A forgotten technology from the old days of woodworking! (Cut nails)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 9 авг 2021
- Old cut nail technology was abandoned over price- let's rediscover it!
EXPAND THIS SECTION for important information related to this video►
★THIS VIDEO MADE POSSIBLE BY★
Trend diamond stones: amzn.to/2XomWMi
Please help support us by visiting this link website for a quick look around!
★OTHER RESOURCES RELATED TO THIS VIDEO★
-More videos on our website: stumpynubs.com/
-Subscribe to our e-Magazine: stumpynubs.com/browse-and-sub...
-Check out our project plans: stumpynubs.com/product-catego...
★FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA★
-Instagram: / stumpynubs
-Twitter: / stumpynubs
-Facebook: / stumpy-nubs-woodworkin...
(If you use one of these affiliate links, we may receive a small commission)
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE CHEAP TOOLS★
-123 Blocks: lddy.no/vpij
-Mechanical Pencils: amzn.to/2PA7bwK
-Lumber pencil: amzn.to/2QtwZjv
-Pocket Measuring Tape: amzn.to/2kNTlI9
-Irwin Drill Bit Gauge: amzn.to/2AwTkQg
-Nut/Bolt/Screw Gauge: amzn.to/2CuvxSK
-Self-Centering Punch: amzn.to/2QvbcrC
-Self-Centering Bits: amzn.to/2xs71UW
-Angle Cube: lddy.no/10nam
-Steel Ruler: lddy.no/10mv7
-Utility knife: amzn.to/3nfhIiv
-Center-Finding Ruler: lddy.no/10nak
-Bit & Blade Cleaner: amzn.to/2TfvEOI
-Digital depth gauge: amzn.to/3mwRf2x
-Wood Glue: amzn.to/3mqek6M
-Spade Bits: amzn.to/3j8XPtD
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE HAND TOOLS★
-Digital Caliper: amzn.to/384H1Or
-Marking Gauge: lddy.no/10muz
-Marking knife: lddy.no/10mv0
-Narex Chisels: lddy.no/sqm3
-Stanley Sweetheart Chisels: amzn.to/3y5HDOc
-Mini Pull Saw: amzn.to/2UEHBz6
-Gent Saw: lddy.no/ss2x
-Coping saw: amzn.to/2W7ZiUS
-Shinwa Rulers: lddy.no/zl13
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE POWER TOOLS★
-Miter Saw: amzn.to/3gqIlQ8
-Jointer: amzn.to/3yc3gfZ
-Planer: amzn.to/3mn6BGF
-Router: amzn.to/3grD22S
-Sander: amzn.to/3DdvD0Y
-Cordless drill: amzn.to/3D9ZiIm
-Brad nailer: amzn.to/3gsRkjH
-Mini Compressor: amzn.to/3mvrmQr
-Bladerunner: amzn.to/2Wl0TtJ
-Jig Saw: amzn.to/3zetTBY
-Scroll Saw: amzn.to/3gq9qDc
-Multi-Tool: amzn.to/3muZuMi
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE OTHER TOOLS★
-Drill Bits: amzn.to/3B8Ckzh
-Forstner Bits: amzn.to/3kk3wEI
-Shop Vacuum: amzn.to/3yfLLLA
-Machine Setup Blocks: amzn.to/3gq7kDh
-Counter-Sink Bit: amzn.to/37ZukUo
-Featherboard: amzn.to/3DeqHsq
-ISOtunes Hearing Protection (Save $10): bit.ly/3BHYdH7
(If you use one of the affiliate links above, we may receive a small commission) 
Хобби
EXPAND THIS SECTION for important information related to this video►
★THIS VIDEO MADE POSSIBLE BY★
Trend diamond stones: amzn.to/2XomWMi
Please help support us by visiting this link website for a quick look around!
