"The Kid", my 25 year old, got a fifth wheel travel trailer for free. So
far, he's taken the backhoe and ripped the whole top off. Now there's a
ripped up floor on what looks to be a decent fifth wheel frame.

It looks like they used self tapping screws to attach one layer of plywood
to the frame. Then a second layer bonded over the top with zillions of
nails. The deck is not prying off the steel frame no matter what he's tried.
He's about to say UNCLE and send it to the dump.

Any suggestions on what to try?

Karl

On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 08:17:59 -0500, Karl Townsend wrote:

It looks like they used self tapping screws to attach one layer of plywood
to the frame. Then a second layer bonded over the top with zillions of
nails. The deck is not prying off the steel frame no matter what he's tried.
He's about to say UNCLE and send it to the dump.
Any suggestions on what to try?

Probably doesn't need to be said but, fire isn't an option. It'll
remove the plywood _and_ any strength the frame has right now. But it
might, worst case, turn it into scrap metal at pennies a pound rather
than taking a total loss at the dump.

On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 08:17:59 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:

"The Kid", my 25 year old, got a fifth wheel travel trailer for free. So
far, he's taken the backhoe and ripped the whole top off. Now there's a
ripped up floor on what looks to be a decent fifth wheel frame.

It looks like they used self tapping screws to attach one layer of plywood
to the frame. Then a second layer bonded over the top with zillions of
nails. The deck is not prying off the steel frame no matter what he's tried.
He's about to say UNCLE and send it to the dump.

Any suggestions on what to try?

Karl


Could he cut out between frames, then cut off the remainder with a
Sawzall? It'd be a lot of work.

Pete Keillor

On Sun, 09 Mar 2008 09:59:45 -0400, Pete Keillor
wrote:

On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 08:17:59 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:

"The Kid", my 25 year old, got a fifth wheel travel trailer for free. So
far, he's taken the backhoe and ripped the whole top off. Now there's a
ripped up floor on what looks to be a decent fifth wheel frame.

It looks like they used self tapping screws to attach one layer of plywood
to the frame. Then a second layer bonded over the top with zillions of
nails. The deck is not prying off the steel frame no matter what he's tried.
He's about to say UNCLE and send it to the dump.

Any suggestions on what to try?

Karl


Could he cut out between frames, then cut off the remainder with a
Sawzall? It'd be a lot of work.

Pete Keillor

Just board the existing with new sheet and zillions of nails!

--

Richard

Email address is valid but remove burrs before sending!

"Karl Townsend" wrote in message
anews.com...
"The Kid", my 25 year old, got a fifth wheel travel trailer for free. So
far, he's taken the backhoe and ripped the whole top off. Now there's a
ripped up floor on what looks to be a decent fifth wheel frame.

It looks like they used self tapping screws to attach one layer of plywood
to the frame. Then a second layer bonded over the top with zillions of
nails. The deck is not prying off the steel frame no matter what he's
tried. He's about to say UNCLE and send it to the dump.

Any suggestions on what to try?

Karl

BTDT-
Mark out the frame with a chalk line.
Circular saw out the wood with a nail cutter blade.
Cut the self-tapping screws off with an angle grinder/cutoff wheel.
Have a supply of water handy- there will be smoke and fire.

-Carl (spelled the right way)

Carl beat me to it. Heavy duty 7-1/4" saw fitted with a nail blade
(preferred) or a cheap carpentry carbide blade. Depth set to 1/16" less
than the total thickness. Mark out the open spaces, cut out all the
material. You want to leave a 2" wide strip of doubled plywood with the
screws in it. Use a super magnet to find the screws, cut them off with
sawsall or run the saw crosswise and expose the head.

The brute force method is to flip it over and beat it off with a sledge
hammer.

Karl Townsend wrote:
"The Kid", my 25 year old, got a fifth wheel travel trailer for free. So
far, he's taken the backhoe and ripped the whole top off. Now there's a
ripped up floor on what looks to be a decent fifth wheel frame.

