For those among us who like to recycle wood, the perpetual problem is getting the embedded fasteners out of the wood. Some of the nails and screws have rusted right into the wood fibers, and pulling them is impossible because they’ve lost their heads long ago. To dig them out without making a mess of the surrounding material, I turn to my homemade hole saw. As shown in the drawing, I use a hacksaw and a triangular file to put teeth on the end of a length of ¼-in. steel pipe. Then I use a reamer to give the teeth a little set.
If you don’t have a length of 1/4-in. steel pipe, you can use copper pipe instead. Better yet, try a push rod. The best hole saw I’ve made so far started out as a push rod from a diesel engine. I cut the rod in half and put teeth on the hollow center section of the rod. The steel is thin and takes a sharp edge.
Don Stevenson, Woodland, WA
