Uses of Brad Nails
Among the dozens of larger and powerful nails in carpentry, the tiny brad nail appears inconspicuous and slight. But for trim work and small woodworking jobs, the brad nail stands out as a powerhouse. The smooth metal body and slightly depressed head are superior properties for effortless driving into molding and trim without gouging the fine surface of the wood. Does this Spark an idea?
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Features
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A typical brad nail is smaller than a finish nail but is used for a similar purpose: trim work and small woodworking projects. While most nail heads are flat, the brad nail sports a slightly cupped head. This unique design allows a woodworker to place a narrow nail punch into the depression. The woodworker strikes the nail punch with a hammer, reducing the chances of damaging the wood surface, which would be a strong possibility if the hammer hit the wood directly.
Functions
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Besides its main use as a finishing nail, the brad nail serves as a perfect temporary binder. A woodworker may lightly tap in brad nails to temporarily secure two pieces of glued wood; then the woodworker removes the brad when the glue has dried. Since the imprint of the brad is so small, a dab of wood putty easily covers the imprint. After the putty dries, the woodworker can sand and stain or paint the surface.
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Benefits
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When a regular finish nail is too thick or too long for a project, or a staple is too short or too narrow, woodworkers turn to the brad nail. The brad nail is perfect for securing small or narrow strips of wood, since the nail leaves only a small mark and doesn't split wood as easily as other fasteners.
Choosing Proper Sizes
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The brad nail, like other nails, comes in varying lengths and diameters. Woodworkers choose the proper size of brad based on the project at hand. Generally, woodworkers select a brad nail equal to two or three times longer than the material that is being secured. So if the section of trim is 1/4 inch thick, a woodworker would use a 3/4-inch brad nail for the project.
Developments
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The brad nail is no longer limited to manual pounding: Specialized equipment called a pneumatic nail gun greatly reduces the time and effort spent securing trim and other wood. A strip of brad nails, connected at the heads in a necklace-looking sling, fits into the pneumatic nail gun. Powered by air pressure, the pneumatic gun releases a nail when the trigger is pressed. An electrically powered nail gun uses electricity, not air, to shoot nails into the wood. These automatic tools accept only certain types of brad nails.
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References
- Photo Credit nails image by kolesn from Fotolia.com
