I'd always shunned air nailers as modern innovations gone too far until an old-time German carpenter raved to me about the first time he installed trim backed by 90 psi of force. Once I tried that for myself, there was little to wonder about anymore, except which model of air nailer is best.
There's little doubt the best kind of air tool for general home workshop use is a finishing nailer. It speeds assembly of everything from cabinets to trim, but more important, it improves quality when used correctly. When the job of driving a nail requires only one hand, it frees your other one to hold parts tightly together for assembly. That's why you can produce tighter joints with an air nailer than with a hammer and finishing nails. And since air-powered nails travel so quickly into wood, even without predrilling, the hardest species won't split.
When it comes to choosing a compressor-driven finishing nailer, the assortment is daunting. But when you boil it down, all you really need to decide upon is either a 16- or 18-gauge model. This number refers to the diameter of the nails the gun can shoot (with 16 gauge being thicker). Guns that shoot heftier nails are also designed to handle longer fasteners. Whereas 18-gauge finishing nailers top out when driving two-inch-long nails, 16-gauge guns can handle 2 1/2" nails. Doesn't sound like much? It is. You'll appreciate the longer reach with heavier work, such as assembling bookshelves or installing door jambs. At the other end of the spectrum, both 16- and 18-gauge nailers can shoot nails as short as you'll need for most projects.
You rarely get something for nothing, and this is true with air nailers too. Although faster than the hand-driven option, and although they deliver more accurate joints, air nailers have drawbacks. The most obvious is the difficulty of steering nail location precisely. It takes a lot of experience with a gun to know exactly where an air-driven nail will hit, and that can make for erratic nailing patterns. This doesn't matter in hidden areas, but uneven nails lower project quality on exposed trim where nail marks become part of the visual landscape. When nail placement matters, I measure, mark and drive them by hand.
Another problem with air nailers is the tendency for the gun's driving pin to leave its rectangular indentation surrounding the nail hole. If the appearance matters, and you want to drive the nails under power, here's a tip. Adjust air pressure to underdrive the nails slightly, shoot them partway in, then sink them home using a nail set and hammer.
A nailer is only half of what you need. The compressor is the other half. If you're looking at a small, portable compressor, that means either a pancake-style model with an oil-less pump or a small piston-pump compressor in a portable package. I've used both in my shop, and the main difference is the amount of time the machine surrounds me with noise. Piston pumps tend to run less because they move more air in less time.
Once you get compressed air, it won't take long for your eyes to wander to other air-powered tools: a framing nailer, coil roofing nailer, cabinet stapler or brad nailer. Whether you buy, borrow or rent, with access to equipment like that, it's easy to pack more enjoyment and productivity into the time you spend with tools.
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