It looks like they used self tapping screws to attach one layer of plywood
to the frame. Then a second layer bonded over the top with zillions of
nails. The deck is not prying off the steel frame no matter what he's tried.
He's about to say UNCLE and send it to the dump.

Any suggestions on what to try?

Karl

Use a plasma cutter to zap the heads of the threaded fasteners then pry the
deck off of the frame.

--
J Miller
"RoyJ" wrote in message
...
Carl beat me to it. Heavy duty 7-1/4" saw fitted with a nail blade
(preferred) or a cheap carpentry carbide blade. Depth set to 1/16" less
than the total thickness. Mark out the open spaces, cut out all the
material. You want to leave a 2" wide strip of doubled plywood with the
screws in it. Use a super magnet to find the screws, cut them off with
sawsall or run the saw crosswise and expose the head.

The brute force method is to flip it over and beat it off with a sledge
hammer.

Karl Townsend wrote:
"The Kid", my 25 year old, got a fifth wheel travel trailer for free. So
far, he's taken the backhoe and ripped the whole top off. Now there's a
ripped up floor on what looks to be a decent fifth wheel frame.

It looks like they used self tapping screws to attach one layer of
plywood to the frame. Then a second layer bonded over the top with
zillions of nails. The deck is not prying off the steel frame no matter
what he's tried. He's about to say UNCLE and send it to the dump.

Any suggestions on what to try?

Karl

BTDT-
Mark out the frame with a chalk line.
Circular saw out the wood with a nail cutter blade.
Cut the self-tapping screws off with an angle grinder/cutoff wheel.
Have a supply of water handy- there will be smoke and fire.

-Carl (spelled the right way)

Sounds like a winner. I'll get the kid a saw blade.

(shame you'll never learn to spelll)

Karl

On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 08:17:59 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, "Karl
Townsend" quickly quoth:

"The Kid", my 25 year old, got a fifth wheel travel trailer for free. So
far, he's taken the backhoe and ripped the whole top off. Now there's a
ripped up floor on what looks to be a decent fifth wheel frame.

It looks like they used self tapping screws to attach one layer of plywood
to the frame. Then a second layer bonded over the top with zillions of
nails. The deck is not prying off the steel frame no matter what he's tried.
He's about to say UNCLE and send it to the dump.

No doubt they used construction adhesive, too. sigh


Any suggestions on what to try?

I'm guessing that they sent the self tappers the wrong way (through
the wood into the properly sized holes in the trailer frame) vs. the
proper way (through clearance holes in the frame and sunk into wood)?

I'm about to go through the same routine after seeing the flooring
disintegrate on my old travel trailer frame after a season in the rain
here with the lid off. Termite barf (aka particleboard, mdf) is
showing. I thought it was lino over ply. sigh2

I'll be putting a new floor on, probably treated plywood. If I find
the same connection he did, I'll probably flip the trailer over on its
back and shear the screws off with my air chisel, then center punch
and drill out the remainder until the floor falls off.

Another possibility is to chisel through the edge of the ply at the
top of the frame. When the floor is off, a drill might turn the screws
the rest of the way through the frame. I wouldn't bet on it, though.

Let us know how it turns out. As I said, I'm faced with a similar
conundrum here.

--
The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life,
acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can
do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.
-- Euripides

Larry Jaques wrote:

On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 08:17:59 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, "Karl
Townsend" quickly quoth:

"The Kid", my 25 year old, got a fifth wheel travel trailer for free. So
far, he's taken the backhoe and ripped the whole top off. Now there's a
ripped up floor on what looks to be a decent fifth wheel frame.

It looks like they used self tapping screws to attach one layer of plywood
to the frame. Then a second layer bonded over the top with zillions of
nails. The deck is not prying off the steel frame no matter what he's tried.
He's about to say UNCLE and send it to the dump.

No doubt they used construction adhesive, too. sigh

Any suggestions on what to try?

I'm guessing that they sent the self tappers the wrong way (through
the wood into the properly sized holes in the trailer frame) vs. the
proper way (through clearance holes in the frame and sunk into wood)?

