What Is a Brad Nailer Used For?
The pneumatic brad nailer has a wide variety of applications in the wood shop and around the house that make it one of the most popular air-powered tools. The nails that the nailer uses are wire fasteners that have a thin shank and a very small or nonexistent head. This allows the brad to penetrate below the surface of the wood, making finishing easier. Does this Spark an idea?
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Furniture and Woodworking Assembly
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The most common application of the brad nailer is to fasten wood furniture or project components together. The brads come in lengths from ½ inch to 2 inches in 15- and 18-gauge diameters. The brad will add strength to joinery but it does not have sufficient strength to hold a connection on its own. For this reason it is used for trim or unstressed joinery.
Clamp Substitute
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The small diameter fastener that the brad nailer shoots makes it useful for holding glued assemblies without clamping. The force of the brad being driven into the wood is sufficient to pull many glue joints together while they dry. The brads will not split the wood and the holes are so small that they are easily filled and blended into the wood during finishing.
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Trim Work
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Brad nailers are a standard tool for trim carpenters. The small-gauge brad can hold baseboard, door trim or crown molding to the walls without splitting the wood or leaving large holes to be filled and sanded. The pneumatic nailer also removes the risk of leaving hammer marks on the wood from errant strikes on small finishing nails.
Strengthening Miter Joints
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Picture frames and other mitered corners do not form a strong joint with glue alone. End-grain to end-grain joints are often starved for glue because the capillary action of the wood draws the adhesive away from the joint. Adding a brad or two to a corner not only pulls the joint tighter together, but it also adds steel through both pieces of wood to support the bond.
Stacked Cutting or Routing
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Woodworking projects often call for duplicate parts requiring complex cuts. Stack cutting is done by setting work pieces atop one another and cutting them all at the same time as though they were a single piece of lumber. The brad nailer can be used to hold the pieces together temporarily to make the cut. The pieces are easily pried apart and pulled off of the brads, leaving very small holes to be filled at finishing.
Safety Warning
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Despite its small size and tiny fasteners, the brad nailer can easily cause injury if mishandled. It should be treated with the same respect as any other gun and never pointed anywhere but into the wood. It is also possible for the nailer to shoot the fastener right through light woods, and, if you are supporting the bottom of the joint with your fingers, the nail will easily penetrate your skin. Keep your hands clear at all times.
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