How Much Does a House Weigh Part 3: Wrecking Bar Basics

I was going to go into detail about all the tools I use for starting a building restoration project.  Then it occurred to me that I had seen an article that covered the basics on the basics.  Wrecking bars.  I found it in a January 1985 edition of The Family Handyman. I’m too busy this month to write a better article myself, so will plagiarizer A. J. Hand, the author.  I think A. J. Hand and the magazine did a very good job of going over the basics of wrecking bars. here’s what he wrote with some modernization in the way of internet links:

A journey of a thousand miles may begin with a single step, but most home repairs and improvements begin with several backward steps. Before you can put in a new window, you have to rip out the old one. Before you can lay a new floor, you’ll have to pry off your baseboards and shoe moldings. And adding a new wing usually means taking down an entire wall.
Those first few backward steps are not the most rewarding part of the job. You want to get them over with so you can get on with the constructive work. At the same time, however, you want to work gently so you can save and reuse most of the parts you are removing.

What’s the secret to fast but careful demolition? The correct tools, used correctly. The group photo shows all the wrecking tools you’ll ever need for home use. A well-stocked hardware store will have all or most of them. The basic rule for choosing the right tool for any job is to go with the smallest, gentlest tool that effectively does the work. If you are removing trim, for example, one of Stanley’s Wonderbars (left in lead photo)[A] is a good bet. These are very slim so they slip in neatly between two wooden parts. They are also extra wide so they don’t usually dent or crush your work when you pry with them. The smaller of the two is great for light work, but the tips are blunt. Grinding them to a knife edge improves the delicacy of the tool 100 percent.
Next step up in power is a pry bar such as the two shown in the photo next to the Wonderbars [B]. These tools also have thin business ends, but they are husky enough to be struck with a hammer. This strength allows you to drive them between stubborn parts. Once in place, they give you plenty of leverage for prying things apart. These are the ideal tools for jobs such as removing siding.
Next to the pry bars are two traditional cane-shaped wrecking [C]bars. These are another step up in power, suited to jobs like tearing apart framing, where you can accept a certain amount of cosmetic damage to your stock. A wrecking bar with a double head (center [D]) or offset head (not shown) has just as much power, but spreads its prying force over a larger area and is less likely to break the parts you are trying to separate. The double head is also perfect for prying decks and sheathing from 2×4 framing members.
In most wrecking work, it’s fairly easy to gain access to the nails you want to pull. You can either pry or pound the parts apart slightly to get things started. Then you tap the face piece back down, leaving the nail head sticking up where almost any tool can pry it loose.

Sometimes, however, you can’t get at the nail that easily. To the right of the double-headed wrecking bar are three tools that solve that problem. First are a pair of cat’s paws [E]. These have sharp, curved claws that dig into the wood around a nail head. Using a hammer, drive the claws down under the head, then pry the nail free.
Cat’s paws can really chew up your stock. A much neater tool is the nail puller next to the cat’s paws[F]. This tool is expensive about $30 — but it really does the job once you get the feel of it. I once used one to remove the plywood sheathing from an entire house. Any other tool would have taken much more time, and probably would have destroyed much of the sheathing in the process.
At the far right of the photo is a 20-oz. ripping hammer [G an Estwing]. Its straight claws are far easier to use than the conventional curved claw, and its extra-long handle gives you more nail-pulling leverage.
At the bottom is a 5-ft. crowbar. Use this tool when you need the utmost in leverage, and don’t care about damaging the materials you are removing.

Ripping tricks
No matter which wrecking bar you are using, you can reduce the damage to your work — and often increase leverage — by slipping a small block of wood under the fulcrum point. Several blocks of different thickness or a single multi-step block will help you handle any situation.
If you are having trouble with finishing nails in trim work, don’t try to pull the nails at all. Instead, just drive them on through with a slim punch or nail set. — A. J. Hand

 

I agree with a lot of what the article says and would only add to some of the advice.  One trick I use is vise grips.  Often if a nail is stubborn, the nail head will come off before the nail is pulled out, or you’re trying to pull a finishing nail through the backside of a trim board.  Grab the nail with a pair of vise grips and lock the pliers as tight as you can set them.  then use the pry-bar or hammer claw to pull the vise grips off the board – the nail comes out too.

Wrecking Paper by Making Books

[openbook booknumber=”ISBN:9780743297332″ templatenumber=”1″ publisherurl=”http://www.simonandschuster.com”]I didn’t find this book very educational.  It was fiction.  Maybe that was the first clue?  The sad part is that I didn’t find it entertaining either.  Being a classic, I expected a little more depth to the storyline.  The book is not that long, so I finished it and am moving on to something written before Mr Hemmingway was born.

[openbook booknumber=”OLID:OL6939169M ” templatenumber=”1″]This is the book I’m currently on.  It’s from my lost library collection