so bad but have yet to get my father to fork over the cash for one.

Marc

They suck (yes I know how to operate one and adjust pressure). Hand nailing makes for a much better product.

We have already concluded that hand nailers don’t use the appropriate amount of nails for every shingle, therefor making a much crappier product.

[quote=“bcdemon”]

better product.

We have already concluded that hand nailers don’t use the appropriate amount of nails for every shingle, therefor making a much crappier product.[/quote]

When did this happen?

[quote=“Gatesroofing”]

Not to hijack the thread but how bout shingle shears? anyone use them and if so what brand? i want one so bad but have yet to get my father to fork over the cash for one.

Marc[/quote]

there great in the cold. and great when you have long runs that need to be cut on an angle. but a hook blade is faster in good wether.

this is the kind i like. howardtools.com/shinglesheardesi.html

I really like my Hitachi coil-nailers. They are mid range for cost and they have served me well for six years. I’m a bit anal about how my tools are treated, stored and maintained though.

[quote=“-Axiom-”]

better product.

We have already concluded that hand nailers don’t use the appropriate amount of nails for every shingle, therefor making a much crappier product.

When did this happen?[/quote]

What? You didn’t get the memo?
It was more of a response to the “They Suck” part.

  1. Who is “WE”?

  2. If you are advocating the use of pneumatic machinery over hand nailing for a better overall product I have no response other than to point and laugh.

What a dumb post…it all depends on installer dont matter if its a friggin gun or handnailin, myself either way it comes out good…

Why don’t you enlighten us as to how a hand nailed roof is better than an air nailed roof?

If we both use the required amount of nails, put them in the required place, and at the required depth, the only difference I see is that my nails have barbs that hold them into the wood better. Oh and the air nailed side will probably be done first. :mrgreen:

I started using a N12(primitive)I use the hitachi (religously)but have thought about Max.

Shortcomings of Pneumatic installation in my experience of almost 20 years practical experience include but are not limited to:

  1. They require compressors, which are noisy and require electricity. Compressors, particularly the larger ones can blow circuit breakers. In several instances I have seen things happen like a compressor blowing the same circuit breaker that the houses refrigerator or freezer is on. This is just an added problem of temporary job stoppage and calling the customer to run home from work, etc that I don’t need. Sure you can use a generator…more noise…more gas…more up keep…etc.

  2. You stated that Pneumatic installation is faster. In many cases, for mid to large jobs, I’d agree. I’d also add that speed (maybe not for you) for* most* people “kills”. That is to say it promotes sloppiness and laziness. Start paying people by the square and watch that problem escalate even more.

  3. Pneumatic hammer heads are smaller than the nail head they are driving which can result in “blow through”. When the shingles are soft in summer or brittle in winter this can be a problem. Even if you try and adjust the air pressure the results will be inferior compared to using a hand held conventional hammer that has a head bigger than the nail head you’re installing because the hammer will strike flush with the roof surface regardless.

  4. Pneumatic hammers are terrible on old roof decks like tongue and groove where the wood density can vary greatly from nail to nail. Due to the age of the wood it may be soft in some places and almost petrified in others. You can not efficiently adjust the air pressure correctly because of these widely varying conditions. Using a Pneumatic hammer on surfaces such as this can and will cause over and under-driven nails and I have also seen the shot nails blow out the underside of the wood. When using a Pneumatic hammer you may also miss the wood and shoot a nail in a gap in the tongue and groove and not catch it. Hand nailing this type of surface results in a much more uniformly reliable result.

I will agree with you that I have seen people hand nailing that do not apply the correct amount of fasteners. These are (in my experience)people getting paid by the square; paying roofers by piece-work is always dangerous. Do it without quality control and you have a recipe for disaster. I have also seen people with nail guns shoot an extra three nails into shingles because they were too lazy to pull that one nail they shot crooked.
While Pneumatic hammers have allowed me to wear gloves in the winter and in the hands of a competent and conscientious installer, in temperate conditions ,on new plywood or OSB…that is to say “optimal” conditions, can produce an acceptable product. Overall though, speed more often than not promotes sloppiness and you just can’t beat old fashioned hand installation for a more uniform result regardless of installation surface, product or conditions.

So, you agree. In the proper hands an air gun works just fine. In hand nailing I have seen everything from under-driven nails, to crooked nails, heck even nails that went between the two sheets of OSB and didn’t bite into anything. It’s up to the installer to fix it, not the hammer.

I know a carpenter who trains his newbies how to use a hand saw before he lets them near the circular saw. This is a great idea for training roofers aswell, let them get to know what quality is before giving them a tool that will make the job faster, but with the possibility of more errors.

Give the best installer the worst tools, and his roof will be better than a crap installer with the best tools.

[quote=“bcdemon”]
Give the best installer the worst tools, and his roof will be better than a crap installer with the best tools.[/quote]

Bravo!! :mrgreen:

I believe I said that under “optimal” conditions it could produce an “acceptable” product. Nail guns are inferior to hand nailing in all ways and imo are a short cut which often sacrifices quality for speed. If you find this is not the case for you then I would say after roofing almost 20 yrs in 3 states in 3 radically different climates that you sir are the exception and not the rule.