I get what you're saying about the personal touch, but have you noticed any difference in durability or precision between hand-hammered and nail-gun finishes? I've found nail guns great structurally, but sometimes tricky for delicate trim work... Curious about your experience.
I've definitely noticed a difference, especially when it comes to delicate trim work. A few years back, I was renovating an older home with some really intricate crown molding. Initially, we went with the nail gun for speed, but quickly realized it was leaving tiny dents and occasionally splitting the wood—nothing major structurally, but enough to bug me every time I walked into the room. We switched back to hand-hammering finish nails, and honestly, the control and precision were noticeably better. Sure, it took longer, but the end result felt cleaner and more refined.
That said, for framing or structural stuff, I wouldn't dream of going back to hand-hammering everything. Nail guns save so much time and energy there, it's not even close. So for me, it's really about matching the tool to the task... precision and finesse, I'll grab a hammer; speed and strength, nail gun all day.
Yeah, totally get your point about trim work—hand-hammering definitely gives you more control. But honestly, with a decent brad nailer and adjusting the pressure right, I've rarely had issues with splitting or dents... might be worth another shot sometime.
Good points all around. I've used both, and honestly:
- Hammering by hand is kinda therapeutic, but slow going.
- Brad nailer saves tons of time, especially on bigger projects.
- Had a few dents early on, but once I dialed in the pressure, smooth sailing.
Maybe give the nailer another whirl sometime...could surprise ya.
Totally get the therapeutic angle of hammering by hand...been there myself. But honestly, after switching to a nailer for trim work, I can't imagine going back. Once you find that sweet spot with pressure, it's a game changer—cleaner finish, fewer headaches, and way faster.
