allthunbs

Here's the problem...

I went and gathered 8 skids today from around the neighbourhood. My objective is to collect some wood and start working towards some "nice" projects, worthy of hard woods. To date, I've only worked with softwood.

I got them home and took the first small one and it came apart quite nicely. All the nails came out and I tested using my new metal detector all of the bits and pieces to be sure all the nails were out. Beautiful.

The next skid seemed to be some sort of hardwood so I mustered up by best muscle, gave a mighty wack with my hammer and damned near gave myself a black eye. I reached for the safety glasses and the pry bar. Nope, crowbar, nope - small sledge hammer + crowbar + end cutter, nope!

How in tarnation do you get nails out. This is too nice a stick to use for firewood :-( I noticed that this stuff (I think it's walnut) has been here before. I'm finding other nails that have just been cut off rather than pulled.

If I'm going to do any sort of serious woodworking I should be at least able to remove some nails. At the moment I'm feeling like a pretty miserable failure as a woodworker.

Allthunbs ;-(

BHOFM

I have a pair of end nips I use, you have to get
the feel or you cut the end off.

728CV - Crescent 8 inch End Nips

mics_54

Cut away the portions of wood that have no nails in it and toss the rest in your burn pile

steve mackay

Mics right. I don't want the nail holes anyway. Just get out the "C" saw and start chop'n. Then later on you're not trying to work around them OR get a nasty surprise at the TS with a nail I missed. Wind up with free stove wood AND lumber ! Can't go wrong with that.

BHOFM

The ones I get, if you cut out the part with nails,
all you have left is a bit of fire wood.

The holes don't bother me in the least.

Woodchuck1957

You guys, by the time your done screwing around pulling some of those stubborn nails out, what do you really gain ? I just take the circular saw and cut the slats off between the 2"x4"s, the rest goes in the wood stove, the 2"x4"s aren't worth the time and hassle, or expense of ruining a blade.

allthunbs

Thank you all for your suggestions.

BHOFM: that's one of the tools I'm using. I find if I grab a nail with that, then put a crowbar under the End cutter/nipper I can sometimes get the nail out. The nail holes don't bother me either. I just explain that the wood is recycled and it doubles the price ;-)

mics_54, steve mackay and Woodchuck1957: I would only do that as a last resort. To me, part of the fun is trying to get the most usable lumber from an impossible situation -- a challenge as it were. However, that being said, when the frustration hits the fan, I'll grab the !@#$% C saw and cut out the 2x4s.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Keep them coming though, solution not found yet.

Allthunbs

Kenbo

I have a nail puller, similar to this one. Mine is a lot older and I aquired it from my Grandfather in Newfoundland. The end handle slides in and out, ramming the claw beneath the nail head. From there, you can use it like a crowbar, as the claw has grabbed onto the nail. Most nails are easily removed. A little elbow grease is needed for others. If that fails, grab the #$%% saw and cut the boards.
Ken

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firehawkmph

Nails, nails, nails,......
I start with the claw of the hammer sideways, pivot the hammer up. The claw has to get a good bite on the nail. If that doesn't work, big pry bar to get it moving, then put a piece of wood under the pry bar to maintain the leverage. Hey Kenbo, I have one of those neat nail pullers from yesteryore. It's hanging on the wall in my shop. Pretty neat idea, whoever invented it.
Mike Hawkins(I prefer to pound them in, not pull them out)

rocklobster

When pulling nails out of pallets, sometimes the head of the nail breaks off. If that happens, just clamp a pair of vice grips really tight on what's left. Leave yourself just enough room to get your pry bar under the new "head".

I save the 2x4 pieces if at all possible. The holes are in the sides of the board, not in the face. You can glue them up side to side and hide every nail hole.

BHOFM

I have about 60 pieces I took off of pallets, they
are 4" by 4" by 48", some are cedar and some are
oak. It took several days to get all the nails out.
It was worth every minute. The nail holes are
treasures from the past.

allthunbs

Hi All:

One brave soul has asked "why?" Well, in my first 8 pallets, I have 2 made of pine, and 5 oak. Some of the oak pieces are beautifully figured with knots and swirls. Structurally the pits but artistically beautiful. The colouring is magnificent. Then there's some that I can't identify, yet.

