Hi! The first one, the "bullnose", is called "tenaza" in Argentina, and we use it a lot. The trick for it not to cut the nails is having one that is NOT sharpened. So, I have two of them: The sharpened one for when I want to cut wire or nails, and the not sharpened one, for taking nails out or tightening wire without the risk of cutting it. I love your videos! They've helped me a lot with mudding drywall. Thanks! Ps, when I don't want the wood to dent with the "tenaza" I put a steel spatula in between.

I am a semi-pro mud guy myself that watches drywall guys on YT to see if I can learn new tricks. I’ve got to say Ben, you are the absolute best I’ve watched.

Thanks man! Your videos are refreshingly real, and fun to watch.

These are all such great ideas! I like to use 10 inch Vice Grips. They also roll really well and-the best part for my wife-they are easier on the hands. Once they are locked, you can stop squeezing them.

Linesman pliers is definitely the tool I settled on for pulling brads and finish nails out as well. A proper set of kleins give you a ton of leverage so that your hands don't end up fatigued from a marathon session of nailpulling.

I like to use my curved needle nose, or just the channel locks if I dont have those with me. Not alot of apprenticeships like we had, so this is cool you're helping the newer generation through these videos.

I was just looking up caprenting tips and found the same guy who happens to give me skating tips too. Thanks man!

Love your vids ben. All channels. Long time subscriber from the canadian east coast. One red seal carpenter / skater / dad to another. Thank u for the hundreds of vids brother

I saw this video last week, and then yesterday I had a job to do where I had to remove so many nails from hundreds of feet of trim. I was struggling with the needle nose plier and it was hurting my hand with all the twisting. Then I remembered his method of using the plier, gripping the nail, and rocking it backwards. Each nail came out smoothly for me using that method. Thanks

Amazing video, very helpful and entertaining video. Keep up the amazing work Ben.

I like to use sprinkler cinch ring pliers from the box stores. Small, cheap and fit great in my back pocket. For bigger nails and staples, can’t beat fence post pliers. I like my Channelock

Thank you very much. I just pulled some nails from my frame. Thanks for teaching us the beginners ❤😋

I use linesman plyers for pulling all finish nails. The older ones can be quite difficult, and yes, neumatic nails can snap, but I'll just cut it off as close to the board as possible and knock it over. The drywall won't care (if you're reinstalling the trim) and nobody is going to get hurt if your tossing it.

I don't use pliers. Multi tool with a metal blade. Zips them off in half a second each and there's no risk of damaging or chipping out the show side by pulling the nails out, especially on old brittle trim or the older larger finishing nails used.

Yes had some pliers did the job easy great tip thank you so much

Ben, hope you and your family have a great Easter. Cheers

THANK YOU!!!

Diagonal cutters also work well if you don't squeeze too hard. I haven't had much practice and yet rarely cut the nail - it can grab a really short nail as well and pull it using the same rocking motion as with the pliers.

yes!!! linesmen are the way to go!!!! been using them for YEARS!!!!!

Thanks!

My guess would be linesman pliers. Now I'll continue watching to find out haha Edit: yay I was right! I'm an electrician so thats what I use for everything

I don’t have any linesman. I think I need to get some. Also been meaning to get the glazier bar based on your recommendation too.

The linesman have been my tool of choice for sometime now. They truly are the best method

Thanks. I had broken glass I needed to remove from an old picture frame and the only way I knew how to remove nails was with a hammer(which obviously wasnt' gonna work in this scenario), but with tiny nails, the needle nose pliers worked.

8” Knipex Cobra Pliers are my go tool of choice for this (and dozens of other things)

I discovered this tool in the sales pile at home depot years ago and it's the best purchase I have ever done, they are Crescent Nail Pulling Pliers.

just used channellocks to remove some fine brads from some pine, they work a treat and hardly caused any damage at all. Big thumbs up for them.

Best tool is nail pulling pliers. Specifically made for the job. For stables or stubborn nails I’ve used fence staple pliers too.

I agree. I had to use the lineman ones it a crow bar. Finish nails don't have very much if a head.

