The Cordless Drill Nail Puller (Editor’s Note: no longer available, please see a modern version here.) was invented and patented by Craig Laun for a better way to extract nails. The features of the Cordless Drill Nail Puller are:
- Lightweight tool that attaches to any cordless drill/driver.
- Simple and easy to use.
- Doesn’t require upper body and arm strength to pull nails as compared to a hammer and claw bar.
- Smoothly pulls even stubborn nails without jarring the workpiece.
- Pulls nails from tight spaces where it may be difficult to operate a hammer and claw bar.
The Counter Bore Drill Bit removes the wood around the nail head to extract it with the Nail Puller.
The Cordless Drill Nail Puller operates by placing the claw around the nail and turning the threaded spindle with the cordless drill to extract the nail:
The claw slot is 3/16 inch wide which will pull nails with a nail head wide enough to be grasped by the claw. Compatible nail sizes range from 16D (16 penny) to as small as 6D (6 penny nails). Short nails having wide nail heads such as roofing and drywall nails also work well.
The Cordless Drill Nail Puller works with any cordless drill/driver having a forward and reverse switch:
Cordless Drill Nail Puller Demonstration
I drove four 16D (16 penny) coated sinker nails into a pressure treated 2×4. Sinker nails are widely used in home construction wood framing. The vinyl coated nail shank melts from friction when driven in the wood for additional holding power. From left to right in the following photo:
- Nail #1 has been driven flush then hammered over like a fishhook at 90 degrees to make it especially difficult to extract.
- Nail #2 has the shank hammered over – this sometimes happens due to an off-center hammer strike or if something hard like concrete is behind the lumber.
- Nails #3 and #4 are driven straight and flush.
Counter Bore Drill Bit
The embedded nail head must be exposed to extract it with the Cordless Drill Nail Puller. Assuming it’s not possible to partially tap the nail out with a hammer to expose the nail head, the Counter Bore Drill Bit removes the wood around the nail to grab it with the Nail Puller claw assembly:
Nail #4 in the demo video will be extracted the traditional way with the claw bar and hammer. The claw is vigorously hammered into the wood to get under the nail head:
The nails are ready for pulling with the the Cordless Drill Nail Puller and claw bar to compare the two methods:
Video demonstration: Cordless Drill Nail Puller versus a Claw Bar
The Cordless Drill Nail Puller pulled even the most difficult nails straight out with ease. By contrast, the nail pulled with the claw bar is bowed which works against you.
Cordless Drill Nail Puller: 2×4 Drywall
The floor plan of my home was extended and what was formerly the exterior 2×4 wall with OSB sheathing is now an interior wall of the finished basement. The lazy carpenters couldn’t be bothered to pull the sheathing nails when the OSB was removed and they left dozens and dozens of nails sticking out of the wall. The nails are a problem because they catch and tear my clothes and are an obstruction.
I could pull the old nails with a hammer and claw bar, but many of the nails are the ring shank type with ridges that make them especially difficult to pull with lots of yanking. The risk of pulling with the nails with the hammer is jarring and flexing the 2×4 studs which could cause the finish to pop out on the drywall nail heads or cracks in the finished drywall seams on opposite side. The Cordless Drill Nail Puller puts no strain on the 2×4’s and smoothly extracts the nail to prevent problems.
Video demonstration: Pulling a Rink Shank Nail
Closeup of the ring shank nail:
That’s three nails and many more to be pulled from this 2×4 wall:
Cordless Drill Nail Puller Summary
The Cordless Drill Nail Puller is a great tool for pulling nails that requires minimal muscle strength, reduces fatigue on large jobs and won’t shake apart the workpiece. It’s easy to use, pulls even the most stubborn nails and is the perfect tool for many situations. Wish I’d had this tool on my previous framing jobs.
Editor’s Note: The Cordless Drill Nail Puller discussed above is no longer available. Please see a modern version here.
Take care,
Bob Jackson
