Is there any truth in this and why is it so ..........?

Question

Prior to banging in nails in timber some people suggest tapping the pointed end of the nail with a hammer to make it blunt. This is done to prevent splitting of the wood. But is there any truth in this and if so why does the timber not split

Answer 1

Yes it works Try it. When you hammer a pointed nail with a sharp pointed nail the point splits the fibres of the wood causing it to split By "blunting" the nail it tears through the wood fibres instead of splitting it.

Answer 2

Give the 10 to Jeff

Answer 3

Yes, blunting does help, that way when

a nail goes in it breaks the fibers or the grain

within, a point will go between and can cause

a split if the wood is soft or wet, with hardwood

drill a small hole, this also stops splitting.

Answer 4

Because the point of the nail or pin acts like a wedge and the timber splits, however if you flatten the point the nail punches its way through the fibers rather than pushing them outwards and splitting the wood however it depends on the grain of the wood some grains are more prone to splitting.

Answer 5

I would guess its true, like hitting someone with a sharp knife will pierce their skin while hitting them with a blunt object will cause a bruise but not "split" anything because the pressure is distributed over a wider area.