The History and Merits of Square Nails: When was the last time they used square nails?
Do it together home improvement and remodeling is what BuildingMoxie.com is about.There are a lot of tips and tricks about the home.
With the summer heat closing in on us, your lawn and landscape may need some extra care to stay healthy and thrive throughout the season.You will need to keep your outdoor investments looking good all summer long if you don't have an irrigation system.
There are two large parts, each containing a few small steps.You need to secure your plaster and finish your repair first.I get the wall ready for paint by reviewing Big Wally's Plaster Magic.
That doesn't mean that every screw is the same.If you want to mount deck boards to a deck frame with drywall screws, you are not going to do it.You wouldn't use upholstery nails or thumbtacks to hold down your roofing shingles.The screws I presented at the top were not designed to do those kinds of things.Click to read more.
Yes, Virginia, they really do still make them.
The old square nails are familiar to most of us.They can be seen on display at museum homes, historical society exhibits, or even being hammered out by blacksmiths.
Many of us don't know that the old nails were better than the modern wire nails.They are less likely to cause wood to split.It's not well known that square nails are still made today.They are available in large quantities.
There are iron nails and spike in the roof system of the Old Hawkins house.Oyster shells were used as thickeners in early plaster walls, and two square-cut iron nails I removed from a door jamb caused an oyster shell to break free from surrounding plaster.
The ancient Romans used hand-forged iron nails.The basic form of the square nail was developed in Europe in the 16th century.The first settlers brought large quantities of wrought nails with them when they arrived in the New World.In the American colonies, nail making was done on a small scale.Prior to the Revolution, most of the nails were imported from England.
The first nail making machines were prototyped by American inventors.The nails were cut from iron rods.America became the world's leading manufacturer and exporter of nails after nail-making machines became more efficient.
The nails by the company are square-cut.From left to right are cut-spike, common, fireboard, and rosehead common.
The holding power of square-cut nails is superior to modern wire nails.If you have ever tried to remove a square-cut nail from a board, you know what I mean.You will often break the board or the nail before removing it because they hold so tenaciously.The shape of the shank is the reason for this.A chisel-shaped point is created when it tapers on both sides from head to tip.The four edges of the shank are very sharp.
The tip and edges shear the wood fibers rather than push them apart as wire nails do.The wood is tightly wedged into the shank.Square-cut nails don't split wood because of their shearing ability.They can be used closer to the board than a wire nail.
A square-cut bright common nail is the same as a wire nail.The 16d square-cut common nail costs 17 cents.The price of the wire nail is based on the catalog of my local Home Depot.The square nail is more expensive than the wire nail.They have more holding power than anyone else.The old penny weight costing system would have cost either nail about 0.2 cents a piece back in the day.Not modern U.S. pennies in colonial pennies.
wire nails were invented in the 19th century.The formation of wire rods from soft steel was simplified by improved industrial processes.The nail machines were retooled to cut nails from less expensive round wire.During America's westward expansion, the cheaper, mass produced cut-wire nail met with instant market success, and forced the manufacturing of square-cut iron nails into eclipse.
In historical restoration projects, wrought square nails are still used.Obtained directly from blacksmiths.Many of the larger living history museums, such as Colonial Willamsburg, maintain their own blacksmith shops that supply their sites with historically accurate, forged nails.
I used 2x4s and oak scants to create a simple wood floor mock-up.I like to experiment with different combinations of wood species, stain, and nail types.I am comparing the rosehead nails with the wrought nails in this particular one.I haven't applied any stain to these boards.I don't like the look of the roseheads when they are nailed.They would look better on the counter sunk.We will try that next.
Square-cut nails are still available from the Tremont Nail Company.It is a division of Acorn Manufacturing.You might remember them from our post.In response to the Federal Period demand for low-cost nail production, the company was founded in 1819.Square-cut nails are produced by the only remaining American nail company.Square-cut nails are made out of steel.Their nails are made from high-carbon steel.
Bob Vila did a tour of Tremont Nail in 2011.
Hot-Dipped galvanized versions are available for outdoor applications.They still use their own vintage nail-cutting machines.These are from the 1850s.They have been able to keep these machines running by making replacement parts.These nails are not reproductions at all.Harder and stronger than iron, they are more of a generation advancement in square-cut nail technology than simple copies of historic artifacts.
I think the wrought nails look better for face nailed in oak.We will have to see how they look with different colors.
