Whenever you ask a carpenter or a woodworker about the handiest tool in their jobs, they will shout out ‘brad nailer’. It has been one of the greatest inventions for woodworking in modern times that help you drive nails into wood fast with precision. Brad nailers use brad nails that are not like ordinary nails making the loading process a bit delicate. You have to take a little care when loading them into a brad nailer. The nail loading does take a little time but once you understand how to load a brad nailer, you can perform this task with ease every time. [acf field=”how_to”]
Here, we are helping you on how to load a brad nailer properly and with ease.
Things Required
Here are the things required to be in place for loading a brad nailer.
1. Nail Gun
Having a nail gun makes it easy to drive the brads properly. It is the best way to install brad nails, no matter what surface you are driving them into.
2. Brad Nails
It is important to get the right kind of brad nails for the job at hand. Here’s what you need to consider for having the right brad nails for loading…
3. Strips
Brad nails do not come individually but in strips. This means they will not break apart until fired out of a brad nailer. You can also put shorter strips together if needed.
4. Length
If the length of brad nails is too short, it becomes likely that the nail gun will be jammed even if the nails fit into the magazine. You need to make sure the gauge of the brad nails is equal to decrease the chances of a jammed brad nailer.
When loading a brad nailer, make sure to slide the strip of the brad nails as forward as you can towards the firing end. Once it is done, shut the magazine by the minimum amount of force needed. If you shut the magazine too hard, the strip can fall out resulting in a jammed brad nailer.
5. Safety Equipment
Safety is one thing you shouldn’t be lazy about to avoid any severe consequences. You need to put on a pair of safety goggles to avoid any mishaps from accidental flying brad nails.
How to Load a Brad Nailer?
We are prepared with necessary supplies, it is time to move on loading a brad nailer. You need to read the instructions and warning labels present on the nail gun. Some nail guns require an air hose to be connected with it while others won’t so, read carefully which one applies to your nail gun. The air holes are to be taped up before getting started using Teflon tape.
1. Opening the Magazine
Open the magazine by depressing the cartridge and pulling it back. This will allow you to have full access to the magazine and properly load it with brad nails.
2. Load the Nails
Now it is time to load the nails in the magazine. Put the nails in the magazine, some will load from the top while the others will be loaded from the side. You need to make sure the nails are loaded properly, doesn’t matter what type of brad nailer you are using. Make sure the head of each nail fits into the designated slot. The slot must be of the right size for the brads you are using.
Most nail guns have several slots to accommodate most brad nail sizes so choose the right one accordingly. Insert a few brad nails first and slide them to check whether they are in the slot. You don’t need to make any nail count as you can easily see if enough nails are being loaded.
3. Avoid Overloading
A common issue that arises during the loading mechanism is the overloading of the magazine. Generally, nail guns take 100 – 110 nails so it is advised to keep a difference of 5 – 10 nails from the loading limit. Don’t count the nails as you can easily see if the nails are fully loaded or not.
4. Close
Once you feel you have properly loaded the required nails in the magazine, close it properly. When you close it, you will feel and hear a ‘click’ sound denoting the success. If you don’t hear the clicking sound, you may need to reload the brad nails and try to notice what you have done wrong. But if you hear the click, the brads are fully loaded and the brad nailer is ready for use.
An Important Brad Nailer Tip
You are done with loading brad nails in the nail gun you have, now it is time to use the machine on the Woodstock. You will notice that the different types of stock have different effects on how the brad nails are applied. How deep the brad nails will go is dependent on factors like thickness, density, and hardness of the wood. If the brad nails don’t go far enough, don’t use a hammer on them.
It is better to remove the brad nails that failed to go far enough. You need to reset the nail gun and try again if the brad nails are not inserted deeply.
Wrapping Up
Loading brad nails in a nail gun is a bit tricky process as brad nails are not like ordinary nails. Their construction makes this whole process a little delicate so extra care is required while loading these nails in a brad nailer. It can take some practice to master how to load a brad nailer properly. Just follow the above-mentioned steps in order to do loading right each time.
