I'll chime in. these aren't made to show but . . . if anyone ever looks . . .
CoD back (4).jpg
The design of the nails makes them grip very well for back slats.
I'll chime in. these aren't made to show but . . . if anyone ever looks . . .
CoD back (4).jpg
The design of the nails makes them grip very well for back slats.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
I seem to recall something about a square scratch awl, used as a pilot drill for the cut nails....
A five board bench uses five boards; two leg boards + two apron boards + one top board = five boards.
A six board bench has a board at the bottom of the aprons so there is a storage area under the hinged top board.
My first exposure to this was a Charles Neil video on YouTube > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX4fXbRNqqY
Search 5 board bench on YouTube and you will find some shorter videos. Charles Neil is kind of enjoyable to watch.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
I just bought some Rivierre nails to use on a boarded book shelf. Looking forward to using nice looking nails a more frequently.
Coincidentally FWW has an article on this right now: https://www.finewoodworking.com/2020/09/30/on-nails
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
The popular outfit that sells cut nails (forget the name) has lots of good info on using cut nails with directions on how to orient the nails. You definitely want to orient them correctly when using them. I drill test holes and make test nail drives in the same material that they will be used in before moving to the project piece. Things went better when I bit the bullet and slowed down enough to drill a larger pilot hole in the top material and then a slightly smaller hole in the bottom material (when nailing two pieces together). For those who have not tried them, cut nails' holding capacity is heads and shoulders above wire nails. Cut nails have sloping sides and wedge in tighter the deeper they go. Therein lies the problem as they say - that last hammer blow can cause the split as the last of the pilot hole diameter is challenged. With certain material or hardness or species or whatever, it can take a few test pilot hole drillings to come up with the correct formula for that project. I have used them in kiln-dried, hard material only and wonder if using them in softer, less-dried material (more "stretch" in the wood) might allow for a wider pilot hole range for successful use.
David
I have reheaded some old ones, when needed in my work on old houses. I've never had luck with much of a wedge shape, so I cheat, and straighten out the sides some. The old wrought iron ones, with little carbon in them, is pretty easy to reshape when red hot. I just use a Mapp torch, anvil, and another piece of metal with a hole in it to hold the nail upright for shaping the head. I shape the head first, and then do what I need to on the shank. I have hundreds of pounds of saved, old wrought iron nails in various sizes.
I have used Tremont nails before, but those don't really match the hand worked heads of wrought iron nails.
My recollection is of reading somewhere in the 18th & 19th century when people were pulling up stakes and moving they often burned down their buildings to collect the nails to take with them.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Yes, with the exception of the door nails. Those were clinched over when used to nail the door frame in place and were therefore deemed not usable or not desirable at any rate. "Deader than a doornail......."
David
Over the years I've saved old nails ,both cut and wrought. My understanding , from reading, is that the cut nails could
not be bent because "the grain " went cross ways since the early machines would not cut with the grain going the other
way. But I've always thought wrought nails could be bent. Never tried it because they are my "base ball card" equivalents.
Also read that wrought nails were made for some years after advent of cut nails. But most of the printed sources always
date wrought nails as being early, and giving a date range that doesn't include the over lap.
While growing up, we would often salvage nails from boxes, pallets and wherever else we could to use. Kids didn't have much money to go buy lumber and nails to build a fort so we got it from where ever we could find it.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
A friend made a small hatch cover for the opening of an outdoor masonry oven thinking it would be far enough from the flame not to ignite. Next day he discovered the hatch had not be far enough away and was searching thru the ashes to reclaim the nails.