Thanks for another great tip! Since my fiancé passed a way I've had to teach myself how to tackle a lot of things I knew nothing about to save myself some $$, I always come to your channel because your explanations are clear & precise. TYVM--Donna
we also put force on hammer claws from the sides, instead of fulcruming around the face of the hammer. There's usually a bit more torque and less chance to break a wooden handle too.
You can also get a lot more leverage by prying perpendicular to the claw (pry to the side not back and forth) . But you will cause more damage to work piece and nail turns into a curl shape.
I used come 3" galvanized nail from Lowe's yesterday on joist and 9 out of 10 bent. Turns out they were made in China. I always use old one from my garage from the 70s (US made) and never had one bend. Live and learn
Another very useful video, thanks for sharing! I hadn't thought about bending nails before pulling, that's a great tip! I use end nippers to pull nails. The nail shank fits nicely on either side of the nippers and by levering down, they grip the nail tightly no matter where the head of the nail is. And they only need enough room under the head to grip. This is really handy when removing nails from trim as you can often pull the nail through the back of the wood.
My dad would reuse discarded lumber and I would help remove nails and screws. The block under the hammer for more leverage was the first thing he taught me.
Whenever I have a bend in a nail, I slot the nail into the Claw of the hammer, with the nail bend perpendicular to the claw and just below the claw, and then bend the nail straight with the torque of the hammer handle.
Thank you SO much. I spent over half an hour trying to pull out a 2.5” crooked nail that seemed to have hit another nail. So then I used another block of wood for leverage to successfully pull it out, as per your advice.
Those are nice tips and I have used them all when working with nails. For the beginners those are great tips to remember when working with wood and nailing it together.
Yet another life-saving tip! I bought a house where one of the previous owners drove large nails into the studs in the garage. I wanted to finish it, but wasn't able to get the nails out for the exact reason you explained. Luckily, I have plenty of 2x4s! Thanks again for a great channel!
This is such a great channel. I did know about putting a board under the hammer to help pull out a nail. I've also put a board under the hammer when pulling out a nail just to protect the surface under the hammer from getting marred. Even if I've never experienced a certain problem before, because I watch these videos, I'll already know how to handle the problem when I do encounter it. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience with us.
Great video. I wish I would have watched this a few days earlier. I ended up ruining a hammer, which I didn't think was possible, by trying to pull a bent nail that was part way down without raising the pivot point. The nail was not coming out easily at all and I kept trying to yank it out the claw of the hammer. After much effort, I eventually succeeded, but when I looked at the hammer, the head was completely bent back. I figured that someone would have to have the strength of Herman Munster to pull that off. Still can't believe that I did that. Now, I have to go buy a new hammer. I have bookmarked this video for future use.
Lady i fucking love u :) i learned how to work copper fittings and pipes thanks to you, i'll surely be following you everywhere :) thanks for everything, you make it look so easy, anyone can learn fast, you are the best.
seejanedrill I'm sure with the years of working in the field that is primarily all males you've heard it all on the daily. I just hate that our society now accepts this as the norm. Go to any public place and you hear 12yr olds using the F word. I just think it's just another sign of the degradation of our society. Luis is wrong in assuming it's ok with you.
Missed one ....take the hammer and push the claw onto the nail as close to the wood as you can and instead of pulling towards you as usual push the hammer to the right or left . You will end up with a sharp bend in the nail and than can pull the nail in the normal fashion .
Very cool video, Leah. Do you have one on screws and using a drill? I'll put it in your search box to see. My new drill comes and now it's time for me to learn about screws. And fasteners, and other things that I don't know. PS: Just got word that my new drill kit arrives tomorrow. Muwhahahaha.
If you want to drive a nail in without splitting the wood turn the nail upside down and mushroom it's point with the hammer. It'll make a hole when you hammer it and not act like a wedge going in. My uncle taught me this forty years ago.
Another way is to lay the nail horizontal and whilst holding the pointed end, hit the side of the head with a hammer causing it to form a half moon shape in the wood against the grain. Then just hammer in the nail as normal in the half moon impression.
Bonus tip: You can also use a good pair of vice grips on the nail shank about 1/2 from the surface and then use your hammer like normal to remove the nail. Also good for when the head has broken off.
I use either a pair of 18" end cutters to pull the nail or I have a very old hammer (about 90 yrs old now), that was my fathers that the claws are really close together. They grip the shank of the nail & out it comes.
One day my wife and I were in a tractor supply store and i noticed some weird looking pliers. I thought they were to pull the horseshoe nails out, but it ended up being a nail puller plier. I bought it because a lot of the projects build are from reclaimed wood. I used to have an extra hammer, a demolition claw bar, and a bigger bar. I found that the nail puller pliers saved me a lot of time and strain. The ones I use are like the ones on the link. www.fleetfarm.com/detail/crescent-code-red-11-in-nail-pulling-pliers/0000000200485?gclid=CjwKCAjwyOreBRAYEiwAR2mSkls953Q7b6-HzVQP52TNOx_o6QL2OF2db6c41YJF3jYedpM8JqnxihoCAJoQAvD_BwE