★OTHER RESOURCES RELATED TO THIS VIDEO★
-More videos on our website: stumpynubs.com/
-Subscribe to our e-Magazine: stumpynubs.com/browse-and-subscribe/
-Check out our project plans: stumpynubs.com/product-category/plans/
★FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA★
-Instagram: instagram.com/stumpynubs/
-Twitter: twitter.com/StumpyNubs
-Facebook: facebook.com/Stumpy-Nubs-Woodworking-Journal-305639859477973/
(If you use one of these affiliate links, we may receive a small commission)
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE CHEAP TOOLS★
-123 Blocks: lddy.no/vpij
-Mechanical Pencils: amzn.to/2PA7bwK
-Lumber pencil: amzn.to/2QtwZjv
-Pocket Measuring Tape: amzn.to/2kNTlI9
-Irwin Drill Bit Gauge: amzn.to/2AwTkQg
-Nut/Bolt/Screw Gauge: amzn.to/2CuvxSK
-Self-Centering Punch: amzn.to/2QvbcrC
-Self-Centering Bits: amzn.to/2xs71UW
-Angle Cube: lddy.no/10nam
-Steel Ruler: lddy.no/10mv7
-Utility knife: amzn.to/3nfhIiv
-Center-Finding Ruler: lddy.no/10nak
-Bit & Blade Cleaner: amzn.to/2TfvEOI
-Digital depth gauge: amzn.to/3mwRf2x
-Wood Glue: amzn.to/3mqek6M
-Spade Bits: amzn.to/3j8XPtD
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE HAND TOOLS★
-Digital Caliper: amzn.to/384H1Or
-Marking Gauge: lddy.no/10muz
-Marking knife: lddy.no/10mv0
-Narex Chisels: lddy.no/sqm3
-Stanley Sweetheart Chisels: amzn.to/3y5HDOc
-Mini Pull Saw: amzn.to/2UEHBz6
-Gent Saw: lddy.no/ss2x
-Coping saw: amzn.to/2W7ZiUS
-Shinwa Rulers: lddy.no/zl13
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE POWER TOOLS★
-Miter Saw: amzn.to/3gqIlQ8
-Jointer: amzn.to/3yc3gfZ
-Planer: amzn.to/3mn6BGF
-Router: amzn.to/3grD22S
-Sander: amzn.to/3DdvD0Y
-Cordless drill: amzn.to/3D9ZiIm
-Brad nailer: amzn.to/3gsRkjH
-Mini Compressor: amzn.to/3mvrmQr
-Bladerunner: amzn.to/2Wl0TtJ
-Jig Saw: amzn.to/3zetTBY
-Scroll Saw: amzn.to/3gq9qDc
-Multi-Tool: amzn.to/3muZuMi
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE OTHER TOOLS★
-Drill Bits: amzn.to/3B8Ckzh
-Forstner Bits: amzn.to/3kk3wEI
-Shop Vacuum: amzn.to/3yfLLLA
-Machine Setup Blocks: amzn.to/3gq7kDh
-Counter-Sink Bit: amzn.to/37ZukUo
-Featherboard: amzn.to/3DeqHsq
-ISOtunes Hearing Protection (Save $10): bit.ly/3BHYdH7
(If you use one of the affiliate links above, we may receive a small commission)
new nails are designed for profit
We were told at school in ,,19 70's to cut the tip off a nail and make it a punch nail. the flat tip does the compression of grain and the punch doesn't split. It's that point that messes up.
@Jorj I know a guy witha barrel full. of OG cut nails
Hey uh, a few of your affiliate links associated with Taylor Toolworks aren't redirecting properly due to a repeat at the very beginning of the url that is indeed just the beginning of the url again. Delete that bit and you'll have a direct link that actually works
If you flip the wire nail and hit the point to flatten it it will not split the grain✌️
I'm not a woodworker and have never built anything apart from IKEA furniture, but this was still super interesting to me. Not sure why youtube suggested this to me, but I don't regret watching it!
I've made random weapons and stuff out of nails and scraps of wood and they always split after a while lol
We follow the algorithm, we are the algorithm
As a fellow IKEA builder, I am seriously considering replacing the supplied wire nails with cut nails on my next project using them. Backboards for cupboards, wardrobes, sets of drawers and even corner workstations would benefit from the added grip.
you and I buddy. I am a construction framer and found this fantastic.
Yeah man, stumpy nubs, rex Kruger and Steve Ramsey are the best part about RUclips for woodworking. I had a tree fall down in my yard and instead of turning it into firewood I've made many tools and furniture from the knowledge I've gained from these guys. Never wood worked before the algorithm introduced me to it.
A teacher I had at school once said to me 'Anyone can talk for an hour about a garden or gardening, but only a master can talk about a blade of grass for an hour'
For some reason this video on the humble nail reminded me of that.
In that case, I highly suggest that you watch the "Why Are There so Many Types of Screws?!" video by Real Engineering. I insist.
Well said.
You wanna spend an hour talking about a blade of grass? As a golf course groundskeeper, I'm down.
I felt the exact same way watching this. I wish more videos were like this. Great comment
@Dyanosis Contextual details spoken with the intent to inform in which case, it is better to say more than to say less.
Old anvils often had a square hole on them, meant to drive softened iron in to make nails. When the blacksmith had any time to fill he'd pump out a few nails this way. It was quick to do, and with the forge already primed for work, the thin iron scraps he pounded through would heat up quickly, so in just five or so minutes he could make a handful of square-tapered nails. When he'd made enough for a box or keg, he'd converted unpaid time into something he could sell at a profit.
