Multiple Fastener Extractor A Powered Tool That Pulls Nails and Screws From Timber for Reuse

This patent describes a powered tool that grips and pulls several fasteners out of a length of material at once, so that timber and other stock can be stripped of nails and screws and put back into use. It comes from Repost Limited, a New Zealand company working on machinery for recovering and reusing building materials.

The Problem

Recovering usable timber from old buildings, pallets, and offcuts is a slow job, and the biggest obstacle is the nails and screws left behind. Pulling them by hand with a claw hammer or pry bar is tiring, damages the wood, and leaves broken shanks buried in the grain. A board studded with fasteners cannot be re-milled or re-sold safely, so a great deal of otherwise sound material is sent to landfill simply because de-nailing it is not worth the labour. Any machine that automates the task has to locate fasteners spread unevenly along a piece, grip each one firmly, and draw it straight out without tearing the surrounding material.

What This Invention Does

The tool sets out to extract multiple fasteners distributed over the length of a piece of material in a controlled, powered sequence. It combines a clamp, one or more powered actuators, and a set of separators. The clamp has two clamping members carrying a pair of fastener-engaging surfaces that move between an open position and a clamping position, where they close on the exposed head or shank of a fastener and apply a gripping force. A powered actuator drives the clamping members back and forth between open and closed so each fastener can be caught in turn. Once a fastener is held, the separators move the material away from the clamp, drawing the fastener out of the wood rather than pulling the wood off the fastener. Because the design handles fasteners one after another along the length of the stock, a whole board can be de-nailed in a single automated pass instead of one laborious pull at a time.

Key Features

• Powered clamping jaws. Two clamping members with fastener-engaging surfaces close on a nail or screw and hold it under a controlled clamping force.
• Reciprocating actuator. A powered actuator moves the jaws between open and clamping positions so fasteners can be gripped one after another.
• Separator mechanism. Separators pull the material away from the clamped fastener, extracting it cleanly without splitting the surrounding wood.
• Handles multiple fasteners. The system is built to work along the full length of a piece of stock, removing many fasteners in sequence.
• Built for material recovery. The tool is aimed at reclaiming timber and similar material so it can be reused rather than discarded.

Who Is Behind It

The applicant is Repost Limited, a New Zealand company focused on tools and systems for recovering building materials. The named inventors are Gregory Coppell and Tom Te Heu Heu. This filing is a divisional application from an earlier related Australian application, which is common when an applicant wants separate protection for a particular aspect of a broader invention.

Why It Matters

Construction and demolition waste is one of the largest waste streams in most countries, and timber makes up a big share of it. Making it fast and cheap to strip fasteners from used wood turns a disposal problem into a supply of reclaimed lumber, which supports building reuse and the wider circular economy. A machine that automates de-nailing lowers the labour cost that currently makes recovery uneconomic, so more material can be saved rather than burned or buried.

Related Concepts

• Reclaimed lumber – the recovered timber this tool is designed to produce.
• Fastener – the nails and screws the tool grips and pulls.
• Actuator – the powered component that drives the clamping jaws.
• Circular economy – the reuse model that material recovery supports.
• Construction waste – the waste stream that timber recovery helps reduce.

---

AU 2026202004 was published in the Australian Official Journal of Patents on 9 April 2026 and is open for public inspection. Patent applications represent inventions that are sought to be protected and do not necessarily reflect commercially available products.