The Handyman's Book of Tools, Materials, and Processes Employed in Woodworking. Paul N. Hasluck

      Fig. 456. Cut Steel Large Brad.

      ROSE-HEAD NAILS.

      The nails (Fig. 452) have a shank parallel in width, but tapered to a chisel point in thickness. They are made of tough wrought iron, being used principally for such work as field gates and fencing, where a strong nail is desirable. The usual sizes are 1 1/4 in., 1 1/2 in., 2 in., 2 1/2 in., and 3 in.

      WROUGHT CLASP NAILS.

      These nails are of wrought iron, and their shape is similar to that of the cut clasp, but the wrought nails are sharper pointed (Figs. 453 and 454). They are used principally in the construction of common ledged doors, as they will readily clinch. They are very strong, and the shape of the head gives it a better hold than that of the cut clasp nail. Owing to the fibrous nature of the metal of which it is made it is much used where its projecting point is to be clinched on the reverse side of the piece of work.

      OVAL STEEL NAILS.

      The oval steel nail is shown by Fig. 455; it is nicely made, very tough, and less than any other kind splits the material into which it is driven. Near the head are slight shallow grooves round it, which greatly increase the holding power of the nail, and the flat head does not project so much as in the cut nails. The sharp points and oval shape of these nails make them very handy. The sizes in which these are made are as follow: 3/4 in., 1 in., 1 1/4 in., 1 1/2 in., 2 in. 2 1/2 in., 3 in., 3 1/2 in., 4 in., 5 in., and 6 in.

      BRADS.

      Of all nails used by the woodworker, the brad is perhaps the most useful. The cut steel large brad (Fig. 456) is used where there is but little strain, as in flooring for instance; the head projects on one side only. They do not make such large holes as cut nails, and, owing to the very slight bend at the point, they tend to draw gradually from an upright to a sloping position as they are driven in. The holes for these nails should therefore be bored in a slightly inclined direction to counteract this erratic tendency. The cut steel small brad is of much the same shape (see Fig. 457), the ordinary sizes of this being 1/2 in. and upwards, the cut steel large brad ranging from 2 in. upwards.

      Fig. 457.—Cut Steel Smaller Brad.

      Fig. 458.—French Nail.

      Fig. 459.—Double-pointed Nail.

      FRENCH NAILS.

      French nails (Fig. 458) are of round wire, pointed, either quite cylindrical or slightly tapered, the head being proportionately large and round and flat. They lie flat on the face of the wood, and do not need to be punched in. These nails are strong and tenacious, but their unsightly heads cause their use to be confined to rough work.

      Fig. 460.—Driving in a Nail.

      DOUBLE-POINTED NAIL.

      A secret nail for dowelling and other purposes in wood-working is shown by Fig. 459; this is useful for jointing pieces of wood together edge to edge, for which purpose the ordinary wooden dowelling peg generally, or, more frequently, a French nail or wire nail with the head taken off and a rough point made with a file, is used; wire pins thus formed will, when used at intervals along a joint, hold pieces of wood together very well, and there will be considerable difficulty in forcing two pieces apart when thus connected. The double-pointed nail can be used in cabinet work and joinery, for closely and firmly jointing floor boards and parquetry work, in putting together shelving and pieces of wood of narrow width to form the sides of boxes. For small work the nails are cut in four useful sizes—namely, 3/4 in., 1 in., 1 1/4 in., and 1 3/4 in. The nail has a projection or hammer-head as shown, by which it can be driven home into one of the pieces to be jointed, the chisel edge or point readily penetrating the material; the piece to be attached is placed against the point projecting from the wood into which the lower half of the nail has been driven and blocked down. When used in connecting hard wood, holes for the points should first be made with a bradawl.

      DRIVING IN NAILS.

      It is surprising, considering the importance of the subject, how little is known generally of the art of nail-driving. Very many really creditable pieces of carpentry or joinery are ruined completely by the unskilful driving of the nails used in their construction. This result must follow if the correct method be not adopted. Many things must be considered before the nail is driven home, as will be seen from the following. In starting to insert a nail, it should be held between the thumb and the next two fingers of the left hand, and struck lightly with the hammer (see Fig. 460). In Fig. 461 A represents the side of a box and B one of the ends, to which the side is in the process of being nailed. It must be remembered that the nail is retained in position by cohesion and friction, and therefore it must be considered how to give full effect to these. The nails are being driven in an oblique direction; this is on account of their entering the end grain of the piece B, C D showing that they cut across the grain or fibres, thus rendering them less liable to draw out. Fig. 462 illustrates the manner in which the unskilled worker would probably drive them. A comparison of the nails at c d with the corresponding ones in Fig. 461 will at once show the former to be the better method. Fig. 463 illustrates the angle of a box turned round to show that the nail should be very carefully retained in an upright position with relation to the end, or as a result it will surely find its way out at one side or the other, as in Fig. 464. When driving nails near the end of the stuff as just described, a bradawl of suitable size should invariably be used, as this lessens not only the danger of the nail passing out at the side, but also that of splitting the material. Fig. 465 illustrates the manner in which the bradawl should be used. It is grasped as seen, and firmly pressed into the wood with a motion of twisting—that is to say, turned first to the right and back again to the left in a succession of short half-turns until deep enough for the purpose. It is often driven with a hammer; but this is more with the object of saving time, and often results in the awl leaving the handle, and is not advocated. If the bradawl be driven into the board as at E (Fig.