21° vs 30° Air Nailers

[leehljp]

What is the advantage of each type of air nailer over the other - 21° and 30° nailers?

I am looking for one to help rebuild about 300ft of fencing around our yard and sure wish there were not options. Which one has the most nails available and is the most used.

Thanks

[LCHIEN]

Personally, I have no experience. Have you tried Google?

https://www.google.com/search?q=21%C...ilers&oq=21%C2 %B0+vs+30%C2%B0+Air+Nailers&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i6 0l2.6490j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

First hit

2nd hit

about the 4th or 5th hit - long article, summary paragraph after link

https://www.finepowertools.com/nailers/framing-nailer-21-vs-30/

21 vs 30-Degree Nailers. What Degree Nail Gun is Best for Framing?

June 11, 2021 Dan Miller
Difference between the common framing nailer angles and how to choose the best degree nail gun for framing.

What may be surprising to many who have not engaged in framing is the different angles of nail guns available for the job. In addition to the angles, there are different types of nail guns as well ranging from wire coil to plastic strip to clipped head. But what normally gets most people’s attention is that nail guns are available in angles ranging from 15 to 34 degrees.

What’s important to note is that the degree reference is not to the angle at which the nails are driven. But rather the nail collation itself. This is because all nails are driven straight or perpendicular to the surface. But which degree of nail gun you choose will depend on the location of the project that you are working on.

What follows are some of the more popular degrees of nail guns, their attributes, and where they should be used. 21-Degree Framing Nailer


Although called a 21-degree nail gun, you can often find them at either 20 or 22 degrees depending on who is the manufacturer.



The nails have a full-round head which makes them similar in some ways to the 15-degree nail gun. But the main difference is that the fasteners are held together by a plastic strip and not a wire coil. You can the difference between plastic collation and wire collation here.



Up to 70 nails can be held in one of these nail guns, which is considerably less compared to the 15-degree version. However, you can get this nail gun into tight spaces better because of the smaller magazine. One downside is that you will have to clean up the little plastic pieces that break off the container strips as the nails are being placed. Wearing protective eyewear is strongly recommended when using this nail gun.
30-Degree Nailer


Although called 30-degree nail guns, you can find them in ranges from 30 up to 34-degrees. This is the greatest angle you can find with common nail guns. That means they have the best access to tight angles when using them for framing purposes. The 30-degree nail gun is one of the most popular versions and it can drive nails from 2” up to 3-1/4” using a paper collated strip.

The original version of the 30-degree nail gun was created by Paslode for use with their RounDrive brand of full-round offset head nails. However, today most 30° or 34° nails in the market are clipped-headed. Instead of using wire or plastic, the nails are collated with a paper strip. Such strips can hold together up to 88 nails and perhaps more depending on the nail gun model itself.



The advantage of this version is that most magazines will hold two strips of nails which means having to reload a lesser number of times. This allows the work to be performed aster under most circumstances. Another benefit is that the paper used to collate the nails does not create the same type of mess compared to plastic versions.

However, a big downside in warm, wet climates or when moisture is present is that the paper tends to fall apart rather easily. This means that the nails may not exit the nail gun properly when used. Framing Nailer 21 vs 30 Degree



The 21-degree and 30-degree are the most common framing nailer angles. The most obvious difference between the two types of nailers is the magazine angles and the corresponding angle of collation.
So, what’s better, 21- or 30-degree framing nailer? The 30° to 34° angle will definitely allow you to use the nailer at very tight spots. But that is not the primary decision-making factor.

The real reason to chose one over the other would be the nail head and your local building code. The full round nail heads have more holding power and are the safest choice. Conversely, the clipped head nail which has slightly less holding ability may not permissible as per the local regulations.

[leehljp]

You sure got a lot of hits with your search. I did do a search and didn't get what I was looking for, nothing like yours. Thanks!!!

[LCHIEN]

All I did was copy your post title and paste it in Google search.

[capncarl]

I believe that clip head nails are not allowed per building code. I’m not sure if it is local codes, international or what, just a distant memory.

[LCHIEN]

Key points I gathered from reading:

Sounds like: 21° larger and heavier, Full heads, no clipped heads for more holding power but plastic debris and smaller magazines.

30° smaller and lighter, able to get into tighter corners. Has slightly larger, but Paper magazines (don't get wet!, don't work in rain) so don't have to load as often. Clipped heads are verboten for construction in some jurisdictions. But Probably not for fencing.

