Ridgid R350RHA
SpecsSize: 14"H by 203/4"L Weight: 8.4 pounds Nail length: 2"-3 1/2" Nail diameter: .113"-.162" Street price: $289 Ridge Tool Co.
866/539-1710 www.ridgid.com |
Earlier this year, JLC sent me a Ridgid R350RHA framing
nailer to test. Ridgid-brand power tools have not been around
for very long, so I was curious to see how the company's first
framing nailer would perform. When the gun arrived, I took it
to work and shared it with the other carpenters on the framing
crew. The model we tested drives full round-head nails, but
there's also a version that shoots clipped-head
fasteners.
Features
The R350RHA has nearly every feature that can be found on a
modern framing nailer. It comes with a swivel air fitting,
which I like because it cuts down on hose repairs by reducing
stress where the hose enters the gun. A self-cleaning filter
prevents grit from getting into the tool by blasting it out of
the fitting when you disconnect the hose. The selectable
trigger makes it easy to switch between bump and sequential
firing.
My favorite feature is the rafter hook, which prevents damage
by reducing the number of times the gun is likely to fall. I
also like the convenience factor of being able to hang the tool
somewhere easily within reach. In most cases I won't buy a gun
unless it either comes with a hook or can be outfitted with
one.
A rafter hook makes it easy to hang the
tool, yet only Ridgid and a few other manufacturers include one
as a standard feature.
Other features include an adjustable exhaust cap, tool-free
depth of drive, and a muffler to dampen sound. I appreciate
these features, too — but nowadays just about every tool
has them so they aren't worth getting excited about.
One thing I don't like about the Ridgid gun — and this is
just a personal preference — is the rear-loading
magazine. We change nail sizes a lot, and I think it's easier
to get nails out of the tool when it loads from the top. I do,
however, like the fact that the gun won't fire when the
magazine is empty.
Performance
The R350RHA shoots fasteners measuring up to 3 1/2 by .162
inches (full 16d). Like most framers, I rarely shoot nails that
big, but it's nice to know I can if I need to. The nosepiece is
very aggressive, which makes it easy to toenail hard materials
like engineered rim. Some of our other guns slip when we try to
toenail this material to the sill.
The R350RHA's
toenailing claw doesn't look unusual, but it's better than most
at grabbing on at an angle.
The Ridgid gun has a powerful motor, so our crew had no
problems using it to nail LVL material. The dial-controlled
depth-of-drive mechanism made shear nailing a breeze. We
normally fasten sheathing with a coil gun, but sometimes we use
Bostitch Sheather Plus nails in a stick nailer. With their
oversize heads, these fasteners tend to jam in guns they were
not designed to fit. Although the Ridgid gun is not on the list
of tools designated to take these nails, it drives them just
fine.
It wasn't until the testing was nearly complete that we noticed
the gun's slide switch, which is for adjusting the magazine to
accept different diameter fasteners. One setting is for
.131-inch to .162-inch nails and the other is for .113-inch to
.120-inch nails. We had left it on the high setting the entire
time. Nevertheless, we did not notice any problems shooting
smaller nails.
This nailer is comfortable to use; it's well balanced and has
an overmolded rubber grip. Even when driving full 16d nails, it
does a good job dampening the blows. According to the
manufacturer, the gun weighs 8.4 pounds, which is about average
for a tool of this type. The rafter hook is made from what
seems to be a durable type of plastic. It works very well and
folds close to the grip when you want to get it out of the way.
The gun comes in a nylon storage bag and retails for around
$289.
The Verdict
The R350RHA has a longer list of features than most other guns;
even so, there's nothing terribly special about it. It works
well, but so do many other framing nailers. If there were
something unusual about this gun, I might be more tempted to
buy one — but as it is I'd be reluctant to do so because
it's from a new product line and I don't have any way of
knowing how well it will hold up over a period of years.
In fairness, the tool does appear to be well made and it comes
with a three-year warranty. The manufacturer is currently
offering a free service agreement that covers the driver and
O-rings for the life of the tool. You have to register for the
service agreement, however, and even if things went as
promised, I personally wouldn't want to be without the tool for
the time it would take to get it repaired at a service
center.
Tim Uhleris lead framer for Pioneer Builders Inc.
in Port Orchard, Wash.
Job Cameras
Neither Snow, nor Rain, nor Gloom of
Night.
Your digital camera should work when you do
— regardless of the weather. A metal body sealed with
rubber gaskets makes the 8.0-megapixel Stylus 800 virtually
impervious to bad weather. Maker Olympus claims the camera has
exceptional low-light sensitivity — a handy perk for dark
attics and basements. It also has a built-in microphone, so you
can add narration to your images for estimating purposes. At 4
inches wide, 2 1/4 inches tall, and 1 1/4 inches thick, it
sells for about $450.Olympus America, 800/622-6372,
www.olympusamerica.com
The Little Camera That Could.