Too true - when i was a young teenager i spent a week at a "heritage" camp and we got to choose a profession to experience. I chose apprentice blacksmith thinking that i'd get to make something cool...for 4 days that week all i got to do was work the bellows and assist a real apprentice making nails and hinge pins. It was boring monotony and i was told repeatedly "it fills the hours".
Ive never seen an anvil like that and having made square nails having the hole (also called a nail header) in the anvil just sounds like a pain in the ass, when you head the nail it gets wedged in, with a header you drive the metal in, tap the tip to back it out, and boom ur done, master nail makers can do a nail in under 5 seconds.
That said i belive what you are talking about is the hardy hole which is used to have hands free interchangeable tools like a fuller, hot or cold cut, or other jigs. I think your confusion comes from the fact that most smiths (including me) use the hardy as a reinforcement for the header when we drive the nail so that we have a resistant force.
@@jaymzonion3113 nails are great for practice as they are cheap easy and teach you how to draw and tip a piece of stock
Nails and hinge pins may be boring but if you learn to make them flawlessly then you’ll have the skills you need and you’ll be making money (in a world where blacksmiths were still needed) so that makes sense to me.
As an engineer who loves material science, this was the most interesting thing I've watched in a long while.
Agreed. This type of info should never be lost.
Ok
Fascinating and interesting facts. My house is over 170 years old. The original home was constructed out of California Redwood with tongue and grooves and dowels used for floors. Not a nail in that room. It was renovated 100 years ago and used cut nails on addition. There were hundreds of spare cut nails in glass jars in basement and I never had the nerve to throw them out. Now that I saw this video, I plan to make some old vintage pieces and use them. Thanks for another informative video.
@@furtim1 I have a 4-gallon pail of them from my earlier days of metal detecting in old schoolyards with a pulse induction metal detector lol one schoolyard I like to detect was an old metal forge back in the late 1700's and early 1800's I also found more coke (fuel) than I know what to do with.
I have donated jars of them to the local museum. The school kids on field trips like to buy them for a few cents, and get to take something home.
I grew up in an 1885 Victorian in the country in Illinois, we had a couple jars of these in the basement
Redwood framed house? Yowzer!
UK. 470 year old house. Built of stone. Zero nails. Found lots of horse teeth when I dug up the ground floor. It was originally used as a stable for the pub next door, which kind of explains it. Also where my house gets its name 'The old saddlers'. But still really odd and a little creepy about all the horse teeth. The interior walls are wattle and daub and full of horse hair too.
Don't really get many old houses built from wood in the UK, many have beams and frames but these are nearly always dowelled. So other than doors and window frames, not much need for nails.
My Dad, now 93, was a finish carpenter his whole working life. He taught me many years ago that using a hammer to blunt the point of a round wire nail before driving it would reduce the chances of splitting wood. Since most nails found today are round wire nails if greater holding power is desired twisted shank (Box nails), ring shank or rosin coated nails will add a great deal of pull out resistance. Dad always tried to find hot dipped galvanized nails for outdoor projects rather than use electro plated galvanized nails because the rough surface of hot dipped nails increases pull out resistance a great deal, plus corrosion resistance is much greater.
No carpenters in my family, but I was taught to blunt the points too.
My grandfather would nip the ends off wire nails for the same reason.
And because of the great pull out resistance of your father's hot dipped nail, you were conceived.
I'm also taught to blunt the tip of wire nails.
me too. was looking for a comment like this.
Yesterday, my son and I were building a work bench for our shop and I explained that a friend of mine who used to do carpentry, had taught me to blunt the tip of my nails to reduce the chances of splitting the wood. I didn't know why, I just knew it worked. Now I know why it works AND I know that RUclips listens to conversations through my phone
One of those odd counicadances i think. Either that or Google is about to get a huge lawsuit.
lol if thats freaky, youtube literally predicted my dream and gave me ads related to it
The dream was about beef jerky, I got ads for beef jerky. dont ask me why i had a dream about beef jerky because idk why
@@Aditya-wg3lp That is super trippy.
@@Aditya-wg3lp Did you have the dream before or after the ads? If it was after the ads, the ads may have affected your dreams rather than predicted them. Which is no less creepy, but different.
@@yf-n7710 ive had the dream before the ads.
idk why I'm here, but I guess you could say the algorithm nailed it on this one
No just please no
Dad? Is it you?
I like it, I like it a lot
...out of the park and into the meta parking lot.
right on the head, pop pop.
still at it, of course.
shine on, you crazy diamond!
Now I want some cut nails even though I don't have a project for them.
Glad to see I'm not the only one that had this sudden desire. Lol
@@furtim1 Yes indeed. I have used these for, must be 20 years or so. Obviously not for everything, just where it matters. Far superior.
I'm sure the files to 3d-print them are available for download somewhere. ;)
@William Johnston The difference with masonry nails is the hardness of the steel. They won't flex like nails meant for wood, but I feel like they're still better than wire nails. I'd be interested to see testing done on this.
