Don't Drive NAILS/SCREWS Straight In...TRY THIS INSTEAD! (The TOENAIL EFFECT--Stronger Connections!)
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- čas přidán 13. 08. 2021
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Don't Drive NAILS/SCREWS Straight In...TRY THIS INSTEAD! (The TOENAIL EFFECT--Stronger Connections!)
When many people drive nails and screws, they stand them up perpendicular to the piece, and send them in. But driving fasteners like this sacrifices STRENGTH! This short video from The Honest Carpenter will show you a simple trick for making stronger fastener connections.
Driving nails and screws straight in isn't exactly WRONG. It's just that it's not as beneficial as possible.
This is because driving fasteners perpendicular to your lumber or work piece sends them in by the most direct route possible. This means that they can also LEAVE by the most direct route possible--STRAIGHT OUT.
Nails in particular can suffer from retraction problems.
Nails gain their fastening power from FRICTION. They force their way into wood or material, and pressure from the material on all sides of the nail hold them in place.
But, when that friction bond is broken (like with seasonal expansion/contraction in deck boards), then the fastener loses nearly all its strength.
Here's a simple trick to help prevent this problem: DRIVE THE FASTENER AT A SLIGHT ANGLE.
By slightly angling the fastener, you make it harder for the fastener to pull out unintentionally.
The fastener has to traverse through boards laterally. Now, material positioned diagonally over the fastener is also holding it in place. To remove a nail set with an angle, you have to PRY UP that extra material as well.
I call this the TOENAIL EFFECT--because angling a fastener is often referred to as giving it a "toenail" angle. (This word also frequently refers to nailing 2x4s from the top side while framing.)
It's also best to drive the fastener so it angles slightly away from the direction at which force will be most frequently applied to it.
SCREWS can also benefit from driving them at an angle. It can be especially helpful when driving screws into end grain. The screw point will bite laterally through multiple end grain layers, giving the threads more to grab.
Overall, though, screws are much stronger than nails because they don't rely on friction for strength. So, it's okay to not always angle screws when driving them.
But, NAILS can almost ALWAYS benefit from a slight toenail angle!
Thanks for watching! Be sure to check back in for more videos coming up soon!
The Honest Carpenter - Jak na to + styl
I had to chuckle, because my dad taught me about the value of toenailing back in the forties, and a local farmer's kid laughed at me for doing it. There is one time, however, when you want to drive nails at an angle upwards. That is when you are nailing to a vertical surface that is constantly exposed to rain, such as a fence rail, or putting an electric fence insulator into a tree. By angling it upwards slightly, rain doesn't soak in around the nail or screw, so the wood is much less likely to rot over time. That was also my dad's tip.
My Mother loved nailing her electric fence to trees. Now forty years later there are dozens of trees with nails in them, waiting for someone to chainsaw through them. Fun times ahead for somebody.
Good tip. You can still use opposing left/right toenails along with the upward angle to get the holding power Ethan described.
My grandfather was a master craftsman back in the early 1900s. Years ago, I toured two homes in the Portland, OR area where some of his work is is still a major focal piece in the home. (These were family members; homes.) He had done a major amount of trim work and built-ins shelves and cabinets. Naturally the knowledge was passed to my father and uncle. Eventually, some to me. The toenailing, which was one of the tips, does receive comments from others but after a brief explanation, they just seem to walk away. Hopefully with some additional, old fashioned knowledge. Since my first retirement, I volunteer quite often with a few local Habitat for Humanity chapters. My preference is framing. Both exterior and interior. I toenail as much as I can. Can't beat the strength.
Water will still go in there. And the nails are the least of your worries, the timber will still rot with prolonged exposure to moisture, nails or not. Sounds good though. Like alot of carpenters tips, they sound good
@@Foolish188 I love the fact that you threw shade on your own mother for pretty much no reason, you sound like a real douche! Congrats!
Sounds like I've accidentally been an expert carpenter my entire life - I can't put a nail or screw in straight to save my life 😂
I had to really TRY to stand one up just for this video, Alec 😅
The 5 in 1 tool I got after watching one of the previous videos here has a useful nail supporter. Great for clumsy fingers.
Same, I always thought that was a bad thing but nice to know I've been doing it right all along. I guess you can call me a natural.
True talent....
Right? The only time I hammer a nail in straight is when I want it to be angled!
