Flooring Nailer

[keegs]

Here is another brand,

Porta-Nailer hardwood floor installation DIY woodworking tools.

I have this brand, it was what the local rental place was using 10 years ago.

That's the one I have...it does the job.

 

[clemsonfor]

just curious...unless you are a flooring or gen. contractor why would you not just rent a nailer for an installation?

And if you are a contractor why not buy a name brand commercial gun ?

CAuse even if i can rent one for $20/day i would have to floor the whole room in a day to get my money worth, instead of a little as i go after work 2-3 hours here and there on saturaday till i finish, so my $80 i spen on HF will be cheaper than renting for 3 days or so.

 

[hawkeye08]

CAuse even if i can rent one for $20/day i would have to floor the whole room in a day to get my money worth, instead of a little as i go after work 2-3 hours here and there on saturaday till i finish, so my $80 i spen on HF will be cheaper than renting for 3 days or so.

Northern tool pressure washer, mixes water into the oil in the pump

Reading your signature, I think I have that pressure washer feature also. My started mixing water into pump oil and stopped working. I have nice Honda engine sitting on a nice little cart. The pump is apart sitting in a box, waiting for decision on whether to repair pump, replace pump or buy complete new pressure washer...

 

[ElDorado]

Okay you manual guys, how much of a workout do you get?

After 3 shoulder surgeries I am not real eager to beat the snot out of myself and need a 4th! When you start adding in the cost of surgeries, rehab time, time away from projects, etc the cost of a flooring nailer gets cheaper every minute.

 

[CurlyDave]

Another thing to realize about buying specialty tools is that there is a learning curve.

When you get your flooring nailer, don't start in your biggest, most important room.

Start in an obscure closet that only you and maybe your wife will ever see. Do all the closets first, then the least-used room and so on. By the time you get to the living room, you will be making a lot fewer mistakes.

 

[clemsonfor]

No, not Jon. I was referring to HF's flooring nailer. Recommendations I got from most everyone was to use cleats. The combo of hitting with a hammer and pneumatic drive did a great job of drawing the boards together. Sale price equaled weekend rental rates I was quoted. Sold on C.List when I was done for $120.

The reason i ask is the forester i use to work with retired to NC kind of western NC but more like NW of Charlotte by 1.5 hours or so. Anyway before he left from GA he laid about 600-900 ft of Hickory and bought a HF nailer to do it with. He has also bought a tractor, i was like #$%% Jon is on TBN now. After i read your profile i saw you had a KUBOTa, and have had it for a while i think Jon has had a Massey for only about a year so i knew after i asked that you were not him, but every thing else matched up.

 

[clemsonfor]

Northern tool pressure washer, mixes water into the oil in the pump

Reading your signature, I think I have that pressure washer feature also. My started mixing water into pump oil and stopped working. I have nice Honda engine sitting on a nice little cart. The pump is apart sitting in a box, waiting for decision on whether to repair pump, replace pump or buy complete new pressure washer...

Yea i try to keep it fresh. I have thought that if it goes i will buy a HF pressure washer they go on sale i think for less than $200 without coupon, or is it over 200? It actually looks like it has as many features as my current washer that pukes oil out of the pump. The new pumps at Northern seem to be the price of a new unit or almost there?

 

[/pine]

...Start in an obscure closet that only you and maybe your wife will ever see...

FWIW...
not trying to be argumentative but....unless the closet wall is very close to being parallel to the longer walls of the main room the flooring could run way out of square when you reach the walls on the other side of the room.

Many professional installers will actually start the installation in the center of the room and reverse the direction of the t&g...they do this by setting a control line based on measurements off the main (opposite) walls...
...to make the direction change they cut a tongue that is double the width and use it to reverse the diretion

 

[clemsonfor]

FWIW...
not trying to be argumentative but....unless the closet wall is very close to being parallel to the longer walls of the main room the flooring could run way out of square when you reach the walls on the other side of the room.

Many professional installers will actually start the installation in the center of the room and reverse the direction of the t&g...they do this by setting a control line based on measurements off the main (opposite) walls...
...to make the direction change they cut a tongue that is double the width and use it to reverse the diretion

What?

i understand about about the closet not being square to the main (obvious area) room of the house, but you lost me after pro installers start in the middle of a room, explain this to me better, i feel i dont have the skill to do this but am interested. I an going to start on the entry way wall so that it is square with it and then run toward the back of that room with my flooring.

