What's a good technique for removing oval head nails from floorboards?

[Peter]

After hacking with a small chisel, and probably damaging my good lindstrom side cutters, and still not getting anything close to what I would call a technique - I figured I would ask what is a good technique for removing oval headed nails from floorboards into joints. I would rather damage the wood as little as possible.

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Hammer them straight through the floorboard into joist.

-- Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

[Chris Bacon]

Difficult. Why are you removing the boards (or how many are you removing)? If you can pull the boards up, the nails will either pull out, or through. There are ways of pulling up boards with minimal damage. You could always use a nail puller - first Google result:

although if the lost head ovals have been punched down the jaws will mark the wood to an extent.

[jacob]

Hammer them through (as per 3rd E of D) or if you pull up the boards pull out any nails from the back - i.e. pull them through without marking the face.

[nightjar]

I usually find they pull through and stay in the joist when I lift the floorboard.

Colin Bignell

[Chris Bacon]

Then they can easily be pulled out, not whacked in!