kmmcrafts Posted January 6, 2021 Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 After the topic a month or so back I purchased a pin nailer to nail my stacks together rather than just taping around the edges. I bought the Banks brand from HF as it was on sale plus my 25% coupon. I've had the thing for several weeks but have not done any stack cutting until yesterday. I gotta say I love this thing, late last fall I was running low on my BBply and rather than taking a day off of shop time as I was really busy I just ordered BBply from Cherokee. I ordered the 12 x 12 squares which work out real well as my shelf liner is 12" so rolling out the liner to the top layer and nail the other ones and place the pattern on it works really well. 12 x 12 is someone large for blank as I typically always did either 7x7 or 8x8 depending on the ornament patterns at hand.. typically 4-6 ornament stacks cut from those smaller blanks. In the past I was placing the tape around the edge of the 12 x 12 and then placing the patterns out.. then scroll sawing out the blanks to a smaller size around the ornaments and retaping the cut edges.. Now I cut the blank smaller and just shoot a couple nails around those edges.. I've always done either a stack of 4 or 5.. I like 5 but it slows the work down just enough that I really like 4 better. The 1/2" pins held well through the stack of 4 and didn't protrude through the bottom of the stack at all.. Cut a few stacks yesterday and it went real well.. So anyway, just thought I'd say thanks to all those topics about the pin nailers for stack cutting.. It is a time saver and it also holds the stack tighter together.. in some cases on larger projects the center would be bouncing around a bit.. this sure will help in those cases.. Pin nailer I bought https://www.harborfreight.com/23-gauge-pin-nailer-64143.html?_br_psugg_q=pin+nailer OzarkSawdust, ChelCass, new2woodwrk and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ike Posted January 6, 2021 Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 I have dused a pinnailer for the last 18 nmonths and I love it. I bought mine to fasten some wood work in my home then decided ot try it on scrolling. thhe nice thing about it is when doing fretwork if there is any open spots you nail it and it gives you a one piece of ply feeling. IKE John B, amazingkevin, OzarkSawdust and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill WIlson Posted January 6, 2021 Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 I have a pin nailer that I use for other projects. I've never tried it for holding stacks together. I think mine has a minimum fastener length of 5/8" and I rarely cut stacks that thick, but I still might give it a whirl sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted January 6, 2021 Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 A pin gun is great as you can fire nail though any part of the pattern that is going to be discarded. OzarkSawdust 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzarkSawdust Posted January 6, 2021 Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 I got one last month, and love it. I went with the Ryobi cordless model. It's great to just shoot a pin anywhere that will be waste, and it's much more solid to cut. If I don't need more than 2-3 copies I just throw a piece of scrap on the back and shoot away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2woodwrk Posted January 6, 2021 Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 Question: Doesn't the pin protrude through the bottom stack piece? I would be concerned about scratching the table no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmmcrafts Posted January 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2021 29 minutes ago, new2woodwrk said: Question: Doesn't the pin protrude through the bottom stack piece? I would be concerned about scratching the table no? In my case the pins didn't even poke through the back because I was using 4 blanks that are 1/8" thick and was using 1/2" nails.. I checked and there was no pins that came out the back of the stack.. I will always check and use a punch in case one does pop through.. I also have I believe either 5/8 or 3/4 nails for it too incase I need to stack 5 or 6 pieces or 3 pieces of 1/4" etc.. most times I stack 4 at 1/8" thick ply so mostly will use 1/2 nails.. new2woodwrk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Lotts Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 I use pin nailer when I stack cut. Works excellent for me.. Here is a few shots John B 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockytime Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 39 minutes ago, Ken Lotts said: I use pin nailer when I stack cut. Works excellent for me.. Here is a few shots Hey Ken, You sure post lots of pictures. I love that. Wish more people would break out their cell phones and use the camera feature. Everyone loves pictures. WayneMahler and Ken Lotts 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paladin Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 I've used a nailer for stack cutting for years and have always had good success with it. The one thing I do is use a piece of steel plate underneath when I shoot the nails - this way it stops the brads/pins from going through the bottom of the stack and damaging the saw table. Sometimes I have to use a nail just a bit longer than the thickness of the stack and this really helps. kmmcrafts and new2woodwrk 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmmcrafts Posted January 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 55 minutes ago, Paladin said: I've used a nailer for stack cutting for years and have always had good success with it. The one thing I do is use a piece of steel plate underneath when I shoot the nails - this way it stops the brads/pins from going through the bottom of the stack and damaging the saw table. Sometimes I have to use a nail just a bit longer than the thickness of the stack and this really helps. So putting metal on the back of the stack will help and it doesn't jam up the nail gun? I mentioned about trying this on the other post a month or two ago about doing this and many said it'd probably jam the nail gun.. It might if you was trying to use a 1 inch nail in half inch wood but seems like it would be fine for just a minimal amount to keep it from protruding the back side just a small amount. new2woodwrk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta Moreton Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 1 hour ago, Paladin said: I've used a nailer for stack cutting for years and have always had good success with it. The one thing I do is use a piece of steel plate underneath when I shoot the nails - this way it stops the brads/pins from going through the bottom of the stack and damaging the saw table. Sometimes I have to use a nail just a bit longer than the thickness of the stack and this really helps. That’s what I do works well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill WIlson Posted January 7, 2021 Report Share Posted January 7, 2021 23 gauge pin nails bend pretty easily, so it may well be safe to shoot them through the stack, backed up against steel. Personally, I wouldn't choose to do that, because Murphy's Law dictates that it would jam my pin nailer. I would probably be inclined to shoot them into another piece of soft wood or foam board or something. If they don't protrude too much, then separating the stack from the backer wouldn't be a problem. Pin nails don't have all that much holding power. Then I would clip & file them smooth, so as not to scratch my scroll saw table. kmmcrafts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Lotts Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 Lots of times quarter inch stock is slightly cupped.. The 1/4" red oak boards I get from Lowes can be counted on to have just enough cupping to give me some control issues scrolling it. I have found that using pins to stack cut two boards is very effective to getting rid of the cups. Just pin the boards opposite to each others cups... voila, no more cup. Regarding the pins shooting out the backside of the board, I always adjust the air pressure down to around 80lbs and test on scrap pieces before shooting my project. My nailer (Grex) shoots very consistently, once I get it dialed in (by adjusting the air pressure) it can be trusted to do its job. Nothing is perfect though.. Last time I thought all was well, a single 5/8" pin was left hidden in the nailer and the rest were 3/8" that I needed for pinning two 1/4" boards.. So of course the 5/8" pin shot right through the back of my project waste area. I was able to pull it out. So yeah... always shoot first pin into scrap and test. new2woodwrk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paladin Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 (edited) 23 hours ago, kmmcrafts said: So putting metal on the back of the stack will help and it doesn't jam up the nail gun? I mentioned about trying this on the other post a month or two ago about doing this and many said it'd probably jam the nail gun.. It might if you was trying to use a 1 inch nail in half inch wood but seems like it would be fine for just a minimal amount to keep it from protruding the back side just a small amount. I've never had a problem with my nailer jamming. Like you said - using a nail that is just longer than the stack is thick I think is the key so that it avoids any jamming issues. I'm using a cheapo brad nailer too, so I don't think that it would be a problem with any kind of nicer equipment either. The steel usually stops the nail flush with the bottom and if any length is left, it just sticks out the top of the stack slightly. Pressing the stack down firmly onto the plate when nailing it is key as well. Edited January 8, 2021 by Paladin kmmcrafts and new2woodwrk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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