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I recently bought my first pneumatic Framing Nailer “Clipped Head” I found out the following day that they will soon not meet building code requirements. Does any one know of this push to ban and if there is, is there a conversion kit for a Bostich Nailer
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One building jurisdiction in my area has outlawed clipped head nailers. Of course that town is a real pain in the a$$ when it comes to inspections. Some subs won't work there.
If you are that worried about it, return the nailer ASAP.
A little side story is a buddy of mine has an old Bostich clipped head nailer and said - Hey - look at these new hot-dipped nails that I'm going to use to build this deck. I said "those won't work in your nailer!! They are full round head." He says - "well, lets try it." OK, guess who gets to eat crow (actually it's not too bad with a little salt, pepper, and a good sense of humor)!
*The big reason I decided to buy this nailer was because it seems to be a real common nailer. I figured if anything went wrong with it I could get parts real easily. I bought it new for $299.00 and felt it was the "best" for the money. I have looked at using "Full Round" nails but I didn't want to damage the nailer in the process. I did look at the PC, which I saw in another letter you use. I just didn't have the confidence that I would easily get nails or parts for it. I have heard in California and Florida they are banning it and even on TV a house remodel in Massachusetts had to use Full Rounds.
*Gentlemen,I've heard nothing here in Texas about clipped head nails soon being banned.......What's up?Ed. Williams
*I beleive it started on the west coast in the earthquake zones. Sometimes the board pulls through the nailheads. Junk lumber should be phased out, IMHO, but I don't use the clipheads for price considerations. My local Home depot sells 4000 3"x.120 full-round heads for twenty bucks a box. We go through 15-20 boxes per week, and I have found them even cheaper elsewhere. Those clipheads are like thirty bucks for 4000, making them contraband on my crews. 200 bucks every week, yikes! I'd bet Ed uses the Duo-Fast clip-head framers, which I find to be highly effective as trot-line weights.
*Ed, from what I heard years ago when going to a pneumatic frame nailer as relief for my CTS... the Insurance Industry balked at clipped-head nails in the State of Florida, first. Hurricane Andrew damaged buildings in a variety of ways: some flattened, some broken, others structurally intact, but damaged by being unsheathed. Some of the blame was placed on using a clipped-head nail as a sheathing fastener, resulting in a de-roofing and water damage. I went to a Senco 60 for that reason, while most yards here in the Northeast stocked Bostich and Clipped nails. Now there are excellent nailers available from Porter-Cable, Hitachi, Senco and others with full-round head nails standard. Nail availability is still an issue... IF you're only looking for a box of 10D brights from the local hardware store. (Bostich Clipped only... "uh, there's others?")Wether there will ever be a real "ban" on clipped-heads? Who knows. The Insurance industry placed blame on many, many things, the nails may be less important than some other things in the long run. (Like adding Adhesive when sheathing, or using Hurricane Ties.)My experience however is that I can remove 2x lumber that has been clip-nailed easier than full head nailed 2x stock. That may be due to the rosin on my nails, verses cheap clip-heads? Not very scientific I assure you.
*JRN,Paslode framing guns. I banned Duo-Fast from my jobs.Ed.
*Ed- Good move. Spotnail makes an admirable American made copy of the Hitachi NR83A, $279 at my local supply house in Tomball, Texas. This guy has also been selling 3" ring shanks for fifteen bucks per 4000. I've been using them for general framing lately. JRN
*Another Texan!
*Just the other day my Paslode dealer showed me Paslode's answer, a clip of 3" framing nails with a full round head that is offset on the shank. It's supposedly legal in areas that do not allow clipped head nails. Funny thing is though, we were comparing them to the standard clipped head nails and the head is considerably smaller than the clipped heads. Now I'm certain that the powers that be in these "non-clipped head areas" will allow these politically correct nails, even though in my somewhat cloudy mind a larger clipped head would hold better than a smaller round head. Go figure.Roy
*Roy-That sounds like an expensive process to stagger and collate those nails. I bet they sell for thirty bucks or more for 4000, just like the clippies. JRN