Themostcommonnailsthatyouwillbeusinginwoodworkingare: The
common nail, box nail, roofing nail, finishing nail, and brad nail. Each of
these has a special purpose.
HeadShankCommon nails are used more often in the construction of buildings than
in projects like are in this book. That’s because common nails have a
thicker shank and a bigger head and therefore are stronger than the
other nails in this group. The extra strength is needed in constructing
things such as walls, floors, and roofs of houses.
Box nails are smaller than common nails both in shank size and head size
and are used in much thinner wood. Because thin pieces of wood can
easily split the tip of box nails have a blunt end which pushes it’s way
through the wood instead of causing cracks.
So can you guess where roofing nails are used? The large heads on
roofing nails securely fasten roofing shingles down onto the roof. This is
needed because shingles tear and rip easily. If a nail with a smaller head
was used it would just slip right through the shingle in a strong wind.
Common nailBox nailRoofing nail