How do you get old nails out of salvaged wood?

[Rick Thom]

There is a screw-extractor that is like a small diameter (e.g., 1/4") hole saw that works great.

http://www.woodcraft.com/catalog/family.aspx?id=2000983
http://www.amazon.com/1-4-Diameter-S...658885&sr=1-17



This "Nail Extractor" is my favorite for pulling nails once you have it partially exposed.

http://www.nailextractor.com/

That's the 'tube extractor' I was describing. I now see that Rockler sells them too, but at a higher price. In reading the reviews http://www.rockler.com/findit.cfm?pa...4&cookietest=1, user's experience is spotty however they offer some advice that is useful. Since the tool lacks a starting center spur, like a brad point drill bit, use a block of wood with a hole in it to guide the tool, and where possible use a drill press rather than hand-held drill to get a better result and less wear on the tool. The cutting action causes a lot of heat so cool it with water frequently.
I am wondering if it's better to make one from stainless steel tube than buying these?
btw, I tried one of these metal detectors (the larger one) http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...5125&cat=1,240 and it seems to work well even at a depth of several inches.

[Roger Benton]

in my shop we have a very specialized tool for de-nailing old wood, it's called an "intern". Ours comes equipped with a hammer, pry bar, large cat's eye type tool, and various dykes/pliers/etc. This tool is also very useful for sanding the end grain of old yellow pine 12"x12" cubes, making neat stacks of like sized off cuts, and emptying dust collectors.

[Wayne A Hall]

I have had very good success with this method - take a roll pin and drive it over the top of the nail or screw. Grab the roll pin with a pair of locking pliers and wiggle it back and forth a couple of times. It will usually un-screw with the broken nail or screw stuck in the roll pin. You can buy roll pins in various sizes from lowe's or home depot. They are cheap. They are usually located in the hardware section in the pull out drawers. One note of warning – watch the bottom side of the lumber as you drive the roll pin over the screw/nail. You can cause a blow-out that is hard to fix.

[Taylor Moore]

We have pulled nails out of millions of BF of Heart Pine. The best tool is a heavy duty chisel 1/4" thick 1 1/4" wide and 8" long. Dig down as far as needed. Then take 8" end nippers to pull the nail out. We have tried the tools found in Lee Valley and other places, they usually break in a week or so. I'll post pics tommorow of the crew in action