How to Avoid Cracks & Splits in the Wood Using a Nail Gun

Video Transcript

"This is Rob McManhon for Expert Village. To avoid splits you want to stay inside from the edge of the wood. The closer you are to the end the more likely it is for you to get a split. Here we are going to intentionally split. I'm about three quarters of a inch from the end there. You can see that we got a crack - not so bad as a split. Come a little closer to the end and it's splitting even more. Now this are things that you want to avoid. So if you can stay away from the knots and come as far in from the end of the wood as you can. Keep a nice clean board. Here we have a split. See it is a little unpredictable. What caused this one here is the hole in this area which had already weakened it. So it is impossible to avoid completely but the further away you stay from knots or the edges the better off you will be."