Thread: Nails and Old Timber

I like that hammer handle, I have a "yard hatchet" with the same species of "wood".

Toby

What a coincidence! I have much the same set of surgical tools.
Aren't they just a pleasure to use?
The pincer things I got from a farrier's supply for horse-shoeing.
I added a Lee Valley Box Tool. Cheap. Unbreakable demolition tool,
especially with another 100cm iron pipe for a handle extension.
Also useful as a wedge & lever when I'm splitting log chunks for wood carving.

From the title I thought this would be about the new " Date older women" ads.

Originally Posted by pmcgee

seems to be becoming a bi-annual event ... and I refuse to specify if that is every 6 or 24 months ...

Biannual = twice a year

Biennial = once every 2 years

Not sure what one you mean when you say the 'Crescent' brand tool. Is it the Cat's Paw?

One end is very flat and slightly flexible for getting between two fixed (nailed) surfaces. The other is the 'Cat's Paw'. It actually digs into the wood, you hit the flat opposite with a hammer to 'dig' it into the timber, under the nail head.

Paul

That line-up is a demolishers delight. Having knocked down houses and de-nailed more lengths of timber than most people have had hot dinners I was trying to think whether there was anything missing. I don't think so unless you include a sledge hammer and crowbar.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by dr4g0nfly

Not sure what one you mean when you say the 'Crescent' brand tool. Is it the Cat's Paw?

No - not the Cat's Paw - but ... I had to look up the phrase to be sure which you meant and ... praise be the interwebs ...

Cat's paw (nail puller) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Over one hundred years ago, nails were individually hand-made by blacksmiths, and were therefore far more valuable than the wood they were driven into. The book Nail Pullers with Patent Reference by Raymond P. Fredrich says that in the mid-19th century, wood was viewed as so plentiful in North America that if it became necessary to change one's location, "you might even burn your house down and pick up the nails in the ashes". Back then, nail pullers were designed to preserve the condition of the nail for reuse, and thus the design of most nail pullers ended up being what is known as the slide hammer type, which is still used today."

and I think that explains my Crescent #55 #56 (can't read) Sure-Grip ... looks like they still sell Crescent No 56 SureGrip Nail Puller

The top section is a very sloppy fit on the bottom section ... I'd taken this as possibly wear ... but I couldn't really see how it could have ever been tight. I'd used it as a levering tool, and the action had seemed all wrong also ... you can't pull away from the 'leg' as that opens the jaws and pulling on the 'leg' side means pulling on a radius of about 100mm. The beauty and power of the pair of pincers is that the pulling radius is only about 25mm.

I hadn't seen it as a slide-hammer, but that is exactly what it is built like. It wouldn't work well to bash upwards repeatedly because once the leg comes off the wood the jaws aren't gripping any more - so I guess it was for elevating the head enough to pull out with another tool ?????

Thanks,
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Paul

That line-up is a demolishers delight. Having knocked down houses and de-nailed more lengths of timber than most people have had hot dinners I was trying to think whether there was anything missing. I don't think so unless you include a sledge hammer and crowbar.

Regards
Paul

I thought of two ... first (mungo) chisels ... the workbench I'm working on was the first time I had to dig out around a bunch of nails.
The other I thought of when I saw the pic I took on the screen.
I don't have any sort of metal detector.

Reads to me that your slide-hammer nail puller is in perfect working condition.
If there was any friction between the upper and lower sections, the tool would be nearly unusable.
True, it is a little awkward to get the two jaws seated "just right" on either side of the nail head.
A couple of "slams" to get the jaws beyond the nail head and you're done.

My uncle bought a railroad station building.
He broke it down and brought everything back to the farm with the intention of reusing all the timber.
My job was to clean out all the nails, straightening them and saving them if I could.
Positioning the nail puller was a chore for the first thousand.

Originally Posted by Robson Valley

Positioning the nail puller was a chore for the first thousand.

... but not so bad after that ...

It has occurred to me since that maybe if you put some pressure on the 'leg' with your foot or your other hand then you could keep the jaws tight on the nail for multiple 'slams'.

Cheers,
Paul

I think the kick-off is to get the two jaws sunk into the wood with the first slam.
Doesn't need to be a big one, just make dents either side of the nail head.
Obviously that's a whole lot easier for me to do, living in the land of softwoods!

I had to knock down two flights of (rotten) outdoor wooden stairs for replacement.
The nail-puller, the LV Box Tool and a length of pipe made fair work of it.
I don't believe there's a way to damage the LV Box Tool.

I've got a similar setup

but added a set of these Nail Extracting Pliers

I've found not much works on 100 year old hardwood with 100 year old nails which are slightly rusted
They usually break off at the surface and have to be fully excavated with a couple of old chisels

Your kit is not truly complete!

You have left out the best nail locators of all - the electric plane and the thicknesser

Originally Posted by Dengue

....You have left out the best nail locators of all - the electric plane and the thicknesser

Lets no go there.

Originally Posted by Dengue

Your kit is not truly complete!

You have left out the best nail locators of all - the electric plane and the thicknesser

I did think of that ... but I didn't want to encourage them by saying it out loud

Paul