Why do screws split wood but nails don t?

The problem with screws is that they're too strong; as the wood swells or shrinks with changes in humidity, with one piece attempting to move across the surface of another, the wood can crack. Nails have better flexibility and can bend as the wood moves.

core77.com - Why You Should Use Nails, Not Screws. Also, Why is This ... - Core77

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When it comes to using metal fasteners in natural wood, you can either use nails or screws. The problem with screws is that they're too strong; as the wood swells or shrinks with changes in humidity, with one piece attempting to move across the surface of another, the wood can crack. Nails have better flexibility and can bend as the wood moves. Problem solved, right? Not always: Modern-day nails, which are made from cut wire and have chisel points, can split the wood as you drive them in. One solution is to blunt the tips of your nails. This way the nail is essentially wedging itself between the fibers of the wood, rather than cutting the fibers and introducing a split. However, the perfectly cylindrical shape of a wire nail doesn't provide great purchase. But traditional wedge-shaped nails, which are forged or cut, will hold virtually forever.

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That's why forged or cut nails have recently become all the rage among woodworkers. They're functional, traditional and have a quaint aesthetic.

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Recently there's been a bit of excitement in the community as Maine-based Lie-Nielsen Toolworks has announced they're going to start carrying forged nails from Rivierre, a French company that has been manufacturing nails since 1888—and still operates out of their original 19th-Century factory! As Lost Art Press reports, company director Luc Kemp "is running the factory as it was in 1888 as much as possible." Check out their antique-but-functional production machinery, some of which have names: The factory was recently visited by Lie-Nielsen instructor Deneb Puchalski, who reported something I found rather interesting: "It was incredible to walk through the building. All the machines are where they were in the 1890s and everything is completely covered in (vegetable) oil," Deneb says. Why vegetable oil? Because Rivierre—which is France's last nail manufacturer, by the way—got their start by making nails for cobblers and upholsterers before expanding into nails for carpentry. Turns out the chosen work habits of their original target market have influenced how the company lubricates their machines: Deneb says Rivierre uses [vegetable oil] because their upholstery and cobbler customers hold the nails in the mouth while working. So it's for safety. I get the feeling that vaping American Millennial cobblers would prefer the machines were lubricated with strawberry-, butterscotch- or cotton-candy-flavored oils.

Via Lost Art Press

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What kind of plywood stays flat?

Particleboard core plywood is the least expensive option. Like MDF core, it's flat and stable with consistent thickness.

familyhandyman.com - Everything You Need to Know About Plywood - The Family Handyman

Don’t expect perfection—you probably won’t find it. Just try to find the best of the pile. Sight down all the edges just like you’d do if you were buying 2×4 studs. Sometimes, plywood sheets are warped in multiple directions, resembling a potato chip. Leave these for some unlucky, less-informed buyer. If you’re buying 1/4-in. plywood, don’t worry about flat and straight; it won’t be either. But you’ll likely fasten it to structural parts, which will keep it flat.

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Inspect the edges

Examine the edges of plywood and inspect the different layers of veneer. They should be straight and of uniform thickness and have few, if any, voids. If you see a lot of voids, there’s sure to be more throughout the sheet that won’t be visible until you cut it. And avoid overlaps. On high-quality plywood sheets, core veneers are each one piece, or one full layer. But sometimes on less expensive plywood, two or more pieces are used to make up a single layer. Instead of being cut to fit each other where they meet, the edges overlap and are just pressed to the thickness that that piece of core veneer is supposed to be. This can result in an undulating surface.

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