Previous in Forum: Sun Lightning   Next in Forum: Wire rope
Close
Close
Close
15 comments
Rate Comments: Nested
Anonymous Poster

What is a 10 Penny Nail?

02/28/2008 1:39 PM

I know a bit about the history, but that won't do me any good. What are the specs for a 10 penny nail?

Reply
Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.
Guru
New Zealand - Member - Kiwi Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member Engineering Fields - Power Engineering - New Member Engineering Fields - Electrical Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posts: 8777
Good Answers: 376
#1

Re: What is a 10 Penny Nail?

02/28/2008 1:47 PM

Naughty! I found the specs in less than 10 seconds using the search string "ten penny nail" in google (the first hit no less).

http://www.inthewoodshop.org/general/wwa20.shtml

Now, I would be interested in how you found out about CR4.

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/18274/So-how-did-you-find-out-about-CR4

__________________
jack of all trades
Reply
Guru
Popular Science - Evolution - New Member Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member

Join Date: May 2006
Location: The 'Space Coast', USA
Posts: 11119
Good Answers: 918
#2

Re: What is a 10 Penny Nail?

02/28/2008 2:42 PM

Too expensive.

Reply
Guru

Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 4448
Good Answers: 143
#3
In reply to #2

Re: What is a 10 Penny Nail?

02/28/2008 4:09 PM

What makes them really expensive is that half of them have the head on the wrong end.

__________________
"Well, I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it." Elwood P. Dowd
Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
Guru
Hobbies - Musician - New Member Australia - Member - Torn and breading Engineering Fields - Nanoengineering - New Member APIX Pilot Plant Design Project - Member - New Member

Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Magnetic Island, Queensland, Australia
Posts: 3721
Good Answers: 74
#8
In reply to #3

Re: What is a 10 Penny Nail?

02/29/2008 2:07 AM

You use those on the other side of the house.

__________________
The Twain Has Met
Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
Associate

Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Turtle Creek, Pa.
Posts: 37
#9
In reply to #3

Re: What is a 10 Penny Nail?

02/29/2008 6:27 AM

I hate when that happens

Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
Guru
United States - Member - New Member Technical Fields - Technical Writing - New Member Popular Science - Weaponology - Organizer Hobbies - Target Shooting - New Member Engineering Fields - Nuclear Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 2969
Good Answers: 33
#4

Re: What is a 10 Penny Nail?

02/28/2008 4:23 PM

Ten penny nails are 3 inches long (7.6 cm) and abbreviated as "10d".

Reply
Guru
Hobbies - Fishing - Old Salt Hobbies - CNC - New Member United States - US - Statue of Liberty - New Member

Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Rosedale, Maryland USA
Posts: 5197
Good Answers: 266
#5

Re: What is a 10 Penny Nail?

02/28/2008 4:34 PM

Nail that cost 10 cents.

__________________
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in a pretty, pristine body but rather to come sliding in sideways, all used up and exclaiming, "Wow, what a ride!"
Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
Anonymous Poster
#6

Re: What is a 10 Penny Nail?

02/29/2008 12:23 AM

bigger than an 8 penny nail but smaller than a twelve penny nail. Now if you want a real nail then we would be talking about a 16 or 20 penny nail. I have even heard tail of a 60 penny nail, Now that's a nail.

Reply
Guru
Popular Science - Biology - New Member Hobbies - Musician - New Member APIX Pilot Plant Design Project - Member - New Member Hobbies - CNC - New Member Fans of Old Computers - ZX-81 - New Member

Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Centurion, South Africa
Posts: 3921
Good Answers: 97
#7

Re: What is a 10 Penny Nail?

02/29/2008 1:32 AM

I don't know about Penny's anymore, (we metricated in 1960) and I have never heard about a 8.5 cent nail before.

Have anyone used a one penny washer? A while back I needed a big washer and the local hardware were out of stock. (The price was 75c in any case - it might be ok to get paid in washers). I drilled a hole in an old penny and used it instead.

__________________
Never do today what you can put of until tomorrow - Student motto
Reply
Associate

Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Turtle Creek, Pa.
Posts: 37
#10

Re: What is a 10 Penny Nail?

02/29/2008 6:42 AM

Common or finish???

Reply
Guru
United States - Member - Technical Fields - Education - Hobbies - Hunting - Popular Science - Weaponology -

Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Texas
Posts: 552
Good Answers: 8
#11

Re: What is a 10 Penny Nail?

02/29/2008 8:24 AM

Well (deep subject for a shallow mind )...I haven't yet dug out my scales, but my assumption was that a 10 penny nail weighed 10 pennyweights. See this interesting article on Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennyweight

__________________
David A Goodman
Reply
Anonymous Poster
#12

Re: What is a 10 Penny Nail?

02/29/2008 9:17 AM

I had always heard that the "size" reference was because in the old days, you could buy 10 for a penny from the local blacksmith

Reply
Associate
Hobbies - DIY Welding - New Member Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member

Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 29
#13
In reply to #12

Re: What is a 10 Penny Nail?

02/29/2008 2:16 PM

I have heard that, for example, if you wanted a 10d nail you could get 100 of that size for 10 pennies, and you could get 100 20d nails for 20 pennies. Thus the bigger the nail, the more a 100 of them cost.

Reply
Guru
Popular Science - Weaponology - bwire Hobbies - Car Customizing - New Member

Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Upper Mid-west USA
Posts: 7498
Good Answers: 97
#14
In reply to #12

Re: What is a 10 Penny Nail?

03/01/2008 1:41 AM

In the old days a carpenter was the master of trades, so you'd get one from?

__________________
If death came with a warning there would be a whole lot less of it.
Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
Guru

Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: New Jersey U.S.A.
Posts: 1114
Good Answers: 38
#15

Re: What is a 10 Penny Nail?

03/02/2008 10:52 AM

A 10 penny nail is app. 1/2 oz. Rather than trying to count nails one at a time, it was easier to charge by the pound. The reference to 10, 12, or 16penny is not a reference to a standard, but an estimate to a specific sizes count per pound.

10 penny would cost 10 cents per "hundred"

16 penny (16d) would cost 16 cents per hundred.

This is no longer used for cost estimates or sizing because the rate of inflation would constantly change our penny sizes. Try telling Home Depot that you should only pay 16 cents for a hundred 16d nails and they'd throw you out laughing. or give you a hundred nails the size of small brads.

The size no longer changes, but the cost does.

__________________
The last fight was my fault. My wife asked "What's on the TV?" I said "Dust!"
Reply
Reply to Forum Thread 15 comments
Copy to Clipboard

Users who posted comments:

Anonymous Hero (1); Anonymous Poster (2); BigEdm (2); bwire (1); charsley99 (1); DAG (1); Hendrik (1); jack of all trades (1); ky (1); ozzb (1); Redman46 (1); Steve Melito (1); TVP45 (1)

Previous in Forum: Sun Lightning   Next in Forum: Wire rope
You might be interested in: Nails, Bit Error Rate Testers, Boring Tools

Advertisement