By Dean Bielanowski
Pneumatic bradders, finish nailers or framing nail guns are no doubt handy tools, and most woodshops or carpenters will have an arsenal of them in their tool stash. But a pneumatic stapler is often the better choice in many instances, particularly when the fixing or staples will not be seen in the end product.
Hitachi Narrow Stapler
A good example is cabinet backing. I just recently completed a custom storage cupboard job in my home renovation and I rebated 5/16” plywood into the back of the melamine carcasses I had constructed. Usually one might just brad nail these into place, but a staple provides a far better and more secure fixing than a brad nail. And given the cupboard backs would be placed up against a wall and out of sight, there was no need to have to hide the larger holes the stapler makes.
The crown of the staple provides a much wider fixing than a brad nail head, which is very small in comparison, and this type of project is the ideal choice for either a narrow crown or wide crown pneumatic staple gun.
Staples are also less prone to bending or following grain as they are driven, unlike brad nails which are relatively weak in this regard. As I was driving into melamine I had to be sure the staple ends would not punch through the melamine on the carcass sides where it would chip out and be seen. The pneumatic stapler did a great job, with some careful alignment and firing of course.
Generally speaking, narrow crown staples have a narrower head but often a longer leg, so are better suited for fixing thicker materials together. Wide crown staples may hold better because of the wider crown they possess but may not penetrate as far into material as a result.
So wherever you have a need to fix cabinet backs or any other type of fixing that may not be seen in the end result, consider the use of an air stapler. There are many good models available from the leading manufacturers that will provide a much better fixing than nails of many types can offer.