I've summarized all of the responses to this point along with suggestions from friends, neighbours etc. I still have nothing definitive. Here's the problem. The nails are put in by a nailer. These particular nails are ardox (screw nails) but some have barbs on them so they don't come out.

Heat: The nails are all coated with a glue that isn't supposed to be able to be removed except with heat. One person suggested a soldering gun to heat the glue before attempting extraction. Then, there's Bob -- he suggested the woodstove but I felt it counter productive and not in keeping with the objectives of this thread. He may be right but I'll never admit it ;-)

Radio Frequency Heating: Particle board and a wide variety of other composites are partially cured using Radio Frequency Heating. I see no reason why the opposite shouldn't be the case, except noone suggested it and I can't find a suitable machine.

I'm going to digress for a moment and go at things from another direction. Up to this point, we've been discussing pulling nails. The other side of things is disassembling the pallets such that you can reclaim usable materials. These following tools do just that, or at least are purported to.

Right Angle Fork: A two pronged fork arrangement was suggested. Further discussion with Hamlin confirms that this is similar to what he was recommending except his version has a longer handle. A goodly chunk of pipe could help.


Straight Fork: Hamlin returned later with a further example of what he was describing.

Ok, I've only disassembled 6 pallets to date but I've observed the following: Actually getting the slats off the pallets is the biggest pain in the butt. I can only see the two fork arrangements above being a frustrating attempt.

At present, I'm using stone cutters cold chisels to wedge between the slats and the frames. This allows me to get the slat off to the point that I can get a hacksaw type sawzall blade in to cut the nails. Is there something out there that can actually wedge between the slats and the frames and lift the slats off?

So, here is the nail pulling part, up to this moment...

Claw Hammer: I'll start where everyone starts, the old dependable claw hammer. Some suggest that if you start with the claw of the hammer sideways, then pivot the hammer up, you can get an adequate grip of the nail. My experience is that the heads break off of the nail, forcing me to resort to other methods.

Prybar/Crowbar: any sort of lever that can be used alone or in conjunction with another tool to increase the leverage you might have on a nail. My trick is to grasp the nail with the End Cutter, below, and jamb the crowbar under the end cutter and use the crowbar's leverage to "lift" out the nail. Well, it does work, once in a while. In the same vein, use vice grips in conjunction with the crowbar.

Nail Puller: The nail puller has been recommended. I don't have one but I'm game. I'll see if I can find one. This model is pretty expensive $50-. I blew the budget on the metal detector so I'm seeking alternatives.

Nail Puller (mini): This one is a miniature version of above sold by Lee Valley and appears to function the same way with a few twists. Instead of having the hammering mechanism inside the handle, you use a hammer with this one to both drive it into the nail and to lever the nail out. Interesting possibilities here.


"The Extractor:" This is "the Extractor". http://www.nailextractor.com/ It is full of promise and comes well recommended. It has distinct possibilities.


End Cutter/End Nipper/End Nips: this is the common tool that everyone uses and abuses. This seems to be the standard by which all others methods are measured. Take a grip, lever a bit out, take another bite, lever another bit out and keep going until you get it all. If this doesn't do the trick, use "the Extractor," above.

Dykes/wire cutter/diagonal cutter: This is the same action as the End Cutter/End Nipper above except from the side. Based on experiments, the fulcrum is in a different place. The Dykes don't have as much leverage as the Nippers. However, you can generate two fulcrums, one on the tip of the cutter and one on the hinge. The may be a good thing. If so, please advise.

Vice Grips: yup, the old standby for hanging on to almost anything. But, for some reason, my collection of a dozen or so vice grips never seem to grip will enough to be of much use.

Saw: This one is a bit more difficult for me to get straight -- and that's the problem -- straight. When pneumatic nailers drive in one of their nails, it seldom goes straight. This suggestion is to saw down both sides of the nail and then pry it loose? I'm not sure. That would render a nice piece of wood that otherwise would have a small hole, rather useless.
At any rate, the tool recommended was the "Stanley Short Cut Tool Box Saw" I went to http://www.stanleyworks.com but couldn't find the saw there. I think it might be a Japanese saw tooth.

