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How to Use Fasteners

Proper fastening technique will prevent split wood, bent nails and damaged trim. Here is how to do it safely.

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Brad nails Countersink bit Drill bit Drill Hammer Nail set Screws

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How to Use Fasteners

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" Has this happened you? How about this? Here's how professional carpenters fasten wood trim neatly and without damage. If you're driving a brad particularly in to hard or brittle wood, the trick is to drill a pilot hole first. Choose a drill bit just slightly smaller than the brad. Drill one pilot hole through the wood for each brad that you'll need to fastened the wood. Hold the hammer directly over the brad and drive it into the wood, stopping, so that it's just slightly higher than the wood. Hold the head of the hammer level, so that the face of the hammer head and doesn't dent the wood. It's important to firmly hold or clamp the wood you're fastening in position as you drive the brads in place. This assures a tight fit. Next, select a wood punch the same size as the head of the brad. Place the punch directly over the brad, striking it sharply. Re-center the punch as needed to keep it directly over the brad. Set the brad, so it's just under the surface of the wood. Generally, the space over the head of the brad is filled with wood putty and sanded even with the surface when dry. Another way to fasten wood is with screws for fine finish work in lumber you can drill pilot hole for a screw with a countersinking bit and collar. You can adjust the depth of the hole by adjusting the location of the collar on the bit using an Allen wrench. To drill a pilot hole, clamped two pieces of wood into place, and carefully locating the drill bit, drill a hole into the two pieces of wood, stopping when the bevel of the collar is even with the surface of the wood. Place a screw into the hole and pressing down set the screw until it's tight and the surface of the screw is just below the surface of the wood for a clean solid finish. For rough construction or when working with plywood, a self-tapping screw can be used without drilling a pilot hole first. These self-tapping screws are designed to fasten plywood and other composites. Screws in general have greater holding power than nails and can be easily removed and re-fastened if disassembly is required."

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