We use this principle all the time in spine surgery. For example, sometimes with a spinal fusion, we lay a titanium plate with holes on top of two vertebrae. We place two screws in the plate at each vertebrae, parallel to each other. To decrease pull out, we slightly angle the screws toward each other. Great video, as usual.
Amazing! I love hearing about tool technique in other jobs-especially medicine. Thanks Kenneth!
I always wondered why on x Ray's of plates the screws look crooked. Also, that sounds like something I want to avoid going through.
As a recipient of titanium plates, Thank you, medical field!
We do that at our brain surgery shop also.
@@ElectricIguana That's true, but with skull fixation plate devices, the tiny screws are usually placed perpendicularly. There is less stress being placed on these plates than those of the spine.
I like to hammer the nail into a solid "L" Shape, first. Then I mash the majority of it into the material.
I never look back 😎
You forgot the most important step -
It's very critical that you smack your fingers while you're holding the nail *at least* once. The redder your fingers are, the better it'll hold.
My nails are covered in fungus. So they just get overlooked.
@@katiedotson704 Do you have a trick for making the neighbors disappear altogether?
@@katiedotson704 That's too bad. Uncouth people don't appreciate sincere generosity.
@@katiedotson704 Good. He may have demanded that it be put to sleep. Maybe you can find someone else to appreciate your generosity. All joking aside, I have a neighbor in the house behind me who has a habit of opening her floor-to-ceiling bathroom window at 7:30 in the morning while she goes through a morning routine with her "special needs" 4-year-old who yells and screams. I see and hear this from my bedroom. Yesterday I asked her to "please close the window. You are in the toilet." Her reply? "Well, I am not sh&tting!" How nice is that and where do I find a pet rock big enough to give her?
I bought an old house, and the last owner definitely knew your advice. Boy is it fun to take off old trim 😅
Thank you, thank you, thank you. People are always criticizing me for driving nails in crook but I always do it that way because it makes a stronger connection.
They taught this in my woodwork class when I was younger. You just need to remember to compensate for the angle you put your screw/nail at because it may push/pull the wood that way. Depends on what you're building. Good video!
Some of us didnt get a chance to take woodwork class, and are learning this when they’re almost 30
Very good point. And make sure you use long enough fasteners. The angle decreases to total penetration depth.
The flip side is that it's almost impossible to separate the pieces without breaking them. As someone living in a 70 year old house where _everything_ is cross nailed, I can tell you it makes it really hard to do renovation work...
Cross nailed trim into drywall is my favorite.
Sawzall
oscillating tool can be used to slide between and cut at least one of the nails
I read this comment to my gf who does carpentry as a hobby. Her exact words: "but it stayed together for 70 years!"
I agree. To be honest, a nail driven straight in is held in by rust not friction after a while outdoors. Ever tried removing a rusted joint?
As someone who recently bought a house and has to learn almost everything from scratch your videos really help. I especially love the one about kerfs (did I spell that right). It has made my miter saw cuts much more precise. Keep up with the great content, it really helps those of us that grew up in front of a computer instead of with tools in our hands.
Greetings from Denmark
Thank you, Nicolas! You’re exactly the audience I make them for, and I’m glad it’s helping. Happy to hear from Denmark!
@@TheHonestCarpenter I use a Milwaukee 18 gauge brad nailer for all my trim work and sometimes beyond. My trick is always use 2" first if possible and in one spot to nail up and down. I use this method in place of a 15 gauge nailer.
I love when I do remodeling and the previous carpenter uses nails because it makes work easier when removing because they shoot the nails perpendicular to the work.
Question, for the last Year I have switched to Deck screws for everything except drywall, have you considered deck screws outside of a deck.
@@rickyperkins232I do a lot of bath and shower remodels and I use deck screws most of the time. I use 3/4 or 5/8 plywood for parkout between the studs and acrylic shower/bath panels as well as when replacing subfloor. They are coated so the moisture doesn’t bother them and they are strong as…you can imagine. Hope this helps.
I learned all my skills at first from buying my house. Now I can build almost anything after taking my experience and getting jobs with it..
I learned all my skills at first from buying my house. Now I can build almost anything after taking my experience and getting jobs with it..
