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Square nailsHere are three sources for period-correct square nails for building camp furniture: http://www.rockler.com/search_results.cfm?filter=wrought+iron+nails http://www.horton-brasses.com/products/nails/12 http://www.tremontnail.com/catalog.htm They have a lot of hand forged hardware that is of excellent quality. If you use them, please let them know you found their site through Wooden Hawk. Don't get us nuthin', but lets them know we thought of them...... Jan and Mickey I had stubled across several different types of square nails, shoeing nails for horses and mens foot ware. I have also played with some real square nails taken from a barn up by fortworth. The real square nails are better than the modern nail and I would say equal to the screw but not the dove tail or the peg. Mickey I had to smile when you said that our modern boxes take so much abuse. The good news is that I have my dove tailer set up but still no coller so have to wait for finances to improve before I start on any new boxes. I was going to say darn thats high for nails but the truth is that price is fair. I have a book that shows how nails were hand froged in 1805. With the proper tools a good blacksmith could make 1 or 2 nails per minute. An iron rod was heated and the end hammered to a point then the rod dented to the lenght needed, placed in a "nail header" then the rod snapped off. The end of the rod is hammered to form the head. The "nail header" and nail is then dipped into water which shinks the nail and it drops out. Very neat and simple. Here's another source. Good outfit. They have reproduction box, clinch, finish, hinge and brad nails in many lengths. Not handmade though. http://www.vandykes.com/search.php?q=nails Dave, your post brings back good memories of a day spent in Jim Ferrel's shop back in 1988. He'd just made a nail header, and we drank some Shiner Bock while he patiently tried to teach me how to use it. Nofabi demanded a case each from Weidemeyer and me as our apprentice fee. I think it was my last Saturday before I had to move back north. Great day. Probably everybody knows this, but I'll say it anyway. The 'penny' designation used for nail size comes from the colonial days. This was the price per hundred nails. 16d (Brit penny abbreviation is d) were 16 pence per hundred, 10d were 10, etc. It also supposedly set a fairly uniform length and cross section. I don't know if this convention originated in England, or was developed in the Colonies.
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