There will be times that you need a nail set, even if you have the best nail gun with depth adjustment. We also have a tip for hole filling, plus a beginners guide for how to set a nail, and more.
Here are all the accessories for any size nail gun as well as the all-important nail set, some eye/ear protection, and lubricant for pneumatics.
You need a good set of nail sets: see my pick here. Go with this one because it’s hardened steel and a combo nail set and nail punch and will save you money in the long run.
You will come across new-fangled nail set ideas such as rubber grips and flared tops to protect your hand, but take this from an insider: you don’t need that.Color coding? You don’t need it: you will not be switching back and forth a lot from one nail set to another. I sprayed mine orange so I could spot them in the box, however.
What you do need is hardened steel. There will come a time that you need to really smack a nail set and the lesser products from China won’t stand up.
Save money overall and buy the combo nail set and nail punch industry-standard – see the set from Stanley.
I inherited many tools from my grandfather, a general contractor: many are made by Stanley. I have his nail set kit which is a joy to use. You’ll find a set in every bag of trim carpenter tools.
How to use them? My short post and a video is there too on nail set use and filling the nail set tool hole, as well as staining the filler is at the bottom of this post.
Minwax® High-Performance Wood Filleralso works as an expensive, but strong wood adhesive into which you can insert screws and also bond loose joints in furniture.
The company claims that it also bonds to almost any rigid surface including ceramics, concrete, metal, and so on. It is weather-, water-, and rot-resistant. What’s not to like?
You will read websites about how the stain will take to wood different than the filler and that is true, but we think like this: unless it’s going to be in a picture frame or special focal point, just fill, let dry, sand, stain. Yes it will be a little darker and the wood around the hole will share some of that, but so what? Apply a special conditioner first? Sure if you really want, but we have never done that. None of our customers have ever been that picky.
The mark left by my 4 different nail sets
You can read about this stainable wood filler for more info: Minwax website.
This photo shows the mark left by my different nail sets and center punch set: deep and shallow, and all are about the same diameter. The deeper hole may take so much filler that the filler will shrink and need a 2nd coat. Not ideal. Try to set the nail just under the surface.
How to fill holes left by a nail set
If your hole filler is meant to dry then be sanded, you want to leave a slightly convex mound: just enough to be able to sand it flush quickly. Remember it will shrink a little, no matter how great of a nail setter you are. The nail set tool itself leaves a hole, not just the nail.
For Painting:
The quick-dry spackle that I use is here. I keep it in my pocket in an old medicine jar. It’s not dense and does not sand as well as some vinyl spackles, but it dries fast and holes disappear in painted trim and walls, etc.
For wood, use the stainable wood filler above or look into the rabbit hole of color putty below…
For Staining: Color Putty
This oil-based material you can mix on the spot to get an exact match to your wood with your stain: every wood and stain combo will be slightly different.
Color putties do not sand so you must get them flush the first time. Later you can add more stain or clear varnish etc.
One tip: the pigment from the putty will discolor the unvarnished wood slightly around the hole. It’s not wrong to stain, varnish, then putty the holes (so the wood cannot touch the putty, except in the hole), then touch up the new putty with varnish (or not). Check your clear coat label to see about re-coating times. You cannot wait too long to re-coat.
This brand has been around for the 40 years I’ve been a painter: it’s what you see in my video: they have not changed the label in decades! Seventeen colors: buy a few so you can combine them for a very close match.
2. Cases for Nail Guns
Not all nail gun companies provide one.
Necessary Accessory to carry your nail set accessories!
Dewalt toolboxes are sold a-la-carte. Buy several or one, with or without the roller cart, etc. This is the smartest and most versatile idea out there in toolboxes. You do see these in worker’s trucks a lot. This photo is of my buddy’s rig.
Normal safety glasses: If you don’t already wear glasses, these don’t cost much, and Dewalt comes in various tints and has UV protection, and comes with a bifocal reading prescription: very cool.
Foam-type earplugs with neck cord should be brightly colored so others know that you cannot hear them (or that you are not interested in any more stories about the old days, Mabel).
Over-the-ear protection—good enough for shooters (that’s your nail gun dude). In safety, we feel that a few extra bucks for 3M is totally worth it: it’s a good company (website).
Please see the danger of exposure chart from the government: a nail gun compressor will run at about 70-80 dB. Exposure like this is getting into the danger area, but the shock of a nail gun (especially the big framing guns) is well into the danger zone.
No more jokes, and no more being a tough guy. Ask Eric Clapton explained for many years that he was slowly going deaf.
4. Pneumatic Accessories
All-weather Lubricant: for all pneumatic tools. This oil is different from auto or even what you need for your compressor. (The compressors below need no oil.) You may have seen videos of guys teaching you to put oil on your rack of nails: big mistake. The nozzle will collect dust and jam.
If you live in cold climates, there is no need these days to buy both summer and winter oil. Thanks, Bostitch.
If you are using your nail gun all day, you would add this oil to the inlet: 2 drops in the morning and two drops after lunchtime. Mmm. Lunch.
A swivel plug lightens the load on the cord and muscles. It’s the one spot the hose takes the most abuse is where we bend it over and over. This swivel is just well-spent insurance money.
5. Best Air Compressors
All the ones on this list are oil-free—Nice.
Home-made box over a generator or compressor really drops the dB
Tip: a trick to making a compressor quieter using plywood. Just lean sections of plywood around the unit allowing good ventilation.
125 max psi, but the large capacity will keep it from coming on too much
2 hp
Less money and more powerful than the Dewalt above (but 8 dB quieter) plus it’s on wheels. Decent reviews, and you don’t have to bend over to fiddle with it: thanks.
6 gal pancake style tank for stability, includes water drain valve and rubber feet
Combo options with brad nailer and or nozzles/pressure gauge
Use with extension cord
150 p.s.i., enough for both guns going at once
Two regulated, air couplers
Only 30 lbs
If you need a brad nailer, the combo here gets you two quality items. My personal favorite deal: buying the brad nailer and compressor together takes about 10 bucks off the purchase.
Let us know if we missed anything in the comments below.
also works as an expensive, but strong wood adhesive into which you can insert screws and also bond loose joints in furniture.
This oil-based material you can mix on the spot to get an exact match to your wood with your stain: every wood and stain combo will be slightly different.
Exposure like this is getting into the danger area, but the shock of a nail gun (especially the big framing guns) is well into the danger zone.
