Nail (fastener)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nail_%28fastener%29
Ovals utilize the principles of Fracture Mechanics to allow nailing without splitting. Highly anisotropic materials like regular wood (as opposed to wood composites) can easily be wedged apart. Use of an oval perpendicular to the wood’s grain cuts the wood fibers rather than wedges tham apart, and thus allows fastening without splitting, even close to edges.
Well, this certainly wasn’t the information I was looking for. To be fair, I didn’t read the whole article because I mentally died about four lines into it.
I am good with follow-through.