@@greyspot00 I think the masonry nails will rust easier than the mild steel nails. It will also be more likely to snap than bend if enough force is applied.
In the centuries before mass production, valuable nails would indeed be recovered from buildings when people moved, especially in frontier areas. The easiest way to recover the nails was to burn the building down and sift through the ashes.
It turns out, burning down your neighbor's house yielded quite a bit more nails!
@@strangevisions5162 LOMAO!
That's preposterous.
Yikes! I think we found the ar son ist of the group!
Wooden boats and ships too. They only had a working life of about 20 years before they rotted, so it was common to burn the old ship down to use all the metal from it in a totally new hull instead of repair.
the idiom "tough as an old coffin nail" comes from how old nails were so expensive, it would be common to burn down an old barn and re-use the nails for the new one. any nails where the temper was too far gone and had become brittle, was usually used in the one place where you didn't need to get them back anymore... coffins
Nails were never particularly expensive.
Burning down old unfit structures and reusing what you could was practiced, but it wasn't specifically about preserving nails.
I'm not sure what you think you're on about with "the temper was too far gone." Nails were wrought iron. They couldn't be hardened in the first place, nor am I sure how, even if they could, you'd get hardened nails out of a burned building. It seems to me they'd be basically annealed instead due to slow cooling in the ashes.
And basically nowhere can I find that idiom, or any idiom similar.
@@seigeengine your last argument falls flat. Saying they become annealed from the fire would imply that they were harder before hand. Nails were very expensive the further back in history you go. Especially considering how wages have increased beyond just inflation. Now it's not uncommon for someone to spend 5-10 years salary on a house. That would never have happened hundred(s) of years ago. Used nails were frequently saved prior to the industrial revolution, and even after. During hard times, nails that were pulled out of demolished structures, were collected, straightened, and reused. Forged nails would take a long time to make. Drawing the wire and swaging a nail by hand takes orders of magnitude longer to do than a machine that makes 50k nails a day.
@@littlejackalo5326 No, it doesn't.
The person I'm replying to is arguing that nails are used as coffin nails when they "lose their temper" and "become brittle." AKA the opposite of what happens when you anneal them.
No, nails were never very expensive. This is myth, not fact. Nails were relatively more expensive in the past, sure, but never to the point they were considered an expensive item.
My only guess as to when they might have been treasured is in situations without local iron supply, like perhaps during the colonization of the Americas, but even then, traditionally they'd opt for different methods of joinery, such as wooden pegs.
IF you have nothing to add but to ignorantly repeat fictions, don't bother people with your blather.
@@seigeengine tough as nails is a common idiom, at least where I'm from. Never were coffins mentioned in any of its variants, though.
@@punic4045 Same.
Nice. I learned something. RUclips suggested the video. Good choice.
In the UK cut nails are still sold in most hardware stores. Traditionally used for fixing floorboards.
Not only do they reduce splitting, I find them easier to drive in.
They are still widely available in the US as well, just labeled as "masonry nails" and found it the masonry section of supply houses.
@@henryyopp9094 As mentioned in another comment those masonry nails are hardened and not as suitable for wood.
@@javaguru7141 I was aware of that, but still fail to see how that makes them not as suitable for wood. Is there a particular case in which the hardness is not desirable? In the US, we refer to the non-hardened versions as "floor nails", or sometimes simply "L-Heads" due to the shape of the nail head. I was always under the impression that the non-hardened versions were used in flooring "wood to wood" applications simply because hardness was not required for that application and it is cheaper to manufacture the non-hardened variety, thus cheaper to buy.
@@henryyopp9094 When wood shifts due to thermal expansion or natural movement over time, the nails need to flex a little to allow it. A nail that is too hard will crack or shatter. If there is any gap between the boards due to misalignment or poor fit, the nail may also need to bend when inserted. It could crack in that case as well. In short, harder steel will not deform much before shattering, which for wood may be a bad thing.
Easy enough to temper them though, if you have to.
Such nails are still in use for door frames and decorative wooden planks.
Because of smaller nail heads.
The modern nail making machines could make such flat nails without effort.
yep probably cheaper than wire
@@Slavicplayer251 probably not. Wire nails are easier and cheaper to make
I was surprised to see the cut nails being used in wood - Because I only recently came across them ..... Used to secure stud wall uprights to concrete 'breeze' block.
I was also surprised to discover the 'micro level' mechanism which made them so grippy in wood.
Because they were a hellish job to pull out of the concrete too (We wanted to move the wall) - Far harder than wire. (And I have no idea why).
modern nail machines use wire as their feedstock... cutnails are punched out of flat plate... now, a modern machine will, basically, roll wire to oval, or leave it round, impress annuli or barbs on it, head it and point it... But couldn't produce a cut nail.
