I’m about to put up a lot of 1×6, 1×12, 1×8, and 4×8 sheet Hardi product, and I’m considering buying a plastic-collated coil siding nailer. I haven’t had good luck with anything Hitachti, so I’m considering the new Bostitch and the Max gun. The main consideration is consistency in depth of drive. Also, the plastic-collated nails seem to have much smaller heads than the stick nails I’ve used before.
Related, could I just use a 15ga finish nailer? I’ve used my 16ga in the past with good results but I don’t want fascia boards falling off—this is my next door neighbor’s home.
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MAX..it's a sweetie. Thier weight alone makes them worth every penny.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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Sphere, I was wondering what model Max gun you have.
The little bit of searching I had done on siding nailers showed the Max to be heavier than the Hitachi and Bostitch.
The Max model I was looking at was a CN565 with a listed weight of 4.9 lbs.
Do they make another model that is lighter?
Thanks,
Shoe
I think it is the SN565..
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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JASON,
i wouldnt recommend a finish nailer ,even a 15 ga., for most exterior applications. bu then agiai i live in the salt air.
as far as the siding nailer goes sphere is right , but if you dont wanna spend that kind of money. i had a pc that lasted about 3 years witout any complicationa and it took plastic and wire collated nails, for about 100 less, but now i have 2 hitachis as we normally installed cedar shakes.
tyke
Just another day in paradise
I have the Hitachi NV65AH siding gun and have had no problems so far, but it is still less than a year old. If I did not want a green gun then I would definitely look at the Max sider...an excellent product.
Lots of guys around here just shoot Hardi on with roofing guns if that is what they already have. Since I have no real use for a roofing gun that was not an option for me.
Thanks guys..I guess I'll be going down to the "gun store" soon to order a Max...the owner sells them a cost + 10 bucks if you buy nails from him.
I have a roofing gun (two actually), but all the Hardi I'll be installing is fascia, soffit, frieze, etc.--no lap siding, so those big ol' electrogalvanized heads won't look too pretty.
I use a Makita siding gun; a couple of my friends have Hitachi's. All have depth adjustment, all have worked without problems for a bunch of F/C.
The Max looks appealing, but, depending on your location, service can be a problem. Otherwise, it appears to be a good quality tool.
I have the Makita sider as well. I've had a love-hate relationship with it, though. Main problem: the nails it takes must be the thinnest gauge nails made...and the smallest heads. The gun itself lacks power, I think, and it tends to not sink nails in harder materials. The unset nails then, because they are thin and weak, tend to bend and break off when attempting to set with a hammer. Otherwise, I love the gun! What's your experience? (Locally, no-one uses the Makita--in fact I know no-one else who's ever used one).With f/c, the makita does well, EXCEPT when nails hit harder framing...(they don't set consistently then).Related question to ALL: For structural puroses, hardi-panel seems completely unsatisfactory as a sheathing panel. Unlike T-111 5/8 ply, hardi-panel can easily be torn by hand...No shear stregnth whatsoever. Therefore, one would think it would never be specified as a sheathing grade siding (like T-111). And yet, I can find no mention of this on Hardi's website. Furthermore, here in Florida, the FL Building Code makes no mention of the use of Hardi as a sheathing grade panel--either yea or nea. Yet, I've seen builders here use it SANS any structural (OSB or ply) sheathing panel underneath. In otherwords, nailing hardi directly to the studs--and peppering it with nails (4"o.c @ perimeter per the code requirement for sheathing). Is this kosher? In any case, it sure looks like crap.And if I could do it over again, I'd get the Max sider. No doubt.
I've had zero problems with the Makita. And it uses the same nails as the Hitachi. Don't know about the Max, but siding nails tend to have smaller heads and a narrower shank than a framing nail.
Last year I bought a Senco coil framer 'cause most of my framers and finishers are Senco and they've been reliable. But the coil nailer was a dog from day-one. The Senco Rep took it back.....he couldn't keep it from jamming either!
Maybe your Makita sider was just a lemon.
I've not used the Hardi panels, but, like you, I wouldn't expect them to perform very well with no backing.
All my F/C siding work is clapboards or shingles and the Hardi brand isn't my first choice anyway. Just my opinion, but I consider Certainteed to be a better product, after having used both.
Hmm. I've had my Makita about two years. Yours newer? And in retrospect, I guess I've used mine principally in nailing off sheathing (both wall and floor) and some decking. To be fair, whenever I've used it for siding or fencing (what its made for!), it's performed very well. I do love this nailer, don't get me wrong.You say it will take Hitachi coil nails? Don't think I've tried them, but I have had most every other coil siding nail end up having too large a head for the Mak, jamming it. I use profast nails.
Mine's about 2 years old, too....I think that's about when Makita came out with that gun.
You've got me curious about the nails; if you're using it for sheathing, are you using coil framing nails, maybe?