Been using the linesman tool for years but differently. Instead of rolling, I pinch the finish nail between the nippers, and leverage it out. It's super fast, but if you squeeze to tightly on the nail you can cut it off, which is frustrating. Most of the time though they come out super easy.

Ben, can you make a video about all of the things you should check when viewing a home you are considering buying.

Outstanding!

Thanks for all your videos I've learned so much from you!! Also another tool is the good ol hammer. For big nails like 16 penny just go sideways back and forth. ❤️ Ya man keep them videos coming!!

Every electrician knows that linesman pliers are the best multi tool!

Thank you! I wasn't sure if I should (or could) pull them out that way. I feared I'd have to hammer them out even though the paint was in the way 🤦🏾‍♀️

You should try a set with a built in spring to open them. Dewalt has one that you can find at home depot most of the time. It is sweet, just squeeze and roll, repeat

for skimming walls, should the 12inch trowel u get have some flex in it or be super rigid? i see theirs a rigid model, a medium flex, and an ultra flex for some brands

I use linesman for everything!

I'm enjoying all your videos I have a dilemma I live in an apartment where they only use nails to secure the drywall to the ceiling well they are popping I'm scraping out the pops driving the nails back in and also securing with drywall screws but I'm left with a bunch of holes that I'm feeling my problem is how do you sand after feeling the holes without making a huge mess I don't have much room to move furniture... If you could do a video in the future on how to tackle this problem I would appreciate it. Looked into a vacuum system but it's just way too expensive just to use one time don't have anywhere to store it after I'm done. Up the good work you're awesome 💖

Like the second one, I use vice grips, using the round curve.

Vise grips work well, too. With the rounded jaws.

I am getting ready to remove these nails today 🎉

Crescent makes a nail pulling plier (NP11) that works fantastic on everything from narrow gauge brads to 4" spikes due to its large rounded head . It's a single purpose tool, but if you're pulling fasteners regularly, it's the most effective non-powered tool I've found.

Subscriber and always enjoy your content. Could really use some advice on water stain on ceiling. Some say bleach what do you say. Thank you and keep up the great work.

We use staples into plywood edges, if they go wrong I don’t feel i will have enough grip with the linesman pliers. At least nog without squeezing my butt off. So i always reach for the bullnose option. In a 350-ish millimeter long format though. It took me a few weeks, but now I hardly ever snip any of them of. Muscle memory training I guess. The channel locks look a great option to me, however the staples are in line with the wood so I’d have to try and twist them 90degrees before rolling them out. I will give that a go though.

thx

I was thinking how i always use my kliens (jman electrician among other things here haha). Lol didn't expect you to recommend them 🙂Awesome.

❤the videos

Those are great ways to pull nails. I've used all three or four, not because I am smart but because I'd forget to load the channel-locks and all I had was the needle-nose...or the bull-nose or linesman pliers. lol

nail pullers and vise grips. big difference pulling out 16 gauge trim nails in mdf and hand driven trim nails form oak trim.

The previous owner of my house liked to use spiral finishing nails. After the trim comes off, the nails are still firmly attached to the underlying frame, and removing them crushes the drywall.

My method is to just cut/grind off the protruding bits with a cordless angle grinder. Just as fast if not faster then pulling. Why? To not disturb whatever finishing was done on the other side of the trim piece. If that hole was previously filled and painted I don't want to disturb it so I don't have to re-do it.

What works well for carpet staples?

My favorite methods are using your fingers to simply break the nail by bending it back and forth, or the quickest in my opinion is using an oscillator tool it cuts them flush and takes less than a second per one.

I actually learned with the Channel lock method.

I agree, linesman pliers all the way

Where do you buy your t-shirts? Brand?

Is there any way to talk to you about going about putting a new J box in for an outlet in lathe and plaster? It's one task I've been dreading to fix because I don't know how to go about it safely. The old work box that was in it got smashed in.

Channel locks all day. I've got a small pair, home depot brand, stuff in my tool belt just for that purpose. I'm no carpenter. Just own rental properties and find myself replacing a lot of trim

So which way did you recently learn?

VICE GRIPS - EXCELLENT!!

