I have some old rough sawn oak that has some nails that have rusted in the wood. Do you know of any effective ways of removing the nails without drilling holes around them?
This is a tough one. It’s a problem many builders come across and there isn’t really an easy solution. You could buy or hire a proper nail puller, which might help, but unfortunately often the only way of getting nails out is by drilling around them, particularly if the nails are in oak.