How to use a Brad Nailer

Brad nailers are an essential tool used by carpenters all over the world. For this tutorial you will be learning how to build a simple frame for an action figure to rest inside.

• When you walk into the lab, you want to go to the safety station and grab glasses and a pair of earmuffs.
• Make sure to wear closed toe shoes and long pants as well for safety.
• If you have any questions please refer to a lab assistant during open lab hours.
• DO NOT POINT THE BRAD NAILER AT ANY LIMBS, PERSON(S), OR THING THAT IS NOT WOOD.
• Do not push the safety switch while plugged into the air compressor unless the nail is ready to be driven into the wood.

1. Put on your glasses and earmuffs
2. Take your wood that you will be using to the skill saw for cutting, put the angle to 45 degrees for desired edge. (Please refer to the chopsaw page for further assist.

Here we see the two main options here in the lab for brad nailers. We have the central pneumatic (red), and the metabo (grey) brad nailers, for the sake of this tutorial we will be using the metabo one.

Here we can find the nails for the nailer, an important part of the process. The nails are located in W8 location, in the box labeled brads and staples. This box is quite heavy, so be prepared for the weight, and if you cannot lift the box off the shelf or see it, please ask for assistance from a lab assistant.

Here we see some brad nails inside of their box they correlate to. Bth of the braid nailers have are 18 gauge nailers and we want to make sure the nails are 18 gauge as well. The metabo nailer has a maximum nail length of 2inches, but a minimum nail length of circa 5/8inch.

Once you have the nails you want to use, you want to find the trigger on the bottom of the magazine that holds the nails, pull that lever and pull it back, this unlocks the nail bed. Get your nails, find the sharp end that is not the flat end, and insert the sharp end in the nail bed facing the tip of the nail gun. Make sure the nail is set in the nailed flat, it shouldn't be able to wiggle a lot, then push it towards the top of the nail gun. Simply push the end of the magazine that opened to insert the nails upward to lock it in place and to push the nails to the roof of the nail gun.

Here we see me using what is called a skill saw or chop saw to cut my wood to the degree and size I want. To do this I measured 6 inches to the end of my wood (the side I want to be facing outward), and I cut that to my size.

This is the wood cut already and ready to be nailed together, here we are holding the nail to the edge of the wood to give a visual of how deep the nail will go inside of the corner of the wood. We want to use long enough nails so that the wood stays together and intact so they it does not separate.

We recommend that you clamp your wood together for beginners for safety and flexibility. Go ahead and turn on the air compressor and make sure that it runs until it automatically turns itself off, pull the hose from the compressor and take it to your station, then push the air hose end onto the tip of the nail gun where the nozzle meets the gun; Now your nail gun is ready to use. Hold the wood together, get a clamp and position your nail gun in the area and angle you want the nail to go in. We can go ahead and put 2 nails in each side of your wood, you want to be careful about hitting a nail that is already in the wood as it can cause ricochet or nail bending. Push the nail gun in to the wood, press the trigger, and pull away after the nail has been inserted into the wood. There will be a loud sound when this happens so you want to make sure you have your hearing protection on. After nailing place the gun down on the counter.

Here we have the final product! After you have finished with the nail gun, pull the air hose away from the brad nailer by pulling the metal claps back from the nail gun and away from your person. Wind up the air compressor hose and wrap it around the air compressor.

— Michael Vaughns 2024/09/10 05:54