Liam Carter
Cut nails, also known as square nails, were historically significant in construction and woodworking. They were produced by cutting iron bars into rods, a process that originated in the 16th century with the introduction of the slitting mill in England. Over time, the nail-making process evolved from hand-forging to mechanization, with the development of machines that sheared nails from iron bars. While cut nails were widely used in the 19th century, their decline began with the introduction of cheap wire nails that were mass-produced and adaptable to various purposes. Today, wire nails dominate the market, leaving cut nails with more limited usage in heavy-duty applications and historical renovations.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Earliest production method | Hand-forged process using simple tools like a forge, anvil, hammer and iron |
| Raw material | Iron ore heated to melting point to form wrought iron |
| Moulding | Wrought iron poured into moulds to cool into square rods |
| Reheating | Wrought iron reheated and cut to nail length |
| Forming the point | Blacksmith hammers all four sides of the softened end to form a point |
| Inserting into anvil | Hot nail inserted into a hole within the anvil |
| Forming the head | Four glancing blows of a hammer form a rose head |
| Type A cut nails | Sheared from an iron bar using a guillotine |
| Type B nails | Created by flipping iron bars after each stroke while the cutter set was at an angle |
| Cut-nail process | Patented in the US |
| Cut nail production | Simplified by the introduction of the slitting mill in England in 1590 |
| Mechanisation | First attempted between 1790 and 1820 in England and the US |
| Nail cutting machine | Produced by Christopher Polhem in Sweden in the early 1700s |
| Cut nails | Cut from iron plates |
| Wrought nails | Hammered from "nail rods" |
| Decline of cut nails | Due to the introduction of inexpensive wire nails |
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What You'll Learn
Early cut nails were hammered into shape
The earliest nails were made by hand by blacksmiths and nailors, using simple tools: a forge, anvil, hammer and iron. The process was gruelling. Iron ore was heated to melting point and formed into a dense, spongy mass, which was then poured into moulds to cool into square rods of wrought iron. The wrought iron was then reheated and cut into nail lengths, before being hammered on all four sides to form a point. The hot nail was then inserted into a hole in the anvil and hammered to form a rose head. No two nails made through this process were the same, which is why hand-forged nails are still popular today.
Early cut nails were also hammered into shape. Cut nails were produced by cutting iron bars into rods, which is why they were also known as square nails. They were known as cut nails because of this process, which was distinct from the hand-forged process. The iron bars were cut using early machinery, such as a type of iron bar guillotine. The head of the nail was then formed by hammering.
In the late 1790s, machines were invented that cut nails from sheets of plate iron in a cookie-cutter fashion. Unlike the hand-forged nails, these machine-cut nails tapered on only two sides. In the 1810s, iron bars were flipped over after each stroke while the cutter set was at an angle. Every nail was then sheared off of the taper, allowing for an automatic grip that also formed their heads. This method was slightly altered until the 1820s when new heads on the nails' ends were pounded via a separate mechanical nail heading machine.
The production of wrought-iron nails continued well into the 19th century, but ultimately declined with the introduction of cheap wire nails. In 1892, more steel-wire nails were produced than cut nails, and by 1913, 90% of manufactured nails were wire nails.
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Cut nails were produced by cutting iron bars into rods
The earliest nails were crafted by hand, using simple tools such as a forge, anvil, hammer, and iron. The process began by heating iron ore to its melting point until it formed a dense, spongy mass. This molten iron was then poured into moulds to cool and solidify into square rods, known as "wrought iron". The rods were reheated and a nail length was cut off, followed by hammering on all four sides of the softened end to form a point. The hot nail was then inserted into a hole in the anvil, and four glancing blows of a hammer formed a rose head. Each nail created through this process was unique, contributing to the enduring popularity of hand-forged nails.
In the late 1790s, the nail-making process began to be mechanised, with machines invented to cut nails from sheets of plate iron. Cut nails were produced by shearing iron bars with an iron bar-type guillotine using early machinery. This method underwent slight alterations until the 1820s when separate mechanical nail heading machines were introduced to form heads on the nails' ends. During this period, iron bars were flipped over after each stroke, and the cutter set at an angle. Each nail was then sheared off the taper, allowing for an automatic grip that also formed their heads.
