How To Fasten Wood With Nails Screws And Other Metal Fasteners

Nails are the easiest fasteners to use. Common nails with large flat heads are for rough work. Box nails also have large heads but are thinner and help to prevent splitting of wood. Finishing nails have small heads that are easily countersunk below the surface of the wood.

In addition to these basic nails, there are a number of others with greater holding power. Some are coated with rosin or cement; some have spiral shanks; some have ring-grooved shanks. These are used as noted in the mending section.

The worst drawback of nails is that they tend to split the wood into which they are driven. This can be prevented to some extent by blunting the points with a hammer. A much more reliable method—especially when nailing in oak or yellow pine—is to drill holes slightly smaller than the nails almost through the wood.

Screws. A screwed joint is stronger than a nailed joint and can be easily taken apart. To facilitate driving a screw, drill a hole for it first. Use flat-head screws if you want the head to be flush with the surrounding surface. (In hard wood it is usually necessary to drill a shallow hole into which the screw head can be countersunk; but in soft wood the head usually countersinks itself as you turn the screwdriver.) Oval-head screws project slightly above the surface while round-head screws are entirely exposed.

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