National Nail Corp.

A fastener unit and related method for securing a board to a support is provided. The fastener unit includes a spacer block, a grip element extending from the spacer block and configured to fit in and engage a groove of the board, and one or more board engagement elements extending from a portion of the spacer block. The board engagement elements can clamp the board, between an upper and/or lower surface of the board and a groove of the board, thereby securing the spacer block in a position adjacent the groove to establish a gap between the board and another board. Related methods of use also are provided.

A plug tool is provided that can retrieve, hold and/or install plugs in holes defined by a substrate such as a board. The tool can include a handle including an upper portion and a lower portion, a tube extending from the lower portion, the tube sized to receive a plug therein, and an ejector configured to eject a plug from the tube. A method of using the tool can include placing the tube over a plug having a plug face, a plug sidewall and a plug bottom such that the plug sidewall engages and is retained in the tube; moving the tool so that the tube is aligned with a hole defined by a recipient board, the hole bounded by a hole sidewall; and ejecting the plug from the tube so the plug sidewall engages the hole sidewall and is deposited in the plug hole.

A fastener installation tool can include a handle and a nose assembly including a guide defining a bore having a longitudinal axis, a first tooth adjacent the bore and a second tooth. The first tooth can fixedly join with the nose assembly and selectively engage a round upper corner between an upper surface and a side surface of a board. The second tooth can join with the nose assembly and can move from a retracted mode to an extended mode in which the second tooth is configured to engage the side of the board. The longitudinal axis can be oriented by the first and/or second tooth engaging the board to place that axis at a point of intersection with the board at a first depth being 0.010 inches to 0.125 inches, inclusive, or about 0.050 inches, below a lower surface of the handle. A related method of use is provided.

A fastener cap system can include a rigid cap and a sealing member which forms a liquid barrier so moisture is impaired from entering a space under the rigid cap and/or around a fastener installed through it. The sealing member can include a central seal disposed on an upper surface of the cap, the seal extending beyond a head of a fastener, which extends through the cap and sealing member, so that moisture is impaired from entering the cap under the head. The sealing member can be above and below respective lowermost and uppermost cap surfaces so the cap system can be fed cleanly and efficiently through a cap feeder during installation via a tool. The sealing member, which can have a higher coefficient of friction than the rigid cap, thereby does not drag along a cap feeder and cause feeding issues. Related methods are provided.

A board pusher tool is provided to hold one or more boards in a readied position and orientation relative to one another and an underlying joist. The pusher can include a base, a magnet joined with the base to secure the base in a fixed position relative to an underlying joist constructed from a magnetic material, a bumper reciprocally joined with the base, a guide joined with the bumper to allow the bumper to extend a predetermined distance away from the base, and a biasing element pushing the bumper away from the base, where the bumper forcibly urges the board away from the base, optionally toward or against another board, while the magnet secures the base in the fixed position relative to the underlying joist. A related method of use is provided.

A self-sealing fastener is provided to preserve fluid barriers on building components such as panels, sheets, boards and other work pieces. The fastener can be a form of a nail having a shaft and a pointed tip opposite a head that projects radially outward from the shaft. The fastener can include a striker post extending from the head opposite the shaft a preselected distance. A plug defining a bore can be placed atop the head and registered with the striker post so that the post extends through the bore. The post can extend above the plug, and the plug's upper surface can be unobstructed by any part of the fastener or post. A related method of use includes striking the post with an automated driver to drive the shaft into a panel; penetrating the panel with the head to create a hole; and plugging the hole above the head with the plug.

A plug cutting tool that produces plugs having an aesthetic exterior surface common to a donor board. The tool can include a tool axis; a carrier that rotates about the tool axis; and a blade which is joined with the carrier and which includes a first cutting edge moveable along a first extension axis transverse to the tool axis as the blade rotates about the tool axis. The first cutting edge angles and moves closer to the tool axis as the first cutting edge bores a groove in a donor board. The first cutting edge can advance into the donor board to produce the groove surrounding a plug having a plug face, a plug bottom, and a plug sidewall inwardly tapered from the plug face to the plug bottom so that the plug face has a greater dimension than the plug bottom. A related method of use is provided.

A clip fastener guide is provided including an upward opening funnel, a barrel and a guide base. The guide base can include a handle including a grasping surface configured so a user can grasp and manipulate the guide, and can define a guide recess disposed below the elongated barrel. A clip can include a clip base, a clip wall extending upward from the clip base, and a clip arm that extends from the clip wall over the clip base. The clip base can be disposed in the guide recess, and can define a fastener hole, the fastener hole aligned with the elongated barrel. The handle can be graspable by a user to impair rotation of the clip as the clip is installed relative to a workpiece. Related methods of use are provided.