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How-To

Video Vault: Nail Removal Tricks

Remove nails the right way to salvage boards and save your hands

By John Ross Issue 193

Pulling nails from boards with a hammer claw using brute force is a sure way to create ugly gouges and to bruise your knuckles. In this gem from the Fine Homebuilding Video Vault, John Ross shows us how how finesse and a few special tools help to free bent, headless, and — the most stubborn of all — galvanized nails.

To learn more, read “Pulling stubborn nails” from Fine Homebuilding issue #193 (Feb/March 2008), pp.116-118.

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  1. rottenrattner | Mar 23, 2017 05:05pm | #1

    Oh wow, John. One of my foremost peeves. I can't believe you pull nails and throw them on the ground. I personally have had a nail thru the shoe and into my foot, and if you have horses I hope you never experienced a horse with a nail in its hoof. It can be life threatening. Please take more care when trying to show something like this.

  2. User avater
    demouser | Mar 23, 2017 06:39pm | #2

    Never pull towards other nails that are sticking out. Ask me how I know.
    Throwing nails on the ground is dangerous and makes for more work. Throw them in a 5 gallon bucket instead.

  3. User avater
    purexplorer | Mar 24, 2017 06:42am | #3

    There are several other effective tools for serious nail pulling. Come on FH, surely you have these at your disposal for demonstration. And yes, get yourself a bucket to toss those extracted nails into...collect them and make sure they are part of your next load of recycles.

  4. User avater
    MartaSNeal | Jul 13, 2018 01:57pm | #4

    Nice video.

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