Abstract:
An improved nail set and nail set kit that includes nail set having a body having a head adapted for striking with a hammer and a tip portion that includes a notch therein that is sized to accommodate the rectangular head of a pneumatically driven finish nail.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/204,141, filed on Aug. 12, 2015. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to hand tools, and specifically to an improved nail set. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Nail sets are generally used in woodworking for directing a nail which is protruding above the surface of the work-piece to a depth below the surface of the work-piece to eliminate exposure thereof and for allowing the resulting countersunk hole to be filled with appropriate material (e.g., wood putty) preparatory to finishing the work-piece. 
         [0004]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2A , when the user nails finish nails  40  into the surface of the work-piece  22 , the user often cannot drive the nail completely into the work-piece or the user will damage the surface of the work-piece. The nail set  10  is generally constructed and arranged such that a tip portion  14  of the nail set is placed on a head of the finish nail  40 . In  FIGS. 1 and 2A , the finish nail  40  is a straight finish nail. However, the term “finish nail” is intended to encompass finish nails, crown staples and other pneumatically driven fasteners used by carpenters in connection with finish work. The head of the nail set  10  is then struck with a hammer  50 , which imparts force to the tip portion  14 , driving the finish nail  40  completely into the work-piece  22 . 
         [0005]    Unfortunately, as shown in  FIG. 2B , pneumatically driven finish nails  40  have a substantially rectangular head and the round tip portion  40  of the nail set  10  is prone to slipping off this rectangular head and driving downward into the work-piece. This causes the same or worse damage to the surface that the nail set  10  was intended to avoid. 
         [0006]    Therefore, there is a need for an improved nail set that reduces the risk of the tip slipping off of the rectangular head of a pneumatically driven finish nail. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention is an improved nail set that includes a body having a head adapted for striking with a hammer and a tip portion that includes a notch therein that is sized to accommodate the rectangular head of a pneumatically driven finish nail. 
         [0008]    In the preferred embodiment, the notch is a rectangular notch. In other embodiments, the notch may take the form of a trapezoid, an oval, a triangle, or other forms that will accommodate the nail head and resist slippage thereof during use. 
         [0009]    In one embodiment of the kit, at least two nail sets, each having a different shaped notch, are provided. 
         [0010]    In another embodiment of the kit, the nail set is combined with a finish nail having a head of a specific size and shape and the notch at the tip of the nail set is sized and shaped to accommodate the head of the nail. 
         [0011]    Therefore, it is an aspect of the invention to provide an improved nail set that reduces the risk of the tip slipping off of the rectangular head of a pneumatically driven finish nail. 
         [0012]    It is a further aspect of the invention to provide an improved nail set that may be easily manufactured from conventional nail sets. 
         [0013]    These aspects of the present invention are not meant to be exclusive and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the following description and accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a prior art nail set being used to drive a finish nail into a work-piece 
           [0015]      FIG. 2A . is a front view of a prior art nail set with its tip aligned on the head of a finish nail. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2B . is a front view of a prior art nail set with its tip embedded into a work-piece after slipping off the head of a finish nail. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3A  is an end view of the preferred embodiment of the nail set of the present invention having a rectangular notch. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3B  is a side view of the preferred embodiment of the nail set of  FIG. 3A . 
           [0019]      FIG. 4A  is an end view of an alternative embodiment of the nail set of the present invention having a trapezoidal notch. 
           [0020]      FIG. 4B  is a side view of the embodiment of the nail set of  FIG. 4A . 
           [0021]      FIG. 5A  is an end view of an alternative embodiment of the nail set of the present invention having an oval shaped notch. 
           [0022]      FIG. 5B  is a side view of the embodiment of the nail set of  FIG. 5A . 
           [0023]      FIG. 6A  is an end view of alternative embodiment of the nail set of the present invention having a v-shaped notch. 
           [0024]      FIG. 6B  is a side view of the embodiment of the nail set of  FIG. 6A . 
           [0025]      FIG. 7A  is a side view of the preferred embodiment of the nail set of the present invention in position to engage the rectangular head of a finish nail. 
           [0026]      FIG. 7B  is another side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 7A  rotated 90 degrees. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0027]    Looking first to prior art  FIGS. 2A and 2B , the nail set of the present invention includes all of the features of a conventional nail set  10 , including a head  18  dimensioned to be struck by a hammer  50 , a body  16  including first end  15  near head  18  and second end  17  near a tapered portion  12 , and a tip portion  14 . The body  16 , head  18 , tapered portion  12 , and tip portion  14  are preferably manufactured from a single piece of metal, such as tool steel. In some embodiments, the outside of the body  16  is covered with a plastic or rubberized material (not shown) to enhance grip on the nail set  10 , but such a covering is not required. 
         [0028]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  show the tapered portion  12  and tip portion  14  of the preferred nail set  10 . In this embodiment, the tip portion  14  includes a substantially rectangular notch  32  that passes through the tip portion  14 . As used herein, when it is said that notch  32  “passes through” tip portion  14 , it is understood that notch  32  is a cutaway all the way through tip portion  14 , as shown in  FIG. 3B , for example. It is understood that notch  32  may also be entirely within tip portion  14 . That is to say, it is possible for the tip portion  14  of a nail set  10  of the present invention to appear from its sides to be the same as a prior art nail set, but to include notch  32  within tip portion  14 . The notch  32  is sized to accommodate the rectangular head of a pneumatic finish nail and to hold the tip portion  14  in place on the head while it is being driven. 
         [0029]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  show the tapered portion  12  and tip portion  14  of an alternative nail set  10 . In this embodiment, the tip portion  14  includes a substantially trapezoidal notch  32  that passes through the tip portion  14 . The trapezoidal notch  32  is sized to accommodate the rectangular heads of a number of different sizes of pneumatic finish nails and to hold the tip portion  14  in place on the head while it is being driven. 
         [0030]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  show the tapered portion  12  and tip portion  14  of another alternative nail set  10 . In this embodiment, the tip portion  14  includes a substantially oval notch  32  that passes through the tip portion  14 . The oval notch  32  is also sized to accommodate the rectangular heads of a number of different sizes of pneumatic finish nails and to hold the tip portion  14  in place on the head while it is being driven. However, as it is more prone to slippage, the oval notch is not preferred. 
         [0031]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  show the tapered portion  12  and tip portion  14  of another alternative nail set  10 . In this embodiment, the tip portion  14  includes a substantially v-shaped notch  32  that passes through the tip portion  14 . The v-shaped notch  32  is also sized to accommodate the rectangular heads of a number of different sizes of pneumatic finish nails and to hold the tip portion  14  in place on the head while it is being driven. However, as was the case with the oval notch of  FIG. 5A , it is more prone to slippage and is not preferred. 
         [0032]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  show the tapered portion  12  and tip portion  14  of the preferred nail set  10  in position to engage the rectangular head  42  of a pneumatic finish nail  40 . The dashed line in  FIG. 7B  represents the top of notch  32  within the tip portion  14 . 
         [0033]    Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions would be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the description should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.