HerHusband wrote in
:

I use a fair amount of reclaimed lumber, so it is important to find
all the nails, screws, staples, etc. before I run the wood through my
power tools.

I currently have a Lumber Wizard 3. It works but often seems finicky,
so I'm never real confident it has found the metal in the wood. For
starters, it has a large 12" wand, but it seems only the 3" or so at
the tip really does anything. I also have to adjust the fine
sensitivity a lot, a hassle that requires a small screwdriver. On
several occasions the thing just sits there blinking the lights back
and forth and no amount of adjustment has any effect. I almost threw
it away last time I used it because I thought it was finally broken.

Are there better metal detectors available that are more accurate and
easier to adjust when needed?

Thanks,

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com


The little one I have (I think it's a Little Wizard II) works pretty
decently, within reason. It doesn't always pinpoint the exact location
of a screw or nail, and only penetrates down a short distance. To make
sure I don't hit any nails, it takes a combination of the detector and my
eyes to check everything.

If I was working with a lot of reclaimed wood, I'd probably be buying
cheap saw blades and looking at Shelix cutters for the jointer and
planer. Hit a nail, rotate/replace the piece of carbide that chipped.
It's still a pain, just not a big one in the wallet.

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.