Craft · 6 pages · 12 min

Why nails and screws pull differently

A nail holds by friction along the shank, while a screw holds by threads locked in the wood.

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From the opening

A nail resists being pulled out mostly by friction between its shank and the wood fibers that were compressed as it was driven. A screw resists that pull by its threads, which bear on wood caught between the helices, so withdrawal has to shear or crush that wood. The opening covers nails grip by shank friction, threads lock into the wood, and heads stop pull-through.

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Inside

Nails grip by shank friction
Threads lock into the wood
Heads stop pull-through
End grain holds both poorly
Where the idea stops applying
A distinction worth keeping

Sources

Nail withdrawal by shank friction
Screw thread engagement in wood

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Why nails and screws pull differently

From the opening

Inside

Sources

Also on the desk