Guidelines to Nails and their Uses by KiyaSama

Nails are also made for joining materials other than wood: masonry nails, roofing nails, drywall nails. Shanks of nails may be ringed, spiraled, or barbed for greater holding power.
Nails come in different shapes for different jobs:
a) Common or box nail (big, flat head, box nail is thinner than common nail) вЂ" It’s used for rough work, nailing 2 by 4s. There are three basic sizes of the common nail: 10 (3-inch) for toe-nailing, 16 (31/2 inch) for face-to-edge nailing, 20 (4-inch) for nailing through one board into the end of another.
b) Finishing nail (small head with a depression in it) вЂ" It is used for finer work. Its head can be concealed below the wood’s surface.
c) Casing nail (small tapered head with no depression) вЂ" It’s used for nailing exterior trim. It can be left flush or set below the surface of the wood.
Nailing Tips:
1. If the wood is hard, drill a hole smaller than the nail in the place where the nail will go.
2. At the end of the board, blunt the nail with a hammer so it will punch through wood rather than wedge it apart.
3. Put oil or soap or candle wax or beeswax on nails to make for easier nailing into the wood.
4. Hold the nail between your thumb and forefinger for nailing. Nails too small? Use a paper clip, tweezers, bobby pin, comb (hold between the teeth), fork.
5. To nail two boards together, nail first through the thin one, then the thick one. Slanting the nails gives more security.
6. To prevent wood from splitting, try staggering the nails rather than placing them in a straight line.
7. Tap until the nail is planted. Hit the head of the nail with heavier and heavier blows as it becomes more securely implanted in the wood.
8. To remove a nail: cushion the wood by putting scrap wood under the hammer head and lever out the nail with the claw.
9. For most nails, use a 14-16 ounce hammer. For brads (small thin nails), use a tack hammer.
About the Author
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