Thread: What machine can I use to push out nails from inch thick boards?

Be worth doing some experiments with an arbor press and a long fixed nail sized punch... ? Have you got access to such a beast? They can exert one to several tons of pressure. Mine is a 2ton model. The only issue I can see is their reach is not that great. Have a look at some Google Images to get your imagination working.

I can't thing of a suitable machine, but there must be something available. Expensive to buy 'though I'm sure!

If you say there's "thousands", then you have a problem. I sympathise. I hope you're not going to machine said boards subsequently.

A couple of alternatives spring readily to mind, however: A sleeved nail set, used to punch brads etc., with a central sliding plunger might get the job done, but with thousands it will be disturbingly slow. As to the potential breakout issue, as with all operations a sacrificial backing board might reduce but not eliminate this tendency.

I was also thinking that a modified "chisel" in a hollow chisel morticer might work: In my own case (an old Multico) it's all cast iron and robust enough to have a rigid plunger made to replace the chisel. The high leverage handle and rack & pinion gearing produces phenomenal pressure @ the chisel's point - enough to drive a 5/8" chisel vertically down into hardwood, which must equate to hundreds of kilograms....

That's about it I'm afraid. Pretty useless I know, but without really knowing the exact circumstances, it's the best I can come up with.

Originally Posted by Ratbag

I hope you're not going to machine said boards subsequently.

Duh yup, that's why the blasted nails have to come out - not sure which part I'm looking forward to the most . At least some of them will only have to be machined on one side.

After the nails are out they'll stack properly which will help - a bit rickety and voluminous at the moment - and the machining can be done on demand. The vast majority aren't here yet, and are still attached to the 4x2 joists, many of which are still attached to the 4x3 bearers. Joist and bearers are of course 60 year old hardwood and have to be sledgehammered off. Never a dull moment, and an Epsom salt bath every night does wonders.

Another question please Ratty - what would you use to fill the nail holes up with? Epoxy is a pita because of it's expense, the fumes (which I can't smell but seem to have a significant effect on me). I guess the answer to that depends on the use for the boards, but some will be outdoor cladding, and others will be for furniture (indoor.outdoor). For a table top I would probably stick with epoxy because it sands so well, can be mixed with saw dust, and is good and hard. However, in a situation where it's exterior cladding the visual detail doesn't matter much and the filler just needs to be robust to the elements.

I've even got a neat idea for a couple of short fences using the cypress. No rails, just 4x2 or 4x3 posts in concrete, and the cypress palings will run horizontally. The posts will be twisted off slightly so that the palings run from the back of one to the front of the next, and so on. Should like nice in this Art Deco town. Just means double or more the amount of posts but they'll only be short runs.

Might be time for a "Katoomba Nail Pulling BBQ"..............


Sounds a bugger of a job but many hands make light work.... .......


Sorry Brett....
Some many years ago, we used a "Nail Puller", yes an actual tool, cross between a slide hammer & claw hammer, where we'd recycle pallets for shipping machine BUT it's hard on the timber.
Cheers, Peter

So I take it that the timber was free and you knew of the nails before recieving.

Do you need to run throught a thicknesser or not.

Just take out the nails you need

Did you have something in mind before taking on the challange

If your near some high voltage power lines.
You could make the worlds biggest magnet .with jumper leads of course.
Do u metal fillings in any teeth
I would get them removed first tho

I actually have a couple of those "nail pullers": a bit vicious on the timber though, as you have to "slam" the parrots beak parts down into the board to get a good bite at the embedded shank. One's an Irwin I think, and the other a Bahco/Sandvik.

I don't really use either of them much myself anymore, so you're welcome to have one gratis if you think it will be of any use.

PM me if you're interested

My main concern would be that, like any operation involving pulling rather than pushing corroded nails, the shanks could either break under tension or possibly shear from the lateral pressure applied by the lever/foot on the parrot beak. Mine have been somewhat blunted in use, which should help. If you go that way, keep a felt-tip pen handy to circle the holes hiding the broken shanks. I suppose at least the broken shanks will be well embedded.

Still a tedious job for thousands of nails!

And for god's sake buy yourself one of those lumber wizard detectors to avoid any nasty surprises.

As for the filler to use I wouldn't have a clue. I've always liked a PVA/sawdust mix, but that would be worse that useless in exterior applications. Maybe some sawdust (I find the fine sanding dust best) mixed with some sort of waterproof/adhesive resin?

Originally Posted by Jim Carroll

So I take it that the timber was free and you knew of the nails before recieving. Yes, correct on both counts Jim.

Do you need to run throught a thicknesser or not. Yes (much of the time anyway)

Just take out the nails you need. Indeed I will, but that will still be rather a few. There must be a couple of hundred square metres I'd say. Will have a better Idea tomorrow. At the moment they are all like pallets more or less (the demolishers just cut the floor up into squares and dumped them in a massive pile with all the other timber). I should have taken a photo of the pile before I started last Thursday

Did you have something in mind before taking on the challange. Yep, cladding a shed extension (inside and out), a bit of fencing (as described), outdoor furniture etc

Heh heh, it might sound bloody ridiculous but for the fencing at least one side has to go over the jointer to get rid of the glue, and colour from where they glued the carpet down - otherwise one side of the fence would look hideous and go all gooey in the rain. On the other hand, when used for exterior cladding the glue/goo side can just face into the cavity.

