The Two-Detector Workflow: How to Use the Wizard 5 and Little Wizard 2.5 Together

Most woodworkers start with one metal detector. The serious ones end up with two.

Not because one isn't good enough — but because the Wizard 5 and the Little Wizard 2.5 are designed for different parts of the same job. Used together in sequence, they give you coverage that neither provides alone.

Here's the workflow.

Why Two Detectors?

The Wizard 5 is built for speed and width. Its 5" scan head covers wide boards quickly, and the laser line pinpoints metal with precision. For the broad faces of boards and beams, it's the fastest tool available.

But the Wizard 5 has geometry working against it at edges, ends, and tight spots. The scan head is wide by design — which makes it fast on open surfaces and awkward in corners.

The Little Wizard 2.5 has an angled detection head designed for exactly those situations. Narrow, maneuverable, and sensitive enough for close-surface edge work. It's not faster on wide boards — but in the places where the Wizard 5 struggles, it excels.

The workflow puts each tool where it wins.

The Two-Detector Workflow

Step 1: Fresh battery in both units

Don't compromise here. A weak battery reduces sensitivity — often without any sign it's happening. If you're running both detectors through a scanning session, fresh batteries in both before you start.

Step 2: Wizard 5 — scan both faces

Power on the Wizard 5 and let it auto-tune (5 seconds, away from metal). Then scan the first face of the board with slow, overlapping passes. The 5" scan width means three or four passes covers most lumber widths cleanly.

When the Wizard 5 alerts:

• Stop immediately
• Use the laser line to mark the exact location on the board surface
• Note the position and continue the pass
• After the full face is scanned, extract all flagged metal and re-scan to confirm

Flip the board and repeat on the second face. Metal sitting closer to the opposite face can be missed on a one-sided scan.

Step 3: Little Wizard 2.5 — scan all four edges

This is where the workflow earns its keep. Once the Wizard 5 has cleared both faces, take the Little Wizard 2.5 and run it along:

• Both long edges
• Both ends (end grain)

Hold the angled head flush to the edge surface and move slowly. Edge nails are extremely common — especially in framing lumber, barn wood, and pallet boards where fasteners were driven near the edge to join boards to stringers or studs. Learn more about why pallet wood is the riskiest lumber in your shop.

The Little Wizard's LED bar graph gives you real-time signal strength feedback, so you can sweep slowly and watch for any rise in signal even before the audible alert triggers.

Step 4: Little Wizard 2.5 — follow up on any Wizard 5 alerts

When the Wizard 5 flags metal on a face, use the Little Wizard 2.5 to pinpoint it more precisely before extraction. The compact head gives you finer control around the alert zone, and it's useful for checking whether a fastener has a shank running toward an edge that the face scan may not have fully mapped.

Step 5: Final pass before the planer or jointer

One last pass with the Wizard 5 on the face going down before each machine run. Confirmation takes 15 seconds. Skipping it costs you a blade set. Find out exactly what skipping a scan actually costs.

Where Each Detector Does Its Best Work

Wizard 5:

• Wide board faces
• Beams and slabs
• High-volume scanning
• Laser-precise metal location

Little Wizard 2.5:

• Long edges and end grain
• Narrow trim and molding
• Tight spots and corners
• Follow-up pinpointing after a Wizard 5 alert
• Secondary scanning station (bench use while Wizard 5 is at the saw)

The Workflow in Practice

For a typical reclaimed board, the full two-detector scan takes under three minutes:

1. Wizard 5 — face one: ~45 seconds
2. Flip — face two: ~45 seconds
3. Little Wizard 2.5 — four edges: ~60 seconds
4. Extract and re-scan any alerts: variable
5. Final face confirmation: ~15 seconds

For a shop processing reclaimed lumber regularly, that three minutes per board is the difference between confident milling and expensive surprises. See our full guide on the best metal detectors for woodworking in 2026 for how these tools compare to everything else on the market.

Getting the Bundle

The Lumber Wizard 5 + Little Wizard 2.5 Bundle includes both detectors at a better value than buying separately — everything you need for the complete two-detector workflow.

Shop Wizard Detectors

• Lumber Wizard 5 — Laser Guided Woodworking Metal Detector
• Little Wizard 2.5 — Compact Woodworking Metal Detector
• Lumber Wizard 5 + Little Wizard 2.5 Bundle

About this article: This article was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by Wizard Industries, Inc. for accuracy based on our experience designing and selling woodworking metal detectors since 1999.