If you visit an historic home or colonial settlement museum, keep in mind that a wooden structure is only as strong as its bolts.Some of the old buildings are still standing.Our forebears' construction techniques were not inferior to our own.The practice of trading utility off in favor of reducing costs was what some were actually better at.
Thank you for visiting.We love to nerd on both Building History and Building Science.We want you to stick and click.Cheers.jb
Great post, John!It would be fascinating if I could arrange a tour of Tremont Nails.
When illuminating a dark corner with fresh, bright, light, it is always interesting to see how importance and perception change.
I assumed modern wire nails were better at improving grip than they were at being less expensive.The stroll through history was fun because of your description.
Amy, thanks for taking the time to comment.You mentioned that you were on a tour of Tremont.They had been in the old mill building in Wareham, Mass., since they were founded.Tours were stopped because of safety concerns.Since they relocated to the main facility, tours might be possible again.I will ask them about that.I am glad that I helped with your project.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment, Mike.Since wire nails are cheaper and more readily available in large quantities, you use more of them.It is fair to say that the whole motivation for stick framing construction was related to that.
A superior past technology is squeezed out of the picture by ancillary concerns.There are no Simpson StrongTie gussets that are drilled for square nails.There are no square nails guns.What would my local building inspector think about using them in a structural application?He doesn't understand them.Many of the things that were used in the past are not compliant with modern codes because they fell out of convention.
Square nails are still used today as concrete flooring nails, for securing wood flooring to concrete.There is only one modern application of square nails that I am aware of.
I wonder what my customers would think if I went back to installing cabinets with nails.
Hi James!Thank you for the comment.Try a few prototypes and see what your customers think.It depends on what kind of look they are going for.If I ever get the chance to build some new cabinets for my kitchen, I will definitely try to use square-cut nails, and see what happens.
It would be tempting to use the glass display cabinets in the open areas to add an old world feel to the look of the kitchen.
I would love to see that.Hope you post it so we can see the results.
That is an excellent suggestion.I will do some research on the testing and measurement aspect of the comparison and let you know what I come up with.
The piece helped me understand something about my house.The building was built in the 19th century.The front of the building was sagged when I got there.I did not know anything better than to remove the clapboard siding and add plywood on the outside of the oak studs to cut down on air infiltration.I used cut nails to attach the ply because the oak wood was too hard.My house has not moved in a while.The house is locked in place by the square nails.
I was told that the nail I found was called a barge nail.It is six inches long and has a squarish body.The head grows back out of the taper like a mushroom when the nail is just below the head.The person who showed me this nail said they were used in barges and that wet wood would close in around the smaller neck of the nail to give it more holding power.Have you heard of or seen these?
The story of your house is wonderful.It reminds me of some of my own experiences.My house was built in the 1670s and is made mostly from oak.The vertical hung 2 x 18 plank of solid oak is very similar to the vertical plank in an old barn.The planks are fastened to the major framing members using square nails, but I don't know what size, style, etc.The clapboards are nailed directly to the plank.
The house is divided into front and back sections on the 1st and 2nd floors by two walls on either side of the chimney column.They are the same construction.
The house is strong and stable.There is no wind bracing in the frame because the builders felt that braces were unnecessary.
The original foundation was replaced in the 1950s with a modern cement block foundation.The frame of my house got twisted in the process of placing it on the new foundation, and it now tilts to one side.It never moved after that.The heavy sheathing nailed to the frame is what I owe that fact to.
The previous owner told me that he tried to drive wire nails into the framing on more than one occasion, but the oak was too hard to accept them.
I am familiar with the term "boat nail", which sounds like the same thing as the barge nail.They are up to 6 feet in length, and can be ordered from the Tremont catalog.
Many styles of nails have ashank that is wider in the middle than at the ends.If you zoom in on the photo of the set of nails, you can see that they all have the same shape.I recovered many small iron lath nails in my house.
Those nails are better than the ones being used today.They secure flooring to the concrete very easily because they are not easily bent.It would be the best to use if I have my own home.I had renovated my house so people who know about them still use them.
Thanks for visiting, and thanks for the comment!Your remodeling experiences confirm my conclusions.If we can revive a square nail revival, we might be able to bring them back into the main stream.Hope to see you soon...
