12 Unusual Projects Using Nails

Nails have formed part of handymen, tradesmen and DIY fans for thousands of years as hooks, fasteners pegs and hangers but, with a bit of creativity, they can also be used for a number of crafts and projects. Here are 12 of the most interesting projects we have found which use nails in a less traditional way.

Decorative Miniature Knives

Have you even seen miniature knives made from nails? We love this creative project which also teaches you a bit about metal working. The twisted handles look great and the guide, Miniature Knife by pennabilli, covers annealing and forging your own knife.

decorative miniature knives

Nail Puzzle

This classic puzzle has been around for many years. The idea is fairly simple, bend two in such a way that they connect together and come apart in a certain way however the guide, Puzzle, is a bit trickier than it seems.

nail puzzle

Vintage Magnetic Bottle Opener

This is a super easy project and it is certainly one of the more creative. This vintage Magnetic Bottle Opener by mikeasaurus is clean and simple, perfect for a beginner.

Magnetic Bottle Opener (top image) by mikeasaurus

Nail Jewelry

Here are a couple of jewelry items which you can make using nails,  Horse Shoe & Cement Jewelry, author Fikjast Scott.

nail jewelry

Add Decorative Accents

If you’ve got some wooden objects which you’d like to add some accents to, use nails. Check out how AverageJoesJoinery made these great coasters, How to Make Drinks Coasters With Inlay.

add nails as accents

Pin Art Toy

Here’s a guide, Pin Wall by rimamonsta which shows you how  to make your own pin art toy which uses  pins to produce a duplicate 3D shape on the front of the board of whatever is pressed onto the back of the board.

diy pin art toy

Calipers

After you’re done forging knives and some jewelry, you could try making your own tools as well. Here’s a small caliper made by forging and soldering. The guide, Caliper From Wire by Pricklysauce, teaches you techniques which could be used to make all sorts of tools and implements.

nail calipers

Reclaimed Hammer

Speaking of tools, here’s a hammer which is made entirely from old rusty nails. Timsway shows you how to Make a (Working!) Steampunk Hammer.

make a hammer from old nails

If you enjoy reclaimed projects, have a look at these ideas for turning old pallets into useful furniture for your home.

Nail Games

Games involving driving a nail into a block of wood have become a tradition in bars and taverns around the world. Check out How to Play (Stump) by smithallen_studio.

nail games

Trick Box

Similar to the nail games, can you figure out how to open this box? Small nails are an integral part of this Trick Opening Box by author Fathomlis, follow the guide and you’ll also find out how to open it.

trick box

String Art

String art is fairly well known and is also really simple to do. Here are two great examples of string art made with a wooden board, a couple of nails and some string. The techniques used to make a string artwork are pretty simple so its the perfect project for a newbie. Here is a String Art `World Map´ project by He Se.

string art world map

Balancing Nails Puzzle

Here’s another puzzle/game themed project. Can you balance a handful on top of the one in the wooden block? Have a look at this project, Balance 10 on One by somebullcrap, to find out how and make your own coffee table puzzle.

balancing nails puzzle

And that’t it. Now you’ve got a couple of ideas to use nails in extraordinary ways. Have you thought of or seen any other creative uses? Let us know in the comments section below!

Michael Klements
Michael Klements
Hi, my name is Michael and I started this blog in 2016 to share my DIY journey with you. I love tinkering with electronics, making, fixing, and building - I'm always looking for new projects and exciting DIY ideas. If you do too, grab a cup of coffee and settle in, I'm happy to have you here.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest posts

Is It Worth Water Cooling A Raspberry Pi 5?

Today we're going to be taking a look at a new water-cooling kit that has been designed for a Raspberry Pi 5. We'll see...

The New Geekom IT13 Mini PC is Awesome with an External GPU

Today we're going to see if we can game on the new Geekom IT13 mini PC. This mini PC is powered by a 13th...

Pi 5 Desktop Case For Pineberry HatDrive!

Today we're going to be assembling a 3D-printed case for the new Raspberry Pi 5 and Pineberry's HatDrive! This is an adaptation of my...

Related posts