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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    geelong
    Posts
    359

    Default Old nail removal

    Have 3-4 cubic M of old house framing - just about all full of nails -all is old -30s -60s Hardwood. what is the easiest way to pull nails? Have gone claw hammer -belted by another hammer or mallet -slow about 12 or more blows per nail. Also get the heavily rusted nails that will never come out as well & the 4" + nails that are best cut off and forgotten about.
    Wondering about peoples experiences and methods.
    Have seen footage of pneumatic pullers that kind of bite into the timber - grab and pull in one quick hit. Question with these is how much and how well do they ACTUALLY work.
    Another pneumatic thing is the punch (for thinner things) that involves grinding off the end of the nail and then punching backwards. Again how much /effective. Though could see this also being useful for the badly rusted ones -to get them away from the planer blades. (yes my blades are often damaged - oops missed that one.)
    Other thoughts are -length of pipe over hammer handle for leverage?
    Any thoughts or suggestions - most welcome.

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Bundaberg
    Age
    54
    Posts
    3,402

    Default

    THIS slide hammer type. You put the “teeth” as close to the nail head as you can then wallop the slide hammer up and down until it has punched its way below the level of the nail head; then simply lever it out. If this doesn’t shift it it nothing else will.
    Nothing succeeds like a budgie without a beak.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Little River
    Age
    77
    Posts
    1,205

    Default

    Got one of those but unfortunatly it isn't as good as expected. Pulling rusty 3" nails out of old hardwood will often just rip the head off as the nails grip on the timber is greater that the strength of the nail. You need to break the grip on the timber.

    Bought a pneumatic nail extractor and with, at most, two shots the nails grip on the timber is loosened and it is punched out and sticking up easy to remove.

    Most nails in thinner timber are shot out with no effort to remove them. Bent over nails are also easy to straighten with the gun's tube before extraction.

    Video

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Redlands area, Brisbane
    Posts
    1,489

    Default

    You should definitely invest in a metal detector. It will save you money, especially dealing with 3-4 cubic meters of heavily nailed timber!

    The pneumatic nail extractor is awesome. The link that Bohdan gave is to Amazon US and they do not ship that product to AU, but there are at least three options from Amazon AU. Just google air nail remover and you will find lots of options from $63 (on eBay) and up.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2018
    Location
    Dandenong Ranges
    Posts
    1,865

    Default

    Hi WS. I have had plenty of success with this

    The Nail Extractor

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Little River
    Age
    77
    Posts
    1,205

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Mountain Ash View Post
    Hi WS. I have had plenty of success with this

    The Nail Extractor

    Definitely agree. Have one of those as well and use it all the time. Great for pulling nails in the corner where a claw hammer can't get in or for pulling staples.

  8. #7
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    407

    Default

    In thick stock I usually chisel down 5-10 mm either side of the nail. This gives you more of the nail to work with. I usually then pull the nail out with end cutting pliers by levering on the rounded side of the jaws. You lose some thickness this way but you always get the nail out.

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