Need advise. Reclaimed lumber. Nail removal.

V

VictorL

Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2007
Messages
589
Hello,

I've got very nice chestnut lumber from old barn.  there is one problem: a lot of old and new nails. I want to use these very nice boards, but these nasty nails....
I don't see problems for square nails that go through 1" boards. They are just pop out easily. The biggest challenge bring thin (1/16" -3/16" nails  and brads along edges. Do you have any suggestions how to remove nails?
As a variant I can sacrifice one TS-75 blade, but not sure if it will last long for all boards. I heard about some blades that can equally cut lumber and metal....

Thank you,
VictorL 
 
Victor,

HD sells blades for rough framing cuts that don't damage easily when hitting embedded metal like nails.  I have one for my 7 1/4"  Skilsaw and one for my 6 1/2" battery powered.  They work well, last quite a while and aren't that expensive that you'll care about hitting a nail or two or two hundred.  As for removing the modern style nails, lots of patience, different pullers on hand and a magnetic/electronic scanner wand like security people use. - LUMBER WIZARD (I had forgotten the name before.  I love mine.  Had it for a number of years. Really good company and customer service in my experience.)
 
Thanks Ken,
For pop-up nails I've bought several type of pliers.  The biggest challenge is nails that flush to surface. Do you know really good pliers that can do this task?

Question to European folks: Do you know who makes 160mm (20 arbor) or 210 mm (30mm arbor) saw blades that can cut lumber AND steel (nails)?  Diamond shape knock out center with adapter might work too.
All our "all purpose" saw blades are 7 1/4 with 5/8" arbor.

Thank you,
VictorL
 
Victor,

I've amassed a collection of different nail pullers over the years.  The ones I rely on the most are the true Japanese pullers ranging in size from the tiny brad puller to the flat trim pry/pullers to the huge crowbar style.  They don't wear out as easily as the others available due to the steel and hardening process I'm told.  Stiletto makes some interesting titanium nail pullers that have a dimpling device on them that indent the wood around the nail to make it easier to pull out and reduce the damage to the surrounding wood.  Check it out on their website www.stiletto.com  I don't own any of theirs, but I did try one at a builders show.

Mark,

That's also a good tool!
 
VictorL said:
I heard about some blades that can equally cut lumber and metal....
Click to expand...

I don't know about blades that are optimal for both metal and wood. But of you get a blade that's meant for ferro metals you can be sure it will also cut wood, albeit not as fast as a wood blade, but you'll still get a good clean cut. DeWalt makes a ferro metal blade of 173mm/arbor 20mm type DT1210 according ot the Dutch DeWalt site. It's slightly bigger than the 160mm blade for the TS55 but perhaps there's enough room to fit it.

But a better solution would be to go for another blade from DeWalt. When I bought my DeWalt DW65 circular saw it came standard with a 190mm/arbor 30mm blade from their "Series 40" series and this blade will cut through nails without problem. It is a very tough blade meant for soft and hard wood but will also cut aluminium sheets and profiles and goes right through the occasional nail or screw without damage or dulling. It happened a couple of times to me and I only found out after I finished the cut.

I don't know if those DeWalt blades are available in America because they stem from the German brand Elu that was bought by DeWalt some time ago and are available here in pure metric sizes meant for the European market. I couldn't find a 210 mm blade from this series, but they do have a 200mm/arbor 30 blade that you can fit on your TS75. This Dutch website ToolsXL lists a number of blades from that Series 40. It's in Dutch but I think you can get the important information like number of teeth, diameter and arbor size just fine. I also think that they will have no problem shipping to America.
     
 
VictorL said:
Question to European folks: Do you know who makes 160mm (20 arbor) or 210 mm (30mm arbor) saw blades that can cut lumber AND steel (nails)?  Diamond shape knock out center with adapter might work too.
All our "all purpose" saw blades are 7 1/4 with 5/8" arbor.
Click to expand...

I own two saw blades 160 mm which are rated for wood containing nails. One is a ridiculous expensive Hilti W-CSC 160x20 z14 HW - SpecialCut PartNo. 00339334 (german PartNo.), the other is a no name el cheapo i ordered there http://www.saegeblatt-shop.de/produkte_kreissaegeblaetter-5-holzkreissaegeblaetter-bauholz&mit&naegeln-24-111260010-20420.html

Both blades deliver clean cuts but they are not as good as cuts with a sharp Festool 160x2,2x20 W48 blade.

I usually use those blades on my Hilti WSC-255 KE-Saw, saving my Festool saws.

Take care, remove loose nail before cutting! Loose nails can hook in the blade and be drawn into the saw! This will ruin your day and your saw blade (and perhaps your saw). Wear safety goggles.
 
Thanks for replies.
Do you know good European sellers who:
1. carries Bosch Construct Wood saw blades (They are suitable for TS-55 and for TS-75)
2. Ships internationally (to USA)
3. Has reasonable pricing for blades and for shipping

Does anybody sell washers with 20mm and 30mm ID and 0.1 - 0.5 mm thick?

Thanks,
VictorL
 
There's a brand new product by Paslode out called the Eagle Claw, or there is the Nail Jack, Nail Hunter and Staple Jack sold in most catalogs and Amazon.  These hand tools are all designed for buried or flush nails because you can strike the back of the plier's head to drive the tips under.  These tools are bestsellers in the nail pullers.

ammazonwww.amazon.com/gp/product/B001M8RYFS/ref=s9_cartx_gw_ir02?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-4&pf_rd_r=0XCCBDB20V999RJANP61&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470939031&pf_rd_i=507846
 
eagle_claw

This tool by PASLODE can be hit with a giant hammer to dig for nails BELOW the surface.  It is just coming to stores.  It is the Paslode Eagle Claw.
 
One more nail puller and/or cutter that I've used extensively is Crescent's line of nippers.
 
Good luck trying to get the nails out, hope there aren't too many. I have used reclaimed lumber before and eventually the nails were just too many.

Get some cheap sacrificial blades, there are specialty places that can cut the arbor of a blade larger for you, even your local machine shop buddy can do that, for a sixpack beer.
Put your old planer knives back too, because you nice new ones are going to get ruined.

Another thing I have done a few times, is use a plug cutter, or even a small centreless  holesaw and cut the wood out around the nail, then plug the holes afterwards.
 
I have the Stiletto Ti prybar. It's pretty good, not least of all because it's so light it can ride in your toolbelt forever. It does leave a ring, but I guess damages the wood less overall. I carry a set of end cutters as well.
 
I've got the Stilleto nail puller but it does sacrifice the surface a bit in the interest of removing the nail. Not much else you can do in some cases.
 
Another option if you are going to get into nail pulling in a big way is the Buckeye Denailer. It will save you time and money in the long haul and do a better job. Here is some more info on it.http://buckeyedenailer.com/ It is a machine built to hold the lumber and then use jaws to pinch the nails and then pull them out. 
 
I've got one of these and it is brilliant for removing nails as long as a small amount is available to grip. If the nail is dead flush then a little dig with an old chisel will enable the jaws to grip.

The leverage that the tool delivers is much greater than what you get with a claw hammer so it will move old rusty nails easily.

http://www.nailextractor.com/
 
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