[SML] T-nailer (was brad nailer)

[Duncan Mahoney]

Joe Golden asks:

"I am looking for a brad gun for stapling 1/4 plywood to aluminum frames.
Does anyone have a favorite that they could recommend?"


The tool you need to fasten wood to steel or 1/8" aluminium tube is a "concrete T-nailer".  In real life they are used primarily to shoot carpet tack strip into concrete slab floors.  A regular brad nailer might work if the aluminium is very thin, but the hardened steel nails are what makes the whole nail-into-metal thing work, and they are only available as T-nails AFAIK.  We have a few "made in Taiwan" T-nailers of various brands that have held up OK considering the occasional but heavy use they get and the low initial cost.  The last time I went looking for a replacement I found that there were far fewer choices in the marketplace and the nails were a little more of a challenge to source.  Bostitch still makes one and there are a couple import brands like Porta-nails and Grex.

One caveat for flying scenery, it's not all that hard to pull the T-nails out of metal tubing (or through 1/4" plywood), so I always use adhesive between the plywood and metal, or add a few TEK screws into each panel of plywood as a safety measure.


Duncan Mahoney
Director of Technical Direction
Associate Professor of Theatre Practice
University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts