While you are trying to purchase a nailer, you will notice that there are few options to consider. Pin nailer and brad nailer are two of the best options available to consider as of now. From this article, Tools Detail will do a comparison between pin nailer vs brad nailer. At the end of the comparison, you will be in a position to figure out the best type of nailer that is available for your use.
Although the appearance of pin nailer vs brad nailer are identical instruments, their strength, and the size of the nails they utilize are different.
Which of them has the strongest grip? Which has the most versatility? Which should you purchase? In this side-by-side comparison, discover the differences between them and how to choose the best one for your do-it-yourself tasks.
A Brad Nailer is what?
As the first section of pin nailer vs brad nailer comparison, let’s take a look at what a brad nailer is all about. Based on that, you can decide whether you are getting a brad nailer for your use or not. Small nails may be driven using a brad nailer. It employs t-shaped, 18-gauge nails that resemble wire. Use 3/8″ to 2″ nails for brad nails.
Benefits of using a Brad Nailer
An armless pin nail has less gripping strength than a brad nail. Brad nails are better suited for tasks needing greater strength, including installing trim work because they have a t-shaped tip as well as a bigger diameter. These are the main reasons why you should select brad nailer out of pin nailer vs brad nailer. In addition to being more adaptable than pin nailers, brad nails may be utilized for a larger variety of activities.
Cons of using a Brad Nailer
In comparison to a pin nail, a brad nail leaves a bigger hole. However, since a brad nail gap is still quite tiny, some do-it-yourselfers think that it is not necessary to fill it. Given that, I frequently cover brad’s nail holes on my work since I believe they are conspicuous.
Uses for Brad Nailers
Brad’s nails struggle to penetrate hardwoods, MDF, and thick pieces of plywood, and they are insufficiently strong to hold massive moldings or huge boards in place. In this section of pin nailer vs brad nailer comparison, we will share some of the most prominent uses that come along with brad nailers.
- The greatest uses for brad nails are to install
- Lightweight furniture trim for cabinets
- Intricate molding
- Quarter round, door stop molding, and shoe molding
- Putting photo frames together
- Securing a molding piece using a brad nailer
We often hear suggestions about using a brad nailer to build baseboards. For base-boarding, we would employ a 15-gauge and 16-gauge finish nail gun rather than a brad nailer. An 18 gauge brad nailer is helpful for connecting the base cap and shoe molding once the baseboard has been put.
Take the example of wanting to install some baseboards. Crown molding, over drywall, baseboards, chair rails, etc. are installed. Nails should be driven into the studs for the greatest results when installing these moldings. Since drywall is typically 12″ thick and many of these moldings are 34″ thick, the nail must pass through 1-14″ of material before hitting the stud.
A 2-inch brad nail is a maximum length. As a result, just 34 of a 2′′ brad nail is pushed into the stud while attaching the baseboard, which has little holding force. Instead, if you connect the baseboard using a finish nailer with 2-12″ nails, 1-14″ of the nail will be pushed into the stud and will have greater holding force than a brad nail.
What is a Pin Nailer?
The next section of pin nailer vs brad nailer comparison is where we explain what a pin nailer is all about. When driving tiny, elongated nails into wood, a pin nailer is a compact, portable power instrument used for the task. The available smallest power nailer is this one. It employs tiny, headless 23-gauge nails that resemble sewing pins. The most common nail sizes for 23-gauge pin nailers are 38-inch to 1-inch, while some may take up to 2-inch nails.
Benefits of a Pin Nailer
Pin nails are an excellent alternative for fastening delicate bits of wood trimming and thin sections of wood veneer since their tiny diameter seldom ever causes wood to crack. Another advantage is that pin-nail holes don’t need wood filler and are almost undetectable. Pin nails have a restricted range of applications due to their weak holding capacity and ability to form only transient connections.
When Is a Pin Nailer Useful?
The ideal tool for extremely delicate finishing work is a pin nailer. Pin nails aren’t often utilized as the main connection for workpieces, unlike other types of nails. Instead, to hold workpieces in position while the glue cures, they are combined with wood glue.
To make a connection that will last, wood glue must be combined with pin nails. Pin nailers work well for fastening objects to surfaces where bigger nails would damage wood:
- Delicate bits of wood
- Intricate or minute trim bits
- Flimsy veneers
- A few DIY projects
DIY experts claim that crown molding may be installed using a pin nailer. Others complain that it is too light. A pin nailer, in my opinion, is too light to be utilized to install crown molding. The crown stapling, which has absolutely nothing to do with crown molding, is another object that causes misunderstanding concerning crown molding. A crown stapler, on the other hand, refers to the kind of fastener it utilizes.
Use of crown staplers. The staples feature two legs that resemble nails and a crown in the center that joins the legs. The most typical use of a crown staple is for upholstery tasks like stapling cloth to a sofa or chair’s wooden frame.
Pin Nailer vs Brad Nailer - What are the differences?
There are several significant distinctions between pin nailer vs brad nailer, but they also have certain features in common. As an example, both of them merely leave a little nail hole after driving a nail into wood. They aren’t often employed to construct anything. They are utilized to do DIY projects, carpentry projects, and home renovation tasks instead.
The kind of nails they utilize, their holding capacity, and the kinds of materials you may combine with them are just a few of the variations between these instruments.
Possessing Power
Pin nailers utilize weak, headless nails for their work. Pin nails cannot establish a permanent attachment on their own. To create a lasting bond, pins and wood glue must be used together. The pin nail is being used to temporarily secure the workpiece in the desired location while acting as a clamp to keep it there while the glue cures. The t-shaped head of a brad nail, which has more gripping ability than a pin nail and may create a permanent connection, is a benefit.
