Clamped and cleated doors

[ernest dubois]

Hello,

It all comes back to me now, how labour intensive the seemingly simple job of nailing and cleating these doors is. How do you do this work? What are your steps taken to complete the task at hand on the way to the finished door? Thanks in advance to the ones giving tips and suggestions.

E.DB.

[Jim Rimmer]

Can you provide a little more information? That's a pretty vague request.

[Jamie Buxton]

Are these cabinet doors, or person-sized doors?
If person-sized, are they interior or exterior doors?
Do you have tongue-and-groove joints between the boards? Or shiplap?

[ernest dubois]

These doors, an entry-way to the bench room section of the old barn where my workshop in being housed. I think they are called plank and batten in USA. The critical thing is the technique used in clinching.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/ernestdubois/Workshop/PA091137_zps19e2478a.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/ernestdubois/Workshop/PA071117_zps1900afef.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/ernestdubois/Workshop/PA091139_zpse23e3b61.jpg

[Bradley Gray]

The nails look like cut nails. Are they hardened? Seems like a softer nail would be easier to clench.

[ernest dubois]

Hi Bradley, cut nails indeed but quite malleable. Could it be I make a bigger deal of it all than it is? What could be simpler, pound the nail in, bend the extra coming through over. The trick is even sinking the extended section below the surface while not at the same time driving the nail back in the least degree. As it is I have an old tram rail section used sometimes for my anvil, positioned under the head of each nail to counter my sinking blows, often using a nail punch for setting the extended ends deep, you can imagine the awkwardness of the scene. I have in the past experienced these cut nails doing a 180 degree turn midway through a plank and exiting right back out near the staring point. If only I could manage that effect in a controlled and consistent way then I would be the master of the technique. But then, they say, if only I had wings I could fly to the moon too.

[Brian W Smith]

We've got some Tremec(sp) cut nails around here somewhere,un-hardened.As a slight tangent,a Blacksmith friend makes them for us when historic accuracy counts.

But the reason for post is.....once the nail is set,the end that needs clinching will work way better if you give the last 1/4" or so of the nails "tip/point",a little bend.This is what bites in when cliched.Failure here sees the bent nail never really getting down into the surface....instead,acting more like a spring.Vise-grips or a dolly makes quick work of it.Good luck,looks like a nice project.

[Phil Thien]

I have no advice but just wanted to say I love the door.

[ernest dubois]

I think you are right Brian about bending the tip over. Oh brother, yet another step on the way. Do you ever notice the nail head coming back out as clinched? Eliminating the need to counter the clinching blows would mean much less work involved.

Thanks for your complement Phil. Three more doors to go including one Dutch door.

[paul cottingham]

I think if you are clinching on an anvil, a scant hole would be useful. If you nails are diving away I would use a scant hole regardless. No more diverting.

Awesome door. I would love to do that in my home.

[Mel Fulks]

We used to keep an old piece of steel plate to support the nail heads and we bent the tips before clinch.

[Thomas Hotchkin]

As Mel said, bent the tip then clinch. Like re-shoeing a horse.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQf_p9ibsHwf1X63hKxYsYaH9SlTkbe4 dLxmKQVTxa4lO0-tqtlHg

[ernest dubois]

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/ernestdubois/PA091140_zps478f24c4.jpg

There's the set-up. What's not shown is that the door has to be elevated to just the right height to allow the anvil under there so I don't end up having to balance the entire mass of the door, and then in that space be able to shift the considerable weight of the anvil from point to point. The coming doors call for some altering of what I have done here and I'm going to try things differently to include some of those suggestions up there.

[Jamie Buxton]

I think if you are clinching on an anvil, a scant hole would be useful. If you nails are diving away I would use a scant hole regardless. No more diverting.

Awesome door. I would love to do that in my home.

What's a scant hole?

[paul cottingham]

Sorry, its a term for a predrilled hole for the nail, it should be considerably smaller than the nail. I would just stick a metal plate under the hole, pound a nail through, and, all going to plan, it should just hook over without any more screwing about. Mind you, I've only done this a few times, YMMV.

[ernest dubois]

I was hoping for some "scant hole" clarification, and screwing about is what I am avoiding by using nails instead. I start to wonder if the amount of the protrusion is not critical and that, as shown, I may be leaving the nails overly long which is taking too much pounding to clinch them and set below the wood's surface.

[ernest dubois]

Yes, that looks good Thomas, you bend them perpendicular to the grain. As I know it the nails are bent in line with the grain.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/ernestdubois/PA101154_zps7d3d5517.jpg

[paul cottingham]

Ok, The way I did it, I lined up the boards to be fastened, drilled a small pilot hole for the nail ("scant hole") placed my anvil or plate beneath the hole, and pounded the nail through. When teh nail hit the plate, it bent, and hooked over. Not as straight and neat, but very rustic, and very secure. I am not an expert, so again, YMMV.
Bear in mind, I am not as patient or meticulous as most people.

[ernest dubois]

Now you mention it Paul, I have a vague recollection of an American tool especially made to produce that effect, that is, in a single action directing the nail back up into the wood. Could it have been called a cleating or clinching iron? Does it ring any bells to readers out there? I turn to google search in hopes of immediate gratification of my whim, still leaving it open.