Bosch added another gun to its Full Force line with the RN175 Roofing Nailer. Like other roofing nailers the RN175 features a coil-style cartridge and is smaller and more balanced than a framing gun might be.

The RN175’s single-action, side-loading nail canister functions a lot like dropping a speed-loading cylinder into a revolver, so load time is smoother and faster than older clunky styles. Like the rest of the line the new roofing nailer sports an aluminum housing, steel wear plates on the tool body, and carbide inserts to protect the nosepiece.

It will accept a load of wire-collated 0.12 nails from that range from ¾” to 1-3/4” inch length and will work with 60-120 psi. coming through the hose.

Expect to pay around $300 at the local home center.

RN175 Roofing Nailer [Bosch]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

Ever have an air line or tool go shooting off accidentally when you disconnect it? Besides being dangerous, it could damage the connector as it whacks the ground. To prevent this uncontrolled reaction, safety couplers like this one from Milton Industries make connection and disconnection a two-stage process.

Several retailers of the safety coupler describe the operation as follows: “First click locks coupler and plug; second click engages air pressure. When disconnecting, first click will relieve air pressure; second click allows coupler and plug to be safely disengaged.” Not having laid our hands on one yet, this sounds a little vague. Has anyone used one that could provide a better explanation of how the coupler works?

This 1/4″ M-style safety coupler comes in either male and female 1/4″ NPT threads. Milton retails the safety couplers for $10.

Milton Industries [Corporate Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

As of a few days ago, Bosch announced that their new “Full Force” pneumatic lineup including three finish nailers and an 18-gauge stapler are available at retail outlets nationwide. We mentioned them in a preview post a few months ago and it appears that Bosch has made good on the delivery schedules.

The new lineup includes the following four tools: the FNA250-15: 15-gauge angled magazine finish nailer, the FNA250-16: 16-gauge straight magazine finish nailer, the BNS200-18: 18-gauge brad nailer and the STN150-18: 18-gauge finish stapler.

Check out our overview on the newest pneumatics on the market for a quick rundown. We suspect the more contractors’ hands they fall into, the more converts Bosch will bring over from a yellow or green gun –- however, only time will tell.

Bosch also says that more pneumatic fastening products are slated to become available in the next few weeks.

SN-350 Framing Guns [Bosch]
Preview: Bosch Full Force Framing Nailers [Toolmonger]

For all the sub-rock dwellers clinging to the dark and safe ways of yore, this is an air compressor. It is your friend. Embrace it, love it and bask in its many conveniences. The new 26-gallon Campbell Hausfeld compressor is specifically aimed at the challenges and objections homeowners have to an air-powered rig.

To get the party started, just kick the big red power button at the bottom rear and the hose fills to 115psi; then the tank fills in preparation for continued operation. That’s right — the hose fills first. It might sound a little weird but it’s sort of a slick idea.

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Following the recent trend of top-of-the-line pneumatic gun rollouts, Campbell Hausfeld just released three new units bearing the CH blue:  from biggest to smallest, the CHN70899 3-1/2” framing nailer, the CHN70699 15-gauge nailer, and the CHN70299 18-gauge brad nailer.  Can you guess the first highlighted feature of the new guns?  If you said “targeting laser,” you nailed it.

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Last week, we had the opportunity to visit with the folks at Bosch in Chicago about their 2009 lineup. The first item on the long list of new gear Bosch is rolling out this year is their Full Force Technology nailers, the stars of which –- mostly ‘cuz they’re the only ones out yet — are the SN350 series framing guns.  The phrase “lean and mean” was tossed around a lot by many folks at the event, and while we admit that it’s largely a catchphrase, it applies in this case.

The Full Force in the name refers to Bosch’s new pneumatic system which was designed from the ground up and works differently than the traditional gun. To start off with, it’s around twenty percent smaller than, say, a Paslode or Hitachi, and it’s a little more powerful. (more…)

Here we see our Ridgid twin-tank aluminum air compressor in its native environment — its central position right under the miter saw is no accident.  This compressor is a slightly dusty star of the show, and the shop wouldn’t be able to function correctly without it.

