The history of installing mouldings is one of big leaps in productivity. Long ago, mouldings had to be installed by hand with finish nails and a hammer followed up by painstaking setting of the nails below the surface and then filling of the holes. With the introduction of pneumatic brad nailers, the nailing part of the process was significantly speeded up. But there was still all that filling to do.

The latest leap in productivity is here with the advent of so-called micro-pinners that use fine-gauge headless pins instead of nails, making the holes nearly invisible and potentially eliminating most of the need for filling holes. The latest entry in this field is the Senco FinishPro 23LXP.

Light, fast, convenient

One of the additional advantages of a nail gun that uses small nails is that the gun itself can be smaller and lighter. The Senco FinishPro 23LXP uses really fine 23-gauge pins, allowing for a very compact and ergonomic package. That also makes it handy for getting into tight corners and such.

The rubber-wrapped handle is solid and comfortable. A swiveling air line attachment helps to keep the airline out of the way when working. An integrated belt hook makes it handy to put the unit aside temporarily when you need both hands for something else.

Look ma, no holes!

This micro pinner uses a fairly wide range of pins. The specifications call for 23 gauge with a .027-inch shank. Lengths range from ½-inch to 2 inches, covering most of the common moulding applications.

So, how small and visible are those holes? The answer will depend on the moulding materials and coloration, but in our tests we found the 23 gauge pins all but disappeared in common raw wood, pre-primed, and pre-finished mouldings we used in a variety of species and materials. Compared to larger gauge brad nailers, there really is no comparison.

For more information on the Senco FinishPro 23LXP, visit www.senco.com.