Fig. 32.—Blind-nailing.
Do not drive the head of a nail into a finished surface with the hammer, as you are likely to mar the wood in doing so. Leave this—the "setting" of the nails—until the piece of work has been put together. Then go over it and drive the heads below the surface with
The Nail-set, holding the tool as shown in [Fig. 33]. The holes made by the heads should be filled up with putty before the finish is put upon the wood.
Before driving nails into hard wood, holes should be made with the brad-awl or drill, to prevent them from splitting the wood, and to make it easier to drive them in without bending. The holes should be a trifle smaller than the nails. Always drill a hole before driving a nail into thin wood or near the edge of a piece.
A nail can be driven more easily if its point is rubbed over a piece of soap. This is something you should remember to do when nailing hard wood.
Nails.—Iron, galvanized-iron, wire, and copper nails are manufactured, but of these the wire nail is the most commonly used for all kinds of work, it being more easily handled, not so liable to snap off, and there being less danger of splitting your work with it than with the iron nails.
Fig. 33.—Setting Nails.