Howdy
Been looking for a power nail puller for several years. Got bunch of old buildings to tear down and save some of the wood for other projects. Saw a reference to one in a conex coming out of Hong Kong but no others showed up in a general google search. Did get one assist for one that fits in a drill and drills/screws down around the head of the nail but still a bit slow for production work. I’ve got a couple of manual ones but they tear up my shoulders with the pounding action. Plus they are kinda slow.
Does anyone have any thoughts for a air powered or electric or any other kind of powered puller?
Thanks
JoeT
Replies
About a year ago the "Journal of Light Construction" there was a article about a salvage company and they used a "de-nailer" . It is pnuematic and knocks the nail out from the other side. So after the boards are pulled apart you put this tool on the pointed side of the nail and shoot it out. They said it was not the greatest tool (quality) but it was the only one like it. They also said it cost something like one thousand bucks.
Mike
It is pnuematic and knocks the nail out from the other side.What I was going to say.. To much time wasted 'pulling them'
Howdy,
I've been lurking for a while so this is my very first post!
My father passed away last April after a short bout with cancer, so I'm telling this story in his memory.
He grew up in Laramie, Wyoming and his dad (my grand dad) ran the lumber yard there for many years. When he was a kid, you could buy dynamite, fuse, etc. over the counter as the locals used it for stump removal...and fishing, but that's another story.
Now to get the the nail pulling part: according to Dad, when you want to disassemble a barn, you can suspend a stick or two of dynamite in the geometric center of the building, close the doors and windows, and light the fuse. The resulting bang momentarily "swells" the barn. After the smoke clears, in theory, all the nails will be sitting a half-inch proud of the siding. That make them easy to pull. If that's not "power" enough for ya' I don't know what is!
So, let me know how it works for you, but please don't use my name!
ROFLMAO!
Reminds me of a story a former colleague told (apology in advance if unwelcome thread hijack):
As lads in high school, he and a buddy got a job one summer to dig out a pond for a local farmer. Being precocious sorts, they decided to use fertilizer and fuel oil in lieu of shovels and wheelbarrows. The only catch was, as my friend told it, they knew the recipe but had no idea how many servings. They dug a hole, poured in the fertilizer, and added the oil. They rolled a boulder on top, lit a fuse and hid behind a nearby hill. The bang was by far the loudest thing they ever heard. The crater was "huge", and there was no trace whatsoever of the boulder. They were two very sobered young men.
The farmer was delighted.
Your friend didn't live around Rozwell NM about 1947, did he?
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)PlaneWood
Nope. Would have been late 70s, central valley in CA. -robert
You know.. I believe that story.. I'v seen it!Edit:; By the way.. Dad is explosive and other usefull stuff expert in Heaven...
Edited 10/27/2005 10:59 pm by WillGeorge
We are a commercial company that does a lot with recycled timber and our best nail puller is the shark cat's paw. Holds up better than any other one. Best prices I've found are here...
http://www.coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/hand_tools/shark_saw/prybars.htm?L+coastest+xbdq4563ff5c455c
We made a puller for pulling large spikes and uses a hydraulic jack. The converted nail gun I've seen and have the literature on.
http://www.nailkicker.com/pages/buy.htm
Basically it's a nail gun with the magazine removed and the cast nose piece modified to allow the driver to extend out further. It wouldn't work for us as our nails are not typically sticking out. We do mostly timbers and need to use metal detectors to even find most of them and can only access the top part of the nail. I don't know of much else out there as we are constantly looking for new types of tools and have been doing this for over ten years.
HowdyThis is a consolidated message to all. Thanks to those who provided an informative input.a. Pry bar - I have seen those but chews up the wood a bit too much and would be slower than what I had in mind. b. Nail kicker - I had forgot about those. Had seen them earlier but you have to remove the boards first. Lot of the wood I have to remove is tongue and groove which really tears it up with the nails still in it.c. The slide hammer nail puller is still the best mechanical tool for removing most nails but the jarring action causes me too much pain in the shoulders. I have an idea for an air powered puller based a bit on this design but didn't want to start on it till I was fairly sure there wasn't anything available in the commercial world.d. As far as the dynamite theory goes - it is not even that. If you had a perfectly round building and all boards and nails identical and precisely calculated the charge, it might work. Ain't never gonna see that are you?e. As far as the fertilizer story goes - I think it is more likely the brown male bovine fertilizer found around the barnyard (get it?). Now the B-52 bombs dropped from several thousand feet would penetrate the ground far enough to actually dig a hole but a couple of kids digging by hand - NOT!If anyone does run across a real "power" nail puller, please to let me know and I will shelve my project.ThanksJoe
Could a rivet gun be modified?
Mike
What kind of rivet gun are you referring to? Only ones I have seen are those hefty honkers they use to put bridges/buildings together with. Would be a bit heavy although the pounding action has some potential.Joe
I have never used one, but I am refering to the kind used in aviation. Grizzley and many others sell them. They are for "pop rivets" I guess. They pull the ..... nail shaped thing and then the other side deforms to lock. Really though I dont think that you are going to find anything better than a cat claw and a BFH.
Mike
Power Nail Puller
http://www.nailout.com/
Once again caught by the dead thread.
No mater. That was awesome. Shades of the old days here. I may as well stay in revery and post my responce anyway even though no one will read it hardly.
>when you want to disassemble a barn, you can suspend a stick or two of dynamite in the geometric center of the building, close the doors and windows, and light the fuse<
That's AWSOME !
I was thinking of posting something like that . . .
purely in jest of course. Now I see it Is a solution in the real world.
> delighted<
Ohhhh noooo you keep hijacking away ! That was great !
Can't you just see it ? Some old couple are standing in their back yard . . .
"I don't know dear . . . I came out this morning and that huge bolder was sitting there . . . I thought you added a new feature to our landscaping."
also ROFLMAO
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