Self drilling screws are used. No way any production operation would pre
drill holes in the frame and then try to precisely align the screws with
those holes.


I'm about to go through the same routine after seeing the flooring
disintegrate on my old travel trailer frame after a season in the rain
here with the lid off. Termite barf (aka particleboard, mdf) is
showing. I thought it was lino over ply. sigh2

I'll be putting a new floor on, probably treated plywood. If I find
the same connection he did, I'll probably flip the trailer over on its
back and shear the screws off with my air chisel, then center punch
and drill out the remainder until the floor falls off.

Another possibility is to chisel through the edge of the ply at the
top of the frame. When the floor is off, a drill might turn the screws
the rest of the way through the frame. I wouldn't bet on it, though.

Let us know how it turns out. As I said, I'm faced with a similar
conundrum here.

Chiseling the screws off flush and then hitting the remains with a
center drill is probably the best idea. The drill points on the screws
would be hardened, but the remainder of the screw probably isn't as
hard.

Another idea that would be slightly messier would be to find a small
deep hole saw like those used on the spot weld cutters and use it
without the center pilot, slipping it over the protruding screw as the
guide. It would leave bigger holes where the screws were, but would
probably be faster than the chisel and drill strategy.

If you wanted to fill the holes from either method after you could
probably make a copper backup bar and use it with a MIG welder to
rapidly fill the holes. A little time with a grinder later and you'd
have a like new frame ready for primer and paint and with the ability to
put new self drilling screws in at any location for the new decking.

How about using a circular saw, set to *almost* cut through the wood, and go
down the center-line of the trailer beams, so you hit all the screws? Use a
few inexpensive carbide blades to get the job done. Each blade will make it
through a number of screws before being ruined.

Leo Lichtman wrote:

How about using a circular saw, set to *almost* cut through the wood, and go
down the center-line of the trailer beams, so you hit all the screws? Use a
few inexpensive carbide blades to get the job done. Each blade will make it
through a number of screws before being ruined.

Those screws will in all probability vary from side to side a bit, so an
1/8" blade kerf isn't going to get all of them on any given line.

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...

Termite barf (aka particleboard, mdf)

ROTFLMAO!

-Carl

On Sun, 09 Mar 2008 11:39:57 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Pete C." quickly quoth:

Larry Jaques wrote:

On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 08:17:59 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, "Karl
Townsend" quickly quoth:

"The Kid", my 25 year old, got a fifth wheel travel trailer for free. So
far, he's taken the backhoe and ripped the whole top off. Now there's a
ripped up floor on what looks to be a decent fifth wheel frame.

It looks like they used self tapping screws to attach one layer of plywood
to the frame. Then a second layer bonded over the top with zillions of
nails. The deck is not prying off the steel frame no matter what he's tried.
He's about to say UNCLE and send it to the dump.

No doubt they used construction adhesive, too. sigh

Any suggestions on what to try?

I'm guessing that they sent the self tappers the wrong way (through
the wood into the properly sized holes in the trailer frame) vs. the
proper way (through clearance holes in the frame and sunk into wood)?

Self drilling screws are used. No way any production operation would pre
drill holes in the frame and then try to precisely align the screws with
those holes.

I've seen self-drilling screws for sheetmetal, but for framing
members?!? Is there such a thing?


Let us know how it turns out. As I said, I'm faced with a similar
conundrum here.

Chiseling the screws off flush and then hitting the remains with a
center drill is probably the best idea. The drill points on the screws
would be hardened, but the remainder of the screw probably isn't as
hard.

Right.


Another idea that would be slightly messier would be to find a small
deep hole saw like those used on the spot weld cutters and use it
without the center pilot, slipping it over the protruding screw as the
guide. It would leave bigger holes where the screws were, but would
probably be faster than the chisel and drill strategy.

Didn't he say that the heads were hidden by the top layer of nailed
(and probably glued) ply? Otherwise, it would be a piece of cake to
remove them, oui?


If you wanted to fill the holes from either method after you could
probably make a copper backup bar and use it with a MIG welder to
rapidly fill the holes. A little time with a grinder later and you'd
have a like new frame ready for primer and paint and with the ability to
put new self drilling screws in at any location for the new decking.

