De-Nailing may be the Most Valuable Step in Processing Reclaimed Wood

Every piece of reclaimed wood we receive at our mill shop goes through the de-nailing process. And, every employee working at Tuscarora has been through, and still works on, de-nailing. So, why would this process be a thorn in our side? It’s the inescapable reality that nearly all barn wood brought to our shop will have nails and this reclaimed lumber can’t be processed until ALL the nails are removed – by HAND.

In order to get every inch of quality reclaimed wood out of the raw material we receive, the nails have to be removed by hand. You won’t find anything pretty about this process. It can be frustrating, even painful at times, working with hammer and chisel to remove nails embedded into the hardwood. The square nails found in this age of wood often become brittle over time. Our metal detectors will indicate a nail even though it can’t been seen until we chisel down into the wood.

Once all the nails are removed the reclaimed wood cycles seamlessly through our mill shop. If a nail is missed and goes through the mill shop it could cause havoc. At best the nail will only cause the lumber to be unusable or it may break or bend saw blades. Possibly worse, a nail may put our mill equipment out of service for a time. So, even though de-nailing can be an undesirable task, it’s completely necessary in order to take this raw reclaimed barn wood and mill it into some of the most beautifully elegant flooring and custom hardwood products available.