Wooden Nails

[gMike]

My kid, who keeps up with stuff like this, just sent me this link on compressed Beechwood nails that can be shot into wood with a nail gun without pre-drilling.  Supposedly they hold without gluing by fusing the lignin.
I suspect the gun will be rather expensive.  FYI

https://www.core77.com/posts/98704/Faste...from_title

[shoottmx]

That's doggone amazing!

[hcbph]

That is amazing.  One thing though is kind of like Sawstop, if you want to use their product you have to use their special tool.
I wonder if there's some upper limit on the hardness of the wood that it can be used in?

[Cooler]

Apparently this is a press release.  A google search failed to find any user reviews.  Interesting though.  I do wonder if moisture absorption will be an issue with the nails. 

Biscuits for your biscuit joiner have to be kept in airtight containers to keep them from absorbing moisture and expanding. 

It would not affect the nails themselves, but might affect their ability to cycle through the nail gun. 

Interesting.

[Stwood_]

Interesting.

Throw away your dowel drilling jig.

[Cooler]

Interesting.

Throw away your dowel drilling jig.

I use my doweling jig mostly for sheet goods.  I doubt it will work well with 3/4" melamine covered particle board, or through 3/4" plywood.  Even if it could penetrate the flat surfaces, it would blow apart the board if driven into the edges. 

I'll hold onto my doweling jig for a little longer.

[Stwood_]

I use my doweling jig mostly for sheet goods.  I doubt it will work well with 3/4" melamine covered particle board, or through 3/4" plywood.  Even if it could penetrate the flat surfaces, it would blow apart the board if driven into the edges. 

I'll hold onto my doweling jig for a little longer.

I use biscuits on my sheet stock.
Never owned a doweling jig. I have a set of marking points that I use if I use a dowel, which is seldom.

[Cooler]

I use biscuits on my sheet stock.
Never owned a doweling jig. I have a set of marking points that I use if I use a dowel, which is seldom.

I have a biscuit joiner and two types of dowel jigs. I also have a Beadlock floating tenon jig, a mortising machine and a tenon jig for my saw.  I pick and choose according to the application. 

Biscuits are fast and good for medium strength joints though I have largely replaced it with pocket hole screws. 

But biscuits are not nearly as strong as dowels, especially for racking strength with sheet goods. 

Floating tenons and tenons are stronger for wider pieces that need to be joined (3½" or wider).

I also have marking points and they are better for some applications than using a doweling jig.

[K. L. McReynolds]

Not sure that would work well on hardwoods like maple and many of the exotics. More timber framing type stuff. Be intyeresting to see shear strength data.

[Redman]

My kid, who keeps up with stuff like this, just sent me this link on compressed Beechwood nails that can be shot into wood with a nail gun without pre-drilling.  Supposedly they hold without gluing by fusing the lignin.
I suspect the gun will be rather expensive.  FYI

https://www.core77.com/posts/98704/Faste...from_title

Hmm, seems to be related to or a take off on the Forgewood process developed in 1947 for making higher strength wooden arrows.

http://forgewood.com/