<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" When compared to electric or battery-powered tools, pneumatic tools are often faster, more accurate, less expensive and lighter in weight. Plus, there&amp;#039;s a pneumatic tool for nearly every DIY chore you&amp;#039;re likely to encounter, including drilling holes, driving nails, sanding wood, tightening nuts, spraying paint, stapling down cable, sawing wood and metal, polishing surfaces and sandblasting away paint and rust. In order to use to use air tools, you do have to invest in an air compressor. But prices have come down dramatically as competition has heated up. Many manufacturers offer affordable combo kits, which include a compressor, air hose, and one or more pneumatic tools. Plus, an air compressor is useful to have around the house, even if you just use it to inflate tires and blow sawdust off your workbench. If you&amp;#039;re interested in using air power--not elbow grease--to complete your next home-remodeling or woodworking project, then consider these pneumatic tools.  1. Compact Air Compressor  Air compressors come in every imaginable size, including heavy wheeled models and stationary units that are roughly the size of a refrigerator. However, for DIYers I recommend a portable compact air compressor. These units weigh as little as 20 pounds, so you can easily carry them from room to room, and they&amp;#039;re affordable, starting at around $150. Two popular compact compressors include the pancake style, which has a round, slightly flattened air tank, and the pancake styletotally enclosed style, with its air tank concealed within a plastic housing. Both styles have no-maintenance, oil-free pumps, and 120-volt motors that produce about 90 to 125 pounds psi of air pressure, which is more than enough power to run most air tools. The air tanks on pancake compressors are slightly larger than those on enclosed compressors, so their motors kick on less frequently during use. However, they&amp;#039;re also louder than totally enclosed compressors.  2. Finish Nailer  There&amp;#039;s simply no faster, easier or more fun way to drive nails than with a pneumatic nailer. Just squeeze the trigger and--bang!--the nail is instantly shot into the wood and its head is set below the surface. No more smashed thumbs or banged-up work pieces. The most popular air tool for driving nails is the finish nailer, which typically drives 16-gauge nails ranging from about 1-1/4 to 2-1/2 in. long. This versatile tool is ideal for woodworking and room-renovation projects. Use it to install baseboard, crown molding and window and door casings. It&amp;#039;s equally well-suited for building cabinets and furniture.   There are two basic styles of finish nailers: straight and angled. The main difference is that on an angled nailer, the magazine that holds the nails angles up toward the end of the handle. On a straight nailer, the magazine is parallel with the handle, or in other words, straight. You&amp;#039;ll pay a bit more for an angled nailer, like this new T250A from Paslode, but the advantage is that you can fit the tool into tighter spaces and wall corners because the magazine isn&amp;#039;t in the way. Expect to pay between $150 and $200 for a high-quality finish nailer. 3. Brad Nailer  If the finish nailer is the most popular pneumatic nailer, brad nailers run a very close second. The primary difference between the two is that a brad nailer shoots brads--surprise!--which are thinner and shorter than finishing nails. As a result, you can use a brad nailer to fasten smaller, thinner pieces of wood. The tool is also lighter, smaller and less expensive; a good-quality brad nailer costs about $90.  Most brad nailers shoot 18-gauge nails ranging in length from about 5/8 to 2 in. That makes a tool like this one from Bostitch perfect for installing interior trim and for building models, cabinets, toys and furniture. 4. Pin Nailer  Although pin nailers aren&amp;#039;t nearly as popular as finish nailers or brad nailers, these pint-size nailers are still extremely valuable. In fact, they can be used when no other pneumatic nailer can. Pin nailers shoot headless nails called pins that range from 3/8 to 1-3/16 in. long. These ultraslim 23-gauge fasteners can be shot into the very thinnest piece of wood without splitting it. I used my pin nailer recently to fasten 1/4-in.-thick hardwood banding to the edge of plywood shelves. Trying to use any other nailer would&amp;#039;ve certainly split the banding. I could&amp;#039;ve drilled pilot holes and hand-nailed the banding with brads, but that would&amp;#039;ve taken forever.   Another benefit of pin nailing is that the pins leave such teeny, tiny holes you won&amp;#039;t have to fill them with putty. You can find a tool like this Bostitch HP118K in pin nailer kits, which include an assortment of pins and a storage case, for about $100. 5. Narrow-Crown Stapler  There are many projects that require fastening with something other than a nail, brad or pin. That&amp;#039;s when it&amp;#039;s useful to own a pneumatic stapler, like this Hitachi. Staples, with their two long legs and wide head, provide much greater hold-down force than other fasteners.   Staples are typically shot into surfaces that won&amp;#039;t be seen in the completed project. For example, pneumatic staplers are ideal for assembling doorjambs, fastening plywood cabinet backs, repairing upholstery, and tacking down tongue-and-groove boards. They&amp;#039;re also commonly used to build shipping crates, secure floor underlayment, and install carpeting. Most narrow-crown staplers shoot 18-gauge staples that are 1/4 in. to 1/2 in. wide, and 3/8 in. to 1-1/2 in. long. Expect to pay $100 or so for a decent pneumatic stapler. It&amp;#039;s worth noting that some pneumatic-tool makers produce a combination stapler/nailer that shoots both staples and brads.  6. Random-Orbit Sander  Most do-it-yourselfers are familiar with electric random-orbit sanders, but few people know that there was a pneumatic version of this valuable tool long before anyone thought to add a power cord.   Today, pneumatic random-orbit sanders can be found in virtually all auto-body and cabinetmaking shops. The round pads on these tools spin in circles and vibrate in tiny orbit simultaneously, making them effective at removing material and creating ultra-smooth surfaces. Some models feature a rear exhaust that allows you to control the speed of the sander, which typically operates at around 12,000 rpm. Unlike a nailer&amp;#039;s intermittent bursts, the sander draws a continuous air stream from the compressor--check the sander&amp;#039;s cubic foot per minute (cfm) requirement to make sure your compressor is up to the job. Pneumatic random-orbit sanders like this one from Campbell Hausfeld cost about $120. 7. Reciprocating Saw  A pneumatic reciprocating saw, which costs about $110, might not be able to match the cutting capacity and overall power of a full-size electric reciprocating saw. But it does have one distinct advantage: its compact size and small-diameter body fits into extremely tight spaces. Use a quick-cutting saw like this new Porter-Cable PTX5 to slice through wood, plastics, metal and composite lumber. When fitted with the appropriate blade, it&amp;#039;ll even cut through nail-embedded wood, making it valuable for demo work. 8. Ratchet Wrench  If you&amp;#039;ve ever used a ratchet wrench inside a cabinet, beneath the hood of a car, or in any other restricted space, then you&amp;#039;re going to appreciate the pneumatic ratchet wrench. Just squeeze its paddle switch and compressed air spins the socket to tighten or loosen hex-head nuts and bolts. The tool has a compact 90 adjustable head for easy placement of the socket onto the fastener. And since there&amp;#039;s no handle to swing back and forth, it&amp;#039;ll work in the very tightest spots. A 3/8-in. model like this Ingersoll-Rand 109XPA is fairly common, but air ratchet wrenches come in a wide variety of sizes and styles. Plan to pay about $165 for a high-quality model.  RELATED STORIES \u2022 ABUSIVE LAB TEST: Power Sander Face-Off (With Video!)  \u2022 PLUS: Two Reciprocating Saws, One Lop-sided Test  \u2022 EARLIER: 10 Tools That Every DIY Guy Wants  \u2022 DIY GUY: Read all of Joe&amp;#039;s Columns in One Place!   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/tools/reviews/a3873/4298637/>