The KD spiker is a discontinued item.  It had a "mixed" set of reviews from users.  Some could make it work...others couldn't.  The contact pressure was a problem as it tended to deform the rail upon impact unless "adjusted" correctly.  I considered buying one "way back" when I was hand laying all my rail but decided not to due mainly to the expense.  I think it only really works well with wooden ties...not sure about that. 

Hi Brad - I wish I could help, but like the previous poster, I've heard bad things about the spiker, so I never used it.  Personally, I think you're better off spiking by hand.

Some questions, though:  Have you hand-laid before?  I'd be concerned about the ability of cork to hold your spikes as you'd like.  Also, what scale are you working in?

Joe,
Yes I have. Both by hand and with the Spiker.
It was back in the day and the Spiker was setup by the owner of the layout I helped work on. I hand spiked switches and a few displays.
Have been out of the hobby for years and getting back into it in On30. I have designed and am building a diorama for my home office and am starting to plan the main layout. I built a test section to try combinations of rail, ties and support material.I have tried cork, MDF (as in spine construction), foam, and drywall. The MDF was a fail. Hand spike and Spiker did not penetrate and seat the spikes.
Cork, foam and drywall worked well. I am looking for a supply of Homasote. This was the go to material in the old days.
Here is a link to my current work;
http://www.freerails.com/view_topic.php?id=4995&forum_id=4&page=4

2013-08-11 ~ Brad

When it doesn't, it can be pretty frustrating.  I bought a Kadee spiker second hand and did most of a 10x10' layout with it (code 70, wood ties on Homosote) before the anvil wore out (it was well-used when I got it).  I was able to get replacement parts from Kadee (making up the minimum order with logging disconnects), but this was a good 10-15 years ago.  Most of the main line on my current (14x20') layout was done with the spiker. 

The comment about distorting the rail is definitely valid: both spring tension and the position of the gun have to be right or you can bend the rail upwards, leaving an almost uncorrectable kink.  If the tension is too low, or if the anvil is worn, the staple won't split into two spikes.  I wish I could offer more specific directions, but it seems to be one of these things you just have to fiddle with until you get it right.

David

I'm sorry I couldn't offer any help Brad.  The only thing that came to mind would be to contact Kadee and see if someone there could answer your questions.

As for roadbed, I've heard that Homasote can be hard to find in some parts of the country.  I'm in the Omaha area and got mine indirectly, buying from a friend who cut it into 2" spline strips for me.  Another option is Homabed.  I'm not sure if that existed when you were last in the hobby, but it's Homasote, but in strips shaped like cork roadbed - http://www.homabed.com/ .

 I've spiked S scale track on cork roadbed and it held ok.  The On30 ties are probably about the same thickness as S scale ties so I would expect it to work.  Cork is a lot easier to find and cut than homasote. Just be sure the tie plus the cork thickness is at least as much as the length of the spikes so they don't bottom out into a too hard material like multi ply plywood. If the wood under the cork is soft then the spiker can handle it. I've spiked rail to solid  pine true scale roadbed with a spiker. As David said above using a spiker just takes some practice to learn how to hold it, how to clean out jams, etc.  I've never had to order any replacement parts from KD but if you have a problem I'm sure they could help you solve it. With all the nice flextrack available these days I only use a spiker for switches and short transition tracks but they really make hand  spiking a pleasure compared to picking up spikes with pliers and pushing the little buggers in.....DaveB 

If you live in the upper midwest, check out Menard's. They carry both 4' x 8' and 2' x 4' sheets of homasote at good prices.

Like the Dodo bird, all things must come to a end.
Looking at the Homasote company web site the now call it "440 SoundBoard".
Plug this into a big Orange or Blue search and I found them in Michagan, ten min. over the bridge.
At 27 US dollars a sheet. Also found a place in town (thru the LHS) that stocks it at 40 dollars Canadian.

Thanks for everyone's help to date.

Home Depot carries it in some stores.  Go to the Home Depot site and search for Homasote 440 Sound Barrier.  That should let you know which stores carry it.

I have a Kadee spiker that I bought new many many years ago. I have the adapters for codes 100, 83 and 70. I used it to lay a branch line on my my now defunct layout using code 70 rail on Campbell ties on Homosote. Probably 150'  of track with minimal problems. I also used the same method and materials on several portable layouts. It did jam sometimes especially when the staples (spikes) were low. It certainly saved time. I also used it to lay code 100 rail on Truescale milled roadbed. Probably laid a few hundred feet of the code 100.. This was the wood with the ties milled in. I agree adjusting the spring tension was an issue. I generally went back with pliers and set any loose spikes .