subject: Porter-Cable FR350A Round Head 2-Inch to 3-1/2-Inch Framing Nailer best price [print this page] Porter-Cable FR350A Round Head 2-Inch to 3-1/2-Inch Framing Nailer best price
Porter-Cable FR350A Round Head 2-Inch to 3-1/2-Inch Framing Nailer
I have plans to begin finishing out my basement in the near future. After researching several different brands of framing nailers, I decided on this one based on the overwhelming number of positive reviews it received. After only breaking it in, I can tell you that I can see why everyone has such good things to say about this nailer. It is without a doubt a quality, powerful, confidence-inspiring piece of equipment that anyone would be proud to own.
I bought it right after I purchased the Porter-Cable CFFN250N combo kit. After breaking in the compressor (very important I might add), I set the regulator at 100 psi, and connected and loaded the nailer with 3" .120 coated framing nails. I found a couple of scraps of 2x4, stacked them one on top of the other, and let her go. At 100 psi, and with no adjustment to the gun right out of the box, it went through both pieces and sank the first nail perfectly flush, no problem! After a few more test shots, I gave the depth adjustment on the gun a quarter turn just to see what difference it would make. At the same pressure, it put the head of the nail slightly below the surface of the wood, just as it should. As expected, there was quite a bit more recoil with a nailer this size, and I found that just a little more pressure on the board helped when firing a nail. After all, it is shooting a 3" nail in one shot! I also changed the trigger to the "contact actuation" mode, which shoots a nail every time you touch the tip to the wood. This is a great feature, but as one other reviewer noted, I would suggest using it with caution. In the hands of someone unfamiliar with it's operation, it could be very dangerous! Nevertheless, it worked flawlessly, and all initial indications are that this gun will serve me well for many years to come. It's amazing what having the right equipment can do for your confidence level, especially if you're an amateur like me!
On a side note, I was also very pleased to see that such an affordable and relatively small compressor (2HP, 6 gallons) could produce more than enough pressure to power this gun. The compressor will produce 135 psi, and the gun's operating range is from 70-120 psi. As noted above, I had no problem with 3" nails at 100 psi.
Also, I can't say enough about the deal I got here at Amazon on this nailer. I caught it on a good day at less than $200, ordered the 17-piece accessory kit with it, took advanatage of the $25 off and free shipping offer, and still came out almost $50 cheaper than I would've paid for the nailer alone at the big orange store!
Thanks Amazon. You are an asset to the online shopping community!
Read morePorter-Cable FR350A Round Head 2-Inch to 3-1/2-Inch Framing Nailer
