Beginner woodworker needs nail advice

[Trotter]

I am making a small organizer for a USB charging station. What would be the best nail size and length I need? All the plans Ive made call for the wood to be 1/4" thick, (This can be changed if necessary) I was planning on using a pneumatic finishing nail gun as well. I have included a picture of the project.

[wtnhighlander]

With properly fitted joints, no nails should be necessary. Just glue.

If you prefer to use the nails to serve as "clamps" while the glue dries, 23 gauge pin nails would seem appropriate. 1/2" to 3/4" length, assuming those are available. I don't use them.

[Trotter]

The ends of the pieces will just be square, aligned next to each other. Would that be enough of a joint to use only glue or would I need something that interlocks more?

[gee-dub]

I would expect pins or nails to make that assembly more involved than necessary; JMHO.  I would use spacers to assure the dividers are perpendicular to the base and clamp them.  If you are short on clamps, use spacers and clamp the first few for 30 minutes, remove the clamps and carefully move on down the line.  I frequently work on sub-assemblies after 30 minutes to an hour of set time with PVA glue as long as the next activity will not put stress on the previous glued joints.

Your butt joints where the base meets the sides could be better served with an 1/8" deep dado but, a hidden glue block could help here as well.  I would do all the top elements, then the front/back to base connection leaving the sides for last if you decide to skip the dados.  We all have our own way for getting from A to Z

[Tpt life]

Nailing into 1/4”? Expect many failures unless you use short nails just for registration.  Longer nails often do not follow a 1/4” wide path and will poke out the side. That’s some of the reasoning behind wtn’s advice above. 

[Trotter]

I was actually considering not even  gluing the top dividers in and just leaving them so they could be removed for adjustable sizing in storage space. If I do that the only things that will need to be permanently secured would be the sides, the short pieces on top (placement for the USB charger itself) and the overall top to the sides. Also I don't know if it can be easily seen but I have included small pieces in each corner on the inside, mainly as support for the top piece. I'm not sure if any of this information makes any difference.

I am REALLY new to this, so once again thank you so much for your help.

[Trotter]

Tpt life, that's exactly one of the concerns I had, I wasn't sure how bad splintering would be if I tried to nail something that thin.

[RichardA]

Are your dividers going to be set in a dado?  If not, what keeps them in place? Just resting a top on them will not work in the long run. They need a reason to stay where you want them.  A dado top and bottom will do that and make them removable.

[wdwerker]

RapidFuse is a cyanoacrylate specially for woodworking. It gives you 5-10 minutes to align parts and clamp, nail or brace the assembly. After 30 minutes to an hour you can add more parts as needed. Big box stores like Lowes have it for $10 in a 4 ounce bottle that goes a long way.   I assemble 1/2" Baltic boxes with about 6 ft of a small bead each and a few 1" micropins ( 23 gage) . I get around 40 boxes to the bottle.

1/4" ply is very risky to nail into the edge of. 3/8 or 1/2" Baltic edges nail just fine with 23 gage pins. 3/8 or 1/2" solid wood nails fine too but stay 3/4" or more away from ends that might split.

 

Spring clamps, clothes pins , spacer blocks & wax paper all work well to hold things in place for 30 minutes or so. Joints must fit well so heavy pressure to close gaps isn't needed.  You can also put a couple dots on both faces of those triangle braces then rub it back and forth to spread the glue and create a little suction then gently let go. Excess squeeze out can be sanded & wiped with a rag dampened with acetone. Keep the acetone & rag handy for fingers or accidental drips.

[Trotter]

3 hours ago, RichardA said:

Are your dividers going to be set in a dado?  If not, what keeps them in place? Just resting a top on them will not work in the long run. They need a reason to stay where you want them.  A dado top and bottom will do that and make them removable.

Yeah, I wasn't sure exactly what it was called but I did plan for a slot in the top part for each divider. Here is a close up.

 

[Tpt life]

My cheapy is friction fit plastic. 

[Denette]

One thing about nails is that they’re hard to control.  A ¼” piece of material is pretty much guaranteed to have a nail bust through the side.  Have you considered pre-drilling the holes and using very small screws?  Pre-drilling would give you much better control.

[Trotter]

I've actually redesigned the corners a bit to, hopefully, eliminate the need for nails at all. Here's a close up.

[Coop]

Yes sir, no nails needed here! You’re coming along well!