We finally unpacked the air tool, put 3-4 drops of the included oil in the air intake and used it on six (6) pallets of decking. (there were nails/staples with protruding pointed ends). The stringers were left alone (there were nails with protruding hats). Use eye and hearing protection. First we used a 1 hr capacity air compressor set at 90 psi. cube feet per minute. We gave up after a deck board because the supercharger was too weak to recover. So we used a different air compressor set at 90 psi, 4 cfm and it worked throughout the project. Next time we'll try a lower pressure, around 65-70 psi. If you press the barrel of the tool against the nail and press it firmly against the wood, the butt/rod will dig into the wood and penetrate about 1/8 inch so its hat comes up the other side at a slight distance. Pull the nail out completely. If you hold the barrel over the nail 1/2 inch above the surface of the wood, the tool won't damage the wood (good if you intend to reuse the wood). If the wood is thin, it can knock the nail out completely. We used a 5 gallon bucket with bubble wrap at the bottom to catch the nails so they don't bounce. We tried pressing the piece of wood against the edge of the bucket and then without touching the bucket. both worked with minimal movement of the tree without touching the bucket. Be careful as the nails turn into projectiles. The compressor kicked on every 1.5 pans and we used that time to add 2 drops to the tool's air intake. It helps a lot if the nails are (mostly) straight. You can use the body of the tool to flatten thinner nails/staples, but use pliers for thicker nails. If thinner nails/staples aren't straight enough, they will "pull" into the wood. Good luck with the removal. Overall the tool worked 100% and we are VERY SATISFIED with its performance.