My brother was a carpenter - mostly kitchen & bathroom remodeling. He broke his foot and the orthopedic surgeon who put it back together used a plate and a bunch of screws at all kinds of angles. None were driven straight in. My brother e-mailed me a copy of the x-ray and complained that the orthopedic surgeon would never make it as a carpenter. Sloppy work with the screws at angles. I put on my mechanical engineer hat and said that was so that loads applied at different angles as the foot articulated wouldn’t pull the screws loose - and that’s when I started driving nails at a slight angle.
So what you're saying is your brother is a lousy carpenter and his work is most likely falling apart if older than 7 years old?
Hello, Ethan;
I did frame carpentry when I was young, 30-40 years age.
I learned from the old-timers.
Angling 2 16p nails against each other would hold a top plate down & straighten a bent 2x.
Used it many times since.
Good to see you know what you're doing.
Have a GREAT day, Neighbor!
Holds better when the nails are used like they have been used for 6000 years. Angling nails is called toe nailing, it's ONLY used to join pieces that don't meet face to face. A "V" nail can help to hold until glue dries, but can never provide lasting strength, seeing as how when it's angled you've created an escape channel for the nail.angled nails pop a little triangle out when a straight nail would have held. No wonder all the houses these days fall apart in 10 years...
Oh, thank you, so you're an honest carpenter? Where would you go if you were to die today? Seek the Lord and saviour Jesus Christ before it's too late. John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Hell is real and Heaven is also real. You don't want to spend an eternity in Hell torment without God. The only way to escape Hell is to follow Jesus Christ our Lord and saviour. Study the KJV Bible to know more and pray and seek until you find Jesus. Don't delay tomorrow might be too late. You are not promised even the next minute. Do it now
Nails were not around six thousand years ago your comment is questionable
@@perryfroze One of Jesus names is a nail fastened in a sure place. Isaiah 22:23
@@luisromanlegionaire 5400 years ago metal nails in Egypt but I think wooden peg nails should count reasonably back to 6000 years. would disolve no proof.
This is great advice. I discovered this technique as a kid, hanging up posters and stuff on my wall with thumb tacks. I found that if I angled the tack down about 45 degrees instead of straight in, it held up the stuff better. Awesome to learn I can use it in woodworking also.
👍😎👍
As a kid, I watched my grandfather assemble projects. He always angled his nails. Thanks for reminding me.
Even though most of my construction experience was with residential concrete work, I knew the value of toe nailing, especially on end grain. You covered all the bases here. Now I spend my time on the wood lathe.... Best christmas present I ever bought myself.... I even angle my wood dowels when pegging tenon joints.
I thank you for the video. It added a few hints to what I learned from my dad. He said, many years ago," A good carpenter never drives a nail in straight." I guess he was right.
Kinda late to the party here but I just ran across your channel. Built my house in the mid 90s and framed it that way. Used three nails in each stud end - straight in, and angled left and right on each side of that. My house was literally dead center when hurricane Michael came ashore in Oct 2018 (it took about 40 minutes for the eye to pass over us). With 165mph winds, we had only cosmetic damage from flying debris and NO structural damage. The house was high and dry. This technique works really, REALLY well!
I've been doing this for years. When putting in posts in cement for a fence, I've used large nails at different angles to increase holding power. Works well. Thanks for the video.
As a DIY-er I’m interested in this technique. Can you give more details?
For cement you wouldn't need any angles. Just drive a 20d nail 3/4 of the way on each four faces and you'll have plenty of grip into the concrete.
This was a very thorough video! As it started, I thought of a lot of details that could go against your logic, such what angle is the force against the fastener and sloppy looking countersinks but you covered it all. Good video!
Another very clear, concise yet comprehensive primer - keep up the good work!
Great video, thanks. All of these years of being a handyman/weekend warrior and I never thought of that. Makes good sense.
Screws most definitely do rely on friction to hold them in. It's just that the direction in which the typical load on a screw exerts its force (axial) is not directly in line with that required for its removal (rotational) - in fact the load actually increases the friction that must be over come for it's removal. Similar concept is occurring with toe-nailing, so long as the nail is oriented correctly for the load.
The area across which the holding friction is exerted is also inherently increased by way of the screw's helix, thereby amplifying the force required to overcome it.
Without friction, a nail would come right out. Without friction, a screw would still need to be rotated out.
