Nail Gun / Pneumatic Systainer updated

[semenza]

   
      After years of use and some in between experiments I have made some changes to my nail gun and pneumatic set up for site work. The original with all the details can be viewed here Complete Pneumatic Gun System in Systainer

    The original worked well but I made changes and went just a bit bigger because I always wanted to be able to put hearing protectors in the unit, when I changed hoses they did not fit well at all, wanted to have three hoses and be able to run all three guns. Old unit would not hold three of the original regulators, nor three hoses, nor hearing protectors, etc.

    The changes are ......................

  Now using a manifold for three guns off one CO2 bottle instead of having them connected to separate bottles with separate regulators.

  Smaller regulator freed up space.

  Went from a Sys - I size drawer unit to a Sys- III large drawer. Added 4" to the height but the trade off is that the hoses no longer drag on the floor (the way the hoses come from the top of the manifold helps with this too).

  Three hoses one 25' and two 20' . Two in the drawer along with hook, lid brace , and regulator. One in the old regulator spot.

  One hanging hook for a gun or HP. Can use or not use. All my guns now have hooks so they can just be hung on the Systainer.

  The lid brace is needed to keep it from closing when pulling on the hose.

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Seth
 

 

 

 

[RustE]

Coilhose?  And are you happy with them?

I have two of the Flexeel straight hoses (1/4” & 5/16” ID) with their 6-ball couplers.  Both nice, but I like the 5/16” ID better of the two. 

I have not tried the coiled style because I dislike air hoses that tend to pull tools away from me.

 

[semenza]

Coilhose?  And are you happy with them?

I have two of the Flexeel straight hoses (1/4” & 5/16” ID) with their 6-ball couplers.  Both nice, but I like the 5/16” ID better of the two. 

I have not tried the coiled style because I dislike air hoses that tend to pull tools away from me.

Yes Coilhose Flexeel.  I like them.  I know what you mean about the hose pulling on the tool. I have tried four coiled hoses (all 1/4"). Those cheap yellow ones that are quite stiff. Some cheap blue ones that came with my original regulators (Kobalt / JacPac) , Coilhose non-Flexeel, and these Flexeel. I would say the order I have them listed is the order of bad to good.

The Flexeel have enough give that tension is reduced compared to others. They also do not compact as tightly as the stiffer ones. That makes sense , of course. I don't really notice any pulling until I get to half the length. Beyond that it gets progressively worse but still not bad. They are flexible enough to just bend around objects such as a ladder. I don't feel that I am fighting it all the time like with some. The cheap yellow ones are pulling, snagging , and fighting from the first few feet.

Three other things that help are the light weight, the fairly long straight section at the gun end (this prevents the coil from bumping against your arm or hand in odd positions), and the small diameter coils don't get snagged / looped on things like the larger diameters do.

My experience has been to figure the comfortable working length is less than the stated hose length. If you try one go one size up from what you think you want. And figure what you think you want as about 3/4 of the stated hose length. So if you want to be able to reach 15' comfortably with very little pulling / resistance, don't get a 15' hose .... get a 25' hose.

Seth

 

[dlu]

Looks great! Thank you for sharing what you've learned. I just took advantage of Woodcraft's sale to get a deal on a Sys-IV

Where did you get the regulator? It looks like Lowe's is out of the CO2 business. Is it something that any paintball supplier would have?

 

[semenza]

Mine are Interstate Pneumatics WRCO2

Seth

 

[Michael Kellough]

Very neat Seth!

Your stick propping up the lid reminds me of the time (Warning! Way off topic) James Brown’s Cadillac stretch limo pulled up to the entrance of the National Video Building in midtown Manhattan. I was visiting my wife at work. MTV had studios in the same building and the King Of Soul was booked.

As I checked out the hot tub in the back of the limo one of the Mr. Brown’s assistants came out to get something from the trunk. He held the lid up with one hand then reached in with the other and pulled out a chartreuse shag covered 2x4 and propped the lid up for good.

