[casper_zip]

Hey there:

What is a good pneumatic air staple gun, and also could nail if need be ?
I also need to know what is the correct staples for use in making or assembling my frames.

I would also like to use this same tool (if possible) for nailing the supers, and hive boxes, and any other nailing/staple jobs that beeks need.

Again, thanks for reading this, and thank you for any/all info and/or advice you can give.

Best,

casper_zip

 

[Batman]

Well, the stapler offered by Mann Lake says it's a "heavy duty production grade frame stapler" and its also $295.00. The staples that they offer for frames are 1 1/2" long and have a 3/8" crown and are resin coated, there are 10,000 for $68.95. Now I have bee thinking about getting a stapler for this and just can't quite wrap my head around the price. Sure, 10,000 staples will do 2500 frames at 4 per frame, but down at Harbor Freight, I can get a stapler that handles the same length staples but in 1/4" crowns or 1/2" crowns. The staplers are $20 on up from there and the staples are certainly a lot less than $69 too. Looking at the frames, I think the bottom bar would be destroyed by the 1/2"ers though. I would like to save some $ too, $300 seems a bit steep for a stapler, but at least you have the info that you wanted to know. Now I hope that someone that has a cheap stapler and maybe even the more expensive one comes in and says why they bought what they did.

C2

 

[BeeCurious]

As a hobbyist, I bought a Harbor Freight stapler and a box of their staples. I have assembled 200 frames without a problem.

The $20 stapler will not be able to shoot boxes together. IMO

 

[dnebee]

As with many things, a "combo/do all" unit isn't really good at any single operation. A combo finish nailer and crown stapler really doesn't do a good job at nailing or stapling. You will really want to get a stapler to do the staples and a nailer to do the nails. Something small enough to staple frames together will not handle the size staples or nails you want for boxes. The good news is that it has been my experiance that a cheap crown stapler will do just as good as an expensive one. So if you do some looking you can probably get a cheap crown stapler and a cheap nail gun for less than the price of an expense stapler.

 

[David LaFerney]

I use a Bostitch narrow crown stapler which is about $109 new. Mine has done full time duty in a cabinet shop for several years and has never needed a repair yet. I use 1" staples most of the time because I got a good deal on about a million of them several years ago - but it will shoot up to 1 1/2". It almost never jams or misfires, but the model I have will let you shoot blanks without letting you know.

I have other nail guns that shoot everything from 3/8" pins up to 3 1/2" nails so I'm not relying on one gun to do everything, but for bee equipment the Bostitch stapler would probably be the one I would want if I only had one.

 

[NasalSponge]

I use this one...very nice!!

 

[Roland]

We have a BeA narrow crown stapler from the 70's. Very expensive, but well built. We use Maze double dipped galvanized nails(Peru, Ill, USA) by hand. We pre-drill the holes in the supers. It takes about a week to go through 50 lbs of nails, so We do not feel a pneumatic device is better , at this time.

Roland

 

[iwombat]

I use the rigid stapler (above) w/ 1" staples for frames and the same w/ 1-1/2" staples for assembling boxes. The glue does most of the work for both frames and boxes. The staples just keep it from moving around until the glue sets.

 

[waynesgarden]

I rely on glue and brads. I bought a $99 Lowes special compressor and nailer. The nailer (brads and stapler) only lasted a couple of months, then I bought a Hitachi NT50AE2 18-Gauge 5/8-Inch to 2-Inch Brad Nailer for about $60 on Amazon and it has been working great. 2" 18 ga brads alone aren't worth a darn for holding a box together but holding it together while the glue dries on the finger joints is another story. The boxes are rock-solid.

The 2 gallon Campbell Hausfeld compressor is very loud but works good. I've certainly got my money's worth from it in a short time.

