Is There A Difference Between Using Screws And Nails

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It'due south fourth dimension to settle an age-onetime argue: nails vs. screws. Both are a form of ancient wood-fastening technology that yet get the chore done today. Only how practise you lot know which one to utilize for whatever given project?

That question was really easier to answer a few decades ago because now in that location are many more types and sizes of nails and screws available, and many more than—and amend—ways to drive them in.

So let'southward talk about the differences and similarities betwixt nails and screws, then you tin figure out the right ane for the task.

Nails vs. Screws: A History

Let's start by maxim that both nails and screws are splendid forest fasteners when they're sized correctly and installed properly. And in many cases, you tin use either a smash or a spiral for a stiff, lasting connection. The right option often comes down to the tool used to drive in the fastener, the dimensions of the wood pieces existence fastened together, and whether y'all're amalgam a house or edifice a woodworking projection.

At 1 time, nails were preferred over screws considering information technology was much easier and faster to hammer in nails than to apply a manual screwdriver or spiral-ratcheting screwdriver (e.chiliad.: Yankee Screwdriver) to drive in slotted screws.

The advent of the Phillips-head screw in the 1930s inverse everything and began the slow movement from hammering nails to driving screws. Phillips screws were fast and easy to bulldoze in, as opposed to slotted screws, which were—and are—painstakingly slow and hard to install. As electric and pneumatic screwdrivers became more commonplace, the popularity of screws grew exponentially.

Merely the real quantum spring for ability-driving screws coincided with the introduction of the cordless drill/driver, the most popular portable power tool ever invented. Before long came the subsequent introduction of cordless touch drivers and touch wrenches permitted power-driving fifty-fifty the very longest, thickest screws.

So much for nails right? Well, not quite.

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

One of our favorite YouTubers, The Essential Craftsman, gives a peachy rundown on some of the similarities and differences between our ii favorite forest fasteners:

How to Choice the Right One

When deciding between nails and screws, continue in mind that nails are less brittle, so they provide greater shear strength. They may curve under force per unit area, but they seldom snap.

Screws, on the other hand, may not exist as forgiving, but their threaded shafts agree better in woods and draw boards together much more tightly and they have greater tensile strength. Screws also do a better job of property tight during forest's natural expansion and contraction.

Nails

In many cases, nails tin be stronger and less expensive—a bonus for whatsoever domicile architect.

Mostly speaking, nails are pop for general carpentry jobs, such as:

Framing walls and roofs

Securing plywood capsule

Putting down hardwood floors

Installing siding and roofing

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

Nailing up interior moldings, such as baseboard, chair track and window and door casings

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

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

Anywhere y'all don't want to mar the wood's surface with the head of a spiral

Screws

As mentioned before, both nails and screws are excellent fasteners and y'all tin oftentimes employ them interchangeably, depending on the chore 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 wood-to-woods connection that you may need to have autonomously

The bottom line is that choosing the best fastener—smash or screw—comes down to selecting the right size fastener and then using the most-appropriate tool for driving information technology into the wood. And after you lot've gained some hands-on feel through trial and mistake, the right choice will get crystal clear.

🧰 The Tools You Need

R9603 Cordless Drill and Bear on Driver

It's virtually an outlandish deal when y'all realize that you get two power tools, two batteries, a charger, and a soft-side carrying case for the price of one tool.

18V LXT Quick-Shift Affect Driver Kit

Makita

Makita's 18V LXT Quick-Shift bear upon commuter is svelte and meaty—pull the trigger and you'll immediately detect the smooth, quiet motor.

C13-in-1 Ratcheting Screwdriver

Channellock amazon.co

$23.24

Channellock's 131CB xiii-in-1 ratcheting screwdriver is equipped with a carousel in its hollow handle and its ratcheting action is rugged and precise.