Yes , there is a problem with driving 1 3/16" pins but Bostitch will send you an easy fix, a new driver/piston. I am surprised that no one called them and posted this . I always contact the manufacturer with any issues first, some are very helpful and others are not. Great CS from them, as I always have had from them, and an other wise very well made compact driver now will work just fine. As far as using 2"pins, they are too long for this gauge in real wood[18 ga.2"brads is even pushing it] ;they bend easily and can "blowout" of the wood[follow the grain] when using to be really useful anyway but the 1 3/16" is perfect for shoe base mld. for flooring installs and no filler is really needed. 1" pin guns limits the usefulness as other brands have as their longest length. 4 stars for the tool as is, and add 1 star for Bostitch being there to fix their problem making the gun excellent now. Bostitch HP118K 23-Gauge 1/2-Inch to 1-3/16-Inch Pin Nailer
Just returned mine and ordered a Grex 635 instead. I fired about 40 pins in hard and soft wood, tried various compressor pressure settings, and various settings of the so-called "depth control." The gun jammed once. If the air pressure is at the low end of the recommended range (70-100 lbs.), or if the so-called "depth control" is set low, pins will usually be proud of the surface. With the proper adjustments the best you can do is get them to be flush, which is unacceptable as far as I'm concerned. According to Bostitch Customer Service, this pin nailer is not designed to countersink pins, but rather to leave them flush with the service. The "depth control" is a misleading name for what is really just another way of adjusting air pressure. It does NOT change the travel distance of the pin.
I just received this nailer about a week ago and have put it to work everyday. The first time I used it I noticed it would only drive the pins flush which makes the tool useless. The pins wouldn't even countersink in pine. I decided to grind the tip down a little hoping that it would allow the driver to make the pin go well below the wood. I'm sure Stanley wouldn't recommend this, but it did the job and now my pins go just the right depth in any wood that I use it on. Besides this minor problem everything else is perfect with tool including the case.
shot up many a clip of pins over the past week on a kitchen with cherry cabinets and trim. guns of this ilk are absolutely invaluable in delicate/intricate hardwood production work, from temporary jigging to glue up clamping to achieving the perfect miter. but this gun drove me up the wall and forced the guy coming behind me with the markers and putty to take his artistry to a new level. almost every pin stood proud, long grain shots and end grain. if it wasn't proud there was the slightest dent from the gun nose and the pin was still didn't countersink. when trimming in standard fjp this gun is a godsend, but for hardwood work you had better invest in a microscopic nailset(alien technology, coming soon) if bostitch hasn't decided to include one in the case already
...to follow up, this pinner is but a continuing let down. production installation of hardwood is the name, having the pin hold the pieces is but half the game. the many, the proud. i have a quick learning curve, now i've got a grex.
I was excited to purchase this nailer based on its ability to drive pins in excess of 1 inch. When it arrived I was pleased with the construction of the unit, very well made in the true Bostitch tradition. Upon immediately firing up my compressor to see what the unit will do, I was disappointed to see that it had a problem driving the 1 3/16 inch pins all the way into hardwood, in this case red oak. I tried different settings and even with the PSI set to max the pins would not countersink. I had to use a nail punch to finish the job, which is counter intuitive to why you would use a pin nailer to begin with. Other than that the nailer performs flawlessly, never jamming, etc. And by the way, the 1 3/6 pins are tough to come by. I have not seen them in any of my local home improvement or hardware stores. They are available through Amazon however, so you can stock up there.
I have been remodeling my home for the past year and was completing brand new Oak stairs with newel posts and balisters and railing. I had made all these pieces my self and I had to make some very small trim pieces and attach them to these beautiful stairs but my 18 guage trim nailer just blew them into toothpicks. I searched the web for a solution and found a review of pin guns in the JCL. I went to amazon and found the recommended gun kit. It arrived in a couple days. The little trim pieces were then tacked into place and you can hardly see the mark where the pin went through the trim piece.
I'm amazed at the amount of people trying to use this 23 guage pinner as a brad nailer or even a finish nailer. Most, if not all of the problems mentioned are due to operator error. These pinners are meant for delicate trim work where very thin and narrow pieces of wood can't be attached with a small nail or even a brad. When I read about using this guage pin on Ipe or people wanting a 2" pin it makes me cringe. It seems people are going to misuse and abuse machines all day long until they break and then they blame the machine. Learn your tool and learn the proper usage before expecting the impossible. It seems most of these "professionals" don't even know what a brad nailer is, let alone when to use a finish nail, a brad nail or a pin. There's a difference.
I was not able to make it sink one pin in any material. Those little pins hurt when you run your finger over them! Maybe I got a bad one. It is in the shop now being checked. My partner has a Grex and has had no trouble at all. I went with the Bostitch because I have had great service from their other products. If you buy this gun and have trouble, send it back before the return deadline.'
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