Clenching a nail – sometimes spelled “clinching” – is an essential traditional woodworking
skill. But until you are clenching like a pro, there are some baby steps you can take.

In the video above, I show how I clenched the 4d cut headless brads from Tremont
Nail Co. that secure the battens to the flat-panel door of the Shaker cabinet
I built for the February 2011 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine. The battens
ensure the door will remain flattish during service, and the nails allow you to avoid
some kind of nutty joinery backflips, such as a sliding dovetail.

While there are many ways to clench nails (using two hammers, a special bucking block
or your superpowers), these two methods are the ones that I prefer.

— Christopher Schwarz

Like Traditional Furniture? I do.
• One of the best ways to train your eye to build nice looking American stuff is to
look at old books. For the money, you cannot beat used copies of Wallace Nutting’s
“A Furniture Treasury.” Vols. I and II are the most useful. The books are cheap and
widely available – check Abebooks.com.

• “Early
American Country Furniture” by Denis Hambucken is a great book with 22 projects
to build. Hambucken has a nice eye and the pieces are fairly straightforward to build.
And tons and tons of good illustrations.

• Aldren A. Watson’s “Country
Furniture” is a book I’ve read many times, not just for the furniture, but because
Watson gets into the head of the early American furniture maker and discusses the
social and economic factors that influenced him. It’s a mighty fun book to read, and
Watson’s illustrations are excellent.

Woodworking Magazine

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