Hand Nailing Shingles

Does it make for a better job?

In general, how much slower is hand nailing than using a gun?

Are their many/any S.O.B.'s hand nailing shingles?

How difficult do you think it would be to sell the idea of paying more to have a roof installed with hand nails?

I've always had the impression that the when hand nailing, I got more control over the placement and depth the nails are driven. Additionally, hot dipped galvanized nails are more corrosion resistant than electroplated galvanized nails. If you could charge enough more for hand nailing to offset your reduction in speed, do you think hand nailing could be effectively sold as a superior installation?>>>

Yo, Ottawa...While you are dipping for your 5 nails I am still nailing. I can finger nails from a handful of 25+ just as fast as from a handful of 5. I just don't have to grab nails as often. If you don't do it you do not know how fast someone can get having done maybe 10,000 squares that way. If the nails are over 1 1/4 I cannot hold 25. I am referring mostly to 7/8 or 1 inch nails. Lanny>>>

Yo, Ottawa...While you are dipping for your 5 nails I am still nailing. I can finger nails from a handful of 25+ just as fast as from a handful of 5. I just don't have to grab nails as often. If you don't do it you do not know how fast someone can get having done maybe 10,000 squares that way. If the nails are over 1 1/4 I cannot hold 25. I am referring mostly to 7/8 or 1 inch nails. Lanny>>>

Yo, Ottawa...While you are dipping for your 5 nails I am still nailing. I can finger nails from a handful of 25+ just as fast as from a handful of 5. I just don't have to grab nails as often. If you don't do it you do not know how fast someone can get having done maybe 10,000 squares that way. If the nails are over 1 1/4 I cannot hold 25. I am referring mostly to 7/8 or 1 inch nails. Lanny>>>

Yo, Ottawa...While you are dipping for your 5 nails I am still nailing. I can finger nails from a handful of 25+ just as fast as from a handful of 5. I just don't have to grab nails as often. If you don't do it you do not know how fast someone can get having done maybe 10,000 squares that way. If the nails are over 1 1/4 I cannot hold 25. I am referring mostly to 7/8 or 1 inch nails. Lanny>>>

Yo, Ottawa...While you are dipping for your 5 nails I am still nailing. I can finger nails from a handful of 25+ just as fast as from a handful of 5. I just don't have to grab nails as often. If you don't do it you do not know how fast someone can get having done maybe 10,000 squares that way. If the nails are over 1 1/4 I cannot hold 25. I am referring mostly to 7/8 or 1 inch nails. Lanny>>>

Yo, Ottawa...While you are dipping for your 5 nails I am still nailing. I can finger nails from a handful of 25+ just as fast as from a handful of 5. I just don't have to grab nails as often. If you don't do it you do not know how fast someone can get having done maybe 10,000 squares that way. If the nails are over 1 1/4 I cannot hold 25. I am referring mostly to 7/8 or 1 inch nails. Lanny>>>

Talking about hatchet's. years ago i had a Plumb hatchet, you know with the red handel, made of wood i think it was Hickory, but that gents was the best damb hatchet i ever had.. Anyways that's all i have to say about that.>>>

AHH brings back memories of having monkey knuckles,and fingers so raw you'd have to break out the white tape for them. T-locks were especialy hard hard on them because it took you about four moves of your wrist and hands to put one shingle on. To bad they phased them out. That was an asphalt shingle where it seperated the roofer from a shingler. Back downs seemed to be to hard for them, cause there is no fudging ... can't drop or raise coarses.>>>

........yeah, I've always heard bad things about staples, but never even seen them. In LA the state won't allow them on their jobs. Back in the day an unconcious dip in the pouch produced 10 nails almost every time......>>>

Lanny: If your putting 25 nails in your hand @ one time, i know your slow. You can't have any form of speed when your too occupied with screw'n with your nails, go into your pouch grab 5 or 6 nails, and that alone take skill. once you've got that done, you can line up 5 or 6 nails in your fingers,once you've hit that last nail, for the first time your in your pouch to grab another 5 or 6, so you go right ahead and grab your 25, :S>>>

---As one gets older you appreciate the gun for shingling. Working at a relaxed pace one can still get a lot done in a day. I hand nailed for many years but I remember working hard to hustle and wearing the fingerprints right off my fingers. Handnailing is hard on the hands and body. I always used AJC. I have to laugh at the suggestion of holding 5-6 nails...I usually have about 25 or more nails on my hand which my thumb feeds into position for striking. It can go pretty fast especially with 7/8 nails. ---We get about 3 roofs a year where the owner is sold on handnailing. I don't mind doing it. The helpers prep everything out and I handnail the entire roof except for the ridge cap. ---I have seen many coil nailed roofs where the nails were blown clear through the shingles. Our Senco PW staplers never cut through the shingles and are the best tools for shingles in my opinion. We have stapled hundreds of roofs over 20 years in high wind areas and never had any blow offs. I get people all the time who have been told staples are no good. Fine, we have coil nailers for your roof. I don't argue with customers. They all have all kinds of ideas that other roofers or whomever have put into their heads. Whatever the customer wants if it is not harmful we will accomodate. ---All the roofers I learned from who handnailed are all retired now. The next generation does not handnail at all. Occasionally we will nail a small roof or shed and it is amusing to watch people try and handnail. Almost always they hold the nails wrong between their thumb & pointer finger. I tell them the correct way and say do it right or you will never do it. I suppose it doesn't matter anyway as the skill is just not in demand. Lanny>>>

actually,when you`re nailing a 3/4 " deck,I feel the difference in the recoil,as the gun doesn`t give the same push off,as when you hit solid wood>>>

You can never determine, with a gun, if you sunk a nail in a crack or in some wood. It sinks in one hit no matter what. Guns may save time, but I prefer knowing it's been done right.>>>

wywoody I think that is hilarious. I have a hammer called " Snoopy " A small tack hammer from an Ace type tool kit. It is about 15+ years old and I have had so much fun with it . Lots of Laughs. I started a thread somewhere about tool names . I won't go into it again but love to hear some of them if the guys haven't posted them. Playskool that is great bud>>>

Thanks woody, just hate breaking them in.>>>