Activities
- Now that we know how to hammer, let’s pound some nails. For
younger children use a roofing nail (see nail chart). It has a large
head that is much easier to hit. Grab a piece of 2x4 and using a 1
¼” long nail (a rule of thumb is that the nail should be about 2/3
the depth of the piece or piecesof wood it’s going in). Holding
the hammer towards the end of the handle, pinch the nail between
the pointer finger and thumb. Tap the nail a couple of times to get
it started. Now here’s how most people new to using a hammer
start out: They just keep on tapping the nails with short swings
because they’re afraid of missing the nail, don’t be. Swing like
you mean it! Remember what we talked about with swinging the
hammer through a wide arc to increase momentum. Wouldn’t
you rather hit a nail five times to sink it into the wood than
twenty-five times? Sure, in the beginning you may bend a few
nails while you’re getting the hang of it, but so what? You know
how to pull them back out! One way to make sure that the
hammer face hits the nail head squarely is to have the nail and
wood positioned at waist level. This is where the face of the
hammer naturally squares up to the head of the nail. Keep
pounding nails until you have the hang of it and feel completely
comfortable using the hammer. - In some of the upcoming lessons where nails are used in a project,
you may want to fill the nail holes with wood filler (see lesson on
finishing wood). This is so after the project is painted or stained
the nail holes won’t be visible. In order for the wood filler (putty)
to cover the nail hole completely, you’ll probably have to use a
nail set to push the head of the nail below the surface of the wood.
Place the tip of the nail set on the head of the nail and strike
firmly. It may take two or three hits to set the nail head below the
surface of the wood. (Note: If you’ve been using roofing nails to
practice switch to a regular box or finish nail to practice setting