In a lot of cases the old machines still make the cut nails. The old machines don’t have nearly as many parts to them and don’t break down too often
As someone who does a little DIY, I've come across these several times. I've always enjoyed the look of them, but had no clue of their benefits or that they needed to be positioned a certain way with the grain. Awesome video!
I'll have to send this to my uncle. He actually runs a cabinet business. I don't think he'll end up changing anything about the business, but he does a lot of DIY stuff, and he might appreciate the video more than a computer geek. Still very interesting, though.
Well, when it comes to the RUclips algorithm, you really hit the nail on the head with this one! Kind of like a Technology Connections but for woodworking, it’s a good vibe.
You nailed the joke!
This man is a walking talking educational genius. I always learn something in every video.
I'm not a woodworker, but it is fascinating to see the engineering behind the humble nail. It is interesting that it has a 'best way to use' based on the grain, something I never would have considered without this education. Thank you for making me smarter, and keeping true education alive.
Out of old habit (as an occasional DIY-er) I always hammer flat the point only (say 2-3mm) on wire nails before hammering into wood. Told years ago it prevents wood splitting & it has worked for me.
It does work but I can't figure out why
@@charlesmartin1262 it helps to 'push' the softer wood out of the way instead of creating a split that can spread out. Thats the idea as I understand it.
Blunt tip tears fibers as you drive it, instead of wedging them apart.
me too!
@@charlesmartin1262 pretty sure it is mentioned in the video
after 48 years of picking those things up all over the great state of rural Nevada, this is the first explanation I’ve ever heard for their shape....and it was awesome!
Nails used to be valuable, we even have a saying about that in the Netherlands: "Looking for nails by low tide" (Spijkers op laag water zoeken), meaning nitpicking, or looking for problems that aren't there. It originates from shipbuilders' yards, where a penny-pinching foreman might make his workers look for costly nails that had fallen in the water during the work, when the tide fell.
That is super interesting!
Thank you for sharing! I agree with @Nate, it's super interesting.
Sweet expression
I remember reading an account of the days when the complete *opposite* was true... It was here in England, during WW2, and the guy was in charge of requisitioning trawlers for use as minesweepers. One of the modifications that needed doing was the installation of the standard Admiralty binnacle and compass, a task that simply required three screws of a certain size.
Now, due to a shortage of workers due to the fighting, many of our shipyards were operated by American Americans from America - a country where, at the time, everything was cheap and plentiful. To install the binnacle, the American yardworkers from America drew a standard pack of a thousand screws out of the naval stores, used the three they needed to screw the binnacle in place, then tossed the rest *over the side* . Yup, EACH minesweeper resulted in 997 perfectly servicable screws going straight into the drink!
One of Europe’s most frugal nations……..a.k.a cheap.
This reminds me of that video of the engineer explaining an aluminum can; An educated expert explaining a deceptively simple concept in a very interesting and intuitive way. I can't say I've done a whole lot of woodworking, but I loved the style of the video and the obvious love that went into it!
My house was built in 1900. The whole thing is built with cut nails. They were really skilled carpenters in those days,especially when you consider the lack of power tools. Great video
Muricans when I say my house was built in the 1700s and its older than USA👁️👄👁️
@@DuBstep115 good for you no plumbing or electricity was added in the original construction
@@vincentas1 It was, but the foundation of my house is older than the foundation of your country
@@DuBstep115 older than 1251?
I remember seeing cut nails among my grandfather's tools. He was a shipwright and carpenter in the mid 1900s. I always wondered about these nails and assumed they were just a early crass version of modern nails. I didn't imagine that they actually had a purpose driven design! Thank you for this.
I never thought I’d learn something new about the humble nail. Thank you, good sir.
youtube algo recommended the followup video to this.. I'm now watching this and looking for them comments saying this is fraud/fake 😅🤣
This makes me appreciate all the old nails i dig up while metal detecting. Thank you!
I just watched 5 and a half minutes of a guy talking about nails and it is the most calming 5 and a half minutes of my existence.
People take the technology of nails for granted.
This is a very good video.
My Dad taught me as a kid when I encounter wood that tends to split to smash the point of the [wire] nail first so it crushes like the cut nail does. I've remembered that tidbit ever since and it saved me everytime.
thanks for the reminder! totally forgot that.
If you are super lazy you can bevel the nail and grind its tip off with your grider wheel.
This is amazing. My eyes are opened. I've built several projects that I'm really proud of and thought I knew something about woodworking. Love your channel.
Those videos are what makes RUclips so valuable. Great stuff !
