Nails

According to Don Carlson, historian and distributor of fastener technologies, the first bulk nailing machine was invented in 1862 for use in factories. However, it wasn’t until the 1950s that the first portable bulk nailer was developed. Intense competition followed as manufacturers raced to create more powerful tools that could drive longer fasteners with less recoil. Carlson identifies Power Line, a manufacturer operating in North Carolina and the creator of the Power Line T-Nailer, as a major player in the industry at the time.

Below, we have displayed three drawings for nails that we have currently digitized. All three name Power Line Sales Inc. as the approved vendor. The dates on the drawings span twelve years, so clearly Wurlitzer and Power Line had a long-term business relationship.

Power tools like pneumatic nail guns make it faster and safer to assemble and manufacture all kinds of products. Although nails are a very small detail in the construction of electronic organs, these engineering drawings provide three snapshots in the historical development of an extremely important tool.