brads/nails vs. screws

[budahbuddy803 10+ year member]

ok well i accidentally found some of my christmas presents and the one that stood out was a 2gal. air compressor with nail gun. I honestly think that a screw would hold the wood sooo much tighter than a small little brad or nail. Would i be better off returning this combo because i have a drill bit and i have good screws and i need the wood to be as tight as possible while the glue dries.

Who here uses brads/ nails instead of screws? Do the brad/nails hold the wood pretty tight or are screws just amazingly better? Any help is greatly appreciated!

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[DBfan187 5,000+ posts]

I use brads, love them.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Brads work fine.

Heck, for the BIB's I didn't use anything beyond lots of clamps because I didn't want a lot of tiny little holes to fill.

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

I use brads as it makes the builds go faster.

 

[budahbuddy803 10+ year member]

I use brads, love them.

but i also bet you have a pretty nice table saw and your cuts are **** near perfect so you could use nothing and it would still be nice? I have a table saw without the extender and therefore i can only make cuts up to 11.5" i have yet to make a box using my tables aw because it is so small. I really need the extender! maybe my mom will get me that as well for x mas.

 

[budahbuddy803 10+ year member]

just thinking are brads better than clamps? would i be better off returning the nail gun and buying clamps instead?

 

[DBfan187 5,000+ posts]

but i also bet you have a pretty nice table saw and your cuts are **** near perfect so you could use nothing and it would still be nice?

I don't have a table saw unfortunatley. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crying.gif.ec0ebefe590df0251476573bc49e46d8.gif Also my cuts are far from perfect. lol

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Brad nailing is a heck of a lot faster than just clamping it, because I had to wait a day before moving the clamps and securing another piece...when I put the trim pieces on, I'll brad nail them because it's quick and works just as well for my application...

I really need the extender! maybe my mom will get me that as well for x mas.

Extender? You can build a table and a longer fence out of wood, that's what I've done...usually get Lowe's or Home Despot to rip it once just so I don't have to handle a full sheet when I get home...

 

[budahbuddy803 10+ year member]

I don't have a table saw unfortunatley. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crying.gif.ec0ebefe590df0251476573bc49e46d8.gif Also my cuts are far from perfect. lol

oh wow. ok well that help out a bunch. where do you think brads come into play compared to a couple of clams?

I guess the brads are A LOT faster and maybe not quiet as good at sealing as the clamps would be.

 

[miker 5,000+ posts]

Wayyyyy faster.... Less hassle, less worry about hole matching up, and cracking the wood...

 

[budahbuddy803 10+ year member]

Brad nailing is a heck of a lot faster than just clamping it, because I had to wait a day before moving the clamps and securing another piece...when I put the trim pieces on, I'll brad nail them because it's quick and works just as well for my application...


Extender? You can build a table and a longer fence out of wood, that's what I've done...usually get Lowe's or Home Despot to rip it once just so I don't have to handle a full sheet when I get home...

i can build a fence (the piece that the measuring clamp slides on?) out of wood? I guess i could to that. How tough is that task?

 

[Canaan 10+ year member]

I use 16ga 1 5/8" nails on most of my builds. But on larger builds, I shoot a few nails in to hold the pannels then come back w/ screws in a few places.

Either way, an air nailer REALLY speads up a build.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Clamp farming.

I don't recommend this, if you're covering or painting the cabinet at all...way too time-consuming.

 

[budahbuddy803 10+ year member]

^^^^ hahahaha ohh ok i thought that you were talking about the thing i need for my table saw.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

i can build a fence (the piece that the measuring clamp slides on?) out of wood? I guess i could to that. How tough is that task?

Usually you buy a precision fence and rails or the like when you build a bigger table.

Brads are nice and I use them a decent amount for rough work but for finish work I'll usually use a biscuit jointer and glue/clamp the joint. The biscuits hold the alignment while the clamps are applied. No holes to fill and no worries about hitting a brad with the router when I do the roundovers.