Withdrawing Nails. It sometimes happens that a nail, when partially driven, is found to be tending in a wrong direction, in which case it must be withdrawn. If the hammer, when used for this purpose, is allowed to get into the position shown by Fig. 172, it will mar the work, the nail is likely to splinter the wood around the hole in coming out, and an unnecessary amount of force on the hammer handle is required to draw it. A better way is to keep the hammer from contact with the work by a block of wood, as a, Fig. 173. The blocking should be increased in thickness as the nail is withdrawn. If the work has been well done, the nail will not be bent.

Fig. 171

Fig. 172

Fig. 173

Never attempt to start a nail in a hole from which one has been withdrawn. The second nail will either follow the first or, prevented from doing this, will take an opposite course no nearer right.