Nails are usually used for joining pieces of wood or for fastening other materials to wood. Nails are simply hammered into place and are held there by friction. Some nails have roughened shanks so that they will hold better.
Most nails are made by machine from heavy steel wire. These machines can make hundreds of nails per minute. First the machine cuts the wire to the correct length. Then it flattens one end of the wire to make the head. And finally, it cuts the point at the other end.
Some types of nails, called cut nails, are stamped, or cut, from sheets of metal. Cut nails are rectangular, rather than round.
There is a tremendous variety of nails, since they are used for so many different purposes. The ordinary all-purpose nails most of us use are called common nails. Finishing nails, used in furniture and cabinetwork, have very small heads that do not show on the finished work.
Roofing nails have very large heads. They are used for nailing shingles or tar paper to a roof. The large head holds the thin material and keeps it from tearing loose.
Some nails have two heads, one above the other. The nail is driven only as far as the first head. The top head of the nail remains above the surface of the work, to make it easy to pull the nail out.
Two-headed nails are used to hold scaffolding and other temporary structures together.
Most nails are made of steel. Masonry nails, used on concrete or masonry, are made of specially hardened steel. Some nails, such as roofing nails, are galvanized. That means they are coated with zinc to prevent rusting.
Nails used on boats must be extra rustproof. They are usually made of brass or bronze. Large nails are called spikes, and are usually over fifteen centimetres long.
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