Brad Nailer Uses – Safety is FIRST!

If you want to know brad nailer uses at first you have to know who can use it.

Essentially anyone who does finishing work and needs to affix wood without using screws or pre-drilling! Cabinet makers in particular benefit coming from brad nailers, as does anyone who needs to affix in a “blind spot”.

Oftentimes joiners will fire in the brad nail while they are waiting for glue to dry as it allows the workpiece to be held in place while leaving only a small, easily-filled hole.

Think lightweight and minimal traffic. What we mean is, if you are only affixing a lightweight piece of finishing, or the piece won’t be “handled” a lot, then a brad nailer will do the job.

Brad Nailer Usage Tips

As noted earlier, a good brad nailer is commonly used while individual needs to affix a small or thin board or piece of trim to an assembly. Using a finish nailer (with a heavier gauge nail) would likely split your board, but splitting can also occur if you place the brad too close to the end or maybe the edge of a board. A better approach can be in order to affix the brad further into the board to prevent end splitting. Each type of wood offers various splitting properties, but a little bit of experience with each type of wood you choose will give you an idea how closely you can work to the end grain of the stock without having splitting.

Additionally, because brads are usually so thin, you may encounter a number nails that do not sink all the way into the stock. This is especially problematic with brads, as it is much harder to pound the brad all the way straight into the stock with a hammer and a nail set than a standard finish nail. You might easily find these brads bend simply under the head of your hammer. Brads are quickly bent via knots in wood, that will can cause a perfectly-aimed brad to blow out the side of a trim piece.

Instead of trying to cut off or nail in the protruding or blown-out brad, it is perhaps wiser to remove it. While you get a brand to remove, instead of using a hammer or a crow bar to pull it out, try this handy tip to remove nails in ease. This trick performs especially well with lightweight brads.

Best Brad Nailer Uses For You

If you know what the best uses for a brad nailer are, then you will stand a better chance at discovering projects you can complete in your own personal or professional realm. The following are just a few things you can do with a brad nailer, a skilled hand, and an active imagination:

• Home Improvement Projects – It is not difficult to see how a brad nailer would be useful here. Whether you are securing pieces of trim or replacing crown molding, you should be able to use your brad nailer to do so. You can update and upgrade your home easily if you have a working brad nailer and some skill and vision. Turn an otherwise lackadaisical space into a marvel with the addition of base boards or crown molding. Some homeowners even use a brad nailer for simple fixes like securing a window or door casing.
• Professional Tasks – There are a number of professional woodworkers who use brad nailers to hold things together. They use brad nails together with special adhesives, making things like cabinets, chairs, and other furniture. It does not take a professional to do these things, especially when you have a good brad nailer to work with. In fact, nearly anyone can add wall paneling with little knowledge about this tool.
• Crafts – Another fun thing you can do with a brad nailer is to use to complete small scale projects and crafts around your home, office, or even your classroom. You can easily piece together a picture frame from a few small pieces of wood, or you can fix one that has been damaged. You can use your brad nailer to create models or even build things like children’s toys. The possibilities are endless so long as you have some skill in using a brad nailer and a little bit of imagination.
• Construction Sites – You will be hard pressed to visit an active construction site and not see someone using a brad nailer. These men and women work tirelessly to secure parts of buildings and other structures while using their brad nailers skillfully. With this tool, they are more easily able to nail things together around corners and blind spots. This certainly makes the job much easier and undoubtedly safer.
• Odd Jobs – The previous uses are not all that can be considered when using a brad nailer. Some people build fences or even complete interlocking flooring projects with their tools. The possibilities are virtually endless; you need to limit yourself to these suggestions.

How To Use a Brad Nailer Properly

Completing a home improvement project will most certainly take the use of a great set of tools; and if you have works with wood to finish, then you will want a great brad nailer in your inventory. However, just owning one will not get you very far, especially if you have no idea how to use a brad nailer properly. To be safe and effective, then you will want to know how to do this, lest you hurt yourself of fudge your project because you’re not sure.

1.  First, you’ll want to check your tool. Before you start on anything with the power tools, it is particularly wise to check out the mechanism before you start. Make sure your brad nailer has no operational deficiencies or safety issues. Take a moment to find the cracks and screws sticking on the tip, on the handle, and when the body of the machine.
2.  Next, you should attach the brad nailer to appropriate air provider if it is pneumatic. There are several options to air provider that are compatible with a brad nailer; so finding something that works should be relatively easy. You can use a air pipe, an air compressor, a Co2 cartridge, and even a battery. If it is a cordless brad nailer, then you can skip this step.
3.  Now it’s time to check out your brad nailer. Use a solid piece of scrap lumber if possible, and make sure your tool is working properly. Your brad nailer should easily penetrate the wood; but if not, then you can try to adjust the depth screw commonly found at the tip of the tool. If not solved the problem, then perhaps you have a brad nailer that is malfunctioning and it may not be safe to use it.
4. Keep yourself safe at all times. When you’re ensuring to pieces of material at a joint with your brad nailer, you should always make sure you have a firm grip on the object you are nailing. Make sure you keep it in place, and not let go. It is also imperative that you keep your hand out of the way, lest you hurt yourself in the process.
5. Squeeze the trigger with confidence. If you are trying to join two pieces of material, it is important that you have control of the object and your tools are good, especially before you pull the trigger. Once you are sure that you do, then pull away. You should allow the brad nail to penetrate into the object before you move. A good rule of thumb is to count to 2 before continuing your work.

If you want to learn brad nailer uses, you must follow these simple steps, then you should have good luck when working with a brad nailer, regardless of your project specifications. Of course, practice makes perfect; so get out there and learn how to use a brad nailer properly. Safety is FIRST!