I never knew how cut nails gripped the wood. Whenever I think of wedges and wood, I think of splitting wedges and they don't grip the wood at all. So I always figured cut nails were inferior. And I never thought of how important the nail's orientation is with regard to the grain. Now I know better, thanks.
jay - A house framer friend of mine said he always blunted the sharp end of a nail with a whack of his hammer. This way it didn't split the wood.
Loce cut nails best nails ever made, one of the 1st things I was taught about 'modern nails' blunt them before fixing architraves to stop splitting the moulding, turn it upside down and tap
I learned the same thing in shop class over 25 years ago. I usually manage to split the wood anyways, lol.
Your post brought back a forgotten memory of my Dad showing me how and why to blunt spikes we used when building our home in the 50’s. That flooded my mind with other memories of my Dad. Thank you! You made my day!
James, you totally nailed it with this video, both literally and mataphorically.
This reminds me of something my late dad taught me, to always tap the point of the nail with a hammer to flatten it if I’m worried about splitting. Works!
Fascinating. I’d like to see more of these “historical “ videos.
I honestly didn't think iId ever find a 5 minute video about nails interesting, but here I am I guess ! That was a really nice and interesting video.
Yet again i am blown away by the quality of the information here. Brilliant pacing and organization, just mind-blowing
Thank you for keeping this information alive.
Looking forward to the next video, this will be interesting - I absolutely was of the view that nails holds no place in woodworking and I love to have my preconceptions challenged!
At 3:40 you missed saying if you turn a wire nail over and blunt the point with your hammer it reduces splitting.
Was just going to say the same thing @stephen, was taught that from a young age...
Good tip, I like to drill tiny pilot holes but this sounds like less effort
I don't do much woodworking just felt like making a box one day :)
I've never used a nail in anything I've built, I've always used screws. Drill a pilot hole, drive in a screw and forget about it. 1 screw is worth 3 nails.
@@Temulon Yes in purchase price, probably more like 10x... nails have their uses. For example you wouldn't frame a house using screws because nails bend, screws snap. Also try buying a pin-screwer that leaves almost no entry hole...
@@smitcher - I've never built anything really large, like a shed or larger. And for the entry holes I'd just cut plugs. But I understand that nails have their place.
I just returned to the States from living on a small island in the Caribbean. The hardware store we had there didn’t have a lot of all the fancy stuff you can find at a big box store, but they had plenty of cut nails. I didn’t know how useful they are until now, I just thought they were “quaint”.
Before long the states won't have anything fancy left either.
Not a wood worker I just love craftsmen's detailed knowledge, fascinating.
I agree with you. It is satisfy watching a master at work.
Tremont still makes cut nails in Mansfield MA.
Rivierre, who are located north of Paris are the last in Europe.
I use them when I am trying to reproduce something old and rustic.
Tremont nails are availabe on Amazon. I have been using them for a few years since i saw a Chris Swartz video where he used them
@@furtim1 I order mine from Lee Valley Tools.
"And we'll discuss *that* in a future video" Nooooo! Stumpy is starting to put cliffhangers in his videos!
I was just thinking the same!
You mean it's a "Nail Biter"???🤔😃😃😃😃
@@spuds6423 you nailed it!
@@terristroh3965 Thank you, Thank you..I am here all week!!!!😁😁
that was the bait that made me subscribe LOL
Thank you for this. You just helped me tick off some questions I've had bouncing around the back of my head for ages.
Been using all sorts of nails for all sorts of work over the years. Super Informative! Thank you!
I tend to flatten the point on a wire nail when using towards the end section of wood, this helps alot to stop the wood splitting.
Although its not a guarantee.
This. I'm not a wood worker, just built crates/pallets for many years, but I found that pounding the tip flat a bit helps to stop the board from splitting (sometimes.)
My grandfather was a coffin maker many years ago (1930’s) and he passed on a tip to my father who then showed me, to use blunted nails, if they were new he would tap them with a hammer on the sharp end to square them off. It works.
An old builder, a neighbour of mine when I was young, taught me that tip, to dull the point of a wire nail on a stone or hard metal would help prevent splitting. Still find myself doing it automatically whenever possible when using thin or narrow pieces of wood.
My great uncle was a chipper, and when weatherboarding (that's clapboards for North America) a house he would blunt his nails with his hammer, and wipe them through his Brylcremed hair to lubricate them. Me...I'm a hospital scientist. I couldn't make the trick work (probably the dreadlocks), so I had to predrill my holes or the boards split like crazy. I'm not much of a woodworker, but I can do weather boards.
Learned this trick from the grumpy old dude that taught me to build. Never knew why it worked though until now
This video kept showing up in my feed, and I kept avoiding it. In a moment of weakness (boredom), I watched it and I'm so glad I did. Very educational! Thanks for sharing, Stumpy.
Didn't know that. Absolutely facinating.
i'm an amateur woodworker in the making and watching this was totally fascinating! i have never much liked modern nails but i never truly had a chance to work with cut nails either!
