A large nail (e.g. a 3-1/2″ 16d) is only partially driven into a piece of wood, and you need to remove it but there’s not enough leverage to pull it out with a claw hammer or pliers. Here’s one way to get it out.
Tools:
- Safety Goggles (seriously)
- Nail Puller (We recommend the Vaughan Bear Claw, Shark, and the Dead on Exhumer)
- Dead Blow Mallet or Hammer
Step 1 – Exhaust All Other Options & Clamp it Down
In this photo, a 16d nail is embedded about half-way into a scrap 2×4, and would not budge. The first step was to firmly clamp down the wood. If the wood is otherwise anchored, you can skip this, but it’s always safer to double-check.
Step 2: Set the Nail Puller and Give it a Whack
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Set the nail puller’s claw as close to the wood as possible for maximum leverage and range of motion. Using a dead blow hammer or mallet, or a softer-faced hammer (e.g. ball pein), strike the flat face of the nail puller to drive it deeper onto the nail. This allows the nail puller to cut into the nail for some bite.
Step 3: Roll the Nail Puller Back
Roll the nail puller back a bit using its rounded head as a fulcrum. If the nail is still partially embedded in the wood and cannot be easily removed or the nail puller slips, repeat step 2.
Here is where having a few sizes of nail pullers can come in handy. As you can imagine, it is easier to remove larger nails with larger nail pullers.
Step 4: Rejoice
Success!
Cats Paw nail pullers (via Amazon) can also be used in a similar manner, but many prefer the flatter and larger striking surface of the above type of nail puller.
lametec says
Just plop a piece of scrap wood under the nail puller, and now you’re pulling it as if the nail was all the way in. Also keeps your good wood from being scarred up by the puller.
Stuart says
Thanks, that’s agreat point!
Still, there are times when scrap wood isn’t available or may be too thin or thick to allow access to the nail head. Or the nail to be pulled may be high up or even overhead, in which case clamping or balancing a piece of scrap wood may be too much of a hassle. I wasn’t too concerned with protecting the 2×4 surface, which is why it ended up scarred and gouged, but with care it can be done.
Mike Foley says
Of course I am biased, but isn’t this a cool solution?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRqgB42OEYc
or this?
Marion says
Those nail pullers are excellent, but why aren’t spiral nails being used to show how the pullers work on these?
Marion says
I would appreciate knowing how to remove the 8 inch spiral nails from 6×6 PT lumber. We damaged a lateral sewer pipe with a reinforcement rod and now must take a 36 inch high x 24 feet long retaining wall apart.