Top Trim Carpentry Tools

Meet a pro

Jerome Worm has been a trim carpenter for more than 25 years. He has installed thousands of doors and many miles of base and casing, and shows no fear when faced with a curved stair rail or an ornate fireplace surround.

Features to look for

Whether you’re using a finish or a brad nailer, you’ll occasionally hit something hard (like a drywall screw) that will cause the gun to jam. This gun lets you clear jams just by opening the magazine. Others have a quick-release nosepiece. Without these options, you have to disassemble the nosepiece.

Some models exhaust through the handle, away from walls and trim.

Before you leave the store, check to see if the gun comes with a coupling. Many don’t. If it comes with a swivel coupling, buy a non-swivel version. Jerome says he’s never met a swivel coupling that didn’t leak.

Features to look for

Finish nailers come in two shapes. On some, the magazine is parallel to the handle. On others, it’s angled. Angled is the way to go. It’s easier to get into tight spots.

A gun with a fixed exhaust port can leave oily stains on the wall. An adjustable port lets you aim the exhaust away from the wall.

The gun should countersink nails without driving them so deep that they split the trim or blast right through. The crude way to control depth is to adjust pressure at the compressor. A better way is to get a gun with a depth dial on the nosepiece.

Lighter is better

A small, lightweight compressor can handle trim jobs as easily as a bigger, heavier model, and it's easier to carry.

Compressor tip

If you buy a small compressor, keep the box and molded foam packaging. You can toss the compressor (and accessories) into your truck bed or back seat and it won't tip over on those hairpin turns.

Polyurethane vs. rubber

Polyurethane air hoses are just plain better than rubber or PVC ones. They’re just as tough but much lighter (especially nice when you’re working from a ladder). Plus, they don’t leave those nasty skid marks on walls when you yank them around a corner. The downside is that poly hoses can be gangly, tangly and hard to roll up.

Oscillating cutter

You’ll never know how badly you need an oscillating tool until you try one. It’s handy for a litany of projects, including trim. The blade slips nicely behind trim to cut stubborn nails so you can remove trim without splitting it. It also lets you neatly trim shims—none of the slipping or cracking you sometimes get with the utility knife method. Jerome likes to hang a bunch of doors and then run around trimming them off. It’s almost fun. The sanding pad is good for trim work too, especially inside corners and around balusters.