How to Pound (and unbend) a Nail

Here's how to pound a nail, and what usually happens when you are just starting out.

Don't worry about bent nails, keep trying!

 

 

To unbend bent nails, try these techniques:

Clubouse Book Arriving Soon!

My newly minted book about building clubhouses, titled Keep Out! Build Your Own Backyard Clubhouse will be coming out on march 27. It will contain a lot of the stuff seen on this blog, and is already available for pre-order on Amazon. Here's a picture of the cover:

 

 

Beginning this coming April, I will be going on the road to talk about the book, and just for fun, I built this model clubhouse, 9 inches tall, complete with the sawhorses (One of the nine tools!)

 

 

I even finished the inside, but left one side open to show how the walls are framed.

 

 

 

  

 

The quarter by the chair shows the scale!

9 Essential Tools

You'll only need nine essential hand tools to build your clubhouse.

1.  A hammer  that you can easily swing to pound in nails. For kids, a 12-ounce to 16-ounce "finish hammer", as shown above,  is about right. If you are buying one, pick them up, and swing the different sizes for the right weight.

 

 

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2. A tape measure. A 10-foot or 12-foot tape is long enough for a clubhouse. These are also small enough to easily fit in your hand or your pocket.

 

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3. A handsaw. Get one of these short "Sharktooth" saws made by Stanley. They are very sharp, sized right for kids, will fit in a toolbox, and not too expensive.

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4. A pencil. Any pencil will work.

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5. A framing square.  This is the perfect tool to mark boards for cutting with your saw. Get the smaller (7 inches on a side) metal or plastic one. The marks on it will be helpful for cutting angles later!

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6. A screwdriver. Get a standard and a phillips-style screwdriver, or a combination screwdriver that includes both.

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 7. A level. A nine-inch long "Torpedo" type plastic level will work fine. Also, this small level will fit in any tool box.

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8. A pry bar. This is your tool for fixing goofs, or for helping with alterations and room additions later on. Sometimes called a "Wonder Bar"; Stanley Tools makes the best one.


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9. Sawhorses. These are necessary for sawing boards safely. You can buy a set or build the ones shown above. The lower height ( 24 inches) of these hand-built ones is better for young builders.


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Extra: A Nail pouch or tool belt. Lumber yards sell these canvas ones for very little.