The Nail Gun and The Circular Saw

The Nail Gun A Brief History On The Most Commonly Used Power Tool In Wood Frame Construction.

The Nail GunEarly History of Powder Actuated FasteningJust after the turn of the twentieth century, an Englishman named ROBERT TEMPLE experimented with the idea of harnessing the energy from the explosive powder that was being used in munitions at that time and using it for a different purpose.

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The Nail GunEarly History of Powder Actuated Fastening (cont.)In the early 1900s he developed a crude product with a very limited capability that realized his ambition. The principle of this device was adapted for use as a cattle stunner and was produced by the TEMPLE COX DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, of BROMLEY, KENT, ENGLAND. This Temple Cox cattle stunning gun was described as a captive punch that had a sledge hammer effect for effectively killing or stunning cattle, and was used extensively throughout Europe.

3The Nail GunBritish Use of Powder Actuated DevicesIn the years prior to World War I (1914-1918) an underwater powder actuated device received extensive testing by the British Admiralty in salvaging and repairing of ships. One example of this work was the pinning of steel plates over gaping holes in the hulls of sunken ships. Divers would go down and use this device to shoot pins or nails as they are called today to hold these plates on.

British Use of Powder Actuated Devices (cont)Another application used by the British was the use of hollow fasteners. They were driven into the hull of a sunken ships and by pumping air through these hollow fasteners, salvage crews were able to raise ships back to the surface. With a device similar to the one used for pinning of steel plates, divers drove these hollow fasteners into the hulls of these ships.

The Nail GunUnderwater Powder Actuated Device Around the WorldA modified version of this underwater powder actuated device was adopted by the principal Navies of the world in the late 1930s and became standard equipment for salvage operations. It was a cumbersome device weighing approximately 36 kgs. (80lbs.) and utilized a complicated one-piece fastener and powder charge system.

The Nail GunStanley TempleIn 1942 Stanley Temple, one of the two sons of Robert Temple, the inventor, was employed in the United States as a toolmaker with the Iron Fireman Manufacturing Company in Cleveland, Ohio. This company manufactured .30 calibre machine guns for Aircraft and other related equipment.

The Nail GunStanley Temple (cont)Stanley Temple continued his interest in powder actuation as expressed by his father. It was at this time that the first practical powder actuated tool was developed. This tool was the forerunner of the RAMSET TOOL as we know it today, and the name of this tool was called the Velocitool.Patent No. 2470117 was applied for in 1943 and went on to become the basic RAMSET product patent which did not expire until May 1966

The Nail GunThe VelocitoolThe VELOCITOOL was a cumbersome heavy-duty object that used a .38 or .45 calibre cartridge to propel the fastener.It was less than half the size and weight of the earlier version developed some 30 years earlier. By todays standard, this tool would be considered crude and cumbersome, although it used the most versatile combination of fastener and cartridge system.

The Nail GunThe Velocitool (cont)This tool weighed approximately 20kg (45lbs.) and was made of stainless steel to withstand corrosion from salt water. It had a barrel bore. It employed a jab-down thrusting motion to cock and fire the tool which was a difficult feat when used underwater, as a diver is buoyant and has little leverage control.

The Nail GunThe Velocitool (cont)Like its earlier counterpart, the tool was used exclusively by the armed services and had no application to commercial industry. Production ceased on this tool at the end of World War 2 (1945). Stanley Temple left the Iron Fireman Manufacturing Company and continued to design and develop the VELOCITOOL

The Nail GunThe TempotoolDuring this period that the Velocitool was around through the close association of JESSE E. WILLIAMS, who recognized the need for a portable, lightweight tool, a more commercially viable tool was developed and was called TEMPOTOOL.

The Nail GunThe Tempotool (cont)The TEMPOTOOL was a small, lightweight tool that used low power .22 calibre blank power loads for the first time. The tool comprised only four major assemblies and weighed less than 1kg. (2lbs.). The tool used any of three .22 calibre power loads: green (light), yellow (medium) and red (heavy). It was actuated when struck with the open hand. The tool was also marketed in an L SERIES which used .38 calibre power loads also color coded green, yellow and red.

