If I had a Hammer...

I might need better insurance for the carpal tunnel that I would get from hammering in all the nails we need to build the walls.  Oh so for those of you that don't know, when my father-in-law saw the final cost of what it would be to "Panelize" the walls before delivery to the site, he said "Walls aren't that hard to build."  But since each wall will need a minimum of 50 nails per 4x8 sheet we decided it would be smart to get a nail gun! (ooooh aaaaah)

One afternoon while I was just blowing off time I went around to all the tool places that I could think of.  Harbor Freight, Lowes, Sears, Home Depot and such.  For a nail gun I was looking obviously at a pretty heavy duty Framing Nailer, which would also require an air compressor and various other attachments to make sure it is lubricated and stays in tip top shape. 

The framing nailers that I saw at Harbor Freight were pretty cheap but I started thinking about how many nails we were really going to have to drive, it would be fine maybe if we were building a shed but for the house...maybe not.  The consideration that we would be using it like a commercial builder for a couple weeks straight then lead me to the selection at the big box stores.  It's pretty much the same at each one and you have a higher price point than HF obviously, but in this case I would pay for quality, because we could always sell it off afterward.  The one that caught my eye was the Hitachi Framing Nailer.  It is a good price and has great reviews online.  Seems like the one I will pick up.

Next is a compressor and I wasn't overly leaning one way or another.  One thing I did learn is that if you are doing heavy work (like framing a house!) you need a compressor with at least 4.5 cfm capabilities to save time and have the nailer works correctly every time.  Most compressors that provide that kind of flow have either a larger tank or higher price tag.  I think on this one I will go with the HF.  A compressor can come in handy for a good many things so I wouldn't mind keeping this item. 

Well that's all for this subject, let me know if you think I am on the right track with my thinking.  It gets a little daunting when you are walking through the aisles looking at all the different pros and cons of each tool.