On site at a home building project, Bowers saw a contractor nailing joist hangers by hand. "You usually need a special 3-inch nail and hammer to do it by hand. This contractor wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary, but I knew of a tool that would make his job easier," says Bill Bowers of Stanley-Bostitch.
Nailing joist hangers is a typically awkward job. Many of these connections are in corners and around hurricane strapping and require contractors to hammer in tight spaces or upside-down.
But Bowers also knew his company recently introduced a special tool designed just for this type of application -- the Strapshot 21⁄2 metal connecting nailer, or the MCN250.
When Bowers left the jobsite, he called Denise Gabriele, inside sales manager with Arnold Lumber, West Kingston, R.I. Bowers explained the situation to Gabriele and the Arnold Lumber team was able get this tool to the contractor.
"This is a unique tool in the industry because it installs joist hanger nails pneumatically instead of by hand," Gabriele says. "This offers an alternative to contractors to help make their lives easier and more efficient."
Because of the secure fit achieved with the tool, contractors can use the MCN250 with 2.5-inch nails that meet the ICC ESR 2122 Code. Gabriele says her company also sells the 2.5-inch nails that are used with the tool.
One of the special features of the MCN250 is that it exposes each nail tip so contractors can place it directly into the connector holes before he fires the tool, allowing the contractor to precisely place each nail. It was designed to fit into right angles and other hard-to-reach areas. It has a magazine capacity of 53 fasteners and accepts 1.5- and 2.5-inch paper tape collated nails ranging from .131 to .162 in diameter.