HELL no! I'd use a larger bit to open up the holes (when I drilled
out the existing screws, then put in screws from the bottom.

--
The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life,
acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can
do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.
-- Euripides

RoyJ wrote:

The brute force method is to flip it over and beat it off with a sledge
hammer.


Can't you leave Hawkie's perverted sex life out of this thread?


--
My sig file can beat up your sig file!

Larry Jaques wrote:

On Sun, 09 Mar 2008 11:39:57 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Pete C." quickly quoth:

Larry Jaques wrote:

On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 08:17:59 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, "Karl
Townsend" quickly quoth:

"The Kid", my 25 year old, got a fifth wheel travel trailer for free. So
far, he's taken the backhoe and ripped the whole top off. Now there's a
ripped up floor on what looks to be a decent fifth wheel frame.

It looks like they used self tapping screws to attach one layer of plywood
to the frame. Then a second layer bonded over the top with zillions of
nails. The deck is not prying off the steel frame no matter what he's tried.
He's about to say UNCLE and send it to the dump.

No doubt they used construction adhesive, too. sigh

Any suggestions on what to try?

I'm guessing that they sent the self tappers the wrong way (through
the wood into the properly sized holes in the trailer frame) vs. the
proper way (through clearance holes in the frame and sunk into wood)?

Self drilling screws are used. No way any production operation would pre
drill holes in the frame and then try to precisely align the screws with
those holes.

I've seen self-drilling screws for sheetmetal, but for framing
members?!? Is there such a thing?

Absolutely, and the ones designed for these decking applications have a
special wide head design and frequently a Torx type drive.


Let us know how it turns out. As I said, I'm faced with a similar
conundrum here.

Chiseling the screws off flush and then hitting the remains with a
center drill is probably the best idea. The drill points on the screws
would be hardened, but the remainder of the screw probably isn't as
hard.

Right.

Another idea that would be slightly messier would be to find a small
deep hole saw like those used on the spot weld cutters and use it
without the center pilot, slipping it over the protruding screw as the
guide. It would leave bigger holes where the screws were, but would
probably be faster than the chisel and drill strategy.

Didn't he say that the heads were hidden by the top layer of nailed
(and probably glued) ply? Otherwise, it would be a piece of cake to
remove them, oui?

If you wanted to fill the holes from either method after you could
probably make a copper backup bar and use it with a MIG welder to
rapidly fill the holes. A little time with a grinder later and you'd
have a like new frame ready for primer and paint and with the ability to
put new self drilling screws in at any location for the new decking.

HELL no! I'd use a larger bit to open up the holes (when I drilled
out the existing screws, then put in screws from the bottom.

There is a reason that *no* manufacturer of any kind of decked trailer
does it that way...

On Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:20:47 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Pete C." quickly quoth:

Larry Jaques wrote:
I've seen self-drilling screws for sheetmetal, but for framing
members?!? Is there such a thing?

Absolutely, and the ones designed for these decking applications have a
special wide head design and frequently a Torx type drive.

Cool! I'll have to look for some.


HELL no! I'd use a larger bit to open up the holes (when I drilled
out the existing screws, then put in screws from the bottom.

There is a reason that *no* manufacturer of any kind of decked trailer
does it that way...

Because they didn't use triple-dipped hardware? g

--
The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life,
acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can
do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.
-- Euripides

I read most of the other posts and from a couple of them, these thoughts
come to mind:

1. An air chisel. With a fairly massive air chisel, one might be able
to power through the thing fairly qiuckly.

2. Here in the country, when we used to heat with wood, an old farmer
saw me hacking away at a gnarled tree crotch one day. He said that his
dad taught him to throw those aside and "let 'er rot down a bit.
Maybe, if there's no rush to get it done, a couple of years out in
the rain and snow might make the job a whole lot easier. Maybe one
could even speed that process by soaking the thing with a garden hose
now and then.

