Showerthought: I read that a lot of old barns used square nails because they grip better over time
I was looking at a history page about building in the 1800s, and it said they used square cut nails in a lot of timber frames. The article claimed the square shape actually locks into the wood fibers better as the wood moves, instead of getting loose like a round nail can. That got me thinking about some of the repair jobs I've done on old sheds around here. You ever pull one of those old square nails out? They really do fight you. Makes you wonder if we're missing something by always using round wire nails for everything now. Has anyone ever used modern square cut nails for a project, like a timber frame or a heavy gate?