A fastener feeding assembly for a fastener driving apparatus including a pair of spaced support members disposed in an opposed relation to one another along a feed path for a fastener package, the feed path having a proximal end leading laterally into a drive track of the apparatus. The feeding assembly includes a multiplicity of resilient bristles supported by one of the support members and extending transversely and toward the proximal end within the feed path. One of the support members supports the fastener package so that the package is engaged by free ends of the bristles by a force sufficient to maintain the package on the feed track against movement in a direction away from the proximal end. The other of the support members vibrates towards and away from the first support member in response to a vibratory pulse generated by the apparatus causing the fasteners of the fastener package to repeatedly flex the bristles in the feeding direction thereby feeding the fasteners toward the drive track to be driven.
A fastener-driving tool includes an integrated function member that performs at least two of the following three functions: a check pawl function, a last fastener-retaining function, and a dry fire lock-out function. In the disclosed embodiment, the integrated function member is provided as a lever-type structure that constitutes part of the access door assembly by means of which access is gained to the fastener drive track along which fasteners (e.g., roofing nails) are fed to the driving portion of the tool. Also disclosed is an improved method of retaining the last nail in the drive track by a lateral head gripping action and a tool for performing the method.
