Introduction To Old Fashioned Cut Nails
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ธ.ค. 2024
- Cut nails are a type of fastener which go back to the 1800s, and they can offer advantages to modern nails. For restoration work or for woodworking and furniture-making they provide a period look. They also have superior holding power over modern nails. However, they also must be installed in a certain way. In this video I'll go over how they work, give a demonstration, and go over some of the styles available from the Tremont Nail Company, which makes cut nails using original machinery from earlier times.
► To Purchase
amzn.to/2X0Nrs8 (Tremont box nail)
amzn.to/3pI7Rmf (Tremont decorative wrought head nail)
amzn.to/3hJ1KeJ (Tremont clout nail)
amzn.to/3rLlyCq (Tremont clinch nail)
www.tremontnai... (Tremont Nail Company website)
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Working on a 200 year old house removing cut nails from shoe molding as I'm watching this video, great tip on orientation of the nail learned something new today, I plan on reusing the nails I salvaged on this restoration
Bought an older home and restoring it slowly... this is good info for when I want to keep the period look! Thank you!
Really enjoyed this. Very informative, not many craftsman have this knowledge and are willing to share.. Greatly appreciated, thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Intriguing video. Prompt me to research more on the purpose & evolution of the various cut nail designs ...
It's actually fascinating how simple things like nails and screws have evolved over the decades. So many things we take for granted have a long history of change.
Great presentation. I remember many years ago seeing a segment on This Old House where Norm Abram, briefly, explained cut nails. This video took us to a higher level of understanding. The domed heads are fascinating. Seems like there would be a bit less mangling of the wood surrounding the head as it is driven home and it could also serve as a minor decorative touch. The offset head on the wrought nail resembles a railroad spike.
I've used the domed heads on wide plank flooring, and it looks great. The wrought head nails work well with exposed, surface-mount door hinges and the like, though they can be tricky to get lined up.
Excellent presentation and information. I will use this company for my sourcing trim/finish nails from now. These will be the finishing touch in restoring and repairing old furniture. Thank you. 😎
Great educational video
I visited a fancy barn / house in CT recently that had old wide plank pine with cut nails... very cool look. Great vid!
Nothing does quite as much to create a vintage look than wide plank floors!
You learn something new every day! 👍
Nice. Is there a Guide as to when you might want to use each type of these Cut nails?
I don't have a guide for you, but it isn't difficult to figure out their best use based on size and head type. There is some information on the Tremont Nail Company website: tremontnail.com/
Most things I build have the members at 90 grain orientation. Should I drill a pilot hole in the top member and have it oriented with grain of the member below for better holding power? I have pondered this for years........
So, when using cut nails the danger is only that you will split the wood when orienting the nail head so that it acts like a wedge to drive the grain apart. This is especially true for nailing at the ends of a board. If you drive a cut nail the wrong way but in the middle of a board, the wood will likely not split apart unless it is very thin or dry. When using cut nails in an assembly, I guess your question is about when the grain is not parallel between two boards being nailed together? If it is end-grain underneath that really isn't an issue. If it is face grain it is plausible that the board underneath could split if the grain is oriented the wrong way relative to the nail head, but generally it won't. That's because the top of the nail is 3/4 or 5/4 (or whatever) inches above that second board's face grain. The head of the nail gets buried in the board above and the board below only receives something like half the nail, which is not enough to split the wood in most cases. Put another way, orient the nail head correctly for the grain of the top board so it doesn't split, and don't worry about the bottom board.
@@enduringcharm Thanks for the reply. Sorry I left "deg" out after 90, or I could have just said perpendicular. wtf? Haha! I usually read them first before hitting "reply".
I'm looking to make some rustic, old school tool boxes for actual use. It looks to me that alot will depend on the nails too. The long tapered spike type would certainly blow out the top board. I may use the wrought ones and clinch them for better hold and it won't matter. But I'm kinda flying blind, which is part of the thrill, I suppose. I'll be singing BB Kings greatest hit if I'm wrong. Haha! Have a super weekend.
I'm replacing the joists under an 1840s floor. Boards and joists are eucalyptus hardwood. The parallel sides of the 2" cut nails (rose head, from the UK) need to align with the joist, surely?
This is difficult to describe rather than to show. What you want to do with cut nails is make the longest two sides of the square nail parallel with the grain of the board you are nailing through, if that makes sense. Otherwise, the nail acts like a wedge and splits the wood.
@enduringcharm thank you. I will re-use the previous nail holes. I'm more concerned that the old holes will be oversized actually.
If you are re-using the old holes and they are truly oversized, you may be able to wedge wood toothpicks or something similar in the hole as you drive the nail to take up the extra space.
Great video, very informative.
Thank you - very informative. I am using an old barn door to make a table top and need to replace a couple of the wood support slats on the back of the door that have rotted. It had cut nails in it. How to I know what size (thickness?) they are ( I know the length) so as to order similar nails, and, could I use the wrought iron nails as I think the black color would look great?
My best advice is to go to the website of the Tremont Nail Company here: www.tremontnail.com/ You can look over their products and find the ones which work for you. Great company, I've been using their products for decades.
My grandfather was an old school carpenter back in the 50s and 60s and he told me that they used to use cut nails to fasten bottom plates to concrete when framing in basements. I never got to talk about it with him in more detail and he’s since passed. Are these the type of nail he was talking about or is that something different?
Your grandfather was talking about cut nails that were hardened for use in masonry. They are still available today, though there are now better options for the purpose. You might still use hardened masonry nails in restoration work or in some situation where the nail shows.
@@enduringcharm interesting. Thank you.
Excelente,
muito obrigado.
Some folks advocate that you should predrill the wood before nailing. What say you all?
I did mention that in the video. You can drill a pilot hole if you like, though you still need to follow the rule of aligning the nail correctly with the wood grain. I sometimes drill a pilot hole if I am nailing something delicate or if the workpiece will tend to move as I nail. On wide plank flooring I may drill a pilot hole on the ends if I experience splitting. When these nails were originally developed, wood was not kiln dried. It was air dried or it was green. That made a difference as far as tolerance against splitting. Kiln dried wood tends to be more brittle. But, you can still just nail right through without a pilot hole in many situations.