I searched the archives and I know we have some users with metal detecting expertise. I do a lot of woodworking with reclaimed lumber and barnboard. I’m looking primarily to find nails, etc. before I ruin a saw blade, tenon bit etc.
Lumber Wizard makes one specific to woodworking, I would prefer to have something more water proof and versatile, so I can use it for trapping if needed at the lake, etc. Is the Lumber Wizard just branded to target woodworkers or does it have pin pointing or detection capabilities different from, let’s say a Garett Handheld?

I have used one that my brother uses for metal detecting. Just a run of the mill type you swing back and forth while walking around. It seemed to work well enough. Even find a bullet and lead shot once in a while.

metal detecting is the closest addiction to trappin i've saw in my 51 yrs.

Mine might be woodworking

That's cause it sets off the plate in yur head.

well yeah,but i've come to appreciate the simple things in life anymore.

I have a pint pointer made by this company that I like real well. It can go deeper in water that lot of other pin pointers. I'm sure I could find metal in a board with one I have. This model looks like might do just a bit better at that. Price isn't to out of line either. At least I don't think.

https://www.bigboyshobbies.net/meta...NGFoCql5aLeTAxfR0PQZPIwSO6UaArASEALw_wcB

Mac

I have a Minelab Explorer. Fun hobby for sure.

I have done business with these guys.
https://www.kellycodetectors.com/

Been to their Florida showroom , but they do mail/internet sales too.

A lot cheaper than a helical blade for the planner

Not to mention , a heck of a lot safer too. Better to find something before you find it with the planner. Most times it will just ruin the blade/blades , but sometimes it can cause dangerous results.

I think a common stud finder will find metal too

At the artisan center that I play at IF you bring in any old or un-plained lumber you have to use a metal detector on it.

*You are never to old to Vote.*

Just talked about this yesterday with a guy buys and uses old salvage wood.. I know if you can afford one the big surface sanders can handle few small pieces of metal with out wrecking to much. Not that a person would want to sand full rough stock to dimension. But if your cleaning up previously worked up wood. I've heard the sanders can rock that??? I just have a small 12 inch delta planner. I don't like the idea of any metal nicking even them small blades up..

Mac

I use a garrett pro-pointer for this. My brother was deer hunting last winter, and lost a pistol in the snow while dragging a deer. He ended up strapping the pinpointer to his ankle and found the gun in the deep snow! My vote is to not go cheap, and get the pro-pointer from garrett.

Lots of planer knives are chipped by lumber that "is perfectly clean. I checked".
Even thin gage wire staples can cause chips.
I was at a saw mill and a guy showed me what their metal detector found in one huge log. It was a horseshoe that somebody had hung on a porcelain insulator many, many years ago. They cut the section out and split the piece to find out what was in there.

i have a 40 in across 24 ft long oak log out back that looked sweet till it was detected.not sure if it was used for a telephone pole or not but it had metal enough we couldn't even get a clean 8 footer outta it.do have a table company coming to take sections outta it or id a been firewood already.

My friend hit a piece of barbed wire in lumber he bought at a Home Center- one carbide tip let loose on his table saw blade and stuck in his nose between his safety glasses... you never know--- I might run it across everything once I get it.

The small pinpointers take to much time if you have a lot of wood to check. A regular metal detector works best but you have to run it in all metal, no discrimination, with the sensitivity as high as you can without falsing to get the smallest pieces. The smaller the coil, the more sens it will be also.

I had 2 good sized black cherry trees in my yard , nice and straight too. Called a local sawmill to see if they wanted them. First thing the guy asked me was how close it was to the house. 50 ft. Plenty of room to take them down. He didn't want them because of possible metal. I told him to the best of my knowledge there was no metal in them. He still didn't want them , he was afraid. He told me if there was any metal , the saw blades would just explode.

I cut them down , made firewood.

Trees close to a yard, or in fence rows are not wanted by most mills.