Nailed It!

Where it comes to project assembly, one aspect can prove rather frustrating – just how slippery two parts become when they have a layer of glue between them.  Once you start tightening up the clamps, it is not uncommon to have the parts slip out of position, so you have to take the whole thing apart, reapply glue, and try again.

Sometimes it just is what it is, and you have to do the best you can.

If you have ever done any carpentry, and used a nail gun for framing, you know how satisfying it can be to get the two parts in their required position and pump a nail straight in.  Good fun 🙂

But it is not like you can take a nail gun to help you with project assembly is it?  After all, even if just using a brad, the head of the brad is quite obvious.

Or perhaps there is.

For my latest project, I did in fact do just that.  While attaching the wooden hinges, I applied some glue, held the hinge in just the right position, and fired a 23 gauge headless pin in to hold it in position. Worked a treat.  And if I hadn’t mentioned it here, if you ever saw the dartboard cupboard, you’d never realise that I had used a micro – pinner to assist with assembly.

Can you find them?  There are 11 in that photo (and no, they are not covered up by the screws). (Use the full resolution image, which is 3264×4912). I know where they are, and I struggle to see them.

The gun is the 23 Gauge Freeman Micro Pinner from Professional Woodworkers Supplies.  Costs under $100, and can fire 1/2″, 5/8″, 3/4″, 7/8″ and 1″ headless pins.

In comparison to the hole created by a standard 16g or 18g brad, the 23g pin is tiny.  You can even tack a match in position, which demonstrates another aspect – the pin is so thin, the risk of splitting is negligible.

It made the glue-up really easy, and could conceivably be used to attach trim, components (such as here) etc, all virtually invisible.  I won’t claim that you’d use it for every joint in every project – sometimes it is not the best solution, but it works perfectly as a tool when you can utilise it.

The Freeman 23G headless micro-pinner from PWS.  “Nailed it”