I’m starting to believe that pulling nails and separating the strips to glue them is a bad idea. Many of the strips are split from nailing and contrary to popular belief, there is glue used in the construction. I can live with the nails in the slab, they’re all at least 3/4 inch down from the surface. My problem is drilling holes for the bolts to secure the end caps. There won’t be a spline, probably a couple of dowels.
I’m thinking of using a small hole saw, then switching to a carbide hole saw when I encounter a nail, I know, that’s really slow. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Replies
You can get carbide-tipped brad point drill bits, although using them to drill through nails would certainly constitute Tool Abuse. If convicted, you might have to do time, with nothing but hand tools crudely fashioned from toothbrush handles.
How about this: Use a slightly undersized carbide-tipped bit (an inexpensive masonry bit, say) first, just to verify that there are no nails in the vicinity of where you want the hole. If there is a nail, pick a new location for the hole. If not, clean up the hole to its final size with a drill more suited to making clean holes in wood (e.g., a Forstner bit).
-Steve
Thanks, Steve. I did consider a masonry bit, but with my luck it would hit a nail and break off. But, a gentle probe with a small masonry bit just might do it. Or leave the ends looking like a termite nest. Most of the nails are about 6" apart. If I can hit a strip that isn't nailed right at the edge, that would work.
What about one of those little hand held metal detectors? Mark all detections with a magic marker and go for a line in-between them. Simple is good.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Edited 8/29/2007 3:18 pm ET by BruceS
Bruce, I think there's a bit too much metal there. Picture a 1X3 on edge, nail another one to it with a nail about every 6 inches. Then add another - and another until we get to the desired width. Also, wherever the board split, just put more nails above and below the split & keep going. I'm sure they're paid by the pounds of nails they use :-) Each strip has a shallow tongue and groove in it and the nails are above and below the tongue. Buggers didn't make it easy. If the detectors were accurate enough to identify a nail in a specific strip, I'd use one. There will be a couple of strips with the nails about 4 or 5 inches back from the end. It's those I have to find, but the adjacent strips will have nails at 1 to 3 inches from the end.
Edited 8/29/2007 4:10 pm ET by Ray
I have an 8' section of bowling alley myself and I think the little lumber Wizzard would work. I'll bring one home from work and give it a try. My alley section does have the milled joint but doesn't seem to be glued, but nailed every 7-8"s.Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Go to the nearest farm supply and get a "Cow Magnet". They are about 1/2-inch in diameter, and 3-inches long. They are forced down cows throats, so that if, (more of a when), they manage to ingest a nail, or old piece of fence wire, it will stick to the magnet and not preforate their stomach.
Set the slab level and then roll the magnet across the top surface. It will stop on every nail.
I use them for finding nails in hardwood flooring. Haven't missed one yet.
AS to drilling the holes, I would suggest a high quality standard old 118-degree, high speed steel, drill bit.
Keep the speed relatively slow, and it should drill through the nail, unless the nails are hardened. Which would greatly surprise me.
I would drill the holes to fit lag screws, and attach the end that way.
Thanks, that's a reasonable, relatively inexpensive solution. There's a Farmer's Co-op about 3 miles down the road. I'm on my way. FWIW, I did learn there are "shipbuilders" drill bits for drilling old timbers that are claimed to be able to go through nails. At $30 each, I'll stick with cheap masonry bits.
Don't be surprised-the nails are hardened, and not only that, lthey are spiraled, damned near impossible to pull out.
If holes need to be drilled count on hittin some of them, because they are about 2.5 inches long and nailed every 8 inches, but staggered as they go along, so infact they are about every 3 inches.
I'm building a bowling alley top also, and have just conceded that I'km gong to use a lot of tools.
Stef
Edited 8/30/2007 10:49 am ET by fatboy2
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