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Clamp and Fastening Tool Reviews & Buying Guides

Fastening tools include clamps, powder actuated tools, rivet guns, and other specialized hand tools. In addition to those, we provide clamp reviews that cover all types of clamps for the Pro carpenter or remodeler. Fastening tools and clamp reviews take us into a broad category, but they’re important to nearly all trades. Whether fastening a piece of material down using a set of DeWalt trigger clamps or using a Kreg Automaxx bar clamp to glue boards, fastening tools and clamps are key. Fastening Tools and Clamp Reviews for the Trades The thing about fastening and trades is that each one has its share of tools in the category. With woodworking, we review lots of clamps and even some glue guns. For decking and framing, a Rockwell Jawhorse may be a key component to securing pieces about to the fastened with other tools. On a roofing project, a tool like the Bostitch anti-vibe hammer tacker may be used for securing tar paper. Finally, in decking, you can find products like the CAMO Marksman Pro X1 hidden deck fastening system.

Dow Great Stuff PRO 15 Gun Review
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Dow Great Stuff PRO 15 Gun Review

by Clint DeBoer

The Pro 15 is Dow’s answer to dispensing its Great Stuff Pro expanding foam consistently and easily. It’s a one-handed tool that allows the PRO cans to fasten securely to the top and dispense a bead of expanding foam anywhere from 1/8″ to 3″ in thickness. If you do a lot of construction work, or you are in the specialty trades like plumbing, electrical or weatherization, you’re going to want a tool like this to simplify what can be a very tedious and time-intensive task. Once you use a dispensing gun, you won’t want to go back to manual cans. Add to that the fact that Dow’s Great Stuff Gun can help you to use your cans longer and reduce waste and it just might save you money over the long haul.

CAMO Marksman Pro X1 Hidden Deck Fastening System Preview
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CAMO Marksman Pro X1 Hidden Deck Fastening System Preview

by Clint DeBoer

National Nail Corp. revealed its latest tool this week, Marksman Pro-X1. We reviewed the original CAMO Marksman Pro and really loved how quick and easy it was to set up and use on decking. One thing we wanted was for it to allow for thinner spacing between boards. Looks like National Nail was listening. This new X1 tool delivers multiple gap options for installing wood decks in conjunction with the company’s CAMO Hidden Deck Fastening System and will be shown off at the 2012 DeckExpo in Baltimore, MD. The Marksman Pro-X1 is a contractor grade tool that lets you choose between a narrow gap, preferred when installing wood deckboards, or a standard gap which is required for wood and wood-alternative boards. The Marksman Pro-X1 will work with boards widths measuring between 5-1/4″ and 5-3/4″.

Wolf Bench Paws kit
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Wolf Bench Paws Non-Slip Friction Pad Review

by Clint DeBoer

I guess when you’re in Wyoming, big cats tend to be more on your forethoughts than the rest of the country. When Woodworker’s Supply set out to create a product that would hold products in place when being worked on, they used nature and came out with the Wolf Bench Paw. The product is literally made in the shape of a wolf’s paw and includes an elastomer pad that penetrates the polypropylene (plastic) shell to establish a grip that won’t peel off or pull away from the body.

Bostitch MFN-201 Manual Flooring Cleat Nailer Kit Review
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Bostitch MFN-201 Manual Flooring Cleat Nailer Kit Review

by Thomas Gaige

While it is not everyday that we need to install tongue and groove flooring, we recently had an opportunity to put down about 2000 square feet of 6” wide cypress. The cypress is a lot softer then say oak or bamboo but the process is the same for all kinds of both pre-finished and post-finished nail-down flooring. To do this project we probably should have used a pneumatic floor nailer, but since we fell into a really good deal on a pair of Bostitch MFN-201 Manual Flooring Cleat Nailer Kits, we went this route.

Rockwell JawStand clamp stand
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Rockwell JawStand Clamp Stand Preview

by Clint DeBoer

Whether it’s hanging a door or setting drywall into place overhead, there are a number of instances where it would simply be nice to have a friend to help out… or maybe just have a more versatile clamping system – one that doesn’t take coffee breaks and never drops stuff. The “new” Rockwell JawStand seems to fit that bill nicely, and it does it in a lean and mean package. We put ‘new’ in quotes because this tool has been out before from a company called Triton (MSA200) and is now appearing under the Rockwell name – something that, if it increases availability and distribution, can only be a good thing for consumers. Rock on, Rockwell.

Powernail Model 50M Manual Floor Nailer
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Powernail 50M Manual Floor Nailer

by Clint DeBoer

The Model 50M is a manual, single-blow nailer designed to use 18 gauge cleats. It is recommended for use on 3/8″, 1/2″ and 5/8″ tongue and groove flooring, as well as some 3/4″, exotic and solid wood flooring. The 50M uses a thinner 18 gauge cleat that is less likely to split the tongue on thinner woods and provides a reliable bond to the underlayment. This is a very robust nailer and it should do an incredible job at smaller jobs. We don’t recommend it for larger work over 300 sq. ft. as it will invariably produce lots of arm strain due to its reduced handle size and greater amount of required exertion over a pneumatic model.

Arrow HT50PBL Hammer Tacker Quick Look
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Arrow HT50 Hammer Tacker Preview

by Clint DeBoer

Arrow’s HT50PBL Heavy Duty Hammer Tacker is a unique product that swings and hits like a hammer, driving a staple with each blow. Typically you use a product like this for anything ranging from installation of roofing insulation to tacking down roofing felt, carpet underlayment, or other materials. The HT50PBL hammer tacker features an all-steel construction with a rubberized coating that helps absorb impacts and delivers a nice grip.

Arrow PowerShot 5700 Staple Gun Quick Look
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Arrow PowerShot 5700 Staple Gun Preview

by Clint DeBoer

The PowerShot “Heavy Duty” Staple & Nail Gun features a forward action design, meaning that you actually press down on the front of the tool to actuate it, rather than the back end. This is not only more ergonomic, it also applies the most pressure to the point where the staple is firing, delivering more power and control with less effort. This makes the tool easy to use, but also gives it an unusual mechanism which is more prone to jams.

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