A claw bar is a small steel crowbar with a hook on one end used for prying or pulling. It can be used in construction to remove nails and take apart wooden structures. Claw bars come in different shapes and sizes for various applications and can be purchased for under $30 USD. They have alternative uses in fire fighting and railway maintenance. Claw bars have been used for over 100 years and were originally used for removing nails and bolts from train tracks.
A claw bar is a long metal bar with a hook on one end that is forked so it can grip an object when prying or pulling. It is a type of small steel crowbar, usually about 1 cm long. Generally used in construction, claw bars can take apart wooden structures and remove nails. Most claw bars can be purchased at hardware stores for under $30 US Dollars (USD). Alternative uses for claw bars can be found in fire fighting and railway maintenance.
The bent head of a claw bar comes in a variety of shapes. Cat paw bars are shaped like a J, with cupped heads only 1cm long. The claws are sharp and have a notch in the middle to catch the nail heads without damaging the surrounding wood.
If the head is shaped more like an L and is longer, about 3 cm, then one speaks of bear claw bars. Bear claw bars have special wedge-shaped heads. The flat side can be hit by a hammer to drive the claw bar deep to break off boards or other materials.
The shape of a claw’s tail depends on its use. A bar puller, used to extract nails, has an easy-to-grip handle. A crowbar has a blunt tail that can be wedged between materials and used to take apart wooden structures. For the removal of larger and longer nails, double-ended nail bars, with a 90° angled head and a 30° angled tail, may be helpful.
The length of a claw also depends on its application. Claw bars used to gently remove nails from wood that is to be reclaimed tend to be smaller than the claw bars used in demolition. To remove the mold, a claw rod about 30 cm long should be sufficient. Claw bars up to one meter (91 cm) long may be required to rip decking.
Stock 12-inch (30.5cm) steel claw bars are typically under $15 USD. Specialty claw bars that are extendable or have more features can be ordered online for less than $50 USD. Titanium claw bars are incredibly light and strong, but also incredibly expensive, costing up to $150 USD depending on their size.
Claw bar tools have been used for over 100 years. One of their original uses was for removing nails and bolts from train tracks. Firefighters also use a modified claw that looks like a crook on one side and a fork on the other. The tool is primarily used for picking locks and for forcing entry in order to get emergency personnel into locked facilities.
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