Without friction, that screw would rotate out. Upon placing any load on it in the axial direction, it would self rotate. It still relies on friction. That is all that holds any type of fastening mechanism. It is just a matter of increasing that holding friction.
Ha! Got eeem
Not exactly. Friction is independent of surface area and only depends on the materials friction coefficient (a constant value of a material based on its smoothness and material properties) and the force exerted on the surface typically in the forms of weight and compression. Screws prevent twist out by friction but this hold is actually weaker than in nails because the friction coefficient is typically less and the fibers of the wood haven’t been destroyed in such a way that they’re constantly clamping back on the threads. Instead screws make little ledges that prevent them from being actively pried out. Incidentally pulling on a screw while you twist will increase the normal force being applied to the screw and increase the force of friction making it harder to twist out then it would if you applied a rotational torque with absolutely no force. The reason it helps when screwing things in is because the threads and tip need to initial cut into the wood. A perfectly threaded screw would not be helped by the force which is why screwing into something like a drywall anchor or a nut doesn’t require any pushing force at all.
"Not exactly. Friction is independent of surface area and only depends on the materials friction coefficient (a constant value of a material based on its smoothness and material properties) and the force exerted on the surface typically in the forms of weight and compression."
No where did I suggest that increasing surface area under a given static load or force increases the friction. If you increase the surface area upon which a given load is spread across (i.e., the load or force does not change) and the coefficient of friction remains constant, then the friction (frictional force or holding friction) obviously does not change. However, this is not a case of having a given static load and spreading that load across a larger surface area (To be clear, this is looking at an unloaded screw simply being embedded into a material; any loading of the screw presents additional dynamics that can be further addressed separately - although, I already addressed both of these cases previously).
In this instance - where you are embedding an object within another and, thereby, displacing the latter (oh, wait, isn't that compression?) - every time you increase the surface area of the boundary interface between those two materials / objects, you are increasing the load and, thereby, increasing the frictional force or the holding friction.
So, the frictional force or the holding friction, which is exerted on the boundary interface between the screw and the wood, is proportional to the surface area of that boundary interface. Increase the surface area and you increase the holding friction and, "thereby amplify[] the force required to overcome it." Which is in exact accordance with what I already stated.
"Screws prevent twist out by friction but this hold is actually weaker than in nails because the friction coefficient is typically less and the fibers of the wood haven’t been destroyed in such a way that they’re constantly clamping back on the threads."
I'm sure it's possible, but what exactly are you basing the claim that the frictional coefficients of nails are generally higher than screws on? Is this purely anecdotal, (educated) conjecture, or is there some actual research / data that supports it? To assert any such claims, you'd have to isolate all variables. Both the surface area and volume of the nail and screw would have to be exactly equal and the force required to pull out the nail would have to be measured with a strictly axial load (no radial or rotational load) and the screw with only a rotational load (exactly matching the pitch with no axial or radial load). Likewise, the grain of the wood (orientation and uniformity) would have to be accounted for. With such variables (particularly the surface area and volume of the nail and screw) not fixed, this is not necessarily something that people can normally intuit or tease apart with their everyday experiences and their own senses.
Frankly, what most people would probably intuit is that, given a roughly similar sized nail and screw (more specifically, similar volume and surface area), any such difference in coefficient of friction would be rather small, such that they would not be able to tell, by pulling on a nail versus trying to rotate a screw with their fingers, which was necessarily higher. Conversely, the resultant effect on friction due to increased loading based on geometry and increased surface area of a screw (which are the factors I mentioned) can be readily arrived at through an understanding of the basic underlying principles, which is accessible to anyone.
Again, it's possible that, based solely on the nature of their embedding geometry's cutting interaction with the wood grain, one generally results in a higher coefficient of friction from the wood, but not only does it require actual experimental data, I'm not sure of it's overall relevance in terms of hierarchy of effect. Because, as difficult as it would be to intuit any such subtle difference in the coefficient of friction arising from embedding geometry, it is just as easy to intuitively see that any such small difference would readily be outweighed by the increased frictional holding due to any loading of their respective geometries.
"Instead screws make little ledges that prevent them from being actively pried out."
Which, again, relies entirely on friction. These ledges are not perpendicular to the axis of load required to pull them out, therefore, they rely solely on friction to prevent the screw from being rotated out under the presence of any axial load.