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Almost universally, a professional framer will choose a gun when there’s serious work to be done.  A few old-school crews still use hammers, but when the heavy lifting’s about to begin, the guys in the know reach for a rig like this Duo-Fast 20-degree DF350S strip nailer.  We got our hands on one to see what it was all about.

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Duo-Fast announced its new DF350S framing nailer last week.  Its 20-degree-angled magazine rail holds two strips — which means you can fire off sixty 3-1/2″ nails without reloading.

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Yesterday Hitachi announced the release of their NR90AF framing nailer.  If you’re asking what the big difference is between the new nailer and the older Hitachi NR90AD, the AF features a 28-degree magazine that’s built for round-head nails, while the AD takes a clipped-head load.

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When you think of a portable compressor you probably think of a tool that’s small and easy to move for powering your air nailer. Sure, that’s one definition of portable — but how about a compressor the size of a mobile home that can deliver 1,200 cfm at over 350 PSI!

You’re probably not going to see this trailer parked at your normal job site — it’s used primarily in the drilling field, where higher flow removes the cuttings more efficiently and higher pressure makes drilling go faster.

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Once upon a time, when pneumatic nailers were all the same — to me at least — this fine tool would’ve escaped my attention. This is a multi-blow nailer, which means there’s no depth adjustment; you simply hold the actuator until the nail is driven to the depth desired.  If you hit a knot, just hold the actuator longer.

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All2ools.com is selling the Dynafile pneumatic abrasive belt sander for the low price of $383. It looks rather funky, but it has it where it counts — did we mention it’s pneumatic?

Because its belt measures between 1/8″ and 1/2″, many tool guys reach for the Dynafile when they’re blending welds or finishing castings with small nooks and crevices that a larger abrasive tool can’t reach. Try getting into nooks and crannies with your belt sander and you’ll understand.

Dynafile 14000 [all2ools.com]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?] [What's This?]

If you use pneumatic tools a lot, you probably know to take care of them.  But if you only use ‘em a little, you might let the maintenance slide — not worrying about water in the line, not using a good filter, not lubricating your tools — like some Toolmongers I know. If you haven’t treated your air tools right, and they don’t seem to work quite like they used to, don’t give up hope. Blaster Chemical makes an air tool conditioner spray that one retailer claims is “SO POWERFUL IT BRINGS “DEAD” AIR TOOLS BACK TO LIFE!”

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Lumax claims their PneuLuber pneumatic grease gun is the only dual-piston air-powered grease gun and that it can empty a grease tube in less than a minute.  Street pricing is about $180.  The PneuLuber features trigger-controlled variable-speed grease delivery along with an “instant” brake, both of which keep this tool from being a grease-fountain mess-maker of doom — but they also seem to indicate that speed isn’t really the point.

Fourteen ounces of grease in under one minute: Maybe I’m missing something, but, unless you’re on a race team working in the pit, is there any reason to own a high-speed grease gun? For that matter, has anyone timed the speed of a hand-powered grease gun?

A powered grease gun I can understand — on any job that uses a grease gun all day it could prevent lawsuits over handshake accidents — but how important is fast greasing? Let us know in comments.

PneuLuber Grease Gun [Lumax]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?] [What's This?]

If time isn’t an issue with your flat tire, and if you already own an air compressor with a standard air chuck, then this $5 kit will let you repair six tires. In addition to being cheap-ass, these kits won’t send your tires out of balance enough to notice, and they provide a permanent fix.

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The average DIYer won’t need to pick up a flooring nailer more than once a decade, but if you install floors for a living, you might want to check out Primatech’s heavy-duty, automatic P240.  You can strike the large head cap from any angle to set the nail, and Primatech boasts that the compact firing valve will get the tool tip 4-1/2″ closer to the end wall, saving you a lot of manual labor and time.

I found it online for $535, only a little higher than other pneumatic flooring nailers.

P240 Flooring Nailer [Primatech]
P240 Flooring Nailer [Harvester]