How to cleat nails

This web is set up to help people with a basic skill. In this case cleating nail to attach hinges but it can be used to attach: brackets, lock or hasp plates and handles.

The example is the attachement of a 'hook and eye' hinge to a replica Saxon box.

Tools required; small hammer, pliers, a metal rod (I use a bent tent peg), an anvil (I use a slice of round bar), and some wood about the thickness of the anvil to balance up the work while working.

Hinge Attachment

Figure 1. Pre drill holes and attach hinge, cleat lid nails first, then attach hinges to the back.

Figure 2. Nails from back of box, place nail heads on anvil, prop up with wooden blocks.

Figure 3. Place metal rod behind nail and use pliers to bend over tip.

Figure 4. Use pliers to bend over rest of nail.

Figure 5. Use small hammer to bend nail over metal rod. Beware of marking wood with metal rod. If metal rod gets stuck under nail just tap on end with hammer.

Figure 6. Use small hammer to bend down into wood and then make flush with surface of wood.

Figure 7. The cleated nail compared to the uncleated.

Figure 8. The completed attachment of a handle. Note: a loop of wire was used instead of nails. The hole through the lid has to be big enough to accomodate two pieces of the wire.

Handle attachment

Figure 9. The attachment of a handle to the top of a box using wire.

Figure 10. The interior of the lid in figure 9. showing how the wire is thread through the hole and then cleated over in the same way as the nail.