The Nail GunRamset Fasteners Inc.In late 1948, RAMSET FASTENERS INC. was founded to assume the distribution and sales responsibility for all STEMCO products. All TEMPOTOOL products were then renamed RAMSET hence the RAMSET FASTENING SYSTEM was born.

The Nail GunRamset Fasteners Inc.Explosive-powered ("powder actuated") nail guns fall into two broad categories: Category 1: Direct Acting or high velocity devices. This uses expanding gas from a powder load to act directly onto the fastener to propel it at high velocity > 100ft (typical 300+) per sec into the substrate.

The Nail GunRamset Fasteners Inc (cont)Explosive-powered ("powder actuated") nail guns fall into two broad categories:Category 2: Indirect Acting or low velocity devices. This uses expanding gas from a powder load to act directly onto a captive piston which inturn, drives the fastener at low velocity < 100ft (typical 70-85) per sec into the subsrate. Indirect drive nailers are safer because they cannot launch a free-flying projectile even if tampered with or misused, and the lower velocity of the nails are less likely to cause explosive shattering of the work substrate.

The Nail GunFastening Systems Post WWIIDuring the mid 1950s a group of men from Windsted New York were sitting around and came up with the idea of a compressed air nail gun.Two of the Gentleman by the names of John Ollig and Marvin Hirsch spearheaded the idea. This idea was sparked by knowledge of how the automatic machine gun worked during there time of service in the army.

The Nail GunFastening Systems Post WWII (cont)After several demonstration models were created the group took there idea on the road and tried to sell it to investors.Finally the Windsted group found a gentleman by the name of Jack Kuehn who was very interested in investing in the manufacturing of this amazing new pneumatic nail gun.He eventually gave the Windsted men $5000 to invest into there product.

The Nail GunPort-A-Matic Tool CompanyAs time went on Marvin Hirsh and John Ollig found many more investors to help fund there project and were successful for a period of time but after about 10 years of production there company was foreclosed by the bank and liquidated accordingly.

The Nail GunThe Nail Gun after Port-A-Matic ToolsEven though the John Ollig and Marvin Hirsh did not succeed with there company Port-A-Matic tools the idea of the nail gun was now a permanent fixture in many inventors and investors minds. This idea of a pneumatic nail gun was contagious and eventually reincarnated back into refinement and production not to long after Port-A-Matic went out of business.

The Nail GunThe Nail Gun Today:Today after years of new ideas, broken down tools, tool refinements, and other countless research and development ventures the nail gun has blossomed into an immensely useful tool. Companies that offer Nail Gun Products:Hitachi - http://www.hitachi.com/Dewalt - http://www.dewalt.com/Paslode - http://www.paslode.com/

The Nail Gun (Afterword) The Nail Gun and How It Relates To Technology and Society:I found that this was a good subject to cover because It showed how out of necessity something was invented or developed. However the original idea was developed along time ago for another purpose. More specifically the nail gun idea came from the idea of a gun that shoots bullets, not nails.

The Nail Gun (Afterword)The Nail Gun and How It Relates To Technology and Society:It seem that because of the powder actuated Rifle or Gun the Nail Gun came about. The rapid and repetitive speed that the powder actuated systems had was of an advantage to other non military commercial applications.First the Powder Actuated Fastener came about due to its immediate relationship to a rifle or gun and then a Pneumatic faster came into frution because of its safer more cost effective use.Lastly, I believe this is a superb example of how humans have become Cyborgs. The Nail Gun is an extension to our normal non-mechanical abilities. Before nail guns were used hammers were used to drive pins or nails. This is also a form of humans becoming Cyborgs. However, by chance, experimentation, and equal parts necessity the Nail Gun today finally manifested itself.