this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2025
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They do NOT protrude on the other side.

EDIT: I should have mentioned that I WAS able to pry some of them out. It was just super difficult.

all 44 comments
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[–] squinky@sh.itjust.works 19 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I think you said pliers weren’t doing the job. Grab them with vice grips (locking pliers) and use the claw side of a hammer to pull them off like a nail.

[–] khannie@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

That is smart AF

[–] MapleEngineer@lemmy.world 24 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Those look like brads to me. They may have been glued brads. I use channel lock pliers to pull them out. The curved jaw gives good leverage.

[–] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 9 points 4 days ago

Brilliant! I actually have exactly this. Cheers!

[–] Twinklebreeze@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

This is exactly what I used. Worked perfect.

[–] gedaliyah@lemmy.world 26 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I'd just grab em with some pliers. Maybe needlenose depending on how small and how the space is.

[–] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 10 points 4 days ago (5 children)

They have stubbornly defeated my plier-based efforts

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 11 points 4 days ago

Maybe try some vice grips?

[–] blockheadjt@sh.itjust.works 6 points 4 days ago

Use another tool to act as a fulcrum so you can use the pliers as a lever

What if you were to use a hammer also? Like, use it like you would to remove a nail, but put a pair of vice grips right above the claw to keep it from just sliding

[–] gedaliyah@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Is it possible that they are brads from a nail gun? Are there tiny marks on the opposite side? Those nails don't have heads you can grip, but you wouldn't be able to pull them through.

If so, you may be able to push them back where they came from using the pliers.

[–] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

There is absolutely no sign of them on the other side

[–] Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Ok so we know what is not there on the other side.... what is there on the other side?

I use needle nose pliers, grab the brad as close to the hinge as possible and flat against the board. Then, grab tight and use the tip of the pliers as a fulcrum.

[–] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 16 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Pair of linesman pliers or needle nose vise grips a block of something to create leverage and use that lever.

[–] CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world 12 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Angle grinder will take care of those in seconds!

[–] dalekcaan@feddit.nl 2 points 4 days ago

Yeah, if having the cutoff bits of metal in the wood isn't a problem, I've done the same thing with an oscillating tool with a metal saw

[–] prex@aussie.zone 1 points 4 days ago

Found the boilermaker.

[–] FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io 7 points 4 days ago

Needle nose pliers

[–] InfinitiZEr0@programming.dev 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Use this type of hammer and pull with claw side.

[–] nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

yea jam the claw in there and pull the hammer to the side, like you are laying it down against the wood surface. the edge of the claw will grip the softer metal when you tilt it sideways, and the handle of the hammer will act as a lever. one time i shit my pants for no reason

[–] Dorkyd68@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Needle nose pliers or dykes

[–] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] finalarbiter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 days ago

They mean diagonal cutters or flush cutters. Dyke is an unfortunate shortening of diagonal here, there is no actual relationship to the slur afaik.

[–] ganksy@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

I always use end nippers. They look like something a horse farrier would use to trim hooves. They have a round face so you can grab at the base of the nail and rock it back with ease. Nothing I have found beats them for speed and ease of use when you're pulling nails/staples through the back of wood.

If you want to do minimal damage, try backing them out the front side with vice grips like another commenter suggested.

[–] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

They aren’t at all visible on the front if they are even there. I don’t think they even come through on the front. I’m definitely adding the nippers to my list.

[–] blackbrook@mander.xyz 1 points 3 days ago

If they really are staples snip one leg off before trying to pull the other through with vice grips or a levering technique others suggested. But how can they be staples with the bar not showing on the other side? Is this panel 2 laminated panels?

[–] lemjukes@sopuli.xyz 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Probably too late but at this point I would suggest just worrying them back and forth or just snip them and then hammer or file em flat. Those look like 18g narrow crown staples to me and any version of pulling them means you have a much higher chance of damaging the board a little.

[–] uhmbah@lemmy.ca 3 points 4 days ago

Straighten them out. Cut them leaving no less than 1/4". Then hammer them through the other side. Then use your channel locks to pull them out.

I've saved hundreds of sheets of plywood doing this.

[–] Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

Looks like cramps, because they look like pairs here. You can only pull them from the other side.

If you can't grab them, lift them up on this side first and push them back a little.

[–] Peppycito@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago

I'd call them crown staples. Putting vise grips on the end to keep it straight and tapping it with a hammer can work sometimes to get it through the other side. Pulling it straight through this side will probably damage the wood. Probably pest to just cut them flush and move on.

[–] quid_pro_joe@infosec.pub 1 points 4 days ago

I think you're right, I encountered these once and ended up breaking them off at the surface because I couldn't pull them through, even with vice grips. That looks like real wood too

[–] underline960@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago

If pliers didn't do the job, I would cut them at the base and sand them down to be smooth and flush with the wood.

[–] ganksy@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Sometimes the wood closes over them after the last sanding when assembled.

[–] ciberConas3000@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

A Dremel would cut those out nicely.

[–] JollyG@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

If you don't care about metal in the wood, the you could use a pair of diagonal cutters to snip them flush with the wood rather than try to extract them.

[–] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago

I care SO much. It’s not in me to leave a perceived problem unsolved in my own home.

[–] WhiteOakBayou@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Knock them backwards/through or grind them off.

[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

brads or finishing staples tend to be set below grade on wood. if you back them out the way they went in, you have about a 100% chance to blow out a chunk of wood on your finished side.

use end nippers, needlenose vice grips, or channel locks to pull them through the rest of the way. the staples/brads are designed to go one direction.

if you're pulling them out of another finished side, you can use a flatbar under your nippers to protect the wood and roll against the flatbar. you could probably use some thick leather or rubber too.

[–] fxdave@lemmy.ml 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Aren't they nails? If you don't mind leaving them in the wood you can just break down their outside part.

[–] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

They seem too thin a gauge to be nails

A nail gun can shoot finish nails that are extremely thin, where the head is barely even visible on the other side, and can be covered up with just a dab of wax so that they vanish completely.