A series of attachments can transform Paslode’s ergonomically friendly framing tool the Impulse Framemaster Powervent into a versatile one-stop nailer suitable for a variety of building applications.
This is according to Graeme Young, new product development engineer for ITW Construction Asia Pacific Residential Division, of which Paslode is part.
“The attachments expand the use of the tool to include such areas as decking, fencing, cladding, landscaping, roofing and formwork,” he said.
One of the most useful additions to the Paslode framing tool is the “No-Mark” attachment – not well known among builders and carpenters but ideal for soft materials such as fibre cement board, decking and softwood.
“Complete with an easy to use and fast sliding adjustment (called a pinch grip) to allow for different nail depths – countersunk, flush or exposed – as its name suggests it doesn’t leave a mark when firing in the nails,” Mr Young said.
Fitting the No-Mark attachment provides wide-ranging versatility in the types of nails that can be used by the gas-powered Paslode framing tool, which in Australia and New Zealand has the magazines configured to take up to 90mm long fasteners normally used in timber framing for domestic dwellings.
“For example, the No-Mark attachment can handle small round headed decking nails and clad fast nails with equal success,” Mr Young said.
Success of the attachment goes hand in glove with gas tool systems which, unlike pneumatic nail guns that can vary as much as 20 per cent in pressure performance, provide consistent gas burning to ensure constant depth of nail drive.
“This is vitally important for cladding and batten fixing where nails need to be flush with the surface to prevent moisture from seeping in and damaging cladding material or corroding fixings,” Mr Young said.
“It also is time saving for fixing decking when a consistent depth of drive avoids the need for hand hammering nails that might not have achieved the perfect performance (using a pneumatic gun).”
Another attachment is Paslode’s Positive Placement nail guide, which enables the user to fasten nails through a hole in the middle of a connecting plate, hanger bracket or bracing strap.
Fitted to the end of the nail gun, the probe is placed in the hole, with the operator then pulling trigger to fire the nail to hold the bracket or strap in place without damage to the metal surface.
Already released in New Zealand, the attachment is currently being trialled in Western Australia on brackets fixed to fascia boards.
At present only available in New Zealand, Paslode’s JoltFast Timber Cladding Guide is a versatile addition that can be fitted to the No-Mark attachment to fix timber weatherboard to housing frames using JoltFast small round head nails.
Other worthwhile New Zealand additions in the Paslode series include the Formwork attachment, which leaves nails 15 millimetres proud or exposed so they can be easily removed, and the Roofing attachment ideal for fastening metal tiles to roof battens using high durability round head galvanised and polymer painted black nails.
