Technique 1: Maximize your hammer power
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Photo 1: Side pull with hammer claw
Ram the claw of
your hammer
into the nail
shank and rock
it sideways
using the claw
edge as a pivot
point. Repeat
the process
until you pry
out the nail.
This technique
produces maximum
pulling
power with little
stress on
the handle.
Back when I was a rookie garage-builder, the lead carpenter warned me that driving
a nail near a knot is a waste of time for three reasons: First, the nail will
bend in the dense wood surrounding the knot before you can drive it home. Second,
it'll be solidly wedged in the wood and tough to pull out. And third, you
could break a hammer handle tugging at it.
I was stubborn and had to learn by experience. But I never broke a hammer
handle, because I started out with an unbreakable all-steel model. By the time I
graduated to a nicely balanced wooden-handled model, I'd learned how to pull
nails quickly and efficiently enough to hardly break my nailing rhythm.
A hammer isn't the best nail-pulling tool, but since it's already
in your hand, use it. Ram the claw into the nail shank as close
as possible to the wood and rock it sideways (Photo 1). Then
repeat the process, pulling the nail about 1/2 in. each time.
You develop terrific pulling power, enough to extract even
those tough cement-coated or galvanized nails, without
straining your hammer handle or arm.
Because the hammer claw grabs the nail's shank, this
method usually works even when the nail head has broken off.
But it has a couple of drawbacks. The edge of the head will bite
into and dent the wood. If you don't want to mar the surface,
slide a 1/4-in.-thick piece of wood under the edge before
pulling. Also, a worn claw might slip on the shank and not
deliver any pull. And finally, the pulling power can be so great
that the nail shank might break before the nail lets go. At that
point, either clip it flush to the wood with a side-cutting pliers
and leave it, or saw through it (Photo 5).
Technique 2: Protect those finished surfaces with a block
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Photo 2: Use a block to protect finished surfaces
Rest the hammer
on a small block to
protect finished
surfaces. For a
straight pull, size
the block so the
pivot point is as
close to the nail
as possible.
Shove a block of scrap wood under the hammer head to protect
delicate surfaces, like the cedar decking in Photo 2. The
block also gives the hammer claw better leverage, so you can
often rock the hammer directly back on its head rather than
sideways. But not always. Use this straight pull only on nails
that come out fairly easily or aren't driven deeply. Otherwise
you could break a wooden-handled hammer. Although you
can yank a lot harder on hammers with a fiberglass or steel
handle, you'll find it's a lot easier to use a sideways pull.
Technique 3: Dig for buried nails
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Photo 3: Use a cat's paw
Drive the
claw of a cat's
paw under
the nailhead
and lever it
out. A cat's
paw can even
reach buried
nailheads.
Buried nails are no match for a cat's paw, an essential
tool to carry for all rough framing work. Emphasize
“rough,” because you drive the claw under the buried
nailhead and rock the handle back firmly (Photo 3). The
short claw develops tremendous leverage and will pull
almost any nail. A strong, steady pull works best. If you
jerk the handle, you could pop the head off the nail, especially
with 16d galvanized nails. You can use it for bent
nails too. But you have to put a block under the cat's paw
to develop good leverage, as in Photo 2, or slide your
hammer head under it to shim it up.
Drawback: Even with a deft touch, the cat's paw digs
up a divot of wood around the nailhead and leaves a distinct
“paw print” behind when you rock it back. It's not a
finish tool.
Technique 4: Drive it through
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Photo 4: Drive it through
Punch finish
nails all the way
through with a
nail set or pin
punch so you
don't have to pull
them. This technique
works best
on finish trim
that's less than
5/8 in. thick.
Finish carpentry sometimes calls for more refined
tactics to avoid ruining a valuable piece of woodwork.
You can pull most bent finish nails with the hammer-and-
block technique shown earlier or with pliers.
But if you can't pry trim off without damaging it,
drive the finish nails completely through the trim
(Photo 4) and pop it off. You can use either a 1/32-in. nail set or a 1/16-in. pin punch (buy at home centers
and hardware stores). They are especially handy for releasing
window and door casings that have been cross-nailed to hold the
miters together.
Drawbacks: Use the nail set for thin woodwork. Otherwise,
you'll leave a fairly large round hole on the front side to fill later.
And work carefully near ends, because the nail set can split the
wood.
Technique 5: Cut the tough ones
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Photo 5: Cut hard-to-reach nails
For maximum speed, cut the nails
with a reciprocating saw
equipped with a 10-teeth-per-
inch all-purpose blade.
It's ideal for rough work
and demolition.
A reciprocating saw can cut through nails in a fraction of the time
it takes to pull them (Photo 5). Plus it'll reach nails you can't get
at any other way. Many all-purpose blades cut both wood and
nails, but buy the 10-teeth-per-inch type because it cuts through
hardened drywall screws as well. With a deft touch, you can also
do delicate work, like reaching behind trim to cut nails, as well as
screws and bolts, without marring the wood.
Drawback: Chances are that the blade will pinch while cutting
tight spots, so push the saw guard tightly against the wood and
hold the saw firmly.
Technique 6: Pull them from the back
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Photo 6: Pull from the backside
Grab the finish nail on the back side
with nippers and lever the nail out.
Its head will pull through with little
damage to the wood.
Finish trim is expensive and worth salvaging whenever possible.
If you can pry it off, pull the finish nails from the backside
(Photo 6). They'll splinter the front if you drive them back
through. A nippers works well, but so do slip-joint pliers
and locking pliers.