3. Sell it on Ebay or Craigslist. I leave it up to you as to whether
or not you warn the prospective buyer of the situation. Even if you do
warn them, I'll bet that somebody with more time on their hands than
your son may have, will take you up on it.



If he does scrap it, I will probably buy some of it back from HF some
day as some sort of hand tool.



Good luck to him,
Pete Stanaitis


Karl Townsend wrote:

"The Kid", my 25 year old, got a fifth wheel travel trailer for free. So
far, he's taken the backhoe and ripped the whole top off. Now there's a
ripped up floor on what looks to be a decent fifth wheel frame.

It looks like they used self tapping screws to attach one layer of plywood
to the frame. Then a second layer bonded over the top with zillions of
nails. The deck is not prying off the steel frame no matter what he's tried.
He's about to say UNCLE and send it to the dump.

Any suggestions on what to try?

Karl

Larry Jaques wrote:

On Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:20:47 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Pete C." quickly quoth:

Larry Jaques wrote:
I've seen self-drilling screws for sheetmetal, but for framing
members?!? Is there such a thing?

Absolutely, and the ones designed for these decking applications have a
special wide head design and frequently a Torx type drive.

Cool! I'll have to look for some.

Take a look at item # 94053A120 at http://www.mcmaster.com, rated for
fastening 3/4"-1 3/8" wood to .060" - .250" thick metal. There are
others for different size ranges in that group on the catalog page.

Larry Jaques wrote:

I've seen self-drilling screws for sheetmetal, but for framing
members?!? Is there such a thing?


Yep! Thats how the body/floor was attached to the frame of my
little camper. They were into box section so after "chewing"
up the flake board the screws were removable with visegrips
used as a miniture pipe wrench. :-)
...lew...

Sounds like you have two nice I-Beams or such and a screwed on board and
a glued on nailed on toper board.

So if it is like that or the like - rip down the central area cutting both
boards about 12" from each inside. Taking out a long double thick board.
Nice for building ramps if supported...

Now saw from the large slot in the trailer to the side. Using the blade to go
just under the two so you don't saw the metal.

Then with a pry or with the leverage of the overhang, pry the boards upwards.

If you are building a trailer - that might be a good sub base. Or base.

Martin

Martin H. Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
TSRA, Endowed; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal.
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder
IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.
http://lufkinced.com/


Karl Townsend wrote:
"The Kid", my 25 year old, got a fifth wheel travel trailer for free. So
far, he's taken the backhoe and ripped the whole top off. Now there's a
ripped up floor on what looks to be a decent fifth wheel frame.

It looks like they used self tapping screws to attach one layer of plywood
to the frame. Then a second layer bonded over the top with zillions of
nails. The deck is not prying off the steel frame no matter what he's tried.
He's about to say UNCLE and send it to the dump.

Any suggestions on what to try?

Karl





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On Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:41:58 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Pete C." quickly quoth:

Larry Jaques wrote:

On Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:20:47 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Pete C." quickly quoth:

Larry Jaques wrote:
I've seen self-drilling screws for sheetmetal, but for framing
members?!? Is there such a thing?

Absolutely, and the ones designed for these decking applications have a
special wide head design and frequently a Torx type drive.

Cool! I'll have to look for some.

Take a look at item # 94053A120 at http://www.mcmaster.com, rated for
fastening 3/4"-1 3/8" wood to .060" - .250" thick metal. There are
others for different size ranges in that group on the catalog page.

22-84 cents each. Ouch, but they might be handy. Thanks, Pete.

--
The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life,
acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can
do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.
-- Euripides

On 2008-03-09, spaco wrote:
I read most of the other posts and from a couple of them, these thoughts
come to mind:

1. An air chisel. With a fairly massive air chisel, one might be able
to power through the thing fairly qiuckly.

2. Here in the country, when we used to heat with wood, an old farmer
saw me hacking away at a gnarled tree crotch one day. He said that his
dad taught him to throw those aside and "let 'er rot down a bit.
Maybe, if there's no rush to get it done, a couple of years out in
the rain and snow might make the job a whole lot easier. Maybe one
could even speed that process by soaking the thing with a garden hose
now and then.

