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Started By
Message
Nail gun question
Posted on 10/28/25 at 4:51 pm
Posted on 10/28/25 at 4:51 pm
My dad is 82 and wants to fix some boards on his fence by himself. He doesn’t have much money, so I want order him a nail gun.
Any recommendations? Thanks
Disclaimer: I don’t know anything about nail guns or how they’re powered
It would be basic boards and fence work
Any recommendations? Thanks
Disclaimer: I don’t know anything about nail guns or how they’re powered
It would be basic boards and fence work
This post was edited on 10/28/25 at 4:56 pm
10
Posted on 10/28/25 at 6:20 pm to habz007
Does he have an air compressor?
Posted on 10/28/25 at 6:40 pm to habz007
I always go Senco. (Frame Pro). I see one at Home Depot for 219, which is considerably cheaper than the last one I bought. Looks perfect for fencing.
Senco Frame Pro 325 XP.
Senco Frame Pro 325 XP.
Posted on 10/28/25 at 6:45 pm to habz007
Fencing is easy to do, always if using nails, get ring shanked coated nails.
Posted on 10/28/25 at 6:46 pm to habz007
That's a seriously "it depends" question. Personally, I have an older Spotnails 0-degree coil nailer, it's pretty much the perfect pneumatic gun for fencing and tasks my framing gun is too much for. Two problems with it though is that it's still a $300+ gun and a box of nails for it runs over $100 for galvanized ring-shanks short enough for fencing. Also, forget finding those nails anywhere but a dedicated supplier. A framing gun is cheaper option, but you won't get nails under 2" so the other side of the fence is going to show nail tips more often than not. Guess an impact driver and screws are out of the question?
Posted on 10/28/25 at 8:14 pm to Tigerpaw123
quote:
Does he have an air compressor?
If going with a nail gun for doing fence work, I'd opt for the ones that use air cartridges to shoot the nails. No compressor, no laying hoses, just walk and shoot.
Posted on 10/28/25 at 8:50 pm to habz007
If it's for a 1 time job some Home Depots rent tools.
Posted on 10/29/25 at 6:36 am to dblwall
Deck screws instead of nails?
Posted on 10/29/25 at 7:36 am to Bayou
quote:
Deck screws instead of nails?
I'm a fan of screws over nails in fences. Just had better experience with screws. If the OP wanted to get his dad an impact driver that would be another option. Especially if it's just a few boards. A 2 pack of dewalt batteries and an impact is roughly $250. Has a wider range of use than a nail gun but that'd dependent on dad's interests and use cases.
Posted on 10/29/25 at 8:39 am to WhiskeyThrottle
quote:
I'm a fan of screws over nails in fences
Curious to know the science advantage behind this if there is any.
I put up a fence with a 20 degree nailer and my fence withstood 135mph winds during derecho. Not a single picket tore off nor did any nails pop out. I was pretty shocked considering how fierce it was.
Posted on 10/29/25 at 9:10 am to Tigerpaw123
quote:
Does he have an air compressor?
Nah , he doesn’t. I’m trying to get something for him hand held and easy to use. He’s telling me he only needs to fix a few boards. But he can’t really hammer anymore.
And the thing is he really likes doing his own small jobs. He wouldn’t allow me or a professional type guy to do it if he thinks he can.
This post was edited on 10/29/25 at 9:14 am
Posted on 10/29/25 at 9:22 am to WhiskeyThrottle
quote:
I'm a fan of screws over nails in fences.
Same. In the interest of hanging the boards quickly, I shoot nails. I go back and put screws in once finished.
Posted on 10/29/25 at 9:23 am to habz007
Get a dedicated fence and deck screw gun. It's one of my favorite tools.
You set the screw head depth, and it gets the screw head perfectly flush every single time.
It has a clutch that only turns the screw when pressure is applied.
You set the screw head depth, and it gets the screw head perfectly flush every single time.
It has a clutch that only turns the screw when pressure is applied.
Posted on 10/29/25 at 9:30 am to idlewatcher
quote:
Curious to know the science advantage behind this if there is any.
I put up a fence with a 20 degree nailer and my fence withstood 135mph winds during derecho. Not a single picket tore off nor did any nails pop out. I was pretty shocked considering how fierce it was.
Nail coatings have come quite a ways and probably hold up adequately if you get the correct nail. The science has to do with the wedge nature of a screw vs. the compression required to keep a nail secured in the wood. If the if the wood around the sharp end of the nail deteriorates or shrinks and expands in any way the nail will just pull out over time. More wood has to deteriorate around a screw before it falls out. How old was your fence when the derecho hit?
