TIPIt takes a crew of three to get the most speed out of a roofing nailer: one person driving nails, the others Laying shingles in place.Air compressorIf you have your own compressor, you''ll save about $25 per day when you rent an airnailercomparison air nailer. So if you plan to use a nailer for eight days or more, buy a compressor. If you''re framing airnailercomparison up a wall or two, renting a framing nailer airnailercomparison probably isn''t worth the trouble. But it will save hours on a big job like a garage or an addition. You''ll nail studs, joists and rafters quickly, but more important, you''ll nail sheathing to walls and roofs 10 times faster than you could with a hammer. The smallest, brad nailers which shoot brads up to 1-1/4 in. long, often sell for well under $100. You might be better off buying one.Roofing nailerCOST: $50 per day with compressorBENEFITS: Easy as pulling a trigger and faster than a platoon of hammer-swingers.Driving airnailercomparison thousands of roofing nails with a hammer is like scrubbing the floor at Grand Central Station with a toothbrush. Don''t put asphalt shingles on anything bigger than a doghouse without airnailercomparison a roofing nailer. For wood shingles, speed up the job with a roofing stapler. I see it all the time: do-it-yourselfers suffering through projects using medieval tools, or hiring contractors to do jobs they could handle themselves if they only had the right tools.Truth is, you can get just about any tool you''ll ever need at a rental center. Here are a few time-and-sweat-saving tools that do-it-yourselfers often overlook ....JackhammerCOST: $75 to $120 per day BENEFITS: Ten times faster than a sledgehammer with fewer blisters and muscle aches.If you have a big stretch of concrete (like a large driveway) to break up, rent a 60- or 90-lb. jackhammer powered by a trailer-mounted air compressor ($120 per day). But for a smaller job--like steps or a sidewalk--a 60-lb. electric jackhammer is less hassle ($75 per day).
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