Hello! I am brand new to the forum, and a little bit of an amateur in woodworking. I am working on a tilt out garbage can, and messed up a little bit on the top; I'm hoping I can get some advice on a fix I glued it together, then used a nailer. Unfortunately, I was not paying close enough attention, and sent some nails where they did not belong (see attached pics). So, for the front nail, I was thinking perhaps I could gently try to pry it out a little then use the wire cutter. Or, I could try cutting it with a Dremel. The rear one I was thinking of maybe just covering it with wood filler. Of course, I am also working with pine, so it is very easy to damage. Please help!
Personally, I'd use the side of a flathead screwdriver to push them back through just enough to grab them with a pair of wire cutters and pull them back out the top. Shielding the wood with shim stock, or a putty knife, credit card, etc.. to minimize damage from the cutters on the face as you pry them out.
Usually you can grab them with a pair of long-nose pliers and just start twisting in a circle to pull them through. Problem is they often break and you are left with the same pokey remnant you are trying to remove.
An alternative is to get in there with a smallish pair of side cutters and try to nip them flush, then you can knock them in from the side with a punch ot get them below the surface. Wood putty to hide the shame 8^)
If you can push it back through with a small hammer or even a nail set, you can probably grab it with pliers or a vise grip and pull it out. You could also nip off the head and then pull it through, but you probably have to tap it back a little to do that. You may be able to pull it through without nipping the head off but you may get a smaller hole to fill if you can nip it off before pulling it through.
BTW, It is pretty common for finish nails and brads to deflect like that even when you align them correctly. Look at the nails and you will notice that one dimension is wider than the other . They usually deflect in the narrower dimension (probably side to side relative to the nail gun if I remember correctly) so make sure that you position the nail gun so that the deflection would deflect along the length of the board and stay inside the board instead of blow out the side of it. And keep your fingers away from any potential blow out zones. Lots of stories about guys putting a nail into a finger or hand because it blew out unexpectedly.
If you can push it back through with a small hammer or even a nail set, you can probably grab it with pliers or a vise grip and pull it out. You could also nip off the head and then pull it through, but you probably have to tap it back a little to do that. You may be able to pull it through without nipping the head off but you may get a smaller hole to fill if you can nip it off before pulling it through.
BTW, It is pretty common for finish nails and brads to deflect like that even when you align them correctly. Look at the nails and you will notice that one dimension is wider than the other . They usually deflect in the narrower dimension (probably side to side relative to the nail gun if I remember correctly) so make sure that you position the nail gun so that the deflection would deflect along the length of the board and stay inside the board instead of blow out the side of it. And keep your fingers away from any potential blow out zones. Lots of stories about guys putting a nail into a finger or hand because it blew out unexpectedly.
Yep, I have done this more times than I care to admit. And they break 9 times out of 10 and just ends up taking more time. Instead, I use a dremel with cutoff wheel to cut a clean slice down below where it is coming out, so that the cut end is under some wood. Then its a very clean slit to patch when done. Rather than some oblong hole that rips through the wood and splinters the wood coming out. Ends up just taking less time all around.
Best tool I ever bought for something like this. Doing a lot of trim work, it pays for itself quickly.
The extractor You could just grab the tip of the nail you are showing, and pull it right through that pine, pulling pounding and trying to back it out does more actual damage.
It's possible you just missed. without seeing both sides it's hard to tell. Watch this video, and see if simply turning the gun will keep it from happening again.
One of the best tips I've seen on YouTube was to hold the nailer "gangsta style"; perpendicular to the solid wood in the photos. That makes the bevels in the nails turn along the length of the solid wood part.
To fix it, I would use a nail set to drive the nails back out and pill them with pliers or Vise Grips. Use the curve of the head of the pliers to roll the nails out. Last time I did this was at least 6 hours ago.
I can't add anything more, the LG guys have given you several options. The nail I see protruding looks very blunt considering it just went through pine.
As others mentioned, not being able to see the other side,,,
I have to ask… What brand of brad nails are you using and at what air pressure?
The answer to the above could be your compounding problem.
Well, thank you all a TON for the advice; I'm sure any one of these suggestions would work with varying results. I will post my picture and see if you can guess which method I used. Which of course will need repair work itself.
Now on to sanding, filling, and sanding again. I'll make sure to post pictures of my final project!
I can t add anything more, the LG guys have given you several options. The nail I see protruding looks very blunt considering it just went through pine.
As others mentioned, not being able to see the other side,,,
I have to ask… What brand of brad nails are you using and at what air pressure?
The answer to the above could be your compounding problem.
You could cut a groove in the sides and use dovetails next time and avoid nails altogether. But that is another rabbit hole to go down. I did have the same thing happen on my first shop projects. If you are using glue on it too brads or pins can be a little more forgiving, but that is probably another tool purchase. With that welcome to the club!
Thank you all so much for the assistance. As promised, here are pictures of my finished product! Are there mistakes? Of course! Am I super proud of being an amateur and successfully finishing this project? You bet! Still a couple adjustments I need to make, but I'm super happy with it!
Considering the minor set backs you encountered, you created a really nice piece. Show it off with pride, your going to be 1 heck of a craftsman in no time.
You only cut pressure when you don't want to countersink the head. Some guns won't run on 60 psi. Shops usually run at 90psi or for me much higher…I will lower for a Senclamp gun in some cases…
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