3. Sell it on Ebay or Craigslist. I leave it up to you as to whether
or not you warn the prospective buyer of the situation. Even if you do
warn them, I'll bet that somebody with more time on their hands than
your son may have, will take you up on it.

Is there a way to flip it over and put the wood in contact with
dirt? Perhaps dig a pit to clear the fifth wheel. Then walk away for
a few months, and let the termites do the job for you. :-)

I understand that this is how the aborigines in Australia bore
the holes through branches to make didgeri-doos -- the termites eat out
the soft center wood, leaving the rest as a nice hollow chunk of wood,
albeit a bit uneven.

Good Luck,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

Larry Jaques wrote:

On Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:41:58 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Pete C." quickly quoth:

Larry Jaques wrote:

On Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:20:47 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Pete C." quickly quoth:

Larry Jaques wrote:
I've seen self-drilling screws for sheetmetal, but for framing
members?!? Is there such a thing?

Absolutely, and the ones designed for these decking applications have a
special wide head design and frequently a Torx type drive.

Cool! I'll have to look for some.

Take a look at item # 94053A120 at http://www.mcmaster.com, rated for
fastening 3/4"-1 3/8" wood to .060" - .250" thick metal. There are
others for different size ranges in that group on the catalog page.

22-84 cents each. Ouch, but they might be handy. Thanks, Pete.

Yea, but they're also listed as suitable for use with the new ACQ
treated lumber. Note that the galvanized ones listed in the same section
are a lot cheaper.

On Sun, 09 Mar 2008 22:18:34 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Pete C." quickly quoth:

Larry Jaques wrote:

On Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:41:58 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Pete C." quickly quoth:

Larry Jaques wrote:

On Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:20:47 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm,
"Pete C." quickly quoth:

Larry Jaques wrote:
I've seen self-drilling screws for sheetmetal, but for framing
members?!? Is there such a thing?

Absolutely, and the ones designed for these decking applications have a
special wide head design and frequently a Torx type drive.

Cool! I'll have to look for some.

Take a look at item # 94053A120 at http://www.mcmaster.com, rated for
fastening 3/4"-1 3/8" wood to .060" - .250" thick metal. There are
others for different size ranges in that group on the catalog page.

22-84 cents each. Ouch, but they might be handy. Thanks, Pete.

Yea, but they're also listed as suitable for use with the new ACQ
treated lumber. Note that the galvanized ones listed in the same section
are a lot cheaper.

Yeah, I laughed at the description of the coating until I read the
description. I work with that wood a lot and keep quarts of both
brown and green preservative/dyes to coat cut ends. The safe coatings
are expensive: $24 for 5# of coated 2-1/2" deck screws.

To be cleared to work with ACQ, galvanized hardware has to be triple
dipped. I have some joist hanging nails which are, and it's an ugly
process comparatively. Dacronizing is much sweeter to look at and
work with, but it's not thick enough (anti-corrosively) for ACQ use.

--
The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life,
acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can
do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.
-- Euripides

On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 08:17:59 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:

"The Kid", my 25 year old, got a fifth wheel travel trailer for free. So
far, he's taken the backhoe and ripped the whole top off. Now there's a
ripped up floor on what looks to be a decent fifth wheel frame.

It looks like they used self tapping screws to attach one layer of plywood
to the frame. Then a second layer bonded over the top with zillions of
nails. The deck is not prying off the steel frame no matter what he's tried.
He's about to say UNCLE and send it to the dump.

Any suggestions on what to try?

Karl



How much det cord do you have access to? Or Trim Stick?

Lay a run of 100gr det cord along the top of the wood, stapling it
down with a basic T55 wire stapler, making sure you put the line of
det cord between the lines of fasteners. Cover with about 6" of sand,
stand clear and detonate the det cord.
Some of the sand will have been removed, but the wood will have been
largly reduced to easily removed splinters and the remaining fasteners
will be easy to cut off with an air chisel.

Blow off the remaining sand and splinters with compressed air.

Gunner