Nail Design
Small headless nails with a diameter akin to a sewing pin are used by pin nailers. The nails used by brad nailers are smaller than pin nails and have a t-shaped head. You don’t need to use wood filler to cover up pin nail holes since they are so little and hardly apparent.
When compared to pin nails, brad nails leave a bigger hole. Brad nail holes, according to some do-it-yourselfers, are hardly apparent and don’t need to be filled. Nevertheless, I frequently cover the nail holes left by brad nails on my crafts since I believe they leave a noticeable mark.
Size and Length of Nails
The size of the nail used by a brad nailer as well as a finish nailer is indeed the main distinction between both. In contrast to brad nailers, pin nailers employ nails that are 23 gauge. The gauge is the number of nails that can fit within an inch. The gauge of a nail increases with its size. A 23-gauge nail, for instance, can accommodate 23 nails per inch. However, you can only accommodate 18 per inch with bigger 18-gauge nails. These tiny gauge nails have the benefit of being driven without breaking the board.
There are various lengths for both pin nails & brad nails. Most pin nailers take nails between 3/8″ and 1″, however, some versions may take up to 2″. 3/8″ to 2″ nails are used by brad nailers.
Type of material
When attaching heavier materials such as plywood or MDF, pin nailer vs brad nailer have trouble using their narrow gauge nails. The best usage for pin nailers is attaching thin materials to furniture, such as veneers and delicate trim. For trim work such as installing ornamental molding on furniture, door stop molding, and shoe molding brad nails are perfect.
Pin Nailer vs Brad Nailer – Frequently Asked Questions
You would likely be better off purchasing a pin nailer vs brad nailer as your first nail gun. These tools will be utilized more often and are far more adaptable. For many years, I went without a pin nailer, and I only just purchased one for a project. A pin nailer, however, is the best option if you want to do a lot of precise trim details!
Can I use Pin Nailers on baseboards?
Pin nails probably won’t provide the baseboard with the necessary holding force. You may want to use your brad nailer while installing baseboards since the 18 gauge nails would pull the board into position without creating a wide gap that has to be patched.
What sets a Pin Nailer apart from a finish nailer?
The size of the nail is the primary distinction between pin nailer vs brad nailer. Larger, 15–16 gauge nails are fired by finishing nailers. The bigger nails may be used on a variety of projects and have a strong holding force. The pin nailer, on the other hand, uses tiny, headless, 23 gauge nails, which are inadequate for standalone usage.
Can Brad Nailer be used with a hammer?
Brad’s nails are rather thin, and you can bend them with your hands with ease. You should use these with such a nail gun because of this. You can purchase tiny gauge nails made for hammers if you will not have a brad nailer, however.
Do Brad Nailer help drywall stay put?
Drywall cannot be held by brad nails. Using drywall screws designed for the purpose is considered preferable.
Where should i buy a Nail gun?
Basically, it depends on what you intend to construct. The most adaptability is provided by the brad nailer. For structural projects, you’ll need a bigger nail gun, however.
How should a Brad Nailer be used?
An ordinary nail gun may be used to operate a brad nailer. Keep in mind to refer to your handbook for further information as each nailer has somewhat unique parts.
How to use a Brad Nailer?
Put on your goggles. When anything pokes your eye, it will be too late to change your mind about not wearing safety glasses. Also, while holding parts together, pay attention to where your hands are placed.
A brad nailer often has pressure and depth controls. Although you do not want your nails to stick out of the board, you also don’t want them to go all the way through.
Brad’s nails have such a spear-like tip that may pierce wood. However, when the nail is driven into the wood, this two-sided point might lead it to bend. This is why you should hold the nail gun parallel to the board; if the nail should curve, it will do so into the board rather than your hand.
Press the nail gun’s trigger to start firing. Drive several hammers into some debris to make sure everything is firing properly before shooting into your product.
How to use a Pin Nailer?
Like any other bigger nail gun, use the pin nailer with caution. Do not let down your guard just because this instrument is little.
Put on hearing aids and safety glasses. Additionally, watch out for your hands and fingers since you don’t want a missed shot to hit them. If you’re using a gas nailer, double-check the PSI. Typically, 80 to 90 PSI is enough. Nevertheless, be sure to review your handbook again.
When you’re using wood putty, apply the proper quantity to the surfaces that will be joined. flaming pin nails Lightly push down on the project while you squeeze the trigger. Don’t get up and go too soon. Verify that the pins and nails are firing as intended. They shouldn’t protrude above the surface, nor should they be so deep as to penetrate the top piece.
An overview of the Brad Nailers vs. Pin Nailers matchup
You can consider pin nailers to be delicate and small. They will be able to shoot headless nails, which are quite small in size. However, the size associated with brad nailers is relatively large. You will be able to find more power offered out of brad nailers.
It is also important to keep in mind that pin nailers as well as brad nailers are available to you in many different sizes. The smallest size out of them would be 3/8 inches, whereas the largest one would be around 2 inches in length. You can find many other length sizes in between.
Final words
Now you have a basic idea about the differences that exist between pin nailers as well as brad nailers. While keeping these differences in mind, you can decide what the best option available out there for your purchase is.
One of the most important things to be mindful of here is that pin nailers come along with very little holding power. Therefore, you will often need to use an adhesive such as glue along with pin nailers. You will need to hold them in a better way so that you can overcome the challenges that you have to face when using them. On the other hand, an 18-gauge brad nail would come along with more holding power. It is up to you to understand this difference and settle down with the right type of nailer that is available for your purchase. In case you are just getting one gun, we encourage you to go ahead with a brad nailer.