Campbell Hausfeld Precision Guided 3.5 inch 34 degree Framing Nailer
The Campbell Hausfeld Precision Framing Nailer is a fantastic air framing nailer that simplifies small do it yourself tasks or those large remodeling jobs.
Ease of Use, Performance: 24/25
Look & Feel: 24/25
Features 24/25
How much I enjoy 25/25
Total: 97/100
I cannot believe I have gone this long without an air tool like this; a framing nailer that drives nails without all that work simplifies jobs and makes work easier and faster. Driving nails the old fashioned way, i.e. hammer and sore arm, takes longer and makes a job go slower while a framing nailer makes things faster and easier.
I recently completed three large jobs around my home and several smaller ones using the Campbell Hausfeld framing nailer and love this little tool. The only ways to make this better has nothing to do with the nailer in one instance and weight would not be able to go down without some new fangled design.
The framing nailer would be better used on a larger compressor than the smaller one I am using but it does work on a 2 gallon CH Twinstack compressor. These smaller compressors just need a little time to catch up with filing the tank when using the Precision Framing Nailer but you can drive 3.5 inch nails fully into a couple of 2x4’s or other wood.
The Campbell Hausfeld Precision Framing Nailer that I received for review is the complete package model that does not have the laser guided nailing light on it. Yes, you can get a laser guided (sounds like a military weapon) framing nailer that shines a red laser pointer where the nails will be going but I only received the basic model.
The Precision Framing Nailer model CHN70899AV comes with the nailer itself, a nice storage tote bag, allen wrenches for maintenance, batteries and instruction manual. The package I received has the great tote bag that holds the framing nailer with a few accessories and does come with a small strip of nails.
In order to really put the nailer through its paces I had to first buy some nails and this is where the real cost of a framing nailer or any air tool like this comes out. I purchased a box of Paslode 2 inch galvanized nails for about $50 and a box of Pneu-Fast 3.25 inch nails for about $35.
I did go with the least expensive nails I could find but ones that would work for the jobs I had in mind when starting this review. I was mainly going to rebuild my garage addition and build a fence as well as some other jobs and found these two nail choices worked best for the several jobs I performed.
Nail prices go from the $35 dollar price for a box of 2500 for regular unfinished nails used in framing to the more expensive galvanized or other coated nails at about $100 and more. I found the nails I chose worked great for my fence and the framing I would be doing and I still have some left over, especially the plain 3.25 inch nails.
The Precision Framing Nailer is an angled framing nailer that drives from 2 to 3.5 inch nails that are .113 to .131 inch diameter and holds 70 to 105 nails. The Framing Nailer magazine is at a 34 degree angle so when holding the magazine parallel with your framing board the nails will penetrate at a good angle for framing.
The design is a simple one but well thought out from the inclusion of a protective cap that is held with a lanyard on the front to the directional exhaust on the rear. The framing nailer weighs about 9 and a half pounds when fully loaded with nails and is 21 inches long from tip of nailer to the magazine end.
Loading nails is simple by simply inserting the nails pointing in the correct direction and allowing them to slide down and then pulling the Pusher Latch back over the nail clip while holding the Latch Button. This actually takes more effort to write than it does to accomplish as I can certainly attest after going through well over 2000 nails of both sizes.
The nailer can hold two clips of the 2 inch nails when starting or a full clip of the 3.25 inch nails and reloading while working is fast and simple. Driving nails in either single sequential mode or bump mode is easy with the through the body switch for each mode. Sequential mode is simply a single nail when you push the button and have the tip pressed against your work.
The framing nailer will not operate without the tip depressed against a board as one safety feature so you do have to press the tip for both firing modes. The bump mode is where you press the trigger and then press the tip against your work while holding the trigger and the nailer will drive a nail.
In bump mode continuing to hold the trigger down will allow you to drive a nail every time the tip is depressed against a board for faster operation. This mode is for use as a quick drive but you do need to have a better air compressor tank setup than a small 2 gallon one.
I found after about six or eight nails I had to wait for the compressor to catch up and gather enough pressure to continue but this worked well for a smaller do it yourself job. Working on the garage replacing 2x4’s and entire wall sections I found would have been a little easier with a bigger compressor but I will not be doing this kind of work often.
The regular sequential driving mode allows for a steady workflow when having to position boards or work while driving nails so this is my usual mode when using the framing nailer. Having the bump mode is nice if you have jobs like roofing or other work where a nice steady driving is used so having the dual modes is a great feature.
I used the framing nailer on both the fence for driving the 2 inch nails holding each fence picket but also the pressure treated 2x4’s that hold all the pickets and found the nailer had plenty of force behind each nail to drive them in fully. Adjusting the nail was not necessary very often and after the first few times I really did not have to but you can drive the nails further or leave them extended out of the wood using the tip adjustment.
Simply lift the depth adjustment control knob and move the Work Contact Element or tip in or out to get further or less penetration. Adjusting the depth of your nails is simple and once I set it after the first couple of nails I did not adjust it even after changing nail sizes.
I adjusted it the first day and almost two months later have not had to adjust it at all so that is one nice feature as well but not one I see having to mess with all that often. I installed 4x4 pressure treated posts along two lines of about 50 feet and the 2x4 cross pieces along both sides of the fence as well as pickets along the 100 plus feet for my backyard fence.
I also replaced most of a wall including 2x4 uprights and the bottom and top plates of the wall and installed a new wall along the back of my garage addition. This required mostly the longer 3.25 inch nails but I also put up the plywood and fastened the older boards using the 2 inch nails.
In addition to those two main jobs I also built a wall and bookcase in my upstairs to create a bedroom and hallway out of a larger room upstairs. Framing in a wall was easy and working in and around a prebuilt wall was simple with the angled framing nailer and having the large magazine and being able to load the clips quickly helped speed along all the work I did.
Having a slightly larger compressor would have really made the work move along but I had no problems with using the smaller one so you can use a 2 gallon compressor. You simply need a minimum of 70 PSI from a compressor for driving nails but with the smaller amount you may have to wait for the compressor to build up pressure.
I had no problems at all with the oil less maintenance of the tool and using the rubber tipped protector for protecting the plywood I installed as part of the wall worked out well. The rubber tip of the No-mar Decking Tip installs using a steel clip and the rubber tip is tethered so it is always on site and readily available.
A few times the tip would fall off the mount and get in the way but it was no problem during work and I found it was easy to just pop back on the mount that is on the side of the magazine. The swivel air connection is also a great feature as it allows you to easily attach the air hose and keeps the hose out of the way by being able to swivel some while moving and positioning the framing nailer.
The framing nailer also has an adjustable exhaust on the back of the main tool to direct the exhaust air in a full circle away from your work and yourself. The Campbell Hausfeld Framing Nailer also has a low nail indicator that warns you when you are about to run out of nails that is run by the two AA batteries.
When using the nailer you can also have nails jamb but I only had this happen four times where I had to actually use the nose lever and pull a nail out. I had this happen with the smaller 2 inch nails and never had a 3.25 inch nail jamb but clearing it was always easy.
You can use another nail or similar tool to drive the jammed nail out but I always was able to easily pull the nail out to clear the nail. I had no other problems with the nailer, actually the work went so well and using the nailer was so great that I have to give it a high rating.
The Campbell Hausfeld Precision Guided Framing Nailer worked so well it earns my Blue Ribbon for Excellence as a really great product that I highly recommend for anyone needing a framing nailer. The Campbell Hausfeld Framing Nailer is a fantastic framing nailer and does really well for all kinds of do it yourself and remodeling projects.