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For tight-access nailing when you can’t even get a palm nailer into position, sometimes you have to go old school and use a peashooter.

A peashooter is simply a rod with some heft to it, such as a steel stake, that is fitted inside a tube with a slightly larger diameter.

To use it, place a nail in the tube and use the rod to drive it home.

As shown in the accompanying drawing:

• A peashooter can be assembled from materials typically found on a job site — a length of 5/8-inch threaded rod and a piece of 1/2-inch EMT metallic conduit.
  
  Yes, due to the vagaries of nominal dimensions, a 5/8-inch threaded rod does fit inside a 1/2-inch-diameter tube.
  
  
• This tool will slam home 20d spikes with minimal effort.
  
  
• Other good fits are 1/2-inch threaded rod inside a 1/2-inch copper pipe; and a foundation stake in a 3/4-inch PVC irrigation pipe.

If you have to drive more than a few nails, I seriously would recommend that you pad the handle with some tape.

Likewise, you don’t have to use the opposed nuts shown in the drawing, but they can help you avoid getting pinched. Trust me.

— Gregg Roos; San Francisco

Tips & Techniques provided by Fine Homebuilding.
©2010 The Taunton Press

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