Saturday, March 11, 2017

Use of a nail...

Despite making boxes with all kinds of glued joints, and rarely having used a nail in making them, I frequently use a cut off finish nail as a drill, particularly for pre-drilling the tiny holes required for brass screws. The following note was forwarded to me:
I have been making boxes with Brusso hinges. The experience of making several boxes at a time helps cure the mistakes that making a box once a year can not cure. Doug Stowe recommends using a finishing nail rather than a drill to make the holes for the screws that fasten the hinges to the box. I now understand Doug's reasoning and why the nail is a more satisfactory choice.

The first lid I assembled was off by at least a 1/32 of an inch, maybe a bit more. I could sand the sides of the box to compensate for the crooked lid but then the mitered corners would not be square and they would look poorly. I put the box aside and started on another box. With the second box I was very careful to get the hinges in the right spot before I assembled everything. That was better but the hinges were still a bit off. I unscrewed the screws and angled the drill with the nail more to the back of the box so the screw would pull the hinge to the back. That worked well and I learned that since the nail did not remove any wood from the screw hole, as a drill bit would have removed, all I had to do was let the nail spread the wood in a slightly different direction for the screw to follow.

If I had drilled out the hole I would have had to fill in the hole with a tooth pick and fussed around a lot more. When I finished the second box I went back to the first box and removed the hinges and re-angled the holes for the screws. They pulled the hinge in the right direction and the lid lined up perfectly with the bottom. Since the nail is only parting the wood and not really removing the wood I think that after the screws are in the wood for a while the wood would relax from being spread by the nail and actually hold the screw more securely over time. At least that is what I am thinking at this time. Another benefit from using a nail instead of a drill bit is that there is no screw dust from using the nail. That is not a great big deal but it makes for a bit less mess as I work.

I am looking forward to seeing Doug Stowe at Showcase.
I am not thinking that the nail does actually drill a hole, but I agree that it gives a bit more control in the location of the hole, and the chance of tweaking it if necessary. I use the nail generally for three reasons. The first it that the use of a nail is a technique my father demonstrated for me, and I feel a bit close to him when I use it. Secondly, the fine point of the finish nail is more precise and most drills of that size do not come with a brad point. The third is that the shape of the nail conforms to the shape of the screw.

I am looking forward to being at Showcase as well. For information on Woodworker's Showcase click here.

Woodworkers Showcase is in two weeks.I will be teaching a class based on each of my two new books, Making Classic Toys that Teach and Tiny Boxes.

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

tiny hand made boxes...

Bill M sent pictures of tiny boxes he made using hand tools. Because he did not have a chisel small enough to cut tiny box joints, he ground a cut nail to a sharp point and put a handle on it.

Congratulations Bill for the tiny but exquisite work. And with hand tools, no less.

To make something useful and beautiful is to re-create oneself in that same image.