There is a specific nail-puller made by crescent. Looks like a dilophasaur head. It has an additional leverage surface like the fins. These can do most small nails. Don't get that king-fisher beak looking one at Lee Valley, that's no good. The flush pullers tend to cut the nails. You can get a set of channellocks and maybe grind off the sharp side (the other end is already an anvil), that should work well too.

I have been using 10” channel lock pliers and my 3” painters knife (to protect surface) recently for small projects, but I would go for a cut off disk on the angle grinder if I was doing something bigger.

Come to lurk vancouver carpenter hoping for any small snippet of skate content. End up learning everything about dry wall....

I use a multi-tool to just cut the nails. Make sure the remaining is covered well and set.

I was hammering them back out the front.. will switch methods. Thanks 👍

I use side cutters

I would usually stick an m-80 in between the wall and baseboard and Viola! Nail and baseboard removed

I have resorted to vise-grips at times. Lots more setup time.

Info to remove very small (no head) nails from sub flooring?

I definitely think you should grow a beard. Lookin good with the shadow. I've been growing mine for 2 years my wife said she'd leave me if I shaved it lol

Vice grips for me

Any of the ways work pretty good in pine, mdf, any soft woods, try it in old hard pine,oak etc. with old school finish nails

Great tool choices just make sure you put them back before the electrician notices you took them lol Thanks for the video.

I think if you hired an artistic director to create your thumbnails it would increase you subs and viewers. Also, some of your movements are like dance and very yoga looking.. maybe you might like yoga if you've never tried. 😅 Great content! Very detailed and well put together.

Is there a side cutter gang?!😁 that’s my tool of choice. If the nail is broken or short you can get nice and close to the surface.

looking tanned

Well i found out i been doing it the right way all along. Kleins all the way!

Good idea but the brads are what are holding the wood to the frame, and someone was very good at hammering them flush

Lineman's are my fav, anyone got better solutions to hand driven finish nails in stain grade? I usually cut them if I can get them to pull through but it's not a great solution

Pincer pliers should not be sharp enough to be cutters infact they should have about a 1/16th flat to grip the nail, its a modern thing that they have become "end cutters" old school pincers will grip a nail at the surface unlike modern ones. Once you go over about 3" nail length linesman pliers become pretty hard to use especially with decent hardwoods

Funny! Last fall I had to retrim my basement after a flood. The ONLY tool I had that worked was a cheap pair of linesman pliers

Consider dikes. Because they are made to cut wire, they occasionally cut the nail, but not if you are careful. The rounded body gives them lots of leverage. I've found them effective on much larger nails as well.

nice ideas with tools you can probably find at most any worksite, but... somewhere, Project Farm is gently weeping...

and they cut brads because they are sharp. so it cuts the trim nail so it can be filled later if it wont come out. You know this though.

I noticed in this video that you have that huge scar on your right arm, looks like it was a bad injury. Story?

👍👍👍

Was that Edgar Allen poe on your shoes?

I usually use my Bobcat to remove them but hey, whatever works right?

Another proof that lineman's pliers are a hammer. - Just another electrician

Multitool to cut off nails

No you pound the nail out flush backwards and blow a big ugly hole out the front of your trim. Then use a framing hammer to get at the head of the nail, then twist sideways and gouge a couple lines in your trim so that you will see where to put the putty on the face of your trim.

Wellllll.. those long handled janks werent meant for pulling pneumatic nails bud. its meant for pulling a much thicker gauge of nail and in much more dense piece of trim. very common to use those 30 years ago.

I'm curios as to why all of these videos involving "trim" have the cheap MDF trim and not wood.... even paintable base, etc, when we just redid the entire house, we did it with real wood.... not a fan of mdf stuff like that... just me or is it something thats common other places or what?

You always forget to include the #1 easiest way to do things. Get the Vancouver Carpenter to do it for you :)

Been doing that for twenty years. Just use vice grips.

I've never understood why people "pull" the nails out of skirts & arch's. You always increase the risk or likelihood of causing damage by doing this & it takes way too much time. I use an angle grinder & trim the nails off flush on the back which never damages the outside surface & gets a board cleaned up & ready to go in literally seconds.

I just bend them with my fingers really fast until they snap off or try to shove the nails back in the holes 🤣

oscillating saw

I just use a 4 1/2” abrasive cut off tool.