Nails in logs: What do you do?

[t_andersen]

Guys,

Assume that you have a fine log and, using a metal detector, you find something suspicious inside that could be a nail, but you don't know because you can't see it. Then what do you do? Do you dump the log, do you cut away the part of the log that has the steel part embedded, or do you start with chisels to see if you can get the steel part out?

Thanks for advice-

Tom

 

[woodshop]

I use a small hand axe to cut into the area till I find the metal, then usually use a vice-grip if it's a nail or screw, or keep hacking with the hand axe if its some other tramp metal. If it's a large piece, like a huge spike or piece of metal pole, I'll usually cut the log all the way through above and or below that point. Often if there is metal like that, it stains the wood black, and the stain will run up and down the tree for several feet, which is a often how I know the log has metal somewhere. Also, I found that if there is one nail, there is often more, and thus if I find metal I scrutinize that particular log even more carefully. If I find several nails up and down the tree, unless its VERY valuable, like a huge cherry or walnut, I won't waste my time and bandsaw blades, and will move on to greener pastures.

 

[treeguy347]

I try to cut an inverted pyramid-shaped core out around the metal by plunge cutting with a chainsaw. You can usually get the metal out pretty fast this way.

 

[carvinmark]

I do pretty much the same as Woodshop. Residential wood is always suspicious to me.
Mark

 

[woodshop]

I do pretty much the same as Woodshop. Residential wood is always suspicious to me.
Mark

Residential wood, especially a back yard tree (remember when people used to actually hang wash to dry it?) any tree that came from the side of a road, and if the tree was from a corner of an intersection, you can bet there are nails in it, almost guaranteed.

 

[manual]

Yea nails suck. I was milling some maple from a timber sale.
and came across the 1" tip of a screw in peg from a bow hunter.

 

[stingray bay]

I have only been milling for a short time with a new 880, 42"bar one thing I have noticed is that the stihl 404 chain that is on this monster is much stronger than the smaller chains on my other saws. Everything is bigger/stronger from the links to the cutters. I say this because in the few instances I have run across metal this chain has eaten the metal and carried on with minimal degradation. One 24" walnut we logged was riddled with copper nails (about 4mm in dia). Each slab had at least 5 nails in each cut. We slabbed the whole log (perhaps 10 cuts) without sharpening the chain, there was very little difference in smoothness of each board or to time to cut from start to finish. There was some minor damage to the cutters which did not take long to address with a filing jig.

In another (earlier) incident the same chain "ate" half way through the bar mounting bolt (3/8"?) of the Granburg alaskan mill I use :bang: :bang: - the one closest to the saw on the top side of the bar. This was due to me mounting the bar slightly off centre,closer to this bolt and a new chain that had not sufficiently stretched prior to cutting a 14' long slab. Anyhow the teeth were only slightly chipped after eating half the bolt. Half an hour on the sharpening jig and the chain was back to new (I maybe lost 1mm out of 10 on each cutter).

Of course I do try to avoid hitting metal in the first place! When I can see signs of it like a stain or clothesline sticking out of the tree (usually in the bottom of the log below head height) I put on a old chain on one of my smaller saws and cut through the log just above the offending item. If it looks isolated (like one nail or a piece of wire) I cut through just below it (hopefully with a useful length of wood in the butt log). If I do hit something its not a big deal on a ratty old chain (I can sharpen it later), but as I said above, the .325 on my 029 takes a real hammering compared to the .404.

 

[treeguy347]

There is a tool for removing nails that have little to no head. It has a little claw, and the hammer slides so you can impact the jaws into the wood around the nail. I don't know what they're called though.

 

[Rail-O-Matic]

Metal in wood

I have found many metal gremlins in good logs over the years, I use an old fisher metal detector and an old chain, if things ring the alarm bells, one such ting was a huge metal shackle about half an inch thick, that was used to teather one of the second world war barrage baloons to, near Newcastle, it wrecked my chain good, to remove the object I used an old axe and wedges.

Another time was whilst cutting up an old 2 foot diameter apple tree in a back yard, this time it was two u-shaper staples for a washing line, luckily I noticed the tell tale signs of rust staining near the surface on the first pass, which was lucky as they were 3/8 inch round.

I steer well clear of any hedge row logs, unless its a walnut or chestnut, its worth blunting a couple of chains for, especially where the crotch and root burr lies for top quality gun stocks.

 

[treeguy347]

http://www.coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/...er.htm?L+coastest+hyjg3696ff1e2c1e+1158754477

These work great for getting stubborn nails.