Nail It - Protecting Your Fingers from Harm's Way

A compact assistant device in hammering small, finishing nails; it possesses functionalities for striking, clamping, sliding. A V shaped clamp in the base of the device is held together by springs, where it holds the nail at ninety degrees. An arm, headed by a steel weight, is positioned through use of plastic rails, sealed on by metal dowels running through the base. The rails and dowels restrict movement in three dimensions, instead allowing the parts to move 6 inches in one dimension to help optimize striking angle. A taut spring running over the arm allows the user to pull back the arm and strike the nail without additional force.

The project introduced us to rapid prototyping and the complex world of patent law.

This research was undertaken as part of Montgomery Blair High School's Safety Project in fall 2007.