Why you need a palm nailer

A palm nailer has an advantage over your nail gun – it uses conventional nails that you can buy in bulk from any store, instead of the special nail strips used by a nail gun.

A palm nailer fits comfortably in the palm of your hand and makes driving anything from a 1.5- to a 3.5-inch 16d nail effortless.

There are even heavy-duty palm nailers available that will still fit in your hand and drive anything from a 2- to a 6-inch nail.

A palm nailer has a terrific advantage over a conventional hammer – it can get into tight spaces while holding the nail on its magnetic hammer face. So if you’re nailing where there’s no room to swing a hammer, or are up against a facing, or nailing into a ceiling, you can nail with ease. The tool does the hammering.

A palm nailer has a terrific advantage over a conventional hammer – it can get into tight spaces while holding the nail on its magnetic hammer face.

Plus a palm nailer has an advantage over your nail gun – it uses conventional nails that you can buy in bulk from any store, instead of the special nail strips used by a nail gun.

Air-powered palm drivers require an air compressor and hose, which makes it a little less convenient to use, although some models feature a swivel male-connector.

Cordless palm nailers are very portable and easy to use in tight spaces. They tend to be more expensive but the performance is just as good as a pneumatic nailer.

If you already use cordless tools, get a palm nailer from the same manufacturer so you can use the batteries and charger you already have.

Or if you need to purchase additional cordless tools, look for deals that include batteries and charger in a kit with the tools you want. Usually when you purchase a kit, you get tools, batteries and charger for less than you might pay for the battery/charger alone.

Using a palm nailer

As the name suggests, the tool rests in the palm – left or right – of your hand. It has a strap that fits over the back of the hand so it’s comfortable and stays in place. Insert the nail into the tool’s collar and it is held there magnetically until you activate the tool.

Pressing the go button or pushing on the tool itself causes a hammer within the tool to drive the nail. A 3.5-inch 16d nail is driven in around a second and the palm nailer will cope with hard woods extremely well.

Since the tool is doing the work, it’s only necessary to position the nailer with light pressure. Also, there’s almost no chance of bending the nail with a poorly aimed blow and your fingers are always out of the way.

Plus, there’s no chance of slipping off the nail and damaging the surface and the nail can be driven to a flush setting, again without damaging the surface of the job.

—By Steve Sturgess, stevesturgess.com