Are Screws Or Nails Better

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It'south fourth dimension to settle an age-onetime debate: nails vs. screws. Both are a class of ancient wood-fastening technology that still become the chore done today. But how practise you know which 1 to utilise for whatsoever given project?

That question was actually easier to respond a few decades ago because now there are many more types and sizes of nails and screws available, and many more than—and ameliorate—means to drive them in.

So let'southward talk about the differences and similarities betwixt nails and screws, so you can figure out the right one for the job.

Nails vs. Screws: A History

Allow's start by saying that both nails and screws are excellent wood fasteners when they're sized correctly and installed properly. And in many cases, you lot can use either a nail or a screw for a strong, lasting connection. The right pick often comes downward to the tool used to drive in the fastener, the dimensions of the wood pieces being fastened together, and whether you're constructing a firm or edifice a woodworking projection.

At ane fourth dimension, nails were preferred over screws because it was much easier and faster to hammer in nails than to use a manual screwdriver or spiral-ratcheting screwdriver (east.1000.: Yankee Screwdriver) to bulldoze in slotted screws.

The appearance of the Phillips-caput screw in the 1930s changed everything and began the boring movement from hammering nails to driving screws. Phillips screws were fast and easy to drive in, equally opposed to slotted screws, which were—and are—painstakingly slow and difficult to install. As electric and pneumatic screwdrivers became more commonplace, the popularity of screws grew exponentially.

But the existent breakthrough jump for power-driving screws coincided with the introduction of the cordless drill/driver, the most pop portable power tool ever invented. Soon came the subsequent introduction of cordless touch on drivers and touch on wrenches permitted power-driving even the very longest, thickest screws.

So much for nails right? Well, not quite.

Nails once again became the fastener of choice for many jobs both small and large one time people discovered the speed and ease of using air compressors and pneumatic nailers. More than recently, battery-powered cordless nailers match cordless drill/drivers with the convenience of being untethered from a compressor.

One of our favorite YouTubers, The Essential Craftsman, gives a great rundown on some of the similarities and differences betwixt our two favorite wood fasteners:

How to Pick the Correct One

When deciding between nails and screws, continue in listen that nails are less brittle, and then they provide greater shear force. They may bend under pressure, but they seldom snap.

Screws, on the other hand, may non be as forgiving, merely their threaded shafts hold better in forest and draw boards together much more tightly and they accept greater tensile strength. Screws also do a ameliorate task of holding tight during wood'south natural expansion and contraction.

Nails

In many cases, nails can be stronger and less expensive—a bonus for any habitation builder.

Generally speaking, nails are popular for general carpentry jobs, such as:

Framing walls and roofs

Securing plywood sheathing

Putting down hardwood floors

Installing siding and roofing

Small-bore nails, including finishing nails and brads, are ideal for:

Nailing upward interior moldings, such as baseboard, chair rail and window and door casings

Installing outside house trim, including rake boards, fascia, frieze and corner boards

Attaching stiles and rails to cabinets
Solid-wood edging to plywood shelves

Anywhere you don't desire to mar the wood'due south surface with the caput of a screw

Screws

Equally mentioned earlier, both nails and screws are first-class fasteners and you tin can ofttimes use them interchangeably, depending on the job at hand.

Screws are preferred for such tasks as:

Hanging drywall
Attaching ledger boards
Installing cabinets
Fastening wood decking
Fabricating cabinets, wooden toys, bookcases, and other woodworking projects
For any woods-to-wood connection that you may demand to take apart

The lesser line is that choosing the all-time fastener—nail or screw—comes downward to selecting the right size fastener and then using the most-appropriate tool for driving it into the woods. And after you've gained some hands-on experience through trial and error, the correct option will become crystal clear.

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