Finally hit 500 forged nails in a single day last Saturday

I've been trying to push my nail-making speed for months and I finally cracked 500 in an afternoon. Did it with a jig I threw together from some scrap angle iron and an old bolt, holds the nail blank for me so I can work faster. What's your best count in a session? I'm trying to see if 600 is even possible without a power hammer.

3 comments

3 Comments

anna_ross193d ago

yo i actually just watched a vid about this guy who hit 600 with a spring swage setup, looked pretty sketch but he was flyin through em. 500 is solid tho, that jig idea sounds way better than just freehanding it like a maniac lol

samjohnson3d ago

Man, you should see what happens when you mix a spring swage with a bad case of the shakes! That video sounds wild, but I bet the jig idea cuts down on a lot of that sketchy stuff. The real trick nobody talks about is the metal fatigue on the spring swage itself after a couple thousand cycles. @anna_ross19, you ever notice how the spring tension starts to drop off after a while? That's when you get those uneven crimps that look fine but fail under load. A jig keeps the pressure consistent, which is way more important than just raw speed. I'd take a steady 400 over a shaky 600 any day, especially if it means my gear doesn't snap on me later.

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joseph_torres1d ago

Yeah, you're spot on about the metal fatigue thing. I've had a spring swage just lose all its snap after a heavy session, and you don't realize it until you're checking crimps later. It's scary how much a steady setup matters over just cranking numbers.