brads/nails vs. screws

[jdc753 10+ year member]

Personally I don't see how you can even talk about returning tools, thats like blasphemy right there lol. I guess unless you stick to purely box building and don't see doing anything else then its ok to return but tools are exactly that tools and its never bad to have too many of them.

I personally use screws, just due to the weight of the material, 3/4 mdf is pretty beefy stuff to be using brads, if you go by the idea that its purely glue then I guess you can sleep at night but I would much rather have a structural sound product before the glue is taken into consideration.

Only place I can really think of brads being used is for crown molding or half round on baseboard and such where its just really small stuff and you don't want to split it by using anything larger than a brad.

 

[skadude016 5,000+ posts]

Screws pull and hold, brads hold? Clamps pull and hold?
EDIT: You will want higher than 14.4v....

you dont need higher than a 14.4v I have used 12v and it works fine //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[audioarsonal 10+ year member]

I have found a craftsman 19.2v impact will also countersink pretty well without breaking the heads off.But normally I'll use a drill/counter sink bit then screw the wood together with a dab of glue in the screw hole just for insurance.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

I only use brads to hold stuff straight until I can get the clamp in place or for sticking in the 45 deg corner braces while the glue dries. I use screws exclusively (no glue) when building amp racks and assembling stuff in the car so I can get it back apart at some point. For screw work, DeWalt makes an all in one quick change drill with countersink and screwdriver bit. Chuck the housing into the drill (I use a 12V Ryobi FWIW) and drill the pilot holes with countersink and then without messing with the chuck or using more than one hand, flip the thing around and have a screwdriver ready to go.

Whenever I'm working plywood, there's no beating biscuits or dowels and clamps.

 

[miker 5,000+ posts]

you dont need higher than a 14.4v I have used 12v and it works fine //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Did I say "NEED" no, I said want...

Sure a 14.4 or 12 will work... But seriously... It's so much better when using a 18.2v...

 

[bjfish11 5,000+ posts]

The 14.4 Dewalt I use, is MORE than enough for building boxes. Im sure a 12 V would work fine as well....

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Did I say "NEED" no, I said want...
Sure a 14.4 or 12 will work... But seriously... It's so much better when using a 18.2v...

Until you've been using it awhile and then its weight gets annoying. You don't need a ton of torque to drill or drive screws in predrilled holes and the extra weight doesn't get you anything other than tired.

 

[ballstothewall 10+ year member]

Theres no need for an 18v when putting screws into plywood, it just is extra weight. A good 14.4 with two batteries will be a lot easier to use.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

When Im assembling a box, I have like 4 or 5 drills sitting around (one for pre-drill, one for clearance, one for countersink, etc) so I dont have to swap out bits all the time. Heck one of them I use is an old 9v and it works just fine.

I love my brad nailer, but I wouldn't use it on any serious box I build. I use it for amp racks and such, not to mention household projects. And imo no shop can be called a 'shop' with an air compressor. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif Keep it.

 

[miker 5,000+ posts]

So "shops" shouldn't have air compressors?//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif I think you mis-worded that.

Also yeah w/ the drill thing... it's a pain in the *** to switch from a tiny bit to a philips head one...

I agree w/ you guys for the most part on a lower voltage drill.. Yeah.. For small holes, and screwing screws into pre-drilled holes.. Yeah.. 12v is fine. Though you won't get very far when drilling larger holes... Anyway... It's good to have a higher voltage drill... They should make drills that take variable voltage batteries..

Seriously though, keep the compressor, and nail gun... You could go buy your own drill for fairly cheap...

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

That there makes the drill/countersink/drive a quick operation with a single drill.

 

[DBfan187 5,000+ posts]

I have that.

 

[teamsubgopoof]

i agree with Jim to a point.....

brads and clamps are fine...

but if your building a box that is going to have alot of pressure and a chance of flexing...

i'd still counter sink a few screws down each side and fill the holes