pre-drill for nails?

[ColJack]

I'm going to clad my shed in feather edge tonight or tomorrow and have decided to nail it on..
as it's only thin at the edge I'll be nailing, is it a good idea to put in a drill hole slightly smaller than the nail diameter so I don't split the boards?

 

[Jasonb]

You would not normally predrill softwood feather edge but I do it on oak when fixing with rose nails.

Jason

 

[JohnD]

why are you nailing at the thin edge not the thick edge?

 

[ColJack]

you nail the top so the overlap keeps the nails hidden and waterproof..

EDIT:

nevermind, seems I was confusing nailing techniques for vinyl siding and shingles with feather edge..

I'll nail it thtough the thick bit..

 

[HERTS P&D]

What also helps is if you turn the nail upside down and hit it with a hammer, as this flattens the point. So when you bang it into wood it 'pushes' the wood and does not split it.

Try it, it works

Andy

 

[maltaron]

Not heard that one for years Andy, when nailing iffy timber we always had the lump hammer beside and tapped the nail point on it.