When I need to tear two pieces of nailed lumber apart (a trimmer that needs to be replaced, temporary posts, built-up beam members that aren’t quite flush), I reach for a Skilsaw. Next, I cut a 6-in. long wedge of 2x material that tapers from about 1-1/2 in. wide on one end to a point on the other. Once I have that wedge, I drive it between the two pieces, and they come apart. No cat’s paw required. Nails then are driven backward and pulled out with the claws of a hammer.
—Jim Anderson, Littleton, CA
Edited and illustrated by Charles Miller
From Fine Homebuilding #149
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