Coiled siding nails are generic, I believe, and interchangeable between brands, like roofing nails (the only diff might be wire vs. plastic coalation, the siding nails I use are wire coalated).
And I think the siding guns only accept up to a 2" length. (My gun's on the job right now....I'll check tomorrow for nail brand and length capability of the drum).
Nope, coil siding nails always. I used to get mine from a supplier when I lived in AK that worked great (can't for the life of me remember the brand--might have been Hitachi). Where I am now, no one carries anything that will fit..that is none of the Box stores or local guys..Only the Profast dealer has them. He tells me he only carries this special small head coil siding nail for some big GC that uses him exclusively for his Hitachi nailers. Apparently the Hitachi and the Mak have a smaller breach then the all others. If you've used any other nail than Hitachi or Profast, let me know.The gun will accept up to 2 3/8" nails. Come to think of it, I've always used this largest size nail. Don't know if using shorter nails might have improved performance.
OK, so here's an update, and a few corrections about my Makita siding nailer:
Yes, it does shoot up to 2 3/8" nails, but we never have had to stretch it that far.
From my crew; it's never jammed....but occasionally, the flush-head adjustment will drop down a notch or two (it's a knurled wheel that sets to detents) and the nails will start standing proud.
The model is AN611.
The nails we're using are "Unicatch Siding Nails", galv. ringshank 1 1/2" X .090 (on last job). We've used longer nails on some remodels but they're long gone.
To be honest, I've never heard of "Unicatch" nails....I buy them at the local yard and have burned up about 5 boxes in this particular gun with no problems. Just never paid attention to the brand.
Don't know if this clears up anything, but it's the straight poop!
BTW, I've been tempted a couple of times to use the siding nailer for sheathing, but my Sencos do the job, and since my first few jobs installing F/C were all hand-nailed, that siding gun is kind of precious.
The MAX will take 2.5"..Bostitch, Hitatchi, and others..both plastic and wire..
I have a hellof a time finding them, they are so in demand.
I have yet to find 2" RSGCP..either wire or plastic...all BO'd .
I went through a few cases of Hitatchi 2 3/8" RS GAL DP Wire..no problem, and no trash on the site from what looks like a snake skin..I prefer wire.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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Thanks, Worm. I have the same model. And actually, (I just checked) it shoots up to 2 1/2" nails. Indeed, mine's never jammed as well. Just failed to sink the long nails in sheathing/ floor sheeting. Guess I should have used the shorter nails."BTW, I've been tempted a couple of times to use the siding nailer for sheathing, but my Sencos do the job, and since my first few jobs installing F/C were all hand-nailed, that siding gun is kind of precious."Tell me 'bout it. No more hand-nailing siding...ever. And my Hitachi framer handles all the sheathing I encounter now. The Mak is a SIDING gun exlusively. And a good one. Sorry I abused it.
Sorry for the long delay y'all...got the 1x6 Hardi fascia up and I've progressed to reroofing 33 squares with Elk 30 year archi's. Anyway, I got the Max CN565S and a box of Hitachi 2 1/4" smooth shank HDG plastic-collated siding nails. The Max is very light (about like my Bostitch roofer), and works well, but I'm having trouble with the nails bending over right below the head. I have the pressure at 110 psi and the depth adjustment near maxed out. Some of the nails bend over, some drive flush, and some are driven about 1/16" below flush. Although I know it's not recommended by Hardi, I like overdriving a bit and puttying to beating bent nails into that Hardi stuff. I'd like to try this nail/gun combo with both wood siding and PVC/composite trim before making a judgement. Or I may try a different brand of nail or try some wire-welds.
Just looking at the Max, it's a nicely made gun. I'll be breaking it in some more over the next couple of weeks, so I'll catch back up with y'all directly.
You mean the Max sinks the nails bent, or they don't sink and you bend the heads trying to sink them w/ a hammer?As I posted earlier, the Makita sider seems for me to have a problem w/ lack of power and not sinking nails in many materials (but I'd always used the longest nails). The nail shanks are thin and will easily break off at the head or bend when attempting to drive flush w/ a hammer.But if you're saying the gun itself bends the nails...well I haven't heard of that..especially from the MAX.Also I've always used wire collated nails. Try a shorter nail (2" is fine for Hardi siding).
Hey SUN, I using Hitachti plastic collated 2 1/4" smooth shanks for this job, but it's 3/4" trim boards, not the lap siding...do you think 2" are still good? If it was lap board I'd either use Maze HDG roofing nails or 2" Paslode roundrives (blind nailing).
I will be putting up some smooth 5/16" Hardi soffit...thinking of using 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 for that...maybe I'll get some differnet nails just to see.
I'm curious to know further details of your problems with Hitachi guns.
I have mostly heard high praise for them, and have had very little complaints about their roofer that I had for years.
I've got the Max. Like it alot!