Thread: Rare earth magnets v A metal detector

I have never used a metal detector.

I have used rare earth magnets to find nails in a old high school manual arts work bench I restored.

The magnet picked up larger nails and screws but my plane hit some smaller pin sized nails that were missed.


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The trick to using magnets to detect nails is to hang the magnet on a long string and as you slide the timber under the magnet it will deflect to follow the nail and then swing back. Any movement and you have a nail so you know where to start looking.

I use a stud finder with a metal function on it. Hasn't let me down.

I'll probably get howled down for my heretical beliefs but ....

I use a lot of salvaged timber and do not have much faith in either metal detectors or magnets as there may be many imbedded nasties that do not trigger either - grit, rocks, shells, rust, the list is long.

My most common technique is:

• Strip paint off with chemical stripper,
• Buff surface with belt sander and very course grit (40 or 60),
• Inspect surface for hidden nasties,
• Plane surface lightly with sacrificial blades in electric planer - this is my secret nasties detector,
• If no nasties then treat as new timber.