Manufacturer Method of installing decorative nails?

[baileyuph]

Repaired a brand new (nearly that is) La-Z-Boy sofa today that had a zillion decorative nails at the lower front of the decking.  That was time consuming as there were probably a couple hundred nails to remove and install.  Took some time, but in the process I noted that the factory did a great job of keeping them in a straight line which leads me to wonder what equipment was used.  Their nails were a straight line, I can't  hammer them in that straight.

So, what equipment does the factory use, a computer driving the machine along a straight track?  (the gun that is advertised on this site would get them in fast, but in a straight line like the factory did, I can't see that one?  Maybe with a metal guide set I suppose).

Doyle

[sofadoc]

They have systems that will get them straight, but they're insanely expensive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11YdEM9Jx5w

[wizzard]

this particular one seems to be the top of the line of installing decorative nails.
would say this is for a real manufacturing outfit.
but there are other ones too
like
http://fasteners.heicofasteners.com/viewitems/nail-guns-fastening-systems/kz-single-shot-frontloading-nail-guns
http://www.nailgundepot.com/Decorative-Nailers-Nail-Tool-Products.html
http://www.decotacks.com/auupna.html
http://www.uffytools.com/TH-T-DECO1.html

these are the ones I know about. But don't know any of them personally how good they are, haven't had a job big enough that an investment or buy would be justified.

maybe if someone else owns one of these beauties, they could let us know about the functionality of it.

[MinUph]

I requested a price from Uffy. See the ad above. Never got a response.
  I'd consider one of these if I knew the cost. I know the thirs one on the list is around 500. If I knew it worked well and didnt jamb or misfire I would love one.
  So someone should be the beta tester for us. How about you Sofa? Does the hospital job need nail trim :)

[sofadoc]

So someone should be the beta tester for us. How about you Sofa?

Actually Paul, I was hoping that YOU would be the guinea pig.

The only thing that has kept me from buying one, is that my compressor is too small (not enough CFM). And since most of the higher CFM compressors are 220V, I'd have to re-wire.

Here's a place that sells them for $600. Why don't you go ahead and get 2  (so I can borrow one).
http://www.nailgundepot.com/UFFY-THTDECO1-Decorative-Upholstery-Nailer-Details.html

[MinUph]

  Next big nail job I will seriously consider the purchase. I will only get one incase it doesnt work. I don't want to spoil your job. But If I do I will certainly review it here.
  I really don't mind driving nails in by hand but now that I have someone else driving them in it might be more efficient to do it with a gun. After it pays for itself anyway. Which would be a few jobs.

[baileyuph]

Additional information to the initial start of the thread might be of interest;

that is, the brass nails involved were 3/4 inch long.  This added to the manual difficulty of hammering the nails in straight.  I just couldn't do it, whether it was the 3/4 nail or the wood that they were installed or a combo.  The wood was a plywood and the nails were installed perpendicular to the grain - required considerable force to seat the nails..

As a test during this challenge, a 1/2 inch nail was tested and wasn't as difficult to hammer in, would have been a little easier to control the process.  In case one is wondering why this size wasn't used, good question, it was too short for the application.  Couldn't win.

As a related note, have you given notice to the revival in popularity of brass nails in newer furniture?  I do in the furniture adds and understandable because the nails added considerably to the look of the plain furniture in the market today.

In my opinion, if these power staplers support accurate - straight lines, then if reupholstery survives, the power nailers should/coulc become more a tool in demand.

Just my .0025 cents worth.

Doyle

[jock36]

Years ago I worked on a project that needed dozens of fresh hardwood frames to be upholstered, all in leather with close-studding around seat/inside/outside back outer edges.

What I found was the nail gun wouldn't fire straight or go all the way in leaving me to finish them of by hammer also the nails wouldn't load in to the chamber very well leaving you shaking this hellish noisy thing around, compressor pressure wasn't an issue. In the end it went back in the box it came from.

Long story short..... it doesn't like hard wood, may be more suitable for softer woods/MDF/ply/chipwood applications.

Chris

[baileyuph]

Good input in that whatever works well for the factory or manufacturing obviously is power by air.

I never tried google to find out what factories gun looks like - just an idea.


Doyle

[MinUph]

What I found was the nail gun wouldn't fire straight or go all the way in leaving me to finish them of by hammer also the nails wouldn't load in to the chamber very well leaving you shaking this hellish noisy thing around, compressor pressure wasn't an issue. In the end it went back in the box it came from.
Chris

Chris,
  What gun are you talking about? The one pictured above or some other model?

[jock36]

@ minuph, I looked at the links provided and all I can say is that the guns look the same/ish.....

The model we tested would take a good handful of standard sized nails in to the guns container, which would spin the nails around (making the noise) in the hope that a nail would some how fall in to the loading chamber (hence the shaking around)....it most certainly didn't go bang bang bang as we hoped for.

The main issue when i really think about it was that it didn't seem to  load up nails in a regular manner as
you'd expect, now where near as efficient as the video clip shows.

So yeah we overlooked the hardwood thing and concluded that it would be better used on softer materials..... If it only loaded up!!

Most likley this was our inexperience of such a tool & it could've been faulty/no instructions/no rep/no YouTube.

Chris

[tudorford]

Several years ago I worked on what I called the "Wingback from hell".  it had around 80 tufted buttons and most of a box of 1000 decorative nails.  Literally every exposed edge of the chair was covered with nails. 

I ended up making a jig out of a piece of hard thick leather.  I simply used a side cutters to clip about 1/2 inch deep cuts the right distance apart on a straight edge of the leather.  I could put about 6 or 8 nails in the end of the cuts and the stiff leather would hold them until I could nail them in place.  Once the nails were driven in as deep as I could I would pull the leather out and finish driving them.  I was just a cheap way to get the nails in straight and seemed to work pretty well


I think I posted pictures of this but it was several years ago but I couldn't seem to find the pictures that I had taken of the jig.  If I can find the pictures I will try to post them.

[sofadoc]

While the Uffy gun at the top of the page specifies that you must have an air compressor with an output of 6.72 CFM, this one just says "Run the nail gun on the same compressor as your staple gun".

http://www.decotacks.com/auupna.html

I tried to call Deco-tacks to ask about this. But the guy spoke with a heavy accent (Turkish, I think), and I could tell that he wasn't too terribly interested in finding out the answer for me.

A guy on a FB group has just ordered the Deco-tack gun, and as soon as he gets it in, I hope to hear a review from him later this week.

I don't mind buying a bigger compressor, just as long as I know the gun is worth it.

[MinUph]

If the ship from Turkey where they are located I wonder if it would cost more than the gun to get it here LOL

[sofadoc]

If the ship from Turkey where they are located I wonder if it would cost more than the gun to get it here LOL

The price of $549 includes shipping.