Problem

I had a lot of pieces of wood from some pallets I had been given.

I wanted to use them for kindling but they had a lot of rusty nails in them.

It wasn't proving very easy to quickly remove them so I devised this simple tool which

meant I was able to recover almost all of the wood quickly.

Step 1:

Tools needed.

Grinding wheel

Electric Drill

Hacksaw

Steel rule

Materials.

10 mm OD steel tube with 1.5 mm wall thickness

6 mm steel rod

Instructions.

Cut a 100 mm length of 10 mm tube.

Fit it in the drill and grind one end at a shallow angle so it will easily slide onto the nail even if it is bent close to the wood.

Fit it in the drill from the other and and clean up the end using the grinder.

Cut a 150 mm length of the rod and clean the ends up as per the tube.

Step 2: How the Tool Looks Once It's Made

So you will end up with these 2 pieces. The clearance between the tube and the rod will be very small and the internal diameter of the tube will be small enough to prevent the nails bending while you hammer the rod down on them in most cases. See the second video to see how easy it is to recover if a nail does bend if you lift the tube away from the surface of the wood while hammering.

Step 3: Using the Tool Compared to My Old Method

Using.

Tools needed.

The tube and rod

Claw Hammer

Clamps

Suitable surface to work on

Work gloves

Goggles

Procedure

Clamp a piece of wood so the end with the nails in are not restricted. Slide the tube onto the first nail working it so it gradually straightens up the nail. When it is as straight as you can make it. Hold the tube so the end is as close to the wood and as near perpendicular to the wood you can get it. Insert the rod and tap the end with the hammer. Keep tapping the nail until the point has disappeared into the wood. The nail can then be pulled out with the claw of the hammer.