The ledges are nothing more than hills (not flat, horizontal, level land). You place a load / weight on a hill and it will stay in place so long as the frictional force imparted by the normal force (which is, in turn, imparted by a vector component of gravity) is equal to or greater than the force pulling the weight down the hill (imparted by the other vector component of gravity). Take away friction (we can approximate this with a hill made of ice or the weight being a block of ice or why not both) and the weight will immediately slide down the hill.
Take that hill and wrap it around an axis of rotation like a helix and you have a screw. With sufficient friction, the screw will not rotate out with an axial load. Make the screw frictionless (approximate this with a screw and / or the wood made of ice - this hypothetical ice wood can still have flexible properties to allow for compression of the screw) and any axial load will cause the screw to immediately self-rotate out - the axial load is analogous to gravity and in the absence of friction the screw will immediately slide down the 'hill'.
So, to sum up, you claim that, although "screws prevent twist out by [way of] friction", this friction is actually less than that of nails and that, "instead" (so, rather than friction?) they really rely on the "ledges that prevent them from being [] pried out", even though that relies entirely on friction, as I've already explained. Color me confused.
"Incidentally pulling on a screw while you twist will increase the normal force being applied to the screw and increase the force of friction making it harder to twist out then it would if you applied a rotational torque with absolutely no force. The reason it helps when screwing things in is because the threads and tip need to initial cut into the wood. A perfectly threaded screw would not be helped by the force which is why screwing into something like a drywall anchor or a nut doesn’t require any pushing force at all."
And then we arrive at this 'incidental' note, which then reverts back to recognizing the pertinence of friction as a result of normal forces. I'm not exactly sure on how it fits into the narrative thus far. It appears to read as an 'incidental' aside or some tangential note of interest that hasn't been mentioned, but that would be rather odd given that I already precisely stated exactly that: "[...] in fact [any axial] load actually increases the friction that must be over come for it's removal." Likewise, since I already precisely stated as such, it also doesn't serve to further elucidate how I was "not exactly" correct.
Brilliant advice Ethan, thanks very much. This solves a problem I've had for a long time. This also helps when you're working in a confined space. Thanks for sharing your valuable knowledge and experience.
Always a pleasure watching your videos.
Take care and stay safe ☺
These videos by "The Honest Carpenter" are the most useful and educational videos ever! I was just ready to clean up and redo (slightly) my garage, with some simple shelving and lots of pegboard. I used what I learned in at least a half-dozen of these videos to help me do the job better and faster. For instance, the drill extension that holds the screw saved me time and hassle. And knowing how to use the numbered torque dial on my cordless drill is great information. I could go on and on.
BTW, the scripted dialogue on these videos is perfect.
Thank you very much and keep up the great work. You have helped a lot of people.
So obvious and makes so much sense now that you've pointed it out. Worked 2 different frame crews, and watched hours of woodworking videos, and you're the first one to make this suggestion.
And that would be why hanging a picture on a wall, with a hanger only alows the nail to be put in on an angle. Thanks for the video and advice.
Production values just continuously get better, shop looks like it's really coming together, glad things are working out for you all after the move. 👍🏽
Thank you, Jay! It’s coming together 😁
@@TheHonestCarpenter the only thing I would suggest is something like a lapel mic to reduce the echo effect. Love your videos and keep up the great work!
Great tip. I think most people instinctively do this when nailing into a vertical wall, without fully knowing exactly why or that the same concept applies to nearly any other configuration.
Ha! Came here on a carpentry recommendation and learned about spinal surgery! Gotta love the internet!!!!
Actually worked as a medical photographer for 17yrs in the largest hospital facility in cdn🍁, took 1000s of pics/videos during various surgeries, saw tons of xrays/ct/MRI's and it never dawned on me why the screws always seemed to be angled, always thought it was a point of access issue, thanks for clarifying the reason, now it makes perfect sense.👍
Another great, informative video that delivers a lot of value to DIYers.
This is a great video. I've been around a while, and I'm still learning new things from you. If I can make a small suggestion, hang something sound absorptive (mats, towels, old carpeting..) in your garage to soak up excess sound when you film. You have a touch of echo/ring.
Very helpful. I’m new to carpentry and knowing things like this helps TREMENDOUSLY! So, thank you!❤️
So simple. I don't know why I never thought of this. Brilliant job mate! Thanks for the video!