Wayne

 

[beemanbob]

I own two air tools to assemble my frames. The first is a 16 ga. Dewalt 7/16" mediun crown stapler which I use 1 1/2" staples. I use this on the top and bottom bars. The only drawback to the 7/16" stapler is that the staples are not available in Lowes or Home Depot, you have to go to a lumber/building supply store such as 84 Lumber. The 7/16" stapler is used in the construction trade to attach sheathing to projects. The second is a 16 ga. Bostitch finishing nailer (straight not angled) which I will shoot 1 1/4" nails in the side bar to the top bar. Also everything is glued. With these two tools you can assemble a thousand frames together in no time. I also owned a Harbor Freight 1/4" stapler/nailer. It went in the trash. Will not hold up in production mode and it will miss fire quite often.

 

[mxr618]

I'm paying roughly $2 per frame when they are preassembled.

I've got all the tools mentioned above. What is my cost per frame if I assemble them myself?

 

[EastSideBuzz]

I'm paying roughly $2 per frame when they are preassembled.

I've got all the tools mentioned above. What is my cost per frame if I assemble them myself?

.74 per frame or I just bought 1k so that is 63 cents. Plus your shipping will be more per pound because of the size. Shipping will L x W x H x Weight. There will be large air gap in the center of the all the frames.

http://www.mannlakeltd.com/ProductDetail.asp?idproduct=1616&idCategory=20

 

[Mike S]

I use a cheap husky stapler, using 1" staples with 1/4 crown for frames and shooting 10 per frame, 4 top and bottom and one on each end. Also use it to tack hive bodies with 1-1/4" nails then following up with 1/4 square drive ceramic wood srews and also tite bond glue. The little husky will shoot 1/2" to 1-1/4 18 ga nails and also staples. I also use the 1/2 nails for the wedge in the top of the frames. The gun has performed well, just clean and oil ever so often to keep from jamming.

 

[mxr618]

So the frame is .67 and the foundation is roughly $1.20.

Assembled frames are $1.99.
https://www.dadant.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23_39&products_id=614

Shipping between the two has to be the same.

So why would anyone wish to take the time to create your own frames? What am I missing here?

 

[hotrod6779]

Go get you a used porter cable ns100a, b, or c at the pawn shop or on ebay for 20.00 Run it forever. I have. 1 1/2 inch staple

 

[Mike S]

I get foundation med wired for 55 cents + med frames for 63 cents = 1.18 and their close enough to pick up, no freight. About an hour drive from home.

http://www.thehoneyandbeeconnection.com/Index.html

 

[Bees&Trees]

It's been my experience with Harbor Freight, though not necessarily air guns, that you get what you pay for. They are a cheap importer that supplies cheap products. In my opinion it is worth it to spend a little extra money now and get a product that will last. I use the Rigid shown above a lot at work and have had no problems.

 

[Aram]

I hate to give the big box stores free advertising but this is what I got. Works great so far for the $80 :
1/4 crown Hitachy Stapler

 

[nathan]

Hey all, I've been a carpenter for years as well as a beekeeper (a guy's gotta work sometimes) and I use Hitachi nailers and staplers, 90-100 bucks apiece, they last forever under heavy use, such as being used as a mallet to "adjust" pieces of trim. That being said, porter-cable, dewalt, bostich, senco are all good guns. I wouldn't recommend a dual-use (staples and nails) gun, like someone already said, they do neither job well. I would recommend getting something that shoots either senco or bostich pattern nails, as both are widely available. I use 18 gauge 1-1/4" brads to put frames together, just because I have a lot laying around, but shorter brads would work fine. I use 1-1/2" galvanized trim nails for nailing supers, shot out of my old porter-cable angled finish nailer, still going after all these years.

 

[nathan]

Oh, and as regards the frames, I get them for $0.00 apiece, as I can easily make them up in the shop out of scrap. It takes a little time, but not nearly as long as it takes to ship from someone else, and I have a great quality control department. I ordered some from a certain supply company not too long ago, and 10% of the parts were either too warped to use, or split in the case of the end bars. I won't name the company, but neither will I order from them again.