Nail: Penny. (Abbreviation:
d.) A term originally used to designate the price of
nails per 100, but now used to specify size. Common
sizes are: fourpenny, 1y4"; sixpenny, 2"; eight-penny,
2/"; ten-penny, 3"; twenty-penny, 4"; sixty-penny, 6".
Source: Home Craftsman 4 May-June 1935
page 220.
Walt Durbahn on the
origin of nail classification
(Folks, I could have done
the original research for this posting, yes,
but it would have taken considerable time;
instead, for the time being, at least, I am
posting this 1954 account by Durbahn, sans
documentation. I have seen more complete
versions of this story, but Durbahn has a
way of describing things like nails in
clear, concise, and entertaining terms. I
will be on the lookout for an account more
grounded in the true history of the
evolution of nails, however. While not a
"nail collector", I have a stash of
"square" nails, rescued from my uncles' farm
many years ago.)
 Nail
sizes are still called by the ancient Penny
System which originated in England centuries
ago. There are several stories about how the
Penny System came to be named. One version
has it that 6 penny, 8 penny, 10 penny, and
so on derived their names from the fact that
100 nails of a certain size cost 6 pence,
another size 8 pence, and so on through the
different sizes. The original abbreviation,
in use today, is d. A 2d nail (2 penny) is 1
inch long; 10d, 3 inches. You add 1/4" for
each penny up to 3 inches.
The common wire nail, with its large head,
is used mostly for rough work in the framing
of a building, nailing studs and joists,
rough flooring, roof boards.
It is a bear for holding power because of
its thickness, but it also is likely to
split less rugged wood.
The box nail is made of a lighter-gauge
wire. It is not nearly as guilty of
splitting as its bigger brother. In fact, it
was intended in the beginning for making
boxes where the wood was thin and split
easily. When the box nail is coated with
resin, cement, or some other adhesive
material it has just about as much holding
power as the common nail. Incidentally, most
carpenters prefer to use coated nails.
The casing nail has a smaller head than the
common nail, is cone-shaped, and also is
made of a light-gauge wire. As its name
implies, this member of the nail family is
for fastening the outside casings around
windows and doors, the cornice and trim of a
house. Frequently, it is used in the laying
of finish flooring and in situations where
the nailheads must be set below the surface
of the wood.
The finish nail is identified by its still
smaller head and lighter-gauge wire. It is
used for the interior finish work of a
building and for cabinet- and
furniture-making, where nails must be
concealed by being set below the surface.
By rule of thumb, the
length of the nail to use for a particular
job should be at least 2˝ times the
thickness of the material to be fastened.
THEN you shop for small nails, ask your
hardware dealer for brads, These are really
small finish nails of a still lighter-gauge
wire. Hardware stores generally stock brads
in the commonly used sizes from 3/8" to 1",
although actually they are made in a 3/16"
to 3" range.
Additionally, there are roofing nails, whose
extra-large heads are necessary for
fastening asphalt shingles and roof¬ing
paper as well as the rigid insulation
sheathing boards. Plasterboard, or dry wall,
is fastened with the large thin-head, blued,
plasterboard nail.
Nails are usually made of steel, which will
rust when exposed to moisture. For that
reason it is advisable to employ the
zinc-coated (galvanized) or aluminum nails
for fastening work that is exposed to the
weather.
Source: Walt Durbahn, "How
to Put it Together", American Magazine
157 March 1954 pages 66-67
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Sources: Home
Craftsman 4 May-June 1935;Walt Durbahn,
"How to Put it Together", American Magazine
157 March 1954.
Natural Edge:
from
http://centralvafurnitureshop.com/photogalleryv.aspx
Spalted Tiger Maple Box with a
sliding box inside. The large box is tinted
with shellac and finished with handrubbed
varnish and is lined on the bottom with
brown felt, and the front of the lid
retains the natural edge.
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Nest of Saws: A set of saws
purchased as a group usually composed of 2 or 3
blades—including compass and key hole blades—with an
interchangeable handle. (Home Craftsman 4
1935 July-August page 260)
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