Hand Nailing Shingles

There was a topic about nails staples hand nails etc. What is the better job. Well this goes against the current positions.... Staples when installed properly ie eg pressure correct straight not blown through the shingle one of the best fasteners . Many a super high wind small tornadoes events. Staples held when many a nailed roof gone . T/o shingles with nail on plywood bamn wham shazzamm gawn with just a grab from the corner drip and pull. Staples still stuck in the plywood bang bang bang all day long not putting them on driving and pulling the staples out. The nails a lot of the time come with the shingle.>>>

Hand nailing is better quality but measurably slower I think. Heard all the "Yo man, I can hand bang quick as any gun" but never seen it. I used to be real quick with an Estwing sheetrock hatchet back in the day but a good gun man was no contest. Loop the hose through the back of the tool belt, stack the shingles where they should be and he's gawn.>>>

all in the training,a gun nail will actually hold down much better due to the barb/wire on the shank--sloppiness is unacceptable,learn to do it right 1st,then work on doing it right at a fast rate of speed,no hot dipped here either,I pull nails on ripoffs from 100 years ago,that aren`t hot dipped,and are still in good shape-maybe different on the oceans coast though :blink:>>>

HOP , here is my opinion on what you are asking here.fwiw Some years ago I used air and never had a problem, but i had to constantly stay in everyones arse to keep em straight, it finally got to be to big of a hassel,maintenance,hauling everything around. On everyjob we wood have to take some time at the finish for one to walk the roof with one on the ground to look for fishlips, this wood take approx. 30 min. of extra time on a job.

Does it make for a better job?

Not always does handnailing make the job better,but for me, more times than not, it does. I have noticed that people with airguns tend to get in to big of a hurry, when this happens they lose touch with the fact that the nail has to be driven at a perfect 90* angle with the roof pitch....results fishlips everwhere, they also tend to arch the nails like a rainbow, instead of coming straight across the shingle....results, some nails will be placed above the tarline to far, in what i call the dead zone , or the areas where the shingles lap over each other, when this is done the nail,I have found, will push thru the top shingle, and not hold.

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

I think about 10% slower, but by the time you take to unload all the accessories that you need to use the airnailers,hookup ,setup, and get all on the roof, it balances out in time.

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

I have seen them around here doing both ways.

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

With a customer with some common sense , you could sell handnailing at a higher price. Sorry to say ,to many around here don't have much common sense anymore.

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?

YES,YES,YES,YES,YES ON ALL COUNTS EXCEPT FOR THE HOT DIPPED NAILS,them things will eat the meat off of the ol fingers in a days time.

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HOp; We have a company up here in St Pete that only hand nails. Not sure what he gets as far as price but he uses this as a sales pitch and obviously it works because hes been in biz for quite a while round here.>>>

People still do hand nailing and if you have a guy who can really hand nail, he doesnt go that much slower than a gun. I believe it does make for a better roof if the handnailing is done correctly. Its a dieing art where I live cause of the economy. Hard to sell someone on that when the guy in front of you wants to staple one on. I think you definitly have more control when hand nailing. Take hitting a piece of lumber behind your decking with a gun and you have to pull out your hammer anyway. better control over placement is also a plus I wish it could be sold easily cause that would be all I would sell.>>>