If you ever get to the point where you think you’ve mastered dovetail joints, think again…

Kintaro Yazawa is a woodworker in Japan. The furniture he builds is both functional and beautiful, but it’s the detail he puts into his joinery that makes his furniture a work of art.

Visit Kintaro’s website to see some of his work.

Here’s a little trick to help make sure wood doesn’t split or crack when you’re nailing it. This trick doesn’t need special nails or equipment, and seems to work well with big nails or small nails.

Ready? Here we go.

• Step 1: Take a nail, turn it upside down
• Step 2: Tap the nail’s pointy end with your hammer

That’s it… Exciting, hey?  You might, however, be pretty surprised at the difference that little trick makes.

Why does it work so well?  With the slightly flattened end, the nail tears through the wood’s fibers rather then forcing them apart.

You can flatten each nail as you use them or, if you have kids, give them a whole box and a little hammer — hours of endless fun. Really.