 

[smstonypoint]

What?

i understand about about the closet not being square to the main (obvious area) room of the house, but you lost me after pro installers start in the middle of a room, explain this to me better, i feel i dont have the skill to do this but am interested. I an going to start on the entry way wall so that it is square with it and then run toward the back of that room with my flooring.

Many, but not all pros, start in the middle when installing flooring. I lurk over at the JLC site. Here's what one pro had to say about its advantages.

"I like to start in the middle of the room for several reasons:

- easier to go around objects
- large rooms go much faster with 2 nailers going in each direction
- if the room is off square you can split the difference at the opposite floors
- I can get straighter starter row in the middle than against a wall.
- It gives me better options for layout - ie not a 1/4" board running along a bar or cabinet. ..."

Hardwood Floor Install - technique - need advice - JLC-Online Forums

 

[MarkV]

Many, but not all pros, start in the middle when installing flooring. I lurk over at the JLC site. Here's what one pro had to say about its advantages.

"I like to start in the middle of the room for several reasons:

- easier to go around objects
- large rooms go much faster with 2 nailers going in each direction
- if the room is off square you can split the difference at the opposite floors
- I can get straighter starter row in the middle than against a wall.
- It gives me better options for layout - ie not a 1/4" board running along a bar or cabinet. ..."

Hardwood Floor Install - technique - need advice - JLC-Online Forums

Very true and what is not mentioned is the starting course will have a spline added to the groove side to make it a double tongued board. This allows the installer to work both directions.

MarkV

 

[hawkeye08]

Yea i try to keep it fresh. I have thought that if it goes i will buy a HF pressure washer they go on sale i think for less than $200 without coupon, or is it over 200? It actually looks like it has as many features as my current washer that pukes oil out of the pump. The new pumps at Northern seem to be the price of a new unit or almost there?

Yep, saw a pressure washer at Costco for $299 with Honda motor. I like return policy Costco has.

 

[hawkeye08]

Many, but not all pros, start in the middle when installing flooring. I lurk over at the JLC site. Here's what one pro had to say about its advantages.

"I like to start in the middle of the room for several reasons:

- easier to go around objects
- large rooms go much faster with 2 nailers going in each direction
- if the room is off square you can split the difference at the opposite floors
- I can get straighter starter row in the middle than against a wall.
- It gives me better options for layout - ie not a 1/4" board running along a bar or cabinet. ..."

Hardwood Floor Install - technique - need advice - JLC-Online Forums

Yep, that is what I am planning.

 

[/pine]

...what is not mentioned is the starting course will have a spline added to the groove side to make it a double tongued board...

I did mention the most common technique used by pro installers...

...to make the direction change they cut a tongue that is double the width and use it to reverse the diretion

...They usually just mill a (double wide) tongue on a table saw....

[tool tip]

The average plastic milk crate is the same height (as the working table) of almost all the common portable table saws not mounted on legs... a couple of milk crates on on either side of the saw allows the user to rip long boards without setting up elaborate set ups and makes transporting, moving and storing easier than a table saw on legs with roller stands...

[/tool tip]

 

[chopped]

Some interesting stuff on that site
JLC Site Solutions offers online videos demonstrating professional building techniques for drywall, tile, framing and finish carpentry

 

[smstonypoint]

[tool tip]

The average plastic milk crate is the same height (as the working table) of almost all the common portable table saws not mounted on legs... a couple of milk crates on on either side of the saw allows the user to rip long boards without setting up elaborate set ups and makes transporting, moving and storing easier than a table saw on legs with roller stands...

[/tool tip]

Another tip. Chances are high that you are going to have to taper some boards. If you are using a table saw (rather than a track saw), you will need a tapering jig. If you don't already have one, make one ahead of time. There are scads of free plans on the Web.

Steve

 

[wolfe1]

The floors my guys do are a little different - maple gym floors - they only want Primatech guns - they have been getting 800 sf per man per day and the guns hold up very well.

 

[/pine]

Most of the (municipal) gym floors I did were glue down but a few were on sleepers...

 

[clemsonfor]

Here are som pics i started laying floor yesterday and am stopped for luch now, i have twice what this pic shows completed. My HF gun about 100 staples ago started misfiring, cant quite figure out when or why (only every so often) but i may take it back this week as i have the warrenty and its kind of annoying, but for the $99 (i looked at receipt, shoulh have used a 20% coupon) i paid its a good deal considering i cant do it all in one day.

Sorry for the quality but there cell pics.

 

[clemsonfor]

Wrong pics i guess i should look closer at the thumbs, those are my cats on some of the floors i refinished.

Here we go.