# 18 or 23 gauge nailer?



## dionk (Jan 24, 2012)

Hello everyone,

This is my first post on here and I'm sort of new to the woodworking scene. (at least doing things on my own!!) I am currently replacing all the trim in my whole house with 5" and 3" pre-primed mdf. For this job I bought a Hitachi 15 gauge angled finish nailer which works great. The one problem I discovered is that there is some very small trim ( approx. 7/8" wide and 3/8" thick) around the windows that needs to be fastened to the PVC window frame. The house is an older one and the dimensions for the wall and the new windows were slightly different and required this extra trim as a filler to bring the window frame flush with the wall. In my first room I put this trim up the old fashioned way with a hammer and small nails. For the remaining rooms I am looking to buy either a Hitachi 18 ga. brad nailer or a 23 ga. pinner. To make sure the PVC window frame doesn't get cracked and the trim doesn't split, which would be my best option?


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

I see the 18 as maybe more useful in terms of most trim jobs. However, 23g seems appropriate for a 7/8×3/8 trim piece. So I say get both. HF sells em pretty cheap, and I have heard good things about thier nailers.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Harbor Freight has 23g Pinners for $24.99 and I got mine with a 20% OFF coupon for just $19.99 plus tax. I have only lightly used it thus far, but it appears that this "Pinner" is one of those rare bargains for HF.

BTW, I paid $100 for my 18g Ridgid at the HD.
My 2-cents…

http://www.harborfreight.com/23-gauge-air-pin-nailer-68022.html


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## kizerpea (Dec 2, 2011)

18 ga for sure….easy to find 18ga brads, most stores have them. thats what i have, a porter cable. shoots from 1/2 to 2 1/4 brads but they don't tell u that.


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## RogerM (Oct 31, 2011)

dionk, I have both gauges and they each have their place. The pinner works great for pinning joints and small pieces and rarely splits the wood but is somewhat limited by their length. The max length of the porter cable pinner is one inch. I have an 18 gauge brad nailer (Bostich) that shoots brads up to 2 inches. I use this brad nailer almost exclusively for installing interior molding. The remaining holes are small and easy to fill and it has the length to attach almost all interior molding. For your narrow application as stated the pin nailer may be your best option to minimize splitting.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

I have a mix of brand name and HF generic name brad and pin nailers. Quality and function seems to be about the same for all. Get the tool that you can most easily get nails/brads/pins for. I like my HF framing nailer just as well as my Porter Cable 16ga brad nailer or 23ga pinner.

For what it's worth, I mostly only use the pinner to hold parts together that have been glued. The headless pins wont hold much on their own. They also just about never split anything either.


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## Chipy (Apr 20, 2011)

I have 3 guns 16 18 and 23 and use all of them! Horizontalmike don't buy HF 23 G nails I had a lot of problems with them! The gun is fine but it won't shoot those nails straight.I bought some 23 G nails from Home Depot(Bostic) and they worked fine.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Thanks Chipy, I'll make a note of that. HD is much closer to home as well.


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

Can't say enough good things about a decent feeling pin nailer for less than $25. The fact that it works well is just icing


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

Grex has a 23 ga pinner that shoots 2" pins. The problem I see with pinners is they have no head so small pieces of trim can pull away from the pin, especially softwood mouldings.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Ron, of course it goes without saying that cross angling each pin will help with retention. Being a relative noob' to these pinners, just why would you need a 23g pinner to shoot 2in pins?

Nearly everything that I am working with that needs a 23g pin is 3/4in stock that maybe has a 1/4-3/8in piece pinned to it. Just wondering…


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## jusfine (May 22, 2010)

This guy is in Alberta, *no HF here…
*
I have both, but you will find an 18 guage will do what you need for the trim, especially if you need it to hold tight against a wall or frame, the 23 is headless and doesn't seem to have that grip.

Home Depot, Porter Cable, Rigid, they all work, your choice. Kijiji also has some good deals sometimes online.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

just why would you need a 23g pinner to shoot 2in pins? Mr. Horizontal Mike,

I just noted that Grex has 2" long pins. I don't know what they would be used for either.


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

Somwhat amazing that a 23g pin could travel 2" in hardwood. I can see a need for 1 1/4" but probably not 2".