Plug Cutter: Another suggestion was to use a cheap plug cutter to remove material around the nail, lever out the material with a screw driver and use a vice grip to remove the nail. When you purchase your plug cutter, make sure you get a larger one to cut the plugs to fill in the holes you've made. These holes can be camoflaged or used as an artistic statement. Bob tried the plug cutter and found that he made too may holes as he tried to follow a nail.

Cat's Paws: Lee Valley has a whole collection of these. There are several different types but they all seem to function on the same principle -- that nails can be pulled! Obviously they've never tried to pull nails from hardwood skids!


Reciprocating Saw(zall): The philosophy with this one is quite simple. Cut off the nails between the boards and use a nail punch to remove the nail heads. Of course, the larger and more desirable frame pieces would be lost this way but at least you would get some lumber. This is what I'm doing right now. However, I am inventorying the frame parts until I get an Extractor.


When all else fails, this is the ultimate solution recommended by some. Saw down each side of the frame members and throw away all the nail infested parts.


I'm still looking for that elusive "perfect" solution. BTW, if you find any of these products of use to you, merely select reply with quote and you'll see all of the urls with the image.

Allthunbs

BHOFM

I think patience is as close as you are going
get. the more you do the better you get.

When I start, I get my end nips vice grips and
an old screw driver I have sharpen on the end to
dig with if needed.

When they start to move i stop and get a new bite.
and pull a bit and get an other bite, lessing the chance
of breaking it off.

Pulling slowly will help break the glue. I have never
done it, but you might try a soldiering gun on the end
of the nail.

I have never been beaten by a nail, every one I started
on is out!

bradleywellsoff

I,ve been in your shoes, as have 99% of the people on this page. Just cant seem to put that board in the fire. Pull, cut, grind whatever you can out, then use a plug cutter.Just put it directly over whats left of the nail and have at it. There are some cheap ones at H. Depot that will cut up to an inch deep. You end up with a good size hole, so take a larger plug cutter and cut a plug to fit that hole. You might have to drill out the hole after you remove the nail because the outside diameter of the plug cutter is an odd size. Get creative, use different wood for the plugs, or use a plug from the same piece of an off cut and you will never know a nail was there.

Good luck, Brad

GeorgeC

Are old pallets really worth this effort and the possible damage to tools from missed nails?

Do you get wood that you cannot get anyplace else?

Back in the days when the US Military was shipping material out of the Philippines of mahogany pallets there was some good wood to be had. Just what can you find these days?

G

BHOFM

Life is about chances, get a cheap blade and go for it.

Check the thread:

Weisyboy's Pallet Challenge - Entries and Poll for Voting - Woodwork Forums

If you haven't been to this site, it is a great one. Best
people I have found on the net.

Woodchuck1957

Whadda guy.

Gerry KIERNAN

Hi Allthumbs

The nail puller, shown by Kenbo is the best answer most of the time. If you look around you should be able to locate one for less than $50. Ain't nothing wrong with salvaging wood. Half the fun is finding wood that is real nice that someone else threw out as junk. I agree with one poster though, do your initial cuts with a cheap carbide blade, in case you missd any hardware. The carbide blades will go through almost anything.

Gerry

allthunbs

Hi Gerry: Thanks. I have a nail puller on the shopping list along with "the extractor." However, I've gotten down to a bit of a rhythm. I quickly recognized that the main problem was when I was trying to get the slats off of the frame members. So, I dug out my reciprocating saw and I cut the nails behind the slats then remove the nails from the slat with a nail punch. I'm setting the frame members aside until I get a nail puller.

I have also invested in the large Wizard III metal detector. Now, I've been using the metal detection function of my stud finder with moderate success. It never seemed to fail me except it took too long to use. The Wizard is quicker. However, that being said, I find the easy bits of metal with the Wizard but when it comes to precisely locating them, the stud finder is better.

At this point it takes about 4 hours to disassemble and de-nail the slats of one skid.

Allthunbs

Joe Lyddon

I use a pair of Dykes (sp) (diagonal cutters).

If you can get the nail Head up enough where the Dykes can be gripped around the nail (without cutting it), pull UP on the handle or twist the nail and it just starts to come out... As it comes out, get another bite on it closer to the wood and keep on twisting/handle-lifting.

Sure beats using a Claw Hammer.

IMHO

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