Certainly not saying that a nail gun doesn't have an effort benefit. As far as the OP goes, I have a nail gun and a impact wrench, and I use the nail gun very little while using the impact very frequently across all sorts of projects.
Posted on 10/29/25 at 10:11 am to habz007
Try a pawn shop. You can get the compressor, hose, and gun.
Posted on 10/29/25 at 10:32 am to idlewatcher
quote:
Curious to know the science advantage behind this if there is any.
Look on YouTube, popular channel of a professional fence builder did a test with various fasteners and screws were the best followed by ring-shank nails. The science is pretty obvious though, proper exterior-rated screws would have much more holding strength than any nail but would cost more in terms of $ and labor.
Posted on 10/29/25 at 10:34 am to Churchill
quote:
Try a pawn shop. You can get the compressor, hose, and gun.
Not good for the OP, wouldn't have the eye to know what was a good tool and one that's near failure. I go to pawnshops all the time and it's mostly trashed HF junk, really have to know what to look for to find stuff worth buying.
Posted on 10/29/25 at 1:54 pm to habz007
I'd buy him a drill driver and screws.
I had to rebuild 4 sections of my fence a couple of years ago and just used screws. Nails would have definitely been faster but with just 4 sections screws were fine.
And as others have said, screws are a little stronger.
I had to rebuild 4 sections of my fence a couple of years ago and just used screws. Nails would have definitely been faster but with just 4 sections screws were fine.
And as others have said, screws are a little stronger.
Posted on 10/29/25 at 5:05 pm to habz007
I agree with other post here. I just finished building a wooden fence in my yard. Get him a nice driver and use screws.
Here is a list of items I used that may help anyone interested.
Home Depot List:
Cross Braces and Top Rail - 2 in. x 4 in. x 10 ft. 2 Prime Ground Contact Pressure-Treated Southern Yellow Pine Lumber
Kick Plate at bottom of fence - 2 in. x 8 in. x 10 ft. 2 Prime Ground Contact Pressure-Treated Southern Yellow Pine Lumber
Post - 4 in. x 4 in. x 8 ft. #2 Ground Contact Southern Yellow Pine Pressure-Treated Wood Timber
Quickrete - 50 lb. Fast-Setting Concrete Mix - Roughly 2.5 to 3 bags per 24 inch deep post hole when dug 12 inches in diameter
Fence Pickets - 5/8 in. x 5-1/2 in. x 6 ft. Western Red Cedar Dog-Ear Fence Picket
Strong ties for attaching 2x4's to 4x4's - FB ZMAX Galvanized Fence Rail Bracket for 2x4 Nominal Lumber
Screws for attaching pickets - Deckmate or Hillman 1-5/8 inch star drive coated screws. Includes T-25 bit in box
Screws for attaching 2x4 to 4x4 post for top rail - Deckmate or Hillman 3 inch star drive coated screws. Includes T-25 bit in box
Here is a list of items I used that may help anyone interested.
Home Depot List:
Cross Braces and Top Rail - 2 in. x 4 in. x 10 ft. 2 Prime Ground Contact Pressure-Treated Southern Yellow Pine Lumber
Kick Plate at bottom of fence - 2 in. x 8 in. x 10 ft. 2 Prime Ground Contact Pressure-Treated Southern Yellow Pine Lumber
Post - 4 in. x 4 in. x 8 ft. #2 Ground Contact Southern Yellow Pine Pressure-Treated Wood Timber
Quickrete - 50 lb. Fast-Setting Concrete Mix - Roughly 2.5 to 3 bags per 24 inch deep post hole when dug 12 inches in diameter
Fence Pickets - 5/8 in. x 5-1/2 in. x 6 ft. Western Red Cedar Dog-Ear Fence Picket
Strong ties for attaching 2x4's to 4x4's - FB ZMAX Galvanized Fence Rail Bracket for 2x4 Nominal Lumber
Screws for attaching pickets - Deckmate or Hillman 1-5/8 inch star drive coated screws. Includes T-25 bit in box
Screws for attaching 2x4 to 4x4 post for top rail - Deckmate or Hillman 3 inch star drive coated screws. Includes T-25 bit in box
This post was edited on 10/29/25 at 5:09 pm
Posted on 11/2/25 at 11:50 am to habz007
quote:
But he can’t really hammer anymore
The thing about DIY at advanced age is that you can still be smart enough, strong enough, and have the desire, but joints and tendons don't react well to new repeated motions. Get him an air compressor and a pneumatic nail gun. Tell him to spread the task over a few days. If anything hurts after the 1st day, take a few days off.
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