The transition from hand-forged nails to machine-cut nails brought about some changes in the nail design. Hand-wrought nails, or wrought nails, were hammered from "nail rods", resulting in a tapered shape on all four sides. In contrast, machine-cut nails, or cut nails, were cut from iron plates, resulting in a tapered shape on only two sides while the other two sides retained a constant thickness due to being cut from iron sheets.
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Cut nails were important in the increase in balloon framing
The development of cut nails was a key factor in the rise of balloon framing. Before the industrial revolution, nails were handmade by artisans known as nailers or nailors, who heated, hammered, and cut iron bars into nails. This process was labour-intensive and time-consuming, making nails expensive and difficult to obtain.
The industrial revolution brought steam-powered nail-making machinery, which automated and sped up the nail-making process. Cut nails, in particular, were produced by cutting iron bars into rods, and they became widely used in construction. Balloon framing relied on machine-made, mass-produced nails that could be easily and cheaply produced in large volumes.
The availability of cut nails, along with other standardised components like dimensional lumber, made balloon framing possible. The simple nailed connections of balloon framing were faster and easier to construct than the complex joinery of traditional timber framing. This shift reduced the need for skilled carpenters and made construction more accessible to semi-skilled labourers.
While balloon framing initially benefited from the availability of cut nails, the introduction of wire nails in the mid-1800s eventually led to the decline of cut nail production. Wire nails were cheaper to produce, more adaptable to various purposes, and could be entirely automated, making them more cost-effective and widely used than cut nails. Despite this shift, cut nails continue to be used in historical renovations and heavy-duty applications, such as attaching boards to masonry walls.
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The production of wrought-iron nails continued into the 19th century
The first efforts to mechanise the nail-making process occurred between 1790 and 1820 in England, Sweden and the United States. Machines were invented to cut nails from sheets of plate iron, speeding up the process. Cut nails were produced by cutting iron bars into rods, and they were also known as square nails due to their roughly rectangular cross-section. The mechanisation of the nail-making process led to the decline of wrought-iron nails, which were superseded by cut nails around 1800.
In the 1810s, iron bars were flipped after each stroke, and the cutter set at an angle, allowing for the automatic gripping of each nail and the formation of their heads. This method produced Type B nails. Type A cut nails were created using early machinery, where iron bars were sheared using a guillotine-like process. Despite this mechanisation, the production of wrought-iron nails continued, albeit in smaller quantities, with nails reserved for specific purposes where softer cut nails were unsuitable, such as horseshoe nails.
By the 1890s, steel wire nails began to overtake cut nails in popularity due to their cheap, mass-produced nature, and by 1913, 90% of manufactured nails were wire nails. However, it is worth noting that even in the 1890s, builders preferred cut nails for their superior holding power.
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Cut nails were superseded by wire nails in the 1890s
Cut nails were made by hand by blacksmiths and nailors using simple tools such as a forge, anvil, hammer, and iron. The iron ore was heated to melting point, forming a dense spongy mass within the forge, which was then poured into moulds to cool into square rods of wrought iron. After reheating, the blacksmith would cut off a nail-length piece and hammer all four sides of the softened end to form a point. The nail would then be inserted into a hole in the anvil and four glancing blows of a hammer would form a rose head.
The first efforts to mechanise the nail-making process occurred between 1790 and 1820 in England, Sweden, and the United States. In 1775, Jeremiah Wilkinson of Cumberland, RI began cutting tacks and nails from sheet metal. Machines were invented to cut nails from sheets of plate iron, and later, in the 1810s, iron bars were flipped after each stroke while the cutter set was at an angle. In 1825, machines that both cut and headed nails were introduced, with the head being stamped level by a single blow.
While cut nails are now much less common, they are still used for historical renovations and heavy-duty applications such as attaching boards to masonry walls. Hand-forged nails are also still popular for restoration projects within old properties to achieve an authentic rustic look.
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Frequently asked questions
Cut nails are nails that are produced by cutting iron bars into rods. They are also known as square nails because of their roughly rectangular cross-section.
Cut nails were historically made by hand using a forge, anvil, hammer and iron. The iron ore was heated to melting point and then poured into moulds to cool into square rods. The softened end was then reheated, cut to length and hammered on all four sides to form a point. The head of the nail was then formed by hammering.
Cut nails were superseded by wire nails in the late 19th and early 20th centuries due to their cheap, mass production. By 1913, 90% of manufactured nails were wire nails. However, cut nails are still used for historical renovations and heavy-duty applications.
