Every Porter-Cable FCN200 Pnuematic Flooring Cleat Nailer review I’ve read hails it as a classic of great tool design and a stand-out in a market previously dominated by Bostitch.
That’s why I selected the FCN200 for an interview. Thanks to Jorge Silveira, Director of Marketing – Nailers & Combo Kits, PORTER-CABLE for taking the time to answer!
The story of the FCN200 is one of extensive research with end users and flooring manufacturers – enjoy!
TC 1) When did the PORTER-CABLE® Flooring Cleat Nailer, model FCN200, launch?* Launched in 2001.
TC 2) At that time, what was PORTER-CABLE’s experience in developing pneumatic nailers?
* PORTER-CABLE entered into the pneumatic marketplace and officially started selling nailers in 1996. The company already had between 5 to 6 years of experience in selling nailers and staplers. While the company started with woodworking, it later included construction.
TC 3) What can you tell me about the team responsible for the design of the PORTER-CABLE® FCN200? What was their background in pneumatic nail design?
* The develop team for FCN200 was diverse in the sense that it drew from the experience of a team who came from other established nailing and stapling companies. The team had a considerable number of years of design experience.
TC 4) Reviews describe this tool as nearly-flawless. To what in the PORTER-CABLE® FCN200 design process do you attribute this accomplishment?
* In early research, the team found issues with the competitors’ tools working with pre-finish hardwood floors. The competitor’s tools would damage the surface of the wood. So the FCN200 was designed to work great with pre-finished and unfinished hardwood floors. In addition, the design team worked closely with suppliers of hardware flooring to get feedback throughout the design phase in addition to encouraging the involvement of training schools and design groups to make sure the completed tool would work for finished and unfinished hardware floors.
TC 5) What else made this tool great?
* The FCN200 utilizes an L-Shape cleat as its fastener. The L-Shape cleat allows the floor to contract and expand while holding the floor in place. The traditional tools use a staples fastener that does not allow natural expansion of the wood and shortens the floors life.
* The FCN200 was also designed to stand upright through better balance for easier use. The better balance and smooth operation delivers a consistent nail placement.
TC 6) Did you ever have trouble convincing the market that PORTER-CABLE could deliver a strong pneumatic flooring nailer?
* Once PORTER-CABLE involved major manufacturers of hardware floors, it was easier to come into the marketplace.
TC 7) Was the success of the PORTER-CABLE® FCN200 a surprise?
* No, we obtained a considerable amount of research from the end-users’ perspective and took the tool through a comprehensive testing process prior to introducing the tool to the marketplace.
Do you have any questions for Jorge Silveira or the PORTER-CABLE FCN200 team? Leave them in the comments or send them to me at GFrench@ToolCrib.com.
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woodworking hardware Says:
December 26th, 2007 at 2:12 am
woodworking hardware
Thanks for the helpful post. I have visited many sites that have been a complete waste of time. It is good to come across a site that actually helps and informs the users… I have included another really good site at the bottom that also helps me ou…
hardwood floors Says:
August 11th, 2008 at 10:05 am
is it applicable for hardwood floors?
laminate hardwood flooring Says:
September 12th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
im thinking of purchasing that tool for our business
Rick Molner Says:
May 30th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
I own an FCN200, and have put just under 10,000 nails thru it with flawless performance. Unfortunately, yesterday the piston suddenly stopped retracting far enough to be able to fire a nail (it retracts to within about 1/8″ of overlap with the next nail). It certainly can’t be very worn after so little use, especially being oiled frequently. There’s no jamb and the feed mechanism works fine. It gets oiled before every use, but it sounds like something in the pneumatic area is hanging up. I read where one user had a similar problem when manually oiling rather than using an oiler/filter on his compressor, possibly due to moisture. I’d like to take the thing apart and inspect for wear and clean and oil it. It seems easy enough to disassemble, except that I can’t figure out how to remove the rubber cap so I can get to the actuator under the exhaust cap. I don’t want to force anything… what’s the proper method to remove it? And any suggestions for the best oil to use during reassembly? Thanks!
Rick Molner Says:
June 13th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Here’s a quick update. Was able to disassemble the gun using wooden wedges to remove the rubber cap. Turns out the uppper retaining clip had broken (defective hardening perhaps) and a 3/8″ piece of it jammed itself into the retract path. Took it to the local repair center, and they gave me a new clip and some silicon greese (for free… very nice!). Cleaned it thoroughly and found no wear, and put it all back together. It works like new. Looking from the inside out, this thing is very well designed and constructed!