Nailing Tricks

My client comes out from time to time to look at the progress or ask so questions. I have to admit I like the man. His little boy pops out from time to time when he sees the progress, and he get excited when he understands a technique I use. To day when he came over, I was working on the small shed-like enclosure I was adding onto the back of his unit for the hot-water heater, the water manifold and the water filtration system. The outside wall will also be where I mount the units electrical panel.  

He was asking about the blocking I was putting in place so I told him whenever a board nails onto another and creates a right angle then I need to add blocking to help slow down a fire if one were to occur. He started reminding me of the nail information that I had given him. He told me that nails aren’t round they are oval. And if you use the narrow side of the nail with the grain it will slice through and most likely not slip the wood. When you use the fat sides they plow through and can cause the wood to split, but if you turn the nail over and blunt the end then you’ll must likely not slip it. He remembered that if you must nail through a hard spot and an afraid of bending the nail then to roll it against the skin under your chin and the oil from that area will help you succeed. He also liked knowing that the magnet on the top of the hammer head will hold a nail in place so you can start it with one hand.

One day he came over and he had smashed his thumb a few times and asked me how I drove little nails without smashing my thumb. I told them a lot of time I can seat them by pushing them into the wood. He told me the wood was too hard. I asked him if the tried holding them in place with needle nose pilers or poking them through a piece of stiff paper to start them and then rip the paper away.  But today he caught me using another method to toe nail. I was shown this method years ago and we called it the Tennessee toenail. If you place the point of the nail into the claws of your hammer and bend the nail when you drive it into the wood it will follow the bend and become a strong toenail. He told me I should have showed him that sooner.

And reminds me that he would be a good employee. He has a good job, great security, is above fifty and should stick it out where he’s at a little longer to get his retirement, but I am pretty sure we will keep in touch with one another. He keeps send me people who want to have a ADU built on their property. He is a DIYer of sorts. Yet many times he asks me how to do something and after I explain the method to him, he says when I need to have it done I’ll call you.

Some people are unwilling to share their knowledge afraid they will lose a dollar to their competition. I find the true tradesmen love to share their knowledge knowing there is work enough if your quality is above standard.

Note: Images on this blog site are from a free source or taken by the author. No image or group of photos is intended to represent the people the author serves. The author does not care about Race (that is a politically correct term that he does not like because we are all of the same Race, the Human Race. He prefers the term ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender, marital status, disability, genetic information, national origin, source of income, Veteran or military status, ancestry, citizenship, primary language or immigration status.) He is a service provider for all people. We will all rise together when we band together and help one another. Joseph Erwin is a Real Estate Broker, DRE # O2131799, and a CA general contractor # B 696662. He’s a member of the CRMLS and The East Valley Association of Realtors located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California.