Had a guy at the lumber yard call me out on nailing too close to the edge

I was framing a deck last summer and some older guy walks over and says I'm gonna split every board if I keep nailing within a half inch of the edge. He showed me to stay at least 3/4 inch back and to dull the nail tip with a hammer tap first. Tried it on the next joist and zero splits. Now I check my spacing every time before I swing. Anyone else had a random stranger save them from a dumb mistake?

2 comments

2 Comments

colemiller26d ago

A half inch seems fine for most stuff I've done. Maybe that guy was just being overly cautious.

oscarthompson24d ago

You tried it with fresh lumber? The difference really shows up on wet or pressure treated stuff. I spent years fighting splits on cedar trim until an old framer showed me the same trick. Dull the point, back off the edge, and you can nail within a half inch without issues. @colemiller, a half inch might work fine on dry pine, but that margin gets real skinny once the wood shrinks or you hit a knot. I keep two hammers on site now, one with a worn face just for dulling tips. That little change saved me more time than any fastening tool I've bought since.