CHAPTER XXII 

 COMMON FASTENING AGENTS 



293. Nails. The most popular of all fastening agents 

 is the nail. There are two common forms: wire nails 

 (Fig. 107) and cut nails (Fig. 108). The wire nail is made 

 of a cylindrical piece of wire, with one end sharp- 

 ened to a point, and the other end flattened into 



a head. The wire nail is valuable because of its 

 holding power and because it will not split the 

 wood. A disadvantage is that it will bend unless 

 hit squarely on the head. 



A cut nail, as its name implies, is made from cut FI G . 107. 

 iron or steel. It has two flat, parallel sides and edges 

 which taper from the head to the point, thus forming 

 a wedge. When a cut nail is driven into wood, it should 

 enter the wood across and never parallel to the grain. In 

 this way the wedge-shaped nail enters the 

 wood in its strongest direction, the length of 

 the fibers. The holding power of the nail is 

 thus increased and the wood is not split. 

 Because of their clinching power, cut nails 

 are generally used to secure the short hinges 

 FIG. ~108. Cut f a barndoor. Nails are packed and shipped 

 Nails. j n kegs (Fig. 110). 



294. Screws. There are a great many varieties of screws, 

 but the principal one is the wood screw (Fig. Ill), which is 



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