Automated/power tool way to remove staples from wooden electrical posts?

August 7, 2024 12:16 AM

Is there some kind of power tool that speeds the process of removing staples from wooden electrical posts? These are the kind of staples left by a staple gun, used to hold layer upon layer of event flyers affixed to the posts, or wooden surfaces. Even when all flyers are removed, one is left with hundreds of wayward staples.

Maybe not this many...https://i.redd.it/pezfz1mzbzk01.jpg but you get the idea. [Already tried some web searches, of course.]

posted by 4midori to Grab Bag (14 answers total)

If there are so many staples that levering them out one by one with a woodworking chisel the same width as a staple is too much work, my next pick would be a flap sanding disc attached to an angle grinder. This would leave the staple legs embedded in the wood, but if the aim is simply to prepare the surface to be able to receive more poster paste or staples, that probably wouldn't matter.

A chisel alternative I've also used for this job is a large flat-blade screwdriver with the blade tip sharpened on a grinding wheel (this is basically a shiv, so be careful where you use it lest you get busted for carrying an offensive weapon).

With either that or the chisel, the blade has to be just wide enough so that when pushed under a staple it spans the entire gap between the legs. That way, pushing and/or twisting the blade will lift the legs straight up and out of the wood rather than bending them, which tends to leave one leg stuck.
posted by flabdablet at 3:18 AM on August 7

I used one of these nail pullers to get hundreds of staples out of a floor - I did not know it’s meant to be for nails, but it worked great. Does require some grip strength, but less than the other methods I tried.
posted by IridescentMoth at 3:33 AM on August 7

What about having a magnet handy to catch the staples as they are removed?
posted by serendipityrules at 4:54 AM on August 7

As you have probably found, the term of art is fence or fencing pliers. I didn't see any power tools, though. These tools are designed to give you greater mechanical advantage once the staple is high enough to get a grip. I didn't see any tool to use when the staple is driven deep in the wood.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:27 AM on August 7

Even when all flyers are removed, one is left with hundreds of wayward staples.

I had a new roof put on my house a couple years ago and stressed the importance of making sure the yard was free from sharp debris after the job because of my small dogs. He assured me it would be fine, they have a plan. After day 1 when everything was littered with nails and sundry you can imagine my concern.

But! At the end of day 2 they cleaned up and ran a magnetic sweeper over my entire yard, and it was absolutely spotless. I'm sure they picked up pre-roof crap I didn't even know was there.

So, no advice for removing the staples, but 10/10 recommend the magnetic sweeper for cleanup afterwards. That thing was so cool.
posted by phunniemee at 5:36 AM on August 7

Look into “vampliers” — they’re a type of pliers with hardened teeth ground into the nose, such that they can grab screw heads and rip the screws out. They’d make fairly easy work of staples, being sharp enough to dig into the wood if need be.
posted by aramaic at 8:53 AM on August 7

What is the goal here? Do you need the staple legs removed or is it enough to grind/sand off the heads as Flabdablet suggests?
posted by LarryC at 1:17 PM on August 7

@LarryC - ideally, removing the full staples.
posted by 4midori at 1:23 PM on August 7

The most logical tool for removing staples is a staple remover. Not a power tool, but very effective at removing staples quickly. It's the 'proper' version of a sharpened screwdriver or chisel, but more effective because it's designed for the job. If you're careful, you will end up with very few staples left with one leg stuck in - these can be removed with a pair of pliers.

The main thing is the make sure the remover is central with the staple, so it pulls both legs out together. Watch for the staple pulling out unevenly and, if so, move the remover across a bit to put more pressure on the side not coming out.
posted by dg at 8:40 PM on August 7

There are professional/industrial staple removers used by upholsterers and the like!

Here's some at Bostitch Office Supply and Lowe's.

They've got several designs and some of them have magnetic tips.
posted by panhopticon at 10:17 PM on August 7

Some of these are more industrial and would definitely do the trick.
posted by panhopticon at 10:26 PM on August 7

I dunno, everyone's linking to 'proper' staple removers, but it sounds like OP is dealing with a too-high density of staples to be able to get a proper prying angle on each one. To pry out a staple in one piece you need full access and the right angle to pry from. And even then, prying often doesn't work out when the two legs went in splayed, like when one hits an obstacle that the other didn't. Like when there's already a million existing staples.

How about a set of slide hammer locking pliers? The idea is that you lock the pliers on whatever you can get a grip on (full, partial staple) and then give a sharp yank. If it breaks, no biggie, you can clamp on the stub.

If you want more automated, and flabdablet's angle grinder suggestion is no good, then how about an oscillating tool with a carbide attachment? You could 'shear' the surface of the pole. Carbide is a requirement here, don't think normal carbon steel would last very long against staples. This would still leave the stalks of the staples embedded, but you can get it arbitrarily smooth. If new staples are going to be replacing the old, then it probably won't matter.
posted by Rhomboid at 1:45 AM on August 8

Depending on the end goal encapsulation may be more time efficient (this is what my city has done though they used formed metal that one has to tape flyers to).

Procure/make some slats around an 1" wide and 1/2" thick (maybe rip strips off a price of 5/4ths decking). Cedar is a good choice between weather resistance, staple driving/holding ability, and splinter resistance. Place them around the pole vertically (kind like a wood barrel) wide side flat against pole. Hold in place with some aluminum tie wire.

Before installing lay a couple lengths of duct tape face up on a table and then lay the strips on the tape (90 degress to the tape). This will hold the cedar strips together while you tie them to the pole (tape side between pole and slats).

If you wanted to get fancy one could chamfer the edges to minimize gaps.

Viola: a clean surface and when the staples build up again you can just cut the wire and put new slats on.

Slats could also be screwed or nailed on though you would have to do a lot of pre drilling of the slats.
posted by Mitheral at 6:49 AM on August 8

another slide hammer type option without the locking pliers, but it can be hammered in to remove hard to grip staples/nails
posted by onya at 10:59 AM on August 8