Staple gun
A staple gun or powered stapler is a hand-held machine used to drive heavy metal staples into wood or masonry. Staple guns are used for many different applications and to affix a variety of materials, including insulation, house wrap, roofing, wiring, carpeting, upholstery, and hobby and craft materials.
Types
Staple guns may be driven by muscle power, electricity (from domestic power or from batteries) or compressed air. Power staple guns can set staples at a somewhat quicker rate than hand-powered models, but their main advantage is that they can be used continuously for hours with comparatively little fatigue.
Some staple guns have a long nose that allows the staples to be applied into recessed corners. Another special feature may be wire guides for wiring to ensure that the staples will not pierce the wire. The "forward action" staple gun has a handle that points toward the trigger end - in the opposite direction of the traditional staple gun. These tools are easier to squeeze and better place pressure at the front of the tool where the staple is ejected.
A hammer tacker is a device somewhat similar to a staple gun, except that the mechanical energy from the user's muscles is stored — as in a hammer — as momentum of the gun itself, rather than as compression of an internal spring. This type of stapler is typically used for insulation, roofing and carpeting.
Typical staple sizes are 1⁄4″, 5⁄16″, 3⁄8″, 1⁄2″, 9⁄16″, and 17⁄32″ (6.4, 7.9, 9.5, 12.7, 14.3, 13.5 millimeters).
Comparison with office stapler
Staple guns differ from office staplers, in that most staple gun models lack an "anvil" — the metal plate with curved slots that office staplers use to bend the legs of the staple inwards and flattens them against the paper. Staples set with a staple gun retain their straight legs, and are held in place only by static friction of the legs against the compressed surrounding material, much like common nails. Indeed, some staple gun models can handle brads and nails as well as staples. Some staple guns also use divergent point staples where the legs twist as the staple drives into the surface providing superior holding power.
As well, most staple guns, especially the hand-powered models, have a spring-like mechanism for storing mechanical energy and delivering it as a sharp and powerful blow. This mechanism is necessary because of the large force needed to drive the staples through solid wood, and because the staple must be completely inserted before the workpiece can move. In the office stapler, the staple is driven directly by the user, through a metal handle, while the paper is firmly supported by the anvil.
See also
