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9.7

Hammering a nail in straight

Set the nail with light taps, then swing from the elbow and hit it square.

A man in glasses holds a nail upright on a wooden plank and lines up a hammer to tap it in.
Photo: Ono Kosuki / Pexels
Area: HandsFrom age 12Time to learn: 30 minutes of practice

You will be able to drive a nail straight into wood without bending it or hurting your fingers.

SafetyWear safety glasses. OSHA warns that if a hammer handle is loose, cracked or splintered, the head can fly off. Before nailing into a wall, use a stud finder and check for hidden pipes and electrical wires.

Why it matters

A bent nail wastes time and can split wood or damage a wall. Three common habits bend nails: holding the hammer too close to the head, swinging from the shoulder, and hitting the nail at an angle. Each is easy to fix with a few minutes of practice.

How to do it

  1. Put on safety glasses. Check that the hammer head is tight and the handle is not cracked.
  2. Choose the nail. A common rule of thumb is a nail about three times as long as the thickness of the board you are fastening.
  3. Hold the hammer near the end of the handle, not near the head. Hold the nail upright near its top, between your thumb and first finger.
  4. Tap the nail lightly 2 or 3 times, until it stands on its own about 1/4 inch (6 mm) in the wood.
  5. Move your fingers well away. Keep your wrist firm, keep your eye on the nail head, and swing from the elbow.
  6. Hit the nail square. The flat face of the hammer should meet the nail head flat, not on an edge.
  7. Use steady, medium blows. Make the last few lighter so the hammer does not dent the wood.
  8. If the nail starts to bend, stop. Pull it out with the claw, with a scrap of wood under the hammer head to protect the surface. Start a fresh nail a short distance away.
  9. For small nails, hold the nail with needle-nose pliers, or push it through a strip of cardboard and hold the cardboard instead.

Common mistakes

  • Gripping the handle right under the head, which gives a weak, wobbly swing.
  • Swinging hard from the shoulder instead of steady blows from the elbow.
  • Trying to straighten a bent nail by hitting it sideways, which usually bends it further.
  • Nailing very close to the end of a board, which can split the wood.
You can do this when …you can drive five 2-inch (50 mm) nails into a scrap of lumber without bending any, and every head sits flat.

Sources

  1. OSHA 3080: Hand and Power Tools
  2. American Academy of Ophthalmology: Recognizing and Treating Eye Injuries

Sources and numbers last checked . How we check

Topic: Simple fixes

Go deeper

ReportWhat Happened to Home Economics?It was named in 1899 as science for everyday life. In recent decades, schools have given it less room. Here is the history in the US and Canada, and what the evidence says about teaching its skills in school.

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