This post was found by James Dibbens.Really liked the article.My father, a block mason and business owner, passed away in February 2011.One of the things I remember vividly is his use of cut nails as he would say "Because they hold like a SOB" and they certainly do.The top use was to hold the patches in place while the concrete was being pumped to fill the columns or walls.There were fewer blow outs since the cut nails gripped so well.I will try to get you a photo of the cross at our old chuch, it was created out of 4 inch cut nails spot welded together.I would like to talk about my Dads memory.The man is named Larry Dalton.
I am sorry for your loss.Thanks a lot for sharing his story and explaining his use of cut nails in his work.I am aware that cut nails have great application in masonry, so your comment adds yet another aspect to my article, and I appreciate that.
Please post another comment if you get a photo of the cross.Would love to see it.
I live in Leadville, CO and have a home from the late 1800s.There is a stamp mark on some of the original shingles with a letter A on one side and two stars on the other side.The letters are visible.I have the ability to post a picture...Is that related to you?Did you tell me anything about it?Thank you!
That is quite a find.I am not aware of a relation of mine.I appreciate that you told me about it.
Builders used to affix their names to their work products.There are many stories of bricks, shingles, and other items carrying the names or initials of the people who put them there.
When some old wall paper was being removed, it was discovered that the guys who hanged the wallpaper had signed their names on the wall before starting their work.Sometimes this practice is done in the case of custom cabinets or furniture.
I would be happy to see a photo.Is it possible that you could post one on your website?I used your website and liked it very much.Comment back here with a link if you decide to do this.
Square nails are better for outside decks than wire nails.It will take me hours to pound the nails back that are popping out.I want to replace them with cut nails so I don't have to.What size and type of nail is appropriate for this job?Thanks a lot.Carol.
I have no experience with using square nails for fastening exposed, exterior structures like decks, so there are no recommendations for you.
I suggest you check with your local building department to see if square nails are a good substitute for old wire deck nails.
If you ask a few contractors in your area who do deck construction if they have heard of doing this, they would be willing to recommend a particular type of square nail and size.
An easier, and probably less expensive, option is to just substitute deck screws for loosened wire nails.
I was looking for a supplier for these nails in the Dominican Republic and came across your article.I felt the need to update the comment after I came across one that talks about modern uses.
The Dominican Republic's greatest asset is tourism.The majority of tourism in this country is dependent on the climate and the white sandy beaches.We are using these nails to help restore coral reefs, I work for a not for profit institution.We attach coral fragments from our coral nursery to the local reefs.The corals grow on the degraded reef.One of the most important reef building corals is also considered to be extinct.We use galvanized nails.I encourage you to visit our site to see the nails in use.I would appreciate it if you know how I can get hold of some from local suppliers or how to get them here.
Thanks a lot for your comment.This is a critical application of square cut nails that I never would have thought was going on.Thanks so much for letting us know about this and for referring us to your site.
I am not aware of any suppliers of HDG square nails in your area.I can only suggest that you contact Tremont Nail directly, inform them of who you are, and ask if they would consider some significant discounts for large bulk orders.
If there is a distributor in your area that is more convenient for you to deal with, I can imagine Tremont not knowing who that might be, since they are the exclusive manufacturer of HDG traditional square nails in the world.
Let us know what happens.Right now, I think going directly to the manufacturer is the best option for you.
P.S.Tremont is closed for summer vacation until July 9th.You will most likely have to contact them after the 9th.Good luck!
Affirmatively believe that which you said.The easiest thing to do was at the web.I get irked when people consider concerns that they don't know about.People can take a signal if you hit the nail on the highest and also defined out the entire thing without having side effect.Will probably return to get more.Thanks.
Excellent info.I stumbled upon your site.I have marked it on a book.
There is a new question.I purchased a shed from Home Depot.I want to class it up by putting clapboard on the exterior.Is it possible to nail clapboard over the exterior of the shed?I don't know if I need a barrier cloth.Or such between them?
I think our house was built earlier.There are 8 by 8s and pegs at the corners on top of the limestone foundation.Half of the stud is inserted into a half stud hole.The rest is balloon framed.Joists reached the 8 by 8s.They are set on a ribbon board on the second floor.When a stud ended on the gables, they crippled on another and used 20d cut nails.The entire house had 8d and 20 d nails and 4d on the lath inside.There were two studs in the living room after they were framed.Adje marks all over the structure.The entire house is made of oak.When did builders in Iowa stop using cut nails?