Help - V-nailing 101 (2024)

Rick Granick

SPFG, Supreme Picture Framing God

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  • Oct 21, 2010
  • #11

Here's a training document I prepared, which may be of some help. We also have a VN2+1.
Help - V-nailing 101 (2) Rick

V-NAILER PROCEDURES

1. Turn on compressor if not yet pressurized. When compressor has stopped, check pressure and/or adjust for hardness of wood, by pulling up on pressure knob, adjusting, then pushing knob down to lock. For most harder woods like ramin, approx. 80 lbs. pressure works well, but on softer woods approx. 60 lbs. or so may be needed to avoid denting by the top clamp. Trial and experience will determine pressure needs.

2. Loosen upper clamp handle. Raise clamp rod. Tighten handle lightly to keep rod up while positioning moulding.

3. See that proper size v-nails for the moulding height are installed. 10 mm. works well for most shapes, but 7 mm. may be needed for low-height shapes. Judge this by holding a sample v-nail up to the chop end to make sure that it will not hit top or cause splitting when inserted.

4. Loosen sliding stop knobs. Place a side of the chop into position and set stop knobs so that chop will slide forward and back only to your desired limits. When setting these limits, care should be taken to judge the optimum location of the v-nails relative to the moulding’s shape. You want to go where there is most wood. Narrow mouldings may have only enough room for one v-nail. Medium width will allow nailing into two places. Wider mouldings may need three or more. Again, experience determines this. When choosing v-nail positions, don’t get too close to the outside (back) of the moulding or splitting may occur. On shapes which have varying height, position so as to avoid protrusion of the v-nail through the top.

5. With upper clamp rod up, press foot pedal half way to lower clamp. Loosen clamp handle and allow clamp to slide down, coming to rest on the positioned chop. This sets the relative position of clamp rod. Tighten handle lightly. Let up on pedal, to raise clamp. Hold the rod in the position you just set, while loosening handle again. Let the rod down just slightly (approx. 1/2 inch) and tighten handle firmly. (But don’t force it.) This sets the actual amount of clamping that takes place. Determine by experience. The idea is to hold the chop down firmly while the v-nail is inserted, but to avoid denting the wood with the clamp. Also to avoid denting, see that upper clamp is positioned properly relative to the moulding’s high points, the proper clamp pad has been chosen, and appropriate foamcore padding is also used if needed. Again, experience will help determine these factors.

6. Once top clamp has been set, position the chop sides, and set front clamp for proper amount of travel. On wider mouldings,you can reset this as you go, for the different v-nail locations. The combination of properly set upper, sliding, and front clamps does most of the work of holding the chop in position while v-nail is driven, but to assure perfect alignment, apply hand pressure as needed.

7. While holding the glued corner in position, press pedal half way down to apply all clamps. If you are satisfied that the corner is still aligned perfectly, press the pedal the rest of the way (gently- no stomping needed) to drive the v-nail. If you think clamping has misaligned the corner, don’t drive the nail, but instead let up on the pedal to disengage clamps, and realign and hold the corner more firmly before reclamping. Only when you know the alignment is just right should you drive the nail.

8. Reposition chop and sliding clamp to next insertion point (if any). Readjust sliding clamp if needed. Hold firmly in position, and repeat above pedal procedure.

9. Once corner has been nailed, wipe off any excess glue which may have protruded. Nail matched pairs of rails (short side on left, long on right) and allow them to set a bit before combining them into a frame. This is especially important on heavier or longer rails, as their weight may cause corner separation if not allowed to harden. Ask for assistance in holding up longer rails for the same reason.

10. When finished, wipe any glue from the upper clamp pad, as dried glue chunks can cause dents in the moulding during clamping. Sliding clamp and black v-nail block should also be cleaned of glue residue which may have accumulated, as it prevents proper alignment of chops. Blow all scraped off residue away firmly, so it does not fall into mechanism.

CHANGING V-NAIL SIZES

1. Back off all clamps to expose black v-nail block. Flip lever to back to release holding rod from v-nail stack.

2. Loosen set screw with wrench and remove v-nail block. Remove remaining v-nail stack.

3. Check mechanism’s v-nail backstop for any stray glue chunks, or other obstructions. Remove any which may be present. Insert the other size stack of v-nails in track, pointy side up, and slide forward against backstop. Flip lever forward to engage holding rod. Slide corresponding size block into place, and tighten set screw. (Just enough pressure to hold it- don’t force.) You are now ready to go.

If a v-nail fails to fire when working, it probably means there is a chunk against the backstop blocking the nails. Clean out as described above, and try again.1. Check or set pressure
2. Raise upper clamp rod and position chop. Set sliding clamps.
3. Check upper clamp pad. Set upper clamp.
4. Set front clamp.
5. Apply glue, Position corner and hold firmly.
6. Press pedal half way to apply clamps.
5. If happy with corner alignment, press pedal further to insert v-nail.
(If corner has shifted, let up on pedal and realign. Hold firmly, and reclamp.)

Help - V-nailing 101 (2024)

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