When I was a nipper (in the UK) my dad taught me the technique where it was referred to as dovetail nailing.
I’m using that new name for it, Strawbyte! I’ve also heard “skew nailing.” Always happy to hear from the UK!
My Father always said dovetailing, too, growing up here in Wisconsin. He was sick A multi-gifted and talented man. 🔨🔧⚙🗜🧲🧱
@@TheHonestCarpenter Ethan You're welcome. -- Karl.
"Dovetail nailing" sounds so pretty and even elegant.
The word "toenail" always makes me think of fungus. Eww.
Thank you so much. I love learning these little tricks we just don't know about! It makes perfect sense!
These aren’t actually tricks in regards to toenailing that is standard framing procedure
This was something I had thought but your the first person to explain it. Angle nail a jack stud to the king and the downward force of the header will “push” the jack stud into position. Love your videos. Time well spent for me!
I have used the toenailing method since I was a boy. I drove a nail in one day and it went in on an angle. I started to pull it out as I was concerned it might not hold properly. Then, as if a light went on I thought why not put my next nail in with the opposite angle, and so I did. After thinking about what I did I thought, why not do this whenever I am using a nail or screw, an so I did. Until I watched your u-tube site, I thought I was the only person to ever do this! I am truly enjoying your show. I hope other's realize how Blessed they are to have someone with your skill set share the knowledge you have acquired over many, many years. Thank you so much.
Great tip! I have always done the angling when having picture to give nails more strength but I guess ever in big projects. As always- appreciate helpful tips! Hope all is well!!👍👊
Thank you, Diane! Perfect solution for picture hanging 😄
I thought of this by myself when i started woodworking. The geometry just makes sense. i'm glad that my personal hypothesis is a working practice. ☺
It's not a working practice. Hes wrong about just about all aspects of toe nailing. It is NOT stronger. Or else they would be called toe-nails you bunch of fuck ups!
I would never have thought of this - but now that you point it out, it is so obvious!! It just shows you how naive we DIY'ers are!! BRILLIANT TIP - thank you so much!! I am working my way through all these videos. My Mother taught me how to wallpaper, paint, and lots of other simple DIY things, but my Father was alway too busy to show me any real DIY with tools. ( to be honest I am glad he didn't show me as his DIY is not great)!! I am now learning, so I can go fix all his mistakes. Now that he is unable to do DIY, I end up going to his home and fixing stuff. My Mum was the technical person with electronics too, so my Dad left her to do all that stuff, now that she is gone, he is clueless!!!
When I help someone with a project, I never mention these tricks as I don't think about it, I just drive the nails. Thanks for reminding me to share my knowledge when I can.
Great advice! I always pre-drill to keep boards from cracking. I've found that the less friction doesn't affect how well the fastener stays in, but I haven't run tests to prove how much less friction results.
But if I use angling, it will solve the problem that might or might not exist with pre-drilling. One thing for sure, if the board cracks, there is much less friction!
No harm in pre-drilling the top board. If you're at all worried about loss of friction, just use a smaller drill and a drop of glue in the hole.
Blunting your nails can also help avoid cracking. Just flip them over (head down) & give 'em a whack before driving 'em in point first. Don't ask me how it works, I just know through experience that it does.
Loved the explanation of toenailing and its resultant increase of holding power. I was knowledgeable about and utilized toenailing studs when creating internal walls but
Thanks, Richard 😄 I first heard it framing, too. It was only later that a German carpenter really explained the full angle nailing philosophy to me.
The Germans did not create or invent this. Instead of remembering the person, you remember a German...
answered questions with demonstration and lecture. Spot on.
I learnt this from a cabinet maker more than 50 years ago, particularly useful when nailing engrained. In Oz we refer to this as skew nailing. Thanks for confirming.
I've done this for years. It also works great on pallets!
The boards on the top of pallets come lose quite often, even with ring shank nails. But doing this with two opposing nails works great.
Good video!
Great video, as always! You've clearly got a knack for both carpentry and education. Your videos are always informative and easy to understand. We just sold our old house and moved. It required a LOT of work before listing. Luckily, I had been following you for a while and had purchased a 14 in 1 tool and was able to make use of the water damaged door trim video and several others. I silently blessed you each time that 14 in 1 came in handy and was even able to educate my husband on the CORRECT way to replace the door trim. Thanks and keep up the good work! I look forward to learning from your videos each week.
