Well, that's an interesting question, and depends heavily on the application that you want to use it for.
My personal suggestion is that you are using nails which aren't strong enough, or are applying the wrong kind of nail to the wood. If you are trying to use a panel pin for thick wood, this may be the reason for the bending of the nail.
Again, not knowing about the application, I can only offer this advice: either, buy/rent a nail gun, or, use the correct type of nail for the job. It should work fine with index, thumb and hammer when you have the right nail!
Here is a good link for working out what you need.