The Canon SD500 Digital Elph is a small camera with a
surprising large 7.1-megapixel chip. Measuring 2 1/2 inches
tall, 3 1/2 inches wide, and 1 inch thick, it boasts a 3X
optical zoom and a 4X digital zoom. It's also "PictBridge
Compliant" — Canon's term for the ability to print to any
brand of compatible printer — which should be a great
feature for less tech-savvy users. It lists at about $500.
Canon USA, 800/652-2666, www.usa.canon.com
Look Inside.
Old homes are full of surprises — and most aren't good
ones. To see what's going on in the mysterious spaces behind
walls and under floors, consider getting a SnakeEye Inspection
Camera. What's cool about this high-tech video camera is that
you can use the LCD monitor to share with a client what you
see. You can also record the footage — for estimates, for
consultations with subs, and to protect yourself against
lawsuits. All in all, the camera provides a great way for you
to distinguish yourself from the competition and justify your
estimate. The basic kit consists of the probe-mounted camera
with an LED light, a 5-inch handheld color display, two niMH
batteries with a charger, AC and 12-volt car adapters, and a
case. It sells for about $2,000. Aqua Communication, 781/
642-7088, www.aquacomm.com
Cabinetmaking Tools
Competitive Edge. Despise edge banding? Check out The
Burgess Edge. This pair of patented router bits simplifies the
whole process of finishing veneer-plywood edges. One bit
prepares the edge with a D-shaped dado and the other makes a
corresponding piece of solid stock to fill it. Shims adjust the
cutters to the plywood thickness. According to inventor Michael
Burgess, a longtime carpenter, this method is less expensive,
better-looking, and more reliable than other, more familiar
edge-finishing techniques. The 3/4-inch-bit set costs $129; the
1/2-inch set $119 — or you can buy both for $200. Burgess
sells a similar setup for spindle shapers. Burgess Edge,
802/233-1489,
www.burgessedge.com
Hinge Locator. With the EZ-Mount, you can install cabinet doors
in less than a minute, claims its maker. The clever plastic jig
makes it easy to position cup-style hinges on both inset and
overlay frameless-cabinetry doors. (A model for face-framed
cabinets should be available by press time.) The jig holds the
hinge plate with a nice tight fit, so there's little or no
adjustment needed when it's time to hang the door. Inventor
Stan Klanowski, a cabinetmaker with 30 years of experience,
came up with the device as a way to compete with cabinet shops
that use automated equipment. Available for Blum and Salice
hinges, the kit includes jigs for inset and for overlay doors,
and costs about $20. EZ-Mount, 480/829-1214,
www.ez-mount.com
Pin-Placement Help.
Drilling holes for shelf pins can be a time-consuming process,
and if you don't get it right the results look pretty awful.
The Gladstone Shelf Drilling Jig strikes me as a great way to
make shelf-pin holes accurately and efficiently. Designed for
1/4-inch and 5-millimeter holes, the jig spaces them 1 1/4, 1
3/4, or 2 1/4 inches from the edge on 1-inch centers. The kit
includes both 1/4-inch and 5-millimeter bits with matching
stops and sells for $75. Gladstone, 800/243-0713,
www.gladstonetools.com
Slot Machine.
Amana's new slot cutter, the E-Z Dial, is unlike any I've ever
seen. A dial on the bottom allows you to adjust the thickness
of the cutters 1/32 inch with every turn. The tool comes in two
models: The 55500 adjusts from 1/8 to 1/4 inch, and the 55510
from 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Both have a 1/2-inch shank. Amana says
the tool is perfect for making slots for drawer bottoms because
it allows you to easily fine-tune the thickness of undersized
plywood, without shims or improvised spacers. It sells for
about $100. Amana Tool, 800/445-0077,
www.amanatool.com
Feathered Friends.
Shopmade feather boards work fine in many instances, but
sometimes they're a little clunky for precision work. The
FeatherBow and compact FeatherBow Jr. — both of which are
made from high-impact plastic — mount easily on your
woodworking equipment and set up faster than conventional
feather boards, says the manufacturer. The bow-shaped side that
gives the tools their name looks especially handy. And in a
stroke of brilliance, the manufacturer made the packaging
recyclable. When you break it apart, it yields up to five
plastic push sticks. The Featherbow sells for $35 and the
FeatherBow Jr. for $23. Mystic Works, 860/896-0683,
www.featherbow.com
Stick to It.
Are the rip-fence measurements on your table saw showing their
age? Do your homemade jigs and miter-saw station lack measuring
scales? For these and countless other applications, get
yourself at least one of the ProCarpenter Peel and Stick Tape
Measures from FastCap. Sold in 12-foot lengths with
black-on-white measurements, they come in both left-read and
right-read versions, and unlike the broken PowerLock blade
you're using now, they lie completely flat. They cost $12
apiece. FastCap, 888/443-3748, www.fastcap.com