Forget the pins and screws. Go with glue and clamps.

 

Hi Jim

I use them all the time,the pictures is a little fussy but I think you can make it out ,it's 1/2" thick MDF wirh 17 nails in the edge,I did put some on a angle so you can see them and pulled the presser down to 2 lbs, psi. ,1" long pins..I do it all the time with 1/4" thick MDF also

The last picture is 1/2" MDF with only 3 brad nails and it split it like a walnut

Hope this helps

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How about biscuits or dowels?

 

Hi Mike

I call them junk fasteners ,if I want the joint to turn I use a round dowel pin (so it break lose ) ,if I want the joint to swell up I use biscuits...then when the glue drys out you end up with a little dent in the stock
I should say I do like square dowel pins


"It's fine to disagree with other members as long as you respect their opinions."
MIKE
Senior Moderator


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23 gauge pin nailers let you do things you can't with other fasteners. It is worth buying one of these tools. I am sure BJ will agree they make life much easier.

 

Hi Mike

I do,anytime you can do it without clamps your money and time a head of the job..


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Thanks, all! It sounds like time to add one to my shopping list!

 

Hi Jim

I suggest the one below. it's not the high end one but it works great and at the right price, I like the slider on the side that helps select the right pin nail, quick and easy

Amazon.com: Grip 23 Gauge Pin Air Nailer Gun: Home Improvement

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_h...s/ref=nb_ss_hi_0_3?url=search-alias=tools&field-keywords=pin+nailer&sprefix=pin

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I picked up this one a few days ago

- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

It was $2 more in store but print the page take it with you and they will match it. I know it's HF, but I also have their $20 nailer/stapler. And both guns work fine.

 

+1 on this pin nailer. I just got one the other day because I have a few jigs I'd like to build and the nailer seemed like a good tool to acquire.

Playing with it this afternoon to get used to it, it had no problems punching through poplar, MDF, pine, baltic birch and a few other scraps of soft maple. Just piddled around nailing this to that. All in all, it worked just fine. Did it all with 1" nails.

I was however kind of suprised to discover this nailer DOES NOT have a secondary safety in the tip. You can fire a nail across the shop should you wish...

 

Thanks Rusty

now I need to get one more for a backup , for that price I can't pass it up..

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Those look like good deals but alas, I stopped on my way home and picked up a PC PIN100.

As for stopping by HF to pick one up, I suspect the airline ticket from Anchorage would make that one miiiiiighty pricey pinner. Though when I *do* travel, its definitely time to shop.

It's kinda nice that Alaska doesn't have any sales tax. When I travel I can stop into the store and get things and as long as they ship it back home (I can't take it with me), the savings on sales tax defers shipping costs. It also helps in that you don't need to travel with an empty suitcase!

Now, if my TS would just arrive.....

Jim

 

Yeah, where is that saw....just kidding, Jim, I bet you are like a kid the night before Christmas. I know I would be.
I've had a few of these air/brad nailers and if the smaller pin nailers are like their bigger brothers, it pays to get a good one. For casing and other wall trim, I use a Senco and a Porter Cable. As long as the fasteners ae loaded correctly, they operate without needless jamming.
I didn't use any fasteners for the last couple of MDF edge bandings, choosing to glue and clamp. I see Bob's point, though, saving the time to clamp is a consideration. I might have to change my ways :yes4:. Good luck with your new pin nailer.

 

I recently made a very large shelf unit, using five sheets of mdf, I screwed end grain every time, only I used drill point screws, the sort used for partitions, no splitting at all.

 

I'll keep you in my prayers Derek.

 

Why Harry? Don't you believe it works then?

 

Over the years Derek I've tried all kinds of screws with MDF and there has always been a tendency to delaminate and if the pilot hole is so big as to have no tendency to delaminate there is little strength in the joint. I wonder if Australian MDF differs from that in the UK.

 

Harry, look at the screw, the pilot is only the diameter of the shank not the thread, these screws are designed for this type of use, as for mdf I only use the green one ( moisture resistant), there is a great deal of difference.
I first got the idea from my friends in the joinery shop nearby, that's what they use, if it's good enough for the professionals, it's good enough for me.

 

Ah Derek, that green MDF is very expensive and used for flooring and kitchens by professionals, we hobbyists use the far cheaper product.