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## graywolf (Jan 10, 2011)

You need to stick with the 18 gauge pin nailer for your application and use say 5/8" nail. the 23 gauge nail gun is great for pre-finished materails because you don't have to putty as much. The 1 1/2" to 2" 23 gauge pins are used for installing pre-finished trim on cabinets. I use them on my jobs daily. The Grex gun I use will shoot 3/8" to 2" pins and it is a life saver. Good Luck on your purchase.
Regards, Richard


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## dionk (Jan 24, 2012)

So if I go with the 18 gauge and a 5/8" nail there won't be any danger of cracking the PVC casing on the window?


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I have an 18 ga a 16 ga and a pin nailer. I use the pin nailer the most and always with glue.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Chipy, Do the HF pins tend to curl out the side of the wood or even back out the top? (mine do) I'll try another brand of pins if it really makes a difference. I was afraid that was just the nature of a pin nailer. Anyone else had the same experience?


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Been there, done that, still curls. Even in relatively soft wood like doug fir. That's why I was curious about other brands of pins.


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## Sawdust4Blood (Feb 16, 2010)

on a piece of trim that small I would definitely use a 23 gauge instead of 18 (I own both) to keep it from splitting. My Cadex 23 gauge shoots pins and slight headed brads. I'm not sure that brads or pins would make that much of a difference because my gut feeling is that either one would pull free from the PVC before it pulled from from the wood. Of course I paid more than $20 for my Cadex but back then HF wasn't selling pinners (my 18 gauge brad gun is a HF and it has served me for years with no problems). Based on my experience with pins, I think they should easily hold that light a piece of trim with no problem.

@gfadvm: some soft woods can cause curling even more than other hardwoods. Grain direction and variation in density seem to me to be the big causes in curling. The pin will follow the path of least resistance so if a soft section is next to a harder section (like you often see in fir and red oak) the pin will want to move into the soft section. However, harder woods with very consistent density might not have much deflection at all.


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

Andy I have read/heard of others not being happy w/HF pins. I would try another maker.


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## Bobsboxes (Feb 8, 2011)

I have a grex 1 3/8" pin nailer I use grex pins, I use glue and as few pins as posible. it always does the trick. Also turn gun sideways to grain. Very small holes and great holding power, till glue sets.


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## devann (Jan 11, 2011)

IMHO you need both. I do a fair amount of trim and couldn't imagine life without ether the 18ga. or the 23ga.

*Andy*, Having a Porter Cable 23ga. I used their pins a lot and found them to work fine but a little pricey and HD where I generally buy them can't seem to keep the 1" and 1/2" in stock with the exception on the combo pack (1",3/4",1/2") which I feel is a rotten deal. There's just enough of each size in the package to make me see red.

I've found that I can get 10 times the 23 ga. pins from my tool suppler for the same price as a pack from HD. My tool suppler sells the Spotnail brand and they work as well as the PC brand.

I almost never have a problem with the curl out pin, but when I do it's usually caused by the growth ring at that particular spot and you have to find another direction to come from.


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

OP, 23 gauge pin nailers are great in their place but you really do just need the 18 gauge gun for your project.

Andy, the Porter cable pins I use (all the time) have never curled on me. We call them blowouts and they are not one of the few of my favorite things. ;=)


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Thanks for the comments. I'll try the PC. David, I call them blowouts too but sometimes I call them punctured fingers! Ouch.


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## dynadeuce (Feb 28, 2011)

Agree with most everything said. However, no one seems to have addressed that you should probably NOT be shooting your trim to the PVC window at all. It sounds, by your description, that you are attaching 'extension jambs', the window is recessed in the opening enough to need a filler so the casing that you will be attaching on the wall face will lay across the gap and rest on your extension jamb. I installed Renewals by Andersen for 2 years. If we shot anything into the vinyl (fibrex) of a window it could VOID THE WARRANTY. The work around is a little tedious but probably better, cut shims or spacers to fit between the extension jamb and framing, press the extension jambs up against the window but fasten them with what ever pins or brads to the rough opening of the framing around the window. Another option would be to use a paintable caulk/sillicone and glue the extension jambs to the window.


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## Chipy (Apr 20, 2011)

gfadvm I tried to shoot a nail from every robin in the box that I bought from HF and you got it they curl !!!!! I think it has to do with the fact that the nails are not glued together in a straight line.The nail is slowed down from the friction due to the fact the nail doesn't enter the Chanel were the driver pushes it into the work piece.Once I bought the Bostic nails I had no more curling problem.


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