Love your content. Keep it coming.
For several decades, I have had a couple coffee cans filled with cut nails that I have never used. My thought was they looked like wood splitters, and the newer nails were no doubt better designed (wrong!). I'm going to start using these cut nails and following your advise of directing the taper along the grain of the wood. Looks like me and 1.7 million other people learned something new. Thanks for posting!
I'm actually mind-blown.. This was 5 minutes well spent. Thanks!
Fascinating, thank you!
There's just something about good old carpentry, that will always stand high above any modern stuff.
At least in my book! Thanks for this video!
Haven't used them yet, but am about to use some rose head cut nails in bookshelves I need to make. Can't wait!
Thanks Nubs, very informative!
Excellent no-nonsense video. You might say... you nailed it.
As a worker in the trades a trick we used to keep wire nails from splitting wood was to blunt the sharp tip of the nail with our hammers before actually hammering the nails in. It works. After watching this video I can see it was a kind of a "best of both worlds" thing.
Yeah, my dad is an old carpenter too and he always taps the tip with the hammer first.
Yep, I also learned that trick from an old-timer when we were toenailing 2x4 's to build a wall. Definitely helps.
Reminds me of the Duck Tails theme song. “Cut nails, woo. Everyday they’re out there making Cut nails, woo!”
"We'll rewrite history, or joint some hickory, Cut nails, Woo"
@@cgriesemer I think I opened a huge can of worms with my comment!
😂😂😂 "Nails with pointy ends are bad- get Cut nails! Woo-oo!" Oh my god, Kevin, look what you've done... 😂
@@davidottley2739 Sorry, not sorry!
Oh come on please Please you gotta re write and name it cut nails now,.. I'm sure everyone who remembered duck tails as they read will enjoy.... please please write and post it ...
cut nails.. whoo oooh...
Excellent video. thanks for sharing!
How extremely fascinating. Thank you for sharing this!!
Great video! I learned about these when I was a kid, as I had access to a lot of them, in different sizes - the wire nails were mostly of limits to me because that is what was normally used. I used them for my woodworking projects constructed of scraps and what ever else I could scrounge. I quickly learned that they hold like the devil when driven right & I would have to damage the wood to remove them because they held so well. I also learned that you can easily split a board if you use too big of a nail or place them incorrectly.
Well, I can add this to the list of interesting things that history has forgotten. I love learning new things.
Thanks for the video. I love hearing about the history of all the crafts. I always wondered how anyone worked with cut nails, now I know they did just fine.
Thank you again and again for making essential so clear! In this day and age, where it is impossible to find master-carpenters to learn from - you and your colleagues on RUclips fill that gap, to keep the traditions and knowledge alive and available to a very wide public! That is awesome! Thank you for this service to the craft and our benefit and joy.
Remember a old carpenter friend of mine lamenting the fact he couldn't find a good apprentice to carry on his work.
He learnt his trade in the 50's where they formed their own mouldings and worked with mortice and dovetails, he said he didn't want a kid who was only interested in a Paslode and mitre saw.
All that knowledge lost, such a waste.
Absolutely love your channel, im not a wood worker although I'd like to be. Ive been a machinist for 20+ yrs though. Always enjoyed working with my hands and fixing/making things. Thanks for all the info you share
I also love working with my hands and spent 50 years working on computers and top end business equipment. At 61 I became an apprentice to a master gunsmith, and 10 years later am one myself. Then I got back into woodworking. Now I turn bowls, vases and jewelry boxes out local and exotic woods. Nothing can be more satisfying than holding something you created from your own hands and imagination. The only thing that can compete is raising two beautiful daughters that never caused one day of heartache!
This is great. Makes me want to get into wood working even more
Do it its a great hobby and heck there's even a little money to be made "banging nails" a great trade to get into
Learned a bunch. Thanks.
I never knew that about nails- just proves that at 62 years old, you are never too old to learn. Subscribed and rung the bell! Thank you- I know I am going to enjoy your videos.
I never knew the topic of nails could be so, er, riveting..!
I'll get my coat... :)
Don't bother. I think you nailed it!
Man, that’s just screwed up.
@@whackyjinak4978 Yeah, this news hit me like a _bolt_ from the blue. Mass produced wire nails have been a _staple_ of all my construction projects so far.
But this channel has my attention _glued_ to the screen. You'd be _nuts_ not to subscribe. It really takes the _biscuit!_
This world is endlessly interesting. I've seen the old-fashioned nails in aged buildings and threw them out as just momentary curiosities. Now I know better and know why they were so shaped. My only concern is that, inept handyman that I am, I'm always pulling nails out and the old nails had little head for a hammer to grip.
simple things explained.... love it
Excellent video. Thanks.
