Niku Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 I might just be unlucky, but there is a problem that keeps coming up, the last time being yesterday, so I decided to see if anyone has a useful answer. The problem is protruding nails (the pointed tip) that interfere with material that I need to put in a limited space. How limited? Well, I would like to be able to remove nails that I can touch, but when there's not room to pound them down, and they can't be pulled. I could probably eventually saw through them with a hacksaw blade, but that involves scrapped knuckles and raw wrists. It also takes much more time than I have patience for. Also, although I'm not a weakling, I don't have enough hand strength to clip off the protruding nails with hand snippers/clippers flush with the wood from where they are protruding. Ideally, I would like some kind of small power tool. It could grind or it could saw, but it obviously It would have to be small enough. There are small reciprocating saws made these days, but my experience has been that they vibrate much too intensely for this kind of job. What about grinding? Is there a tool that would enable me to grind off the nail? perhaps a grinding wheel at the end of a flexible cable? What about compound/leveraged hand clippers/snippers? Are there such things? Would they enable me to cut through a nail with my hand strength alone? Then there are probably devices that I've never even thought of, let alone heard of. Maybe there's a perfect tool for this problem. Does anyone have any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 If I just had a few to get rid of I'd use a metal cutting disc on a dremel. If you have a bunch to do you can use a Sawzall and a long blade...the long ones are flexible enough so you bend the blade and cut them off flush. If it's just a tiny point to get off it might not work...the blade needs meat to bite into. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 The metal cutting blade on my Fein Multimax does a good job on nails and nail imbedded wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 I use nippers and pull nails in framing. It is not pretty or good for fine work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 I sometimes cut them with my bandsaw, with a metal cutting blade and wearing full face protection. A scroll saw, with metal cutting blade, is another alternative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niku Posted March 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 DanielAG, I guess I didn't make myself clear. I don't have room for things like this in the spaces I'm talking about. Bandsaws and scroll saws are for using in workshops, not in confined spaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niku Posted March 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 Eric, I have a Sawzall, but I didn't try it because of my experiences with reciprocating saws. They are just too violent and out of control to use on a nail. However, I've now had several people mention Sawzalls, so I'm going to try it. Thanks for the tip. I also like the Dremel idea. That has the advantage of giving me one more toy to play around with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niku Posted March 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 wdwerker, I've drooled about these tools in the past, but they're just too expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 Then go for an oscillating tool. They're great at cutting nails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niku Posted March 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 C shaffer, I'm not sure what you mean by "nippers". The best possible tool, if such a thing exists, would be a...Hey! I may have found the answer. Yesterday, always the optimist, I bought a DeWalt compound action diagonal plier (DWHT70275) at Home Depot. I hadn't yet tested it when I began to write, but I decided that this was the right time for testing. I went to the shed outdoors and easily cut four nails of increasingly large sizes, the last one being 6" long and 5/32" in diameter. To my surprise, I was able to cut all of the nails with this hand tool, except that I needed two hands for the last one. The others were not too difficult, although I I wouldn't want to have to cut a dozen of them at one time. That would be hard on the hand. Anyway, I think I've lucked onto the answer. It was just a matter of finding the right pliers. That surprises me because, thinking that leverage is the answer, I had bought a pair of Crescent nippers (if that's what you call them) with 12" handles. They worked, but only with a great deal of effort, and, of course, with two hands. So I think that leverage is only part of the answer. Sharpness and hardness of the blade are also important. Anyway, it looks like these DeWalt pliars will always be accompanying me on my trips below the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niku Posted March 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 DanielAG, Yes, I think that an oscillating tool would be excellent for the job. I have one, but the blades that came with it were not good for metal. I finally found one that I think will fit my tool, but I haven't tried them yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 Glad you found an answer. This is what I meant. http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-3530-8-Inch-Nipper-Pliers/dp/B000NQ4P20/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426437678&sr=8-2&keywords=Nippers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted March 15, 2015 Report Share Posted March 15, 2015 Imperial makes very good blades ( and affordable ) for oscillating tools, the metal cutting ones work well. My Fein is just a very good oscillating tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 Sounds like you found the answer. I was going to suggest these:http://www.factoryauthorizedoutlet.com/dewalt-fencing-plier?CAWELAID=1191793612&CAGPSPN=pla&gclid=CKmihp_xq8QCFeJr7AodASkA_w Good for pulling, prying, and cutting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niku Posted March 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 wtnhighliner, The Craftsman nipper I bought had 12" handles, whereas the handles of the nipper you like are only 8". You'd think that the leverage of the Craftman's longer handles would guarantee great results, but I have learned that leverage is not enough. I'd have to rate their performance as very disappointing, mediocre at best, no, that's not right. Their performance is unsatisfactory. Anyway, you are right about my DeWalt pliers; they are exactly what I had hoped for. Their handles are only 4-1/2"long, but the Dewalt does the job; the Cresent nipper does not. It's as simple as that. I'm no expert, but I have to believe that the Dewalt must use harder metal. Perhaps it's also sharper. Anyway, a clipper/nipper that works is the best possible tool for the job. You can carry it in your pocket, and you can use it to cut off the nails flush with the wood. That's all I need to do. Who needs a power tool if a clipper/nipper can do the job? