How to Find Metal in Used Lumber
Your safety could become compromised if you overlook metal stuck inside of used lumber. Remove all metal from lumber before reusing or recycling. Avoid accidents by scanning lumber for metal before beginning your project. An unplanned piece of metal in your used lumber may ruin your project plans.
Supply List
- Metal Detector
- Pliers
- Place your used lumber in a neat pile near your workstation. Turn on your overhead work light to create a bright work area. Grab each piece of lumber one by one and put on top of your work table.
- Visually inspect each piece of lumber for any nails or other metal objects. Only those metal objects that are partially sticking out of the wood will be easy to spot.
- After the visual inspection, lay each piece of lumber onto the ground. Turn on your metal detector. Slowly pass the metal detector over the used lumber.
- If the detector signals that metal has been found, mark the area on the lumber. Stack all the lumber with metal inside off to the side for now. Complete metal detector inspection for all pieces of lumber.
- Return to your stack of lumber with metal lodged inside. Locate the end of the metal object and remove with your pliers. A firm grip will likely be needed to completely remove the metal pieces.
- Repeat the metal detector inspection on all pieces of lumber once more to verify that the metal removal was successful. Once complete, work on your project may commence once again.