Originally Posted by crowie

Might be time for a "Katoomba Nail Pulling BBQ"..............

Don't tell me...you're busy that weekend.

Originally Posted by crowie

Some many years ago, we used a "Nail Puller", yes an actual tool, cross between a slide hammer & claw hammer, where we'd recycle pallets for shipping machine BUT it's hard on the timber.
Cheers, Peter

Yes, I'm going to get one of these from Hultafors, but they look like they'll be rugged on the timber too (but not as bad as the enormous breakout that a nail punch yields):
http://www.hultafors.com/products/st...l-puller-atle/

There's a video there. They're about $50 and perhaps $10-12 for freight which isn't too bad.

Originally Posted by Ratbag

I actually have a couple of those "nail pullers": a bit vicious on the timber though, as you have to "slam" the parrots beak parts down into the board to get a good bite at the embedded shank. One's an Irwin I think, and the other a Bahco/Sandvik.

I don't really use either of them much myself anymore, so you're welcome to have one gratis if you think it will be of any use.

PM me if you're interested

My main concern would be that, like any operation involving pulling rather than pushing corroded nails, the shanks could either break under tension or possibly shear from the lateral pressure applied by the lever/foot on the parrot beak. Mine have been somewhat blunted in use, which should help. If you go that way, keep a felt-tip pen handy to circle the holes hiding the broken shanks. I suppose at least the broken shanks will be well embedded.

Still a tedious job for thousands of nails!

And for god's sake buy yourself one of those lumber wizard detectors to avoid any nasty surprises.

As for the filler to use I wouldn't have a clue. I've always liked a PVA/sawdust mix, but that would be worse that useless in exterior applications. Maybe some sawdust (I find the fine sanding dust best) mixed with some sort of waterproof/adhesive resin?

Cheers Ratty. I'd just posted about the nail puller before I saw your post. I gues the ones you have are similar in operation to the Hultafors?

Have got a very well used metal detector from Carbatec which hasn't let me down yet. When the nails snap in hardwood i just punch them in, and keep punching in as I joint or thickness (put a mark on the ajoining face). Have to keep your wits about you and be on the ball though!

I denailed a pack of 250 Wandoo floor boards.
Each board had ~ 10 nails in it.
I welded a short steel handle to a large punch and used it and a small lumpy to belt each nail through the board - no break out at the the head.
If you try and do it all at once and you are not used to it, it will fair knock you around
I set my self a target of 50 boards at each stretch and it took me 5 afternoons after work working about 90 minute at each stretch.

The result was worth it

That puller you mentioned is a much more compact version than either of mine. It's a copy of one that Axminster used to sell years ago.

Mine are similar at the foot end, but are about 2' long, with the sliding "hammer' section extending out a further 18" or so which gives phenomenal leverage for big scantling nails. I've even used them successfully on 10" & 12"bridge decking spikes.

Cheers Bob. Not sure if you have much access to Cypress Pine in the west (just like I don't know the characteristics of Wandoo) but Cypress will split if you look at it sternly. Quite a tricky timber to nail a lot of the time, and predrilling is well worthwhile, especially within a couple of inches of the ends. And so it is with breakout, as I'm just learning (only ever put the nails in before). I'm sure that the biggest problem is the nails being rusted from the glue (unless Cypress is given to rusting nails) - they are virtually glued in with rust and take a lot of timber with them.

Using a punch on this stuff is a whole barrel of fun - it's really springy, and there are several wasted blows. The boards really need to be clamped down for a punch to be effective and deliver it's energy properly - and that's just not on (clamping, reclamping for every bloody nail - yeesh!)

Originally Posted by Ratbag

That puller you mentioned is a much more compact version than either of mine. It's a copy of one that Axminster used to sell years ago.

Mine are similar at the foot end, but are about 2' long, with the sliding "hammer' section extending out a further 18" or so which gives phenomenal leverage for big scantling nails. I've even used them successfully on 10" & 12"bridge decking spikes.

I think they get some of their tools made in the UK.

I can well imagine the leverage you would get from a 3½ foot long bar. My Aldi wrecking bar (about 90cm) is doing a fine job so far at pulling 3 or 4"nails out of the hardwood - quite smooth. REALLY scary when the rare one snaps though - they fly at very high velocity and would cause a very nasty injury. The problem is that it is often very difficult to be NOT over the top of at at the start of the pull, which is the most likely time for a nail to snap.

It's such a relief to move on to the Douglas Fir for denailing - easy peasy, and knocking out the cut off nails in the ends (from the demolition process) with a punch is a breeze.

Originally Posted by jhovel

Be worth doing some experiments with an arbor press and a long fixed nail sized punch... ? Have you got access to such a beast? They can exert one to several tons of pressure. Mine is a 2ton model. The only issue I can see is their reach is not that great. Have a look at some Google Images to get your imagination working.

Joe, they look like the goods. As you know I'm not a metalhead, but fabricating a punch and matching die looks pretty do-able to me (but not for me to do of course).

I have absolutely no idea of the pressure I would need (1 ton, 2 ton etc), but they seem to be cheap enough so maybe go for 2-3 ton. More research required, and some phone calls I suspect. Put it this way, a medium strength claw hammer (780g) blow on to a punch with a 4mm tip very often just results in a bounce with no nail movement whatsoever.