nail set

plural nail sets

1. businessA punch that drives in a nail so that its head is level with or below the surface.

   The tool to do this is a nail set, which is essentially a pointy steel rod.

   2007, David Thiel, I Can Do That! Woodworking Projects

   2 more examples

   In an emergency a nail set can be made in a few minutes from a tenpenny or other large nail. Cut off the point with hack saw or grinding wheel, clamp the nail in the vise, indent the end by tapping it with a center punch, and taper or bevel the end on the grinding wheel as shown.

   1939 July, Albert W. Stein, Popular Science, volume 135, number 1

   Throw away a damaged nail set. It's cheap enough to replace, and there's no reason to destroy a piece of molding with a damaged nail set that slips off the mark.

   1998, Craig Savage, Trim Carpentry Techniques: Installing Doors, Windows, Base, and Crown

   Synonyms: nail punch