I've got s 6 gallon 2.5 HP ToolShed oil lubricated direct drive air compressor. It puts out 3.5 CFM @ 90 PSI. Can I run a framing nail gun with this? I'm building some stuff this year and next (8'x8' chicken coop, deck, framing my basement for a few additional rooms, etc.). I was looking at entry-level framing nail guns and a few seem to require 2.45-3.0 CFMs, but a lot don't list the CFM rating (just saying 70-120 PSI operating pressure). I'm a weekend warrior, so this nail gun/compressor wouldn't be used as rapid-fire as on a construction site. If I would need a new compressor, I might just hold off and drive the nails the old fashioned way.

Thanks!

Should be fine, worst case you may need to slow down your rate of nailing if the pressure in the tank drops.

+1

Thanks all. I thought it would be fine, but the sales dude at Menards was trying to tell me that 4 CMFs was the bare minimum needed to run a framing nail gun. He was probably just trying to sell a new compressor, but my BS alarm was going off.

I have run rotary tools that are high CFM on small compressors.
You end up having to take a lot of breaks.
You tool will run for 30 seconds are so, then bog down and you have to wait for the pressure to go back up.
Since a nail gun isn't constantly dumping air, it should work better than that.

I framed an addition to my house using a Harbor Freight compressor with the same ratings you posted.  This one..

If I got to going too crazy, it would bog down, but for the most part it worked just fine.

yep, i use my dads hitachi air comp that's 1.5HP and 4 gallons with his dewalt framing nailer all the time.  it can go through about 2 strips of nails shooting them through 2x4's without refilling.  just make sure you lube and oil everything correctly or you'll burn it up.

You'll be fine. I ran my framing nailer on a trim compressor with a 10gal tank T'd into the line. Still cycled a lot, but worked.

Here's my opinion.

Any framing nailer that is worth buying is in the $150 range.

Most homeowners have crappy 20 or 25 foot air hoses that are not really suited to the job.

A good rubber 100' air hose is in the $50 range.

While your compressor would work if you go slow, that defeats the entire purpose of a nail gun. A good compressor that is designed to run a framer starts at $300 and goes up from there.


I'd buy one of these.



No compressor or hose needed and when you are finished it will bring about $250 on Ebay.

Of course YMMV.

I've had two cordless Paslode battery and gas driven nailers. A framer, and a finish nailer.

I wish I had never bought them and went straight to air nailers.
The cordless units take too long cycling between trigger squeezes, and often don't drive 16 penny nails in all the way.

As everyone else said, the compressor that godzillamax owns will do the job. The compressor he has will run two framing nailers at once. I put a T fitting on mine when I was doing construction and ran two framing nailers or two roofing nailers at once frequently.

As for hoses, as long as you don't have those skinny hoses that are coiled all the time, they will do the job just fine. Hooking two 25 ft hoses together is easier when it comes time to get them out or put them away than dealing with a hundred foot of hose.

I'm going to have to disagree. I can't begin to count all the times I've had to come down off the roof and put my hoses back together after one of the quick connects snagged the gutter and disconnected itself. 100' or nothing if you are doing production work on the jobsite. 25" hoses are for interior trim  and shop work.

As for Paslode, its like Glock, you either love it or hate it and there is little in between. My Paslode guns have saved me a ton of time on small jobs and are my go to nailers when working off scaffold. I still have air powered nailers but they don't leave the tool trailer unless I'm nailing off an entire house worth of sheeting or subfloor.

The compressor I use on the job is a 6 gallon Rolair. Its a professional compressor built with running nail guns in minds. Unless the OP's compressor is 100% duty rated - meaning that it can withstand running constantly. He will eventually run out of air. Which means he will be forced to work slower, which defeats the purpose of a nail gun IMO.

My Rolair is 100% duty rated and I still wouldn't hook 2 framers to it.

YMMV

I used to own a tool store and sold the Paslode cordless nailers. The guys that ran the hell out out of them had the best luck. If you use them every single day and follow the cleaning instructions they work great. Let them sit a month or 2 and they can be frustrating at best. Don't buy one if you need to use it in the mountains, altitude affects the combustion.

I have the Paslode framing and finish nailers and love them. Got em off craigslist, brand new for 150/ea.... I framed my entire house with it and never had a problem with it not shooting fast enough. Occasionally I'd have a nail not driven in all the way, but very rare, and it is adjustable to have it drive them in further.

I framed my entire 2600 square foot house with a paslode F350s framing nailer and a cheap porter cable oiless pancake compressor.  You should be good to go with that compressor.

Of course I'm looking at all of this from a professional standpoint. What won't work for me would probably be fine for the average homeowner.

Those are really nice machines, but, he lives in Wisconsin and Ive never seen one that worked worth a damn in the cold.

That air compressor will be just fine for a weekend warrior.

We finally had some really decent weather this weekend so I had an opportunity to break ground on my chicken coop. I got to use the nail gun I bought (Hitachi) from Menard's to nail down the 3/4" plywood flooring and the joists. My air compressor worked perfectly. But, after running the nail gun intermittently for 45 minutes the pusher release button broke off. I took it back today but they were all out of stock, weren't getting more in for a few weeks, and were unwilling to have one shipped from a neighboring store thirty minutes away. Went to Home Depot and got a Porter Cable for $20 more.

Absolute WORST nail guns I have ever used.

In that price range get a Bostitch.