Round head vs clipped head nails - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

Tinstaafl · 09-22-2009, 05:55 PM

Bill Cosby already answered "Why is there air?", but...

What's the point of clipped head nails?

strathd · 09-22-2009, 06:07 PM

Round heads have more surface area (of course). Some hurricane areas have adapted their use into newer building codes. Sure, supposed to hold better, I'm not sure I buy it though.

Tinstaafl · 09-22-2009, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strathd

Round heads have more surface area (of course).

Of course. And that's the traditional shape. Somewhere along the line, clipped heads showed up--which would seem to me to be harder to make. So why bother? Or were they developed to work better in certain types of guns?

bert0168 · 09-22-2009, 06:16 PM

Maybe I'm wrong, but weren't they clipped so that they could be collated closer together thus getting more nails in a single strip?

I have only seen clipped heads in tape strip collated form. I don't recall ever seeing clipped in either a coil or plastic collated configuration.

Just my theory.

ibarnes · 09-22-2009, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinstaafl

Of course. And that's the traditional shape. Somewhere along the line, clipped heads showed up--which would seem to me to be harder to make. So why bother? Or were they developed to work better in certain types of guns?

I remember when I was a kid and my dad had Senco and Duo-fast framers. The senco were clipped head nails and you basically got more nails per load. (since the nails nested closer together) While the plastic stripped duo-fast guns had full round head's and you basically had a nail space between the nails to accomidate the head.

strathd · 09-22-2009, 06:23 PM

When I started framing in 1980 glue (red stuff) had not been put on the nails yet. Gun nails did'nt hold for sh**. In denver we did not use guns for walls. Just decks and roof sheathing. Clipped heads ? My guess would be the technology of the day. Then they stayed with that early technology. Just a guess.

Tinstaafl · 09-22-2009, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bert0168

Maybe I'm wrong, but weren't they clipped so that they could be collated closer together thus getting more nails in a single strip?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibarnes

The senco were clipped head nails and you basically got more nails per load. (since the nails nested closer together) While the plastic stripped duo-fast guns had full round head's and you basically had a nail space between the nails to accomidate the head.

Oy. That's duh-sgustingly obvious, now that you guys mention it. I just never thought about it before.

My Paslode nails have offset round heads, which allows the best compromise of all, I guess.

neolitic · 09-22-2009, 08:42 PM

My memory is that they were all
clipped head in the beginning.

Tinstaafl · 09-22-2009, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neolitic

My memory is that they were all
clipped head in the beginning.

Cut nails?

SC sawdaddy · 09-22-2009, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strathd

When I started framing in 1980 glue (red stuff) had not been put on the nails yet. Gun nails did'nt hold for sh**. In denver we did not use guns for walls. Just decks and roof sheathing. Clipped heads ? My guess would be the technology of the day. Then they stayed with that early technology. Just a guess.

It didn't take much more than a light shower of rain to ruin a box of Paslode nails. I haven't noticed them falling apart as bad as they used to, maybe I'm just more careful not to let them get wet.

Greg Di · 09-22-2009, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SC sawdaddy

It didn't take much more than a light shower of rain to ruin a box of Paslode nails. I haven't noticed them falling apart as bad as they used to, maybe I'm just more careful not to let them get wet.

Yup. That's why I abandoned paper collated framing nails long ago. The clips are so fragile compared to plastic collated.

Now I just enjoy getting shot in the eye with the plastic collation 40X a day!

KennMacMoragh · 09-22-2009, 11:41 PM

Yeah, you can fit more nails in the gun with clipped heads.

SC sawdaddy · 09-22-2009, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg Di

Now I just enjoy getting shot in the eye with the plastic collation 40X a day!

I had a HO ask me once when we were sweeping up at the end of the day who had been eating all that popcorn in her new house

Inner10 · 09-23-2009, 06:57 AM

In Ottawa full head nailers are special order only, tool stores probably sell one full head to every 500 clipped head...as you can guess clipped head nails are alot easyer to get too.

As mentioned before, more nails per strip, whats not to like?

Quote:

Some hurricane areas have adapted their use into newer building codes.

That sounds a bit more theory then practice; how many times have you seen a nail pull through a board or loose its head instead of the spike just pulling out?

**joasis** · 09-23-2009, 07:25 AM

This discussion pops up from time to time, and yes, there are some jurisdictions that require full head nails, but if you read the actual studies, there is no factual basis that a full head nail "holds" better then a clipped head.

From a previous post:

From Senco:
(you guys will love this)

Q: What are the pros and cons of clipped head and full round head nails?

A: The clipped vs. full round head (FRH) nail question:

1) Clip heads were the original type of collated nail for air tools, and still remains popular in most parts of the USA.

2) FRH nails came on the scene in the late ’80s as a popular product in the earthquake/hurricane markets (SoCal-Fla). In these markets, discussions about possible code changes led many builders to change from the clip head to the FRH nail. Building inspectors started to discriminate against the use of the clipped head nail. They felt the FRH would help prevent an overdrive into shear wall (structural sheathing).

3) Today, it seems the FRH nails are the dominant format on the West Coast, Florida and the South Atlantic regions. Again, FRH is the product of choice in the earthquake and hurricane prone markets.

4) Independent lab research results yield no significant difference in performance between both types.

5) FRH nails come in strip or coil format. The FRH strips are collated with a plastic material; the coils are collated with wire. Clipped head nails are only available in a strip format and are collated with paper strips and adhesive. The FRH strips will leave some plastic debris on your job site, and some plastic chunks embedded into your work surface trapped by the nail head (flagging). The paper-collated clipped heads are a bit cleaner, with some flagging, but most of the paper seems to disappear.

6) The clipped head tools have a shorter magazine track because the nails are right next to each other. The FRH tools feature a longer magazine track, which protrudes to the rear of the tool body. Some users prefer the shorter magazines for the maneuverability they offer, and some users like the longer magazine tools for the exceptional balance.

Our advice: Buy the format that is popular in your market, so it’s easy to buy the nails where and when you need them. Our dealers tend to stock only the popular format for the specific market you are in, so if you buck the trend, you might have difficulties finding the nails designed for your tool.

Tinstaafl · 09-23-2009, 06:55 PM

Thanks much Jay; quite a juicy morsel there!

Quote:

Originally Posted by joasis

1) Clip heads were the original type of collated nail for air tools, and still remains popular in most parts of the USA.

Ah. So it sounds as though Neo was remembering early tribal blowguns rather than the old fashioned hammer-driven nails. I know that when I was a kid back in the 50's, all the nails I ever saw had round heads. Except cut nails, of course.

**loneframer** · 09-23-2009, 06:57 PM

I own both clipped and round head nailers. I'll shoot whatever the GC stocks in his trailer. If I'm supplying my own nails, I prefer FRH.

neolitic · 09-23-2009, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinstaafl

Thanks much Jay; quite a juicy morsel there!

Ah. So it sounds as though Neo was remembering early tribal blowguns rather than the old fashioned hammer-driven nails. I know that when I was a kid back in the 50's, all the nails I ever saw had round heads. Except cut nails, of course.

I was thinking of those old cast iron
guns that you needed a helper to carry.

Tinstaafl · 09-23-2009, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neolitic

I was thinking of those old cast iron
guns that you needed a helper to carry.

It was my good fortune to be worlds away from this field in those days. I went from the farm straight into high-tech for a few decades, and the closest I got to construction was driving past a jobsite.

When I got my first construction job, I showed up with a hammer and a framing square. They all laughed at me because I'd never even heard of a speed square.