I am building a timber frame garden shed using old growth redwood (3D drawing attached). The floor will also be old growth redwood 2 x 6’s. I do not plan to mill tongue and groove, rather butt the boards together (the timber will be dry before I begin any attachment to the floor joists). I am interested in knowing how to fasten the floor boards to the joists. I do not want to have modern exposed nails or deck screws. I am interested in how floor boards were connected during the late 18 th, early 19th C. Did they use cut nails? Or is it appropriate to countersink screws covered with wood plugs?
Tim
Replies
Cut nails would be right. See the discussion elsewhere here originated by the guy with the 275-year-old house who is doing wideplank flooring in new areas to match original work.
Practice driving and sinking those nails. That gorgeous redwood is soft, and will show every hammer ding.
Stinger, thanks for the reply. I ordered some cut nails from your suggested website. By the way, for flooring planks that are 1 3/4 inch thick, would you go to 2 1/2 or 3 inch nails?
Also, what tool do you use to "set" these kinds of nails? I'm guessing that a normal large finish nail set would work, but might mark up the nail head.
Tim
Use the longer nails. Can't comment on the nail set, but I would use one with a flat tip, not one of the reverse conical tips. Sort of a punch, instead.
Please post some photos of the finished work. Thanks.
Forgot this. Here is your nail source. http://www.tremontnail.com/