Nails

• ROUGH HARDWARE – Hardware meant to be concealed, such as bolts, nails, screws, spikes, and other metal fittings.
• Finish Hardware - has a finished appearance as well as a function esp. that used with doors, window, and cabinets; may be considered part of the decorative treatment of a room or building.
• Nails are straight, slender pieces of metal having one end pointed and the other enlarged and flattened for hammering into wood or other building materials as a fastener.
• Most nails have diamond-shaped points.
• Large diameter nails are used for heavy work while lighter nails are used for finish work
• thinner nails are used for hardwood rather than for softwood.
• Sharp-pointed nails have greater holding strength but may tend to split some woods
• blunt points should be used for easily split woods.
• COMMON WIRE NAIL OR COMMON NAIL – a cut or wire low-carbon steel nail, having a slender plain shank and a medium diamond point; used in work where finish is unimportant, as in framing.
• FINISHING NAIL – a slender nail made from finer wire than the common nail; has a brad-type head which permits it to be set below the surface of the wood, leaving only a small hole which can be puttied easily; used in finishing work.
• BRAD NAIL – a small finishing nail, usually of the same thickness throughout, with a head that is almost flush with the sides or a head that projects slightly to one side.
• BOX NAIL – similar to a common nail but thinner; has a long shank which may be smooth or barbed.
• CASING NAIL – a slender nail with a small, slightly flared head used for finishing work.
• RING-SHANK NAIL – a nail having a number of ring-like grooves around the shank to increase its holding power.
• CLINCH OR CLENCH NAIL – any nail designed for clinching, after driving. Clinching is securing a nail, staple, screw or bolt, by hammering the protruding point so that it is bent over.
• ROOFING NAIL – a short nail having a barbed or ring shank and a comparatively large flat head; may be galvanized or bright; often provided with a neoprene, lead, or plastic washer; used to secure roofing felt or shingles to a roof-deck or roof boards.
• METAL LATH NAIL – a nail designed for securing a metal lath.
• ELECTRICIAN’S STAPLE NAIL – a u-shaped piece of metal or heavy wire, with pointed ends, driven into a surface to secure a sheet material, hold a hasp, etc.
• CONCRETE NAIL – a hardened steel nail having a flat countersunk head and a diamond point; used for nailing to concrete or masonry.
• MASONRY NAIL – a hardened steel nail with a knurled or fluted shank; esp. used for fastening to masonry.