The driving of nails in a manner that will position and hold two or more members, usually of wood, in a desired relationship to each other. The contact pressures between the surfaces of the nails and the surrounding wood fibers hold the nails in position. Some types of nails are shown in the illustration.
Special- and general-purpose nails.
Factors that determine the strength and efficiency of a nailed joint are (1) the type of wood, (2) the nail used, (3) the conditions under which the nailed joint is used, and (4) the number of nails. In general, hard, dense woods hold nails better than soft woods. The better the resistance of a nail to direct withdrawal from a piece of wood, the tighter the joint will remain. To increase resistance to withdrawal or loosening, nails may be coated, etched, spirally grooved, annularly grooved, or barbed, as illustrated.
Blunt-pointed nails are often used to prevent the wood from splitting. Using nails of a smaller diameter also tends to prevent splitting but requires a greater number of nails per joint. Beeswax is sometimes applied to nail points to make them drive more easily, but it also reduces the holding power of the nail
