What is a nail setting tool

These steps allow us to show you our price consistent with our goal of offering the lowest price on a wide selection of hardware products.

Product categories Dollar Days. View cart. Orders Wish list Track my order s. Track my order s. Sign in Register Email. Password Forgot your password? Register for a new account. Sign in. Remember me. Because the nail set is made of heavy tempered alloy steel, it will not bend or collapse when hammered. A collection of nail sets was once standard equipment in any carpentry toolbox, but owning a power brad nailer now eliminates the need for a nail set in many instances.

Powered by a burst of air pressure, power brad nailers drive small finish nails brads so they are automatically countersunk below the surface of the workpiece, eliminating the need for setting the nails by hand. Power brad nailers are available in several types, included small corded electric nailers, battery-powered nailers, and pneumatic nailers that require an air compressor. Once used mostly by pros, a battery-powered brad nailer is now quite affordable and practical for homeowners.

A nail set is not usually regarded as a dangerous tool, but makers of hammers and other striking tools always advise users to wear eye protection when pounding nails or striking tools, such as chisels and nail sets.

There is a small but real chance the tool could shatter, sending sharp shards toward your eyes. Hearing protection is also a good idea during any metal-on-metal hammering. Wear a glove on the hand that is holding the nail set. If you do happen to accidentally strike your hand, the glove will soften the blow.

Make sure to drive the nail with straight blows to avoid bending the nail. If you accidentally bend the nail, pull it and replace it. Place the round, pointed end of the nail set on the head of the finish nail or casing nail. These nails have a small divot on their heads to allow for placement of a nail set. They are used for the final few blows onto the exposed heads of finish nails, sinking them beneath the surface without collateral damage to the surrounding wood.

Sometimes nail sets are also referred to as nail punch tool. Nail sets are essential for such jobs as installing decorative molding or face-fastening wood flooring; once a nail is "set," it only needs a dab of putty to make it disappear. Though simple in appearance, a well-made nail set is sophisticated. Its shaft and tip must be hard enough to survive repeated collisions with nails, while its head has to be considerably softer so it won't chip or shatter when struck.

Engineers have even established performance standards for nail set manufacturers, to ensure that these tools do their job safely and effectively. That leaves one last problem to solve: how to avoid clobbering your hand when you miss the nail set. Don't worry, tool designers are working on that, too.

When most people think of a nail set, they think of this version from Stanley, with a square head, knurled body, and cupped and chamfered tip.

On this Japanese tool, the small, anvil-shaped head is actually a second nail set, meant for striking 8d nails in tight spaces. The rough surface of this Japanese tool still shows the hammer blows of the blacksmith who forged it.

The head is narrow and slightly convex, but it will flatten and widen with repeated use. The main reason is that the nails prevent the board from flexing over time, and they can easily be removed once the board is taken off.

This cordless brad nailer removes the hassle of purchasing an air compressor by utilizing rechargeable batteries that are capable of accurately driving nails for small DIY projects around the home. The preferred tool for nailing shoe molding or quarter-round is an electric finish or brad nailer.

This tool will automatically set or recess small finish nails, and can greatly speed up your work. To use a nailer, first calibrate the depth of the nailer, using a piece of waste trim on another waste board.

Although pliers can be used to tighten and loosen nuts, this is a task better suited to the wrench. Pliers tend to damage the surfaces of fasteners and are usually more difficult to use than a properly-sized wrench. Flat rock — Rocks with a completely flat edge are more suited to hammering nails into wood, putting furniture together, and driving a chisel. It can be difficult to hammer a nail into plaster walls. These admirable qualities can make hammering a nail into its surface a challenge.

Without proper care, your first experience with nailing into plaster may produce a cracked wall or a hammer that practically bounces off the nail.

Done properly, the shape of the hammer head will slightly countersink the nail but will not mar the wood surface at all. To sum up, using a Brad or Framing nailer on plywood is pretty straightforward, once you know what to look for. If you are not sure what thickness plywood you will be using, then a 15 or 16 gauge nailer can be used reliably on most plywood boards.

The only real downside to using a brad nailer and nails, these fasteners do not have the holding strength required for larger, heavier projects — such as large crown molding or baseboards. You can remove them without damaging surrounding materials. Skip to content What is a nail set tool?