Seeking metal detector recommendations

[Gerald Rutledge]

As the topic says, I am looking for recommendations for one of the wand-style metal detectors so that I don't try to turn a nail and end up with a face full of mostly-wood. Looked at a Lumber Wizard 5 a few minutes ago, was a bit concerned by a few of the reviews, but most are very positive. There are competitors (Garrett, and 30 no-name entrants, at least) to the LW, of course; otherwise, I wouldn't need any insight from the collective.

 

[Dean Center]

My late friend, a woodturner and electrical engineer and generally well informed guy, was not confident they would find deeply embedded nails and screws. Using one could give you a false sense of security and allow you to turn off your blue-black stain/why is that there sensor.

 

[Brian Gustin]

Yeah I doubt a metal detector would do much for deeply embedded nails in logs - for flatwork and reclaimed lumber, that'd be great to have, but for turning blanks, I'd just keep an eye out for any odd staining (I learned the hard way - metal detector would not have found the old iron nail in that piece of apple, but I saw the staining without realizing what it meant long before I hit the nail and ruined the edge of my gouge , having to grind away almost 1/8" of length to clean it up again)

 

[Gerald Rutledge]

Thanks, Dean and Brian. I do have multiple uses for one, not just for turning, but I appreciate the words of caution.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

You might be able to detect the blank periodically as you turn it down.

 

[John Hicks]

It's usually the chainsaw that finds the metal first. My lumber wizard has saved a few chainsaw chains.

 

[David Morrish]

As the topic says, I am looking for recommendations for one of the wand-style metal detectors so that I don't try to turn a nail and end up with a face full of mostly-wood. Looked at a Lumber Wizard 5 a few minutes ago, was a bit concerned by a few of the reviews, but most are very positive. There are competitors (Garrett, and 30 no-name entrants, at least) to the LW, of course; otherwise, I wouldn't need any insight from the collective.

The detector with the highest ratings among those wand/disk metal detectorists when pinpointing a small find is the Garrett 1140900 Pro-Pointer - Waterproof Pinpointing Metal Detector, Orange. I use it to find nails and it even squawks for rust particles.

 

[Kent Jaffrey]

I just picked up this one and used it on a log that I was told had embedded nails. It was able to detect them fairly well, and it was inexpensive to boot.
I don’t see using it on the blanks so much as on logs. Once I see a dark stain it will hopefully show me the metal causing the stain.
Zircon metal detector

 

[Mike Johnson]

A wand style metal detector will be somewhat limited in the depth of detection depending on the size and type of metal, a metal detector with a larger diameter coil will have a greater range in depth detecting metal objects buried in a log.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I just picked up this one and used it on a log that I was told had embedded nails. It was able to detect them fairly well, and it was inexpensive to boot.
I don’t see using it on the blanks so much as on logs. Once I see a dark stain it will hopefully show me the metal causing the stain.
Zircon metal detector

I'm sure that the ad was supposed to say "Lath", but a spelling error turned out to be providential:

Zircon MetalliScanner m40- Handheld Electronic Metal Detector Use on Dry Wall, Concrete, Lathe and Plaster, Stucco and More, Battery Included​