Also, you probably just made some of my woodworking projects more sturdy, so thanks!
That’s great to hear, SA! Thank you! That’s exactly what the channel is here for 🙂
This puts a new angle on the subject.
I would say you nailed it😉
Will definitely try.
I am glad that you shared this little trick with us because now it makes whole a lot of sense for me why some of my “ nailed “ projects started pull apart few years later. Thank you very much for your wisdom in woodworking.
In old houses with plaster, you learn early and often that banked (toenailed) screws are the way to go.
Wow this was very insightful and helpful. Learn something new everyday
I've been around carpentry for a long time... and I never knew this! Thanks so much!!! You've made this information so clear and obvious. That's amazing to me. I really appreciate your sharing this knowledge and video.
Thank you, Nola! 😄
Thanks for getting this out there. Most of us probably already know all this but love fasteners and watched it anyway, but maybe some young folks will watch it and potentially avoid life-threatening mistakes. I've been amazed by people taking on large projects and doing a whole lot right but who don't give a darn about proper use of fasteners. Anyway, good work!!!
Ive thought of this concept for many years, but have never heard anyone talk about it and much less, make a video of it. Thanks and well said!!
Really informative vid and gives me a great excuse for my inability to drive nails straight!
Might I suggest another vid on how to start fasteners when you're toenailing? I scarred a lot of pieces of wood trying to angle fasteners before I learned the 'straight then angle' method.
Great point, spaci! I’m definitely going to try to cover this before too long-you said it best: drive straight in, then angle 👍
@@TheHonestCarpenter Or use a dowel to mark the space and slight indentation to hold the nail head?!
You blew my mind - literally! So obvious and yet I never thought of this. Thank you for sharing and for your great work !
Kris not literally, figuratively.
Soooo brain splattered everywhere?
Will apply this method..thanks for the great tip to improve my woodworking skills
I've used this technique for screwing in fan rated electrical boxes to the ceiling beams. I get peace of mind in knowing that it can hold up over 200 lbs even though the fan may only 20 or so lbs.
Depends on what I'm nailing. If I'm joining structural members, I would toe nail. Baseboards get nailed straight in. I might need to remove the baseboard at some point and straight in makes it much easier to remove.
Depends on the weight load. Horizontal nailing with a sheer load doesn’t require angle nailing.
Great job, I learned this from my dad 30 plus years ago but a great reminder helps everyone including me thanks!
Yes, helpful. The explanation you have for toenailing was enlightening.
This guy explains the mysterious world of home maintenance extremely clearly and logically. From now on when I think screw, I shall also think shallow angle.
Thank you, Arthur! I’m really glad the videos are helpful-I try to make them for newer DIYers the most 🙂
@@TheHonestCarpenter Now, I need a video on how to tile a wall.
Excuse me. Question. Does this apply to fixing battens to a solid brick wall or skirtings and such like?
Such an obvious thing and you did such a good job of explaining it. Now you have forces in both the X and Y direction (Vectors are everywhere). Also, thank you for this channel. I hope you've found friends and I hope you have no money worries in your new location because you are a super nice person on the channel and I want you to have the best of success.
Now and again something comes along that blows my mind. Well done sir and thank you!
Genius.
Also-- awesome tip... I'd love more of this kind of thing. Simple, expert and elegant info for us weekend warrior types
You did a good job on this. I thought I would be board (lol, that was a mistake but it works) but this was actually informative and well worth the time. Thanks
Definitely be careful with skipping the nail from tilting the nail gun too far. I was shocked the first time I saw one go flying to another direction.
Yep, I put this in my Brad nail mistake video as well Jorge. I’ve binged myself in the nose with a skipped out Brad 😅
Excellent points. I'm flipping boards on a deck. And sounds like angling the screw on each of the cut ends of the boards will help.
Wow !!! Great video. I really needed to know this as I just got interested in carpentry by rebuilding 40 year old stairs outside my house. Thank you very much for the info. Regards from San Antonio, TX
So our nails in the beams are crooked because carpenters drove them in at an angle to give them more strength and not because they were too drunk to do their job and whacked them until 2 out of 3 nails bent. Gotcha!
