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Maximize Your Hammer Power

A hammer isn’t the best tool to pull a nail, but since it’s already in your hand, use it. Ram the claw into the nail shank as close as possible to the wood and rock it sideways. Then repeat the process, pulling the nail about 1/2 in. each time. You develop terrific pulling power, enough to extract even those tough cement-coated or galvanized nails, without straining your hammer handle or arm.

Because the hammer claw grabs the nail’s shank, this method usually works even when the nail head has broken off. But it has a couple of drawbacks. The edge of the head will bite into and dent the wood. If you don’t want to mar the surface, slide a 1/4-in.-thick piece of wood under the edge before pulling.

Also, a worn claw might slip on the shank and not deliver any pull. And finally, the pulling power can be so great that the nail shank might break before the nail lets go. At that point, either clip it flush to the wood with a side-cutting pliers and leave it, or saw through it.

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Protect Those Finished Surfaces With a Block

Shove a block of scrap wood under the hammer head to protect delicate surfaces, like cedar decking. The block also gives the hammer claw better leverage, so you can often rock the hammer directly back on its head rather than sideways.

But beware, this isn’t always the best option. Use this straight pull only on nails that come out fairly easily or aren’t driven deeply. Otherwise you could break a wooden-handled hammer. Although you can yank a lot harder on hammers with a fiberglass or steel handle, you’ll find it’s a lot easier to use a sideways pull.