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponderingturtle Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 wtnhighliner, The Craftsman nipper I bought had 12" handles, whereas the handles of the nipper you like are only 8". You'd think that the leverage of the Craftman's longer handles would guarantee great results, but I have learned that leverage is not enough. I'd have to rate their performance as very disappointing, mediocre at best, no, that's not right. Their performance is unsatisfactory. Anyway, you are right about my DeWalt pliers; they are exactly what I had hoped for. Their handles are only 4-1/2"long, but the Dewalt does the job; the Cresent nipper does not. It's as simple as that. I'm no expert, but I have to believe that the Dewalt must use harder metal. Perhaps it's also sharper. Anyway, a clipper/nipper that works is the best possible tool for the job. You can carry it in your pocket, and you can use it to cut off the nails flush with the wood. That's all I need to do. Who needs a power tool if a clipper/nipper can do the job? No one measurement will give you the whole story with the leverage given by a tool like this. 12" handles will give you more pulling leverage if you are using nippers to pull nails, but for cutting it is the ration of handle length to jaw length. So if the jaws are twice as deep it will not give you more leverage as the handles are only 50% longer. Compound levers can increase the amount of leverage still further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 If they're somewhere that won't show, I use a 4-1/2 inch side grinder with thin metal cutting blade. It'll zip right through the nails, but will leave burn marks on the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 I use nippers and pull nails in framing. It is not pretty or good for fine work. I keep a pair of Crescent end cutting nippers in my tool belt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niku Posted March 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 Pondering turtle, I remember studying mechanical advantage in High School 60-years ago. Levers, gears, pulleys, inclines, etc, but I don't quite understand how "ratio of handle length to jaw length" works. No matter, I'll just have to be satisfied with a tool that does what's expected of it. Since I discovered that my DeWAlt, is just what I need, I've found several other similar pliers, but my DeWalt only costs $10,00 from DeWalt (I think it was a little higher at Amazon. All other competitive pliers are much, much higher, so I'll never know which one stands at the pinnacle of tool making artistry. There is probably one that goes through thick nails, piano wire, and bolts like a hot knife through butter, but I'm not curious enough to pay the money. By the way, you can see many demonstrations and comparisons on YouTube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponderingturtle Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 Pondering turtle, I remember studying mechanical advantage in High School 60-years ago. Levers, gears, pulleys, inclines, etc, but I don't quite understand how "ratio of handle length to jaw length" works. No matter, I'll just have to be satisfied with a tool that does what's expected of it. Since I discovered that my DeWAlt, is just what I need, I've found several other similar pliers, but my DeWalt only costs $10,00 from DeWalt (I think it was a little higher at Amazon. All other competitive pliers are much, much higher, so I'll never know which one stands at the pinnacle of tool making artistry. There is probably one that goes through thick nails, piano wire, and bolts like a hot knife through butter, but I'm not curious enough to pay the money. By the way, you can see many demonstrations and comparisons on YouTube. It is a simple lever, so you have two lengths from the pivot point, and the mechanical advantage is the ratio between them. That is why loppers develop more force than hedge trimmers for the same length tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niku Posted March 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 I hadn't meant to return. "How about that" I thought, but now I think you're wrong. Thinking about the nippers as scissors clarified things for me. Let's say that the cutting part was 1" and the handles were 4". That would be a 4 to 1 ratio. If the handles were 12" long, that would be a 12 to 1 ratio. So, tripling the length of the handles would triple the mechanical advantage. Isn't this right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponderingturtle Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 I hadn't meant to return "How about that" I thought, but now I think you're wrong. Thinking about the nippers as scissors clarified things for me. Let's say that the cutting part was 1" and the handles were 4". That would be a 4 to 1 ratio. If the handles were 12" long, that would be a 12 to 1 ratio. So, tripling the length of the handles would triple the mechanical advantage. Isn't this right? As long as the cutting depth stays the same yes. But many larger tools scale up more than one part of the tool as they make it bigger. So if the 12" nippers have 1.5" jaws then you only get twice the leverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 I have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EXO8LK They are small and do a great job, but they won't cut a nail flush to the wood. There are angled versions though, but I don't think they will do that either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niku Posted March 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 DanielAG, As I've already stated, I have decided that my DeWalt Compound Action Diagonal Pliers will be my tool of choice for clipping off nails. However, no tool works perfectly in every possible situation, and I just found a nail/bolt? that I couldn't clip off with it. Now, I have a Chicago oscillating tool that I bought years ago when Fein's patent expired and other manufacturers entered the field. It only cost $19, or maybe $29, so I never expected it to be of Fein quality, but it has been a valuable tool for me---except for metal. Anyway, I tried it, but it was of no value. I also tried my Sawzall with a metal-cutting 24 tpi blade, but that didn't help either. I managed to work around that nail/bolt that I couldn't remove, but the experience got me to thinking again about getting a more up-to-date oscillating tool, one that can cut metal, and your comments made me think that you might be able to give me some useful information on this subject. What can now be done with oscillating tools with reference to metal? What are their limitations? You said that they could cut nails, well, what size nails? How about bolts? Finally, what about sheet metal? I'm almost ready to replace my old Chicago tool but not until I learn more about their metal cutting capabilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 Try an Imperial metal cutting blade in your Chigago tool before you give up on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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