POWER NAILERS and STAPLERS The new pneumatics are smaller, lighter, and more flexible. By Steve Carlson Only a few years ago, power nailers and staplers were largely confined to assembly-line applications. They provided a constant staccato background for the manufactured housing industry, furniture plants, upholstery shops, and huge tract building projects. Among site builders and remodelers, the overwhelming tool of choice was one that had proved its value over centuries- the hammer. That's changing fast. By some estimates, pneumatic fasteners are now used in over 40 percent of building and remodeling projects nationwide. Those figures are hard to verify, but by even the most casual observation, power nailers and staplers are gaining in popularity. Most manufacturers estimate that pneumatics cut in half the time spent on projects like roofing, sheathing, siding, framing, and sub-floor