My father taught me at a young age to blunt the point of a nail before you drove it into the wood to eliminate splitting.
I was taught by my grandfather, a master cabinet maker, to blunt the pointed end of the nail so it behaves more like a cut nail, doing so also reduces splitting.
My father taught me the same thing.
@@drfrankensteinscreations8513 yup, i even blunten the points of ovals ... improves usabiliy tenfold
My grandfather taught me a lot about construction and woodworking. Back then (20 years ago or so) we used only nails so it was really challenging to get things done properly. The grain direction was essential to joining two pieces of wood together with nails. I still have a little chair that he made and it's still super sturdy.
Now with your video I learned even more about nails and I'm very happy to think back to my wood nailing childhood.
This is the first video I see on this channel, and I immediately subscribed. You speak calmly, clearly and give logical explanations. Top!
I remember Roy Underhill covering this so many years ago...great video and demonstration. Someone gave me the door jamb assembly from an 1830's log cabin, and it has those cut nails stuck in it in a few places. I'll be saving those for sure. A modern flooring nail is similar in design so that is resists being pulled out.
Wasn't Roy the guy who did all his woodworking the old fashioned way? No power tools at all. Wasn't his show called The Woodwright Shop (or something like that)? I loved that guy! Never saw him without a few bandages, either!
@@61rampy65 Yep, The Woodwright Shop! I'm pretty sure he's still on, and you can see some episodes on RUclips even. He's what got me interested in hand tools, I even have a hand-cranked drill press like his.
When I was a kid back in the 70's, my Father taught me to always tap the tip of (especially large) wire nails a couple of times with a hammer to flatten the tip before driving. This helped reduce splitting. Apparently that was a pretty common idea back in the day. And I love using cut nails for this reason and also because they look cool ;-)
Your workshop is organized so beautifully
every once in awhile i stumble across a piece of information that leaves me in awe this is one of those videos
RexKruger covered this too!
Yes, Rex Krueger used them in his six board chest, as I recall :^)
Fascinating and thanks for the video. I bought a box of cut nails years ago for a project where I had to attach a piece of wood to concrete and it worked great.
It is absolutely great information. Never new that.
Thank you
To avoid splitting the wood, if there is a risk for that, I hammer a bit on the tip of the nail to make it a bit flat. It works very well, even near the edge of the wood.
Im pretty sure he knew that
@@warmute4886 Absolutely, but you did not know that I mentioned it for those who had not yet heard that trick.
Interesting to see that your modern nails have a round profile. Over here, in Norway, i can only get square profiled nails, with the wedge shape. For example in the shed we are building now, we’re using nails from essve. Those, for instance, are square
You norwegians have a long tradition of working with timber. Perhaps that's the reason
Screws
@@ThePapaja1996 we are both using screws and square profile nails from essve, indeed you’re right.
@@leonardogeremia8769 That might be the reason, hmm. That actually makes a lot of sense. I’ve never thought that much about it, it’s pretty much the standard over here. The first time i even saw a round profiled nail was just a few years ago, i didn’t know they even existed before then.
You really nailed this video. You hammered home you points. Thanks
I learnt something new today. I'm grateful good sir
The tip of a wire nail has two sharp edges and two smooth edges, rotate the nail in your two fingers until the sharp edges are across the grain, no more splits.
Was wondering if anyone was gonna mention this tip 😂
By "across" the grain do you mean "perpendicular to" or "parallel to". I think you mean "perpendicular to" but I just want to be sure
Used to be common practise to blunt a wire nail before use, where splitting was likely. ( a couple of smart taps with a hammer)
Pure genius, thank you.
Nailed it, great video!
I still think it's interesting how structurally critical metalwork, like joist hangers, have to be secured with square twist nails. You get a stronger, more secure connection from a fairly small 30mm nail than you ever would with screws.
And the hangers have so many screws in them that the wood is destroyed. I was appalled when I was under my deck and noticed it. I will ask about nails next time.
@@poa2.0surface77 That is because screws are usually harder, thus more brittle.
@@purplebunny7728 As a builder I've seen this called out on plans many times, as far as filling up all the holes. The problem is most engineers have never touched a piece of wood and just go off of numbers. Exp. I've had them call out for 16 penny nails in straps going up the king stud. In their mind, they figure since a 16's is x strong, if you add 20 of them then the strength should be 20x. But there's no more 2x4 left after putting all those in! It splits into a million pieces.
a piece of advice, give the modern nail a light stroke with the hammer at the tip for make it a little flat. It will be less chance for the wood to crack if you are close to the edge of the wood.
I was gonna say that, I learned that from my grandpa.
The blunt end is one of the reasons the old nails do not split the wood.
Very good! Thank you.
I am never too old to learn- well done and useful lesson !!