Abstract

A nail extractor advances a spinning drill tube into wood closely around the head of a nail to be extracted. As the drill tube advances into the wood around the nail, it compresses a drilled core of wood between the nail and the inside of the drilling tube. As this compressed core of drilled wood deepens or lengthens, it engages and rotates the nail, spinning the nail free from the wood in which it has been embedded. The spinning drill tube can then be removed with the nail and the compressed core of drilled wood, without touching the nail with the extractor tool. The nail is then preferably ejected from the drill tube by advancing an ejector pin into the drill tube.