Using a dull nail is like trying to split firewood with a hammer. You can whack at the log as hard as you like, but all you'll do is break the fibers in the place you hit, rather than wedging them apart at the seams. That's why dull nails aren't as likely to split wood.
The reason this helps is that a blunt point causes the nail to cut through or shear the wood fibers, instead of forcing them apart and spreading them - which is what happens when the wood splits.
Nails are the fastener of choice when laying down hardwood floorboards because they're not as likely to split the wood as screws and don't mar the surface with screw heads.
What can be done to a nail to reduce the chance of the material splitting?
The best way to deal with the risk of splitting is to predrill the hole for the nail; the hole is called a lead hole. For nails, the suggested lead hole diameter is 90 percent of the nail shank diameter. In fact, a lead hole provides slightly more resistance to withdrawal that a nail driven without a hole. Screws.
A nail pounded in too close to the end of a board could “wedge” the wood fibers apart and result in an unsightly split. Thankfully, there's an easy fix to this problem: Turn your wedge into a punch.
When the sharp end is tapped you are in fact driving the butt end into the wood breaking the surface and creating a shallow hole. The nail is turned around and the sharp end is driven into the same hole where the first 1/8′ of the wood's surface has not been broken and which prevents splits.
Screws will keep wood together when faced with vertical force and won't break down when lots of vertical force is applied to them. Nails are able to bend under pressure, and rarely snap when subjected to shear force. They've got a lot of shear strength. But they don't have a lot of grip or tensile strength.
Skew nailing is also a technique used by other woodworkers, for example a drawer or box can be glued and skew-nailed with finer nails or panel pins. Skew nailing will fasten the joint, while the glue sets, avoiding the use of clamps. A variation of toenailing is to use screws, casually known as "toe-screwing".
You cannot use screws for roofing shingles, only roofing nails are approved fasteners. Screws leave small gaps in the material they are driven into, and this may be enough to allow for a leak. If you were considering using screws for their extra security, consider ring shank nails instead.
Our inspectors have seen a disturbing trend of late: people using wood or deck screws when building structural elements. This means ordinary wood screws cannot be used to attach rafters to top plates, or joists to beams.
If you want to hold 1/2" drywall to a stud wall, the length of the nails should be at least 1 1/2". This is a reasonable guide most of the time. When nailing very thin materials into wood, a minimum of 1/2" of penetration is necessary.
Using screws is an effective way to join wood as long as the wood doesn't split. If the wood is dry, the boards are narrow or you screw too close to the end, however, the displacement of the screw can force fibers apart, creating a less-than-perfect joint and possibly ruining the wood.
Lean the slice against a wall or prop it up on its side in a warm, well-ventilated location such as a garage, basement, or shed. Let it dry for up to a week so the solution can evaporate and the wood can dry without cracking.
Because pine lumber has a low moisture content, its spaces fill with air as the wood dries out during seasoning. This makes the wood less dense and easier to split. It's why pine and other cone-bearing trees are considered softwood.
As noted earlier, a brad nailer is commonly used when one needs to affix a small or thin board or piece of trim to an assembly. Using a finish nailer (with a heavier gauge nail) would likely split the board, but splitting can also occur if you place the brad too close to the end or edge of a board.
Screws are, in fact, able to create a more secure hold when joining objects than nails because they have a threaded shaft. With that said, nails offer greater tensile strength.
Joist hangers are better because they allow for more accurate placement of joists. They also allow for toe-nailing, plus support the underside of the joist. This makes the hanger stronger than a toe-nail. While joist hangers are an expense, the ease and increased strength make them a better choice.
To start with, most experts recommend screws over nails when working with plywood. Nevertheless, there are many projects built using nails with plywood. In most cases, the nails used are from a pneumatic finish nailer and are used in conjunction with wood glue.
Yes, and there are two types of nails that are normal to see in an attic: 1) The ring-shank nails used to secure asphalt shingles to the plywood or OSB roof sheathing typically penetrate into the attic 1/4” or more.
