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Pilgrim

In article ,
sam wrote:

In article 50883cb1-5004-45b1-807e-
,
says...

On Oct 10, 8:29*pm, sam wrote:
I got some old oak fence posts with nails in them. Of course, when
I try to take out the nails, they break off. Is there is ingenious
way to get these old nails out? When I plane down the good wood after
taking out the nails, this oak is just plain beautiful.

Best way by far is to yank them straight out with Vise grips. Of
course you can't do it just by hand - you need to have a slide hammer
welded to them. You can buy them on eBay - search for "slide hammer
puller". We specialize in reclaimed wood (pioneermillworks.com)
(newenergyworks.com) and make our own that are beefier and better, but
those on eBay will do the job. Just a bit slower. You can't bend the
nails or they'll break. You want to chisel out around the top of the
nail and grab it with the vise grips, then slam DOWN first to loosen
it and then start hammering up and out. We've got guys that denail
all day 40 hours a week. Oooph. I'm thankful for their work! BTW -
these are also good for other pulling tasks where you can't pry
without damaging the surroundings. Handy tool.

JP

I like this idea. What about chaining the vice grips to something
like a hydraulic car jack and pulling it out that way? The first
slam down sounds like a key move to get this to work.

Thanks,

s

The problem with this method, as others have pointed out, is that this
wood has been out in the weather for years. The nails and the wood have
become almost one. You apply this much force and the nail only breaks.

CP