Replies

1. 
   Duncan_Mahoney | May 26, 2000 11:01pm | #2

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   I have taken apart structures made from 3/4" ACX ply and 2X4 held together with 7d nails in both ring and screw shank. The ring shanked nails were a bit harder to pull but once they broke free, they came out pretty easy. Screw shanked nails were hard to pull until they were almost all the way out. The plywood could not be pried or driven apart from the 2X4 without destroying the wood, each nail had to be removed with a slide hammer nail puller or cut with a sawzall. If you need specific pull-out data, check with the nail manufacturer. I have also seen charts in carpentry texts but these usually just cover pull-out and shear for smooth shank nails.

2. 
   Bill_Brennen | May 27, 2000 05:59am | #3

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   I have used ring-shank stainless steel 12d gun nails to frame decks. Not only do they stay in, but they are very hard to drive in. My framer has a lot of power, will easily bury the head of a regular 12d framing nail in the same CCA lumber at only 80 psi, but will barely sink the rings at 105 psi. I have to lean hard on the gun, or it just pushes off the work, leaving the nail an inch proud. I would love to try screw-shank nails in the gun, as they would probably shoot a lot easier. And quieter!

   I remember reading somewhere that ring-shank nails are more prone to sudden failure when loaded in shear, as compared to the smooth or screw shanks. The rings can initiate stress fracture in the metal. Of course, an old wooden boat has lots of shear loads, but it was evidently overbuilt, unlike some engineered shear panels. Hope this helps.

   Bill

3. 
   Guest_ | May 27, 2000 05:59am | #4

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   I would like info on the practical difference between spiral and ring shank nails such as pull-out strength, damage to framing members, strength of each type of nail and/or diameters necessary to maintain strength etc. Any links to vendor or empirical reference material would be greatly appreciated.

   Thanks,

   You can build it cheaper, but you can't build it better.

1. 
   Guest_ | May 26, 2000 07:12pm | #1

   *The Navy had thousands of 50-ft-long Liberty Launches built during WWII. They were planked with Atlantic white cedar on steam bent white oak frames, fastened with ring-thanked nails - either Model (a copper/nickel alloy) or silicon bronze, ring-thanked nails. I worked on one in the 1980's and it was almost impossible to pull out the nails, which were made by the Standard Fastening (StaFast) Company (from Massachusetts, I think). StaFast discovered that their ring-shank nails had more resistance to pulling than did their wood screws. I suspect the nails were set without first drilling, since the boats were undoubtedly built hastily. I drilled, because I didn't want to take a chance that I'd split the frames.I've since shot ring-thanked, stainless, 16-d common nails in redwood decks. The only way I could remove the fastened wood was to either drive the nail (with a punch) all the way through the decking, or hack-saw between the two pieces. The nails are IMPOSSIBLE to withdraw without damaging the fastened-down piece. More often than not, the nail head will pull off when you try it with the stoutest crowbar.I believe Swan Secure sells collated nails for the Senco.