Try to visualise a man not giving a crap about what he's doing, connecting two beams together by 100mm (3.937 inches) nails that get stuck halfway in so he tries to compensate by hitting them harder only for them to bend. That makes the man mad and decides that he's going to whack the living daylight out of the poor thing embedding it and its friends into the wood. That's our roof structure.
I’ve seen it before, Repa 😅 probably made worse because he was hitting into a microlam. He def needs a bigger hammer!
I cross nail like a freaking mad man. I didn’t know people called it toenailing. Im a tile/vinyl guy who gets stuck doing trim work a lot. I also excelled at finish carpentry when I first started doing trade work so I usually have the tools for most wood working and literally any time I work with some of the other guys they make these mistakes you’ve brought up.
Great video.
Just stumble upon this channel. Useful, on topic, articulate, short, no begging for like or subscribe... in one word: perfect!
This channel can be summed up in one word!!
Excellent!!!
Great video. Now I understand why some of my crappy nailing jobs have withstood the test of time.
Thank you so much for the incredible information
This is such a great advice if you are doing trim molding or even stair treads. Especially stair treads since they experience a lot of foot traffic. Will def use this advice on my stair project in the future.
You're so smart in teaching is this useful tricks, thank you so much👌
Clear, well thought out, good visual examples, theme music lasted about two seconds. You are very good at instructional videos, sir!
Good to know I'm not the only one doing this! Also, if you're screwing a butt joint in sheet material near the edge, if you toenail the screw in towards the middle of the timber, it will tend to stop the boards from splitting apart/de-laminating as the screw goes in. That's really useful to know when you're butt jointing two rails of MDF which are only 100mm (4") wide. Put two screws in but point them both in towards the middle of the rails, and (hopefully) the MDF won't split apart as the screws go in.
I never thought of that. Thank you.
Thanks this helped the lock my boards kept being so Wiggly every time I was leaving straight now by doing this through much more stronger
Good instruction. I have employed these techniques but not often because I never new the reasons for it. Thanks looking for ward to viewing more of your videos.
Great video, young man, as always, at my age, 60, learning from your Chanel. God bless you and your family and business.
My tote box for my circ saw fell apart years age. I made a new on out of scrap plywood.
After I put hinges on it, I needed a latch. Drilled a hole at 25° ish and stuck a nail in it. It stays latched, opens easily, and if I loose the nail I just get another.
Amazing how useful an angled hole is.
Thank you so much for the thoughtful and high quality content of your videos. So helpful and so useful.
Am so glad I discovered this channel, while I was looking for the the difference b2n impact drivers and drills. Now am hooked to it, I feel like am now a DIY pro.
A simple idea, but you do such a great job making toenailing interesting and worth watching!
Good video,Im a self taught beginning carpenter n it always jus seemed natural to slightly angle the nail n come down on it with the hammer n the same direction, I've learned u can drive the nail home n two good smacks,guess what im tryin to say is ur totally right as this even feels more natural
Timely help for me - getting ready to install baseboards - will try this
This is some great advice, thank you. I will be using this technique the next time I have to repair the old dock at our cabin. 👍
Yup. Toenailing is the only kind of nailing I've ever done. Learned about this in 8th grade shop class over 40 years ago. Rarely do it with screws except when hanging cabinets.
Thanks for this. I'm almost 50 and just starting/self learning some woodworking skills for home improvements and projects. Things like this are a gem!
Thanks, Chris! I’m glad it helps 😄
Loved your explanation. I'll incorporate these ideas in all my work from now on. Thanks very much. Love your channel!
Thanks for this video - I really liked the simple technique and simple explanation
Very good! I toenailed several nails along the length of a surface (nails angled to oppose themselves). Worked great!!
End grain toe nailing demo was educational for me. I learnt something today , thanks.
Nice idea. I don't use trim nails much, but will remember to angle them if I have to use them. Thanks, HC.
It’s like you read my mind. I was just about to my shop in my garage to mount my new accessory cabinet onto the wall. This technique will definitely make the hold much stronger. Thanks!
check out a french cleatt. he has done a video on that. You can use a french cleat that is not a big piece of wood but a strip of metal also called a french cleat.
I do it all the time especially into endurance. One of those on the job lessons im glad to see others doing
Thank you. Good tip. Amazes me how few use an awl to start with. Doing so gives the fastener a grip which makes it less likely to bend.
This seems like a great idea for my cedar clapboards that always have the nails popping out. Thanks for the video!!!!!