Rick Potter
03-01-2007, 4:06 AM
I must be really learning a lot since I seem to make so many mistakes.
Anyway, I was putting together a quickie shop cabinet, had it all glued up and tacked it together with 16 ga brads while I screwed it together just for a bit of added strength. At this point I realized I had put the nail strip at the top of the cabinet up too high, and I couldn't get the top on properly.
The glue was setting up and I didn't want to try to spread out the whole cabinet to pull the brads (the dado's in the shelves were glued and screwed already), so since it was a simple but joint I reached for my hacksaw to squeeze it in and cut the brads. It didn't seem like a good idea because of the wet glue in the joint would probably gum it up anyway. I needed something really thin and strong. Hey!! There's my putty knife.
I tapped the joint just a bit open, slid in the putty knife, gave it a sharp rap with a hammer, and it sliced right through that brad, a little farther down and it took out the other one too. This joint came apart cleanly and easily, and went right back in without trying to remove the brads like you must do when you pull a joint apart. I had to do that with the other end of the nail strip when I pulled it off. Thinking back, I wish I had used the putty knife there too, but as I said..I make a lot of mistakes.
I used a stiff bladed putty knife, but I think any would do the job, brads are pretty soft.
Rick Potter
Anyway, I was putting together a quickie shop cabinet, had it all glued up and tacked it together with 16 ga brads while I screwed it together just for a bit of added strength. At this point I realized I had put the nail strip at the top of the cabinet up too high, and I couldn't get the top on properly.
The glue was setting up and I didn't want to try to spread out the whole cabinet to pull the brads (the dado's in the shelves were glued and screwed already), so since it was a simple but joint I reached for my hacksaw to squeeze it in and cut the brads. It didn't seem like a good idea because of the wet glue in the joint would probably gum it up anyway. I needed something really thin and strong. Hey!! There's my putty knife.
I tapped the joint just a bit open, slid in the putty knife, gave it a sharp rap with a hammer, and it sliced right through that brad, a little farther down and it took out the other one too. This joint came apart cleanly and easily, and went right back in without trying to remove the brads like you must do when you pull a joint apart. I had to do that with the other end of the nail strip when I pulled it off. Thinking back, I wish I had used the putty knife there too, but as I said..I make a lot of mistakes.
I used a stiff bladed putty knife, but I think any would do the job, brads are pretty soft.
Rick Potter