metal detection

[bandmiller2]

Has anyone tried to find tramp metal with one of those airport security wands ,might be handy if they work.Frank C.

[John_Haylow]

Hi Frank.
I have a hand held Lumber Wizard that is suppost to work down to a depth of 6".There are probably better units as these retail for about $100 and more for woodworking.
John

[scsmith42]

Frank, a couple of years ago I was up at Mark Stricklands place (GA_Boy), and Craig Blake (Captain) was there also.  Someone had brought one of the airport wands which we compared with some of the higher quality metal detectors.

The airport wand did detect metal, but only at a very shallow depth (around 1" as I recall).  The unit that we tested was not as good as a more traditional (ie expensive) detector.

Mark or Craig may have a more detailed memory than I; my main recollection was that it was only suitable if run over the log prior to every pass for a 4/4 board.

Granted this may have been an older wand - it was not a scientific study.

Scott

[pineywoods]

Kids gave me a harbor freight wand type detector. It sorta works, but I wouldn't depend on it finding anything more than a couple inches deep. However it works well for finding the bolt-washer-nut-etc that I'm forever dropping in the sawdust under the mill  ;D

[brdmkr]

I have a bounty hunter detector.   I don't know what model.  It cost about 150 or so.  I really don't know how deep it will detect, but I have not hit metal since I started using it.  I have had to cull some logs that I could not dig to the metal with chisels and an axe (metal was over 4").  I have not done any tests with it to know how deep it will probe.  No more than I saw, it seems like a decent choice.