Steel Nails 3''

Steel nails, three inches long. Where the two-inch nail handles battens and boarding, the three-inch is for the structural end of carpentry: framing and stud work, joists and noggins, rafters and purlins, heavy formwork and shuttering, fencing posts and rails, pallets and crating, and any joint where two full-thickness pieces of timber have to be held firmly together. The extra length is what carries the load into the second piece rather than merely tacking the surfaces together. Nails still beat screws on cost and speed anywhere the joint is permanent and not decorative. Drive them at a slight angle in pairs for a joint that resists pulling apart, and blunt the point when nailing close to an end to avoid splitting.