Even if you only plan to do fencing for now, check your local building codes. If clipped heads are not permitted, it may not be wise to buy a clipped head 30° nailer you can't use for building something in the future.

[capncarl]

My old Porter Cable nailer is 21 degree.. I’ve used it for a number of fencing jobs and framing jobs. It’s drawback is it’s weight. After using it for an hour I have a couple of serious blisters on my hand. When I have to rebuild the fence between mine and my neighbors yard I will definitely be using decking screws vrs nails. Screws are not as fast as a nailer (unless you use a screw gun with auto feed) but they will not pull out like fence nails do!

[twistsol]

Just to mess with you, here is a 15 degree framing nailer. I've had this same Bostich N80-CB nailer for 20+ years. It uses nails in wire collated spools at 15 degrees. Nails for it are full head and up to 3 1/4 inches so they'll meet most framing codes.

PROS:

• It is compact, not as long as a stick nailer so it is easier to handle in tight spaces (between floor joists)
• Nails for it are available everywhere and consistently stocked at Menards, Lowes and HD.
• It is indestructible as far as I can tell.

Cons:

• Heavy, and even heavier with a full 300 nail coil in it.
• Reloading nails takes a little longer than with a stick nailer and even longer if you are changing nail sizes.

[cwsmith]

About the only thing I can add is to echo the fact that some building codes will not allow 'clipped-head' nails in building construction.

My first framing nailer was an HF framing nailer, but it weighed over ten pounds and even with maximum pressure it wouldn't drive my framing nails all the way, leaving about a 1/4-inch above the wood for me to finish with a hammer blow. I gave it away!

I replaced it with a Ridgid R350RHF framing nailer that I've been very happy with. It's a 21-degree nailer and will take up to 2-1/2 inch nails with no problem. It weighs 7.3 lbs with it's magnesium housing. I've yet to have it jam or anything else. Works well for my occasional use.

As far as fencing is concerned, my neighbor has a eight foot high fence that had fallen over. He hired a fellow to put up a new fence (it runs from front to back, separating our yards). The fellow did a terrible job and after just a few years it's leaning well over into our yard. At the time, the back face of the fence is toward us and my neighbor offered to cover it. I told him I'd gladly do that for him and he offered to pay for the lumber.

I noticed his side was already showing loose boards, which were nailed on. I put our side on using screws and at the same time repaired his side the same way; although the fence is leaning, not a single face board has popped loose.

CWS

[leehljp]

About the only thing I can add is to echo the fact that some building codes will not allow 'clipped-head' nails in building construction.


I noticed his side was already showing loose boards, which were nailed on. I put our side on using screws and at the same time repaired his side the same way; although the fence is leaning, not a single face board has popped loose.

CWS

After reading the heaviness of the framing nailers and how much I would have to lug it, I am thinking screws too. I can handle an 8 to 10 lb nailer for a short while, but over the course of a day or two, I would be too worn out!

Thanks guys for all of the input. Saved me about $200 - $300 dollars and sore arms.

[capncarl]

The problem I have with fencing lasting… other than the boards pulling loose and popping out is the short life of the PT 4x4. 4-5 years is all I get before they rot off and have to be dug out and replaced. I really do believe that steel posts @ 2x the price would be a better value!. When my neighbor built his “Great Wall” he nailed his horizontals on the center of the 4x4. They have had to be renailed and screwed numerous times. Note to self…. Don’t do this, allow each horizontal full contact with the post!

[cwsmith]

Capncarl,

"the short life of the PT 4x4. 4-5 years"

Is that due to the humidity/wet conditions in your area? That's a pretty short life for PT wood in my experience up here in NY's Southern Tier.

I built my 18' x 25' deck in Painted Post, NY more than thrity years ago (I'll have to look up the date) and it's still as solid and level. I sold the house almost two years ago now and it was just a couple of weeks ago that my nieghbor there reported the couple who bought it, loved using it all the time. Other than pressure washing one time and then staining, it has held up remarkably well.

My neighbor's fence that I referred to earlier, was repaired about five years ago. It's not really rotting so much, as it was just poor construction by the guy the neighbor has hired. Here, the ground moves, settles, especiall if one property is higher than the other. In the case of this fence, he only sank the 4 x 4's about a 14 - 18 inches and now it's just leaning pretty drastically. (I'll post a picture tomorrow if I can.)

CWS