 

[semenza]

Very neat Seth!

Your stick propping up the lid reminds me of the time (Warning! Way off topic) James Brown’s Cadillac stretch limo pulled up to the entrance of the National Video Building in midtown Manhattan. I was visiting my wife at work. MTV had studios in the same building and the King Of Soul was booked.

As I checked out the hot tub in the back of the limo one of the Mr. Brown’s assistants came out to get something from the trunk. He held the lid up with one hand then reached in with the other and pulled out a chartreuse shag covered 2x4 and propped the lid up for good.

Maybe I could use some orange felt covering for the prop stick?  [big grin]

Seth

 

[Cheese]

Maybe I could use some felt for the prop stick?  [big grin]

Or maybe a gas strut could be fitted.    [smile]
https://www.austinhardware.com/all-...MIvfSOxe7S5AIVhovICh30CQ3bEAAYAiAAEgI4QvD_BwE

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[JimD]

Have you thought about a cordless compressor instead of the CO2?  I find that my little Ryobi cordless is very handy and is rapidly becoming my favorite compressor.  I wait on it if driving a bunch of nails or staples quickly but the 15 lb weight is very nice and it is usable even on large guns - with the caveat about waiting.  For a 18 gauge or smaller, the waiting is minimal.  My small Senco doesn't pump up it's tank much quicker. 

 

[semenza]

Have you thought about a cordless compressor instead of the CO2?  I find that my little Ryobi cordless is very handy and is rapidly becoming my favorite compressor.  I wait on it if driving a bunch of nails or staples quickly but the 15 lb weight is very nice and it is usable even on large guns - with the caveat about waiting.  For a 18 gauge or smaller, the waiting is minimal.  My small Senco doesn't pump up it's tank much quicker.

    Yes and no. I originally thought about the little Senco (I have one) but never thought about a cordless compressor. They were not available when I first set this up. I just checked out the Ryobi on UT. It looks very handy.  However, the cordless feature is not the only reason I like the CO2. The bigger reason I like the CO2 is the compactness. Going with the Ryobi or Senco or similar will definitely add to the size of the set up (need to add in the charger and batteries too). Probably one more Systainer.  I didn't really want to go a Sys - I taller on this revamp but the new hoses and such just would fit into the original set up.

    I also like that I can just take the CO2 and gun on a belt clip to another room or up a tall ladder without trailing a hose.

    I have thought about switching to cordless nailers but so far I just don't think I would gain much and using air nailers provides a bigger selection of nailers to choose from.

  Not that it is a big deal, but no compressor noise either.

  I have been really tempted to switch to a compressor but at this point the only gain for me is just not having to refill the CO2 bottles.

Seth

 

[Gregor]

Seth, how do you refill the bottles - and how long does one last?

 

[semenza]

Seth, how do you refill the bottles - and how long does one last?

I have a 50 pound CO2 cylinder leased from a welding supply shop. And a proper transfer valve system and scale.

The transfer equipment is not expensive and is easy to use.

The lease and CO2 cost is a downside to going with a CO2 set up due to an on going expense. But it is not all that expensive in the long run.

You can also get them refilled at places that supply paintball equipment.

I am using 9 oz bottles. I can get about 100 shots with 18ga brad gun. However that number will go down quite a bit if you change guns frequently or attach / remove the regulator frequently. Due to CO2 loss during swaps. I almost never use enough to keep track or care. I don't do much in the way of whole house trim jobs.

Obviously the number of shots will be more or less with a larger or smaller gun.

Seth

 

[Michael Kellough]

For compactness, light weight, and portability, you can’t beat the CO-2 kit.

 

[JimD]

The Ryobi is quite noisy.  Batteries were not an issue for me since I have a bunch of 18V Ryobi tools.  If you have other cordless tools other manufacturers make compressors too.  But I agree CO2 is lighter, more compact, and quieter.