 

Harry, you cannot compare the two. Again I got the idea from the same place, the finish is remarkably superior.

 

hi Derek

"I only use the green one ( moisture resistant)"

That's be must hard to make out of saw dust, they sell the same type of screws in the states and they still split the MDF in the states, I would love to see a snapshot of the edge of a board with screw going into place,, one or two from about 1 1/2" from the end..

I have drilled the hole out so big the screw will not hold anything but just act as steel line up pin..but not act like a clamp so to speak..

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Bob,
I'll see what I can do, but I am unable to go into the workshop until the weekend, hospital clinic tomorrow, and tied up for the rest of today. Nevertheless!!!

 

Just for you Bob.
I thought, don't let the grass grow under your feet, here is a demonstration piece as you requested, with the bugle headed self drilling screws, countersinking is not neccessary.

 

Thanks derek

It's looks green,,well I will be damed I wish we had it in the states

Thanks for taking the time to do it.. now I will be looking for some in the states..

http://www.asianproducts.com/product_1/MDf-Green-Board_P12119610840675244.htm
http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=3361
http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/236146349/MDF_Board.html

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080212225414AA1f5MV
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0VCW/is_4_27/ai_71266839/


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Never having worked with the green MDF I was pleased to learn about it. The 23 gauge pin nailers mentioned so far run from $25 @ HF, $39 @ Amazon, around $130 for the PC Pin100, and that leaves only the Grex line which are priced from $199 and up. Grex do have the ability to shoot much longer pin nails... up to 2" from what I have seen. I'm not sure that there is a need for pin nails of that length, seems like something stronger would be called for. Anybody own one of the Grex nailers and would comment on it?

 

Hi Derek,

Thanks for posting a pic of the green MDF. I'm with Bj though, it's not here in the states. If it is, I must be lookin in the wrong places.


Jim,

Now, remember, patience is the key to woodworking.... yea right. :sarcastic:

 

I'd called my local cabinet makers supplier here in Anchorage asking about the stuff. He knew about it and indicated they used to stock it but had lost the source. If it s used in high-end homes, a wood supplier to custom cabinetmakers would likey know.

The mentioned I may want to consider MDO (like MDF but denser and water resistant; marketed for outside signs). Anyone have any experience with MDO?

 

Hi Jim

I have used it once or twice but the price almost gag me...

MDO Wood Signs


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I read and appreciate your comments about the Green, moisture resistant, M.D.F. it is a little more expensive over here, but only about 15% or so, you must surely have some kind of moisture resistant mdf in the states, it's workability is so far superior to the ordinary rubbish.

 

Wow Bob! I followed your link; they want $75/sheet. My local shop wanted $70 for 3/4". With the freight to Alaska, it'd be down in the $50's down there before shipping. I'd only asked because I was comparing it to the prices in a local BBS with the initials HD and a 4x8 sheet of MDF with a 4x8 sheet of a inferior Formica clone was $86. I think I need to call around (non-BBS) some more and try to locate the real Formica, to see how its priced.

Lance, I wan't offended. :nono:. I took your jab for what it was and responded in kind.

Well, I got one step closer to what I'm building togiht. I got a "temporary power" 100A electrical sub-panel wired in my 2-car garage / shop. Well, by wired I got the wire run, panel constructed and energized. I even got the receptacle installed for my imaginary 5hp TS! I still need to mount the breaker panel and outlets to a piece of plywood and mount it to my handtruck. I hope to get that done by the end of this weekend. I even got it done without letting the "magic smoke" out of the system! (Don't you hate it when you turn on the power and *poof* the magic smoke comes out? You know you're in trouble!) :yes4:

Starting next week its time to go through the plethora of boxes stored in the garage and create five piles: trash, give away, sell, store out in the shed and a select few to remain in the garage. Gotta make room for the important stuff! Oh yea.. and the wife's car come winter. :yes2:

 

Derek, pardon me for asking but that looks more like water resistant chipboard which is quite common here and used for mass produced kitchens.

 

I've seen MDO/HDO for $35/sheet.

 

Hi Mike

Is it/are they green tint ?
By the way I have been thinking about you how's your ticker by the way how was your trip ?


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