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  • Heh, no problem.

    I could saw it up but I've got time on my side and I want to dispose of it nicely. That means separating wood from metal (screws). Smashing/sawing it would make it harder to dispose of at the local tip as they're pretty picky about rejecting wood if it's filled with screws/nails, it just goes in the 'general waste' bin instead. It's 15' x 20' so a fair amount.

    Initial attempts at getting the screws out shows I shouldn't have much of a problem. In the 50 or so I've taken out already there was only one that I stripped the head, and I was choosing some of the nastiest looking ones too, the vast majority will be very simple. I did the first 30 odd by hand with a screwdriver with a square head bit, then 20 with the drill before the battery died. The decking was here when we moved in 13 years ago and it's rotting in various places (and I've never powerwashed it) enough that I've put my foot through a couple of times.

    The frame might be a different story as it is nailed together from what I've uncovered so far, but if those nails are just at the ends of the main runners/joists then I can deal with those bits separately with a saw or a big fucking hammer.

    I was more surprised that there doesn't seem to be a concept of a corded screwdriver. I get that cordless is great for most applications but I guess 800+ screws is a bit niche and any battery solution is going to struggle with that. I also don't want to spend £100 on a cordless solution where a £25 corded solution will work fine. I don't need to use this as a starting point for acquiring a large good quality power tool selection.

  • I had some scaffolders in who were trying to take up a bit of the decking, rounding all the screwheads with their cordless drills, cursing the lack of crowbar. So I ended up doing it for them with a cheap ratcheting screwdriver. Took a bit of effort and gave me blisters, but there were only a couple that wouldn't come out. Wrenching the boards up as they were trying to do just made it harder as the screws got bent. It wasn't 500 but it was a decent box full.

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