Re: Cut Nail Recommendation Needed...
Adam Cherubini, NJ
>Scott
I suspect Tremont nail www.tremontnail.com is the only source for these nails. Pretty sure LV buys Tremont nails in bulk quantities and repackages them in smaller quantities. Last I looked, LV prices were similar or the same as Tremont�s. LV seems to offer smaller quantities (for proportionally less money) than Tremont does.
Scott, you must determine what you need from your nails. For face nailing the front of your six board chest on, you�ll want a headed nail because they will take some tension. You want cut nails for the same reason. They hold better in tension. Tremont offers several styles. You want hardened nails, not clinchers- especially if your nailing skills aren�t great (mine sure aren�t). Clinchers will bend on you. That�s what they�re made to do.
For a flush application, Tremont recommends their common standard nails, or common rose-heads. I don�t use either. I don�t like the heads of these nails and I like the neck under the head of the decorative wrought heads and rose head clinchers. As the theory goes, this necked portion minimizes splits and locks the nail in place better.
To flush your heads, I recommend applying a pilot hole ( I use a gimlet or a brad awl) and a countersink before nailing. Don�t try to bash the head into the wood. The countersink should be roughly the same size of the head. Make the counter sink, then stick the head into it to see how it fits. I try not to make the countersinks too big. Keep in mind a flushed 1-1/2� long nail may penetrate two 4/4 boards. The countersink depth is important.
The trick to nailing cut nails is aligning the parallel sides with the grain: Think of cut nails as having been cut from a piece of sheet metal. Two sides are parallel. The other sides have either a diamond or wedge shape to them (I prefer the diamond). If you drive the wedged shape across the grain, you�ll split the board.
In your case, you�ll be driving your nails across grain. Choose the face boards grain to select the nail�s orientation. Also, you�ll have to be careful since you�ll be nailing close to an edge. When possible, its best to leave the board long, then trim it flush after nailing. I�m convinced this is the right thing to do when making a clamped top for a chest for example. But you probably can�t do that since you�ll likely let your face board into a rabbet. If that rabbet is a �� deep, you�ll only have �� or less between the center of the nail and the edge of the board. In this case, I recommend pre-drilling nearly full size holes in the face board. If the holes are a little large that will only help by providing breathing room for the board to move.
That�s all I know. I hope it helps.
Adam