Fix a Jammed Hardwood Flooring Nailer (Drive Blade Replacement)
I was so close to finishing phase 1 of the floor install when disaster struck. A jammed cleat put my hardwood flooring nailer (a cleat nailer, similar to a toe nailer) out of commission. I fired it just like before but a cleat (big ol’ staple) broke and deformed the drive blade. Here’s what happened:
A Broken Drive Blade
I lined up the nailer just like I had 100 times before. I hit the hammer face and the compressor kicked on. After a closer look, I could see the cleat hadn’t gone in completely AND one of the cleat legs was missing. It was still in the cleat nailer! I disassembled the nailer and removed the leg but the damage was done, the drive blade was deformed.
The drive blade is a long, flat blade that drives a cleat (or nail) into the wood. When you strike the hammer face, the compressed air powers the drive blade down, forcing the nail into the wood. The broken cleat created a jagged edge on one side of the drive blade and it wouldn’t retract.
Necessary Tools
For this project I highly recommend a magnetic screw driver with exchangeable tips. Amazon sells a 
great ratcheting screw driver with 100 different bits for only $14.99. I also used my ever trusty, grinder to reshape the drive blade. Or, you can just swap the blade out for a new one.
How to Disassemble a Floor Nailer
These steps will cover how to disassemble a cleat nailer (Central Pneumatic, model 97586-2VGA) to gain access to the drive blade. Be careful whenever working with air tools. A misfired nail is very dangerous.
Step 1: Disconnect the nailer from the compressor. Remove any nails or staples loaded in the magazine.
Step 2: Turn the nailer upside-down. You’ll see several hex head screws securing a protective cover and the drive blade guide. The arrow shows where the cleat exits the nailer. The circles indicate hex screws. Remove these screws and set them aside. Write down or remember each screw location. See picture 1.
Step 3: Next, you’ll see three more hex screws. These screws hold the nail/cleat magazine in place. You can see the spring which loads the next cleat. Remove these screws. See picture 2
Step 4: The spacer is a smooth piece of plastic (not pictured) located on the front, bottom of the nailer. Two more hex screws are behind the spacer. Use the angled holes to remove these screws. These are the last screws to remove. See picture 3.
Step 5: Now that everything is unscrewed, several pieces will come apart. Remove these taking care to avoid the drive blade.
At this point I used my trusty grinder to reshape the jagged edge of the drive blade. I looked into ordering a new drive blade. It was only about $10 but would take 6 - 8 weeks to arrive. I decided to reshape the blade and hope for the best.
I reassembled everything and oiled the nailer. All air tools should be oiled on a regular basis. It’s cheap, easy and quick so there really isn’t any excuse. I added around 4 drops of Air Tool Lubricant (available from Amazon) to the air plug and manually pumped the mechanism. Next I connected the nailer to a compressor and tried it without any cleats. Everything worked! And I was back to getting my floor done.
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