How to pull nails the easy way

Pulling 16 D nails out of a 2x4 when they are driven into the lumber is sometimes difficult to do if you only have a hammer. I’ve seen guys use two hammers using the claws of one hammer positioned in front of the nail head and then hitting the face of the hammer with the other hammer driving the claws into the wood around the head of the nail to pull it out. I’ve done this myself on occasion when the correct tool isn’t around but the wood gets destroyed because of the size of the claw. This is definitely not the preferred way to pull a nail if your plan on using the lumber over again at some point in time. The right tool for the job is called a “Cats Paw”. It works on the same principal as the two hammers but doesn’t destroy the wood as bad, allowing you to reuse the wood.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Hammer
• Cats Paw
• Pry Bar

1. Cats Paw Position the cats paw in front of the nail head at a slight angle.
2. Whack the back of the cats paw driving its claws into the wood and around the head of the nail. The wood will definitely splinter but not as bad as if you used the claws of a hammer. Once the nail head is in the claws of the cats paw push the cats paw in the opposite direction prying the nail out of the wood. Sometimes you may need to whack the cats paw with a hammer if your brute strength can’t handle the task.
3. Pry Bar Now that the head of the nail is exposed grab your pry bar, this will give you more leverage then the cats paw. Now put the head of the nail in the claws of the pry bar and pull towards you. This will take some effort; you can also grab the hammer and start whacking the pry bar.

Tips & Warnings

• Depending on the size of the nail you may need some additional leverage. If that is the case put a piece of wood under the pry bar, position the nail in the claws of the pry bar and repeat the third step.