# maple pallets



## wood_chucker (Oct 18, 2012)

So I have cam across a pretty large supply of maple pallets that I hate to get rid of. And was windering if anyone had any good ideas for uses of them. I was thinking cutting boards mallets and such, but I have got a bunch of them lol.

And before the pallet wood is not safe begins. These are good wood. I have worked and the shipping industry a long time. These are not chemically treated. They have been heat treated meaning they were put in a large oven and baked to kill any pests that could be living in them. They only come from Canada not some foriegn land without regulations and such.

So any ideas.


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## bzguy (Jul 11, 2011)

You could make entire kitchen "Euro style".
Using individual boxes made with sheet goods, solid maple doors and edge-banding fall within pallet lengths.
Rip through nail holes if they are a problem.
Maybe one sheet of maple ply for toe-kicks.


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## wood_chucker (Oct 18, 2012)

That is a great idea but I literally just finished a kitchen remodel complete wig banquette and dining table. And I don't want to go back down that road for a while. And yes the nail holes are the problem. I suppose inlays over them would work, but with that many inlays I hunk it would look kind of corny lol. I should of mentioned they are 45 in long.


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## Doomi (Aug 5, 2013)

Whether heat or chemical treated, I personally wouldn't use pallets for anything that needs to be food grade. You just don't know what they have come in contact with. 

That said, if I had a bunch of maple I'd probably build a workbench.


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## wood_chucker (Oct 18, 2012)

Ya I was thinking a workbench too since. I could use the edge grain and the nail holes wouldn't matter. I would like it to be a little longer than 45 in though but I will prob do that. A split top roubo maybe .


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## wood_chucker (Oct 18, 2012)

And when I say a bunch I mean literally nearly an unlimited supply.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

I was thinking of making some into Adirondack chairs. I read 

something a few months ago about modifying them to make a chair 

but have come up with some other thoughts about it and decided I had 

better completely disassemble and sand them down before building 

them for somewhat obvious reasons. I know, simple project, but 

thought it would be fun to try.


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## maple man (Dec 21, 2012)

wood_chucker said:


> So I have cam across a pretty large supply of maple pallets that I hate to get rid of. And was windering if anyone had any good ideas for uses of them. I was thinking cutting boards mallets and such, but I have got a bunch of them lol. And before the pallet wood is not safe begins. These are good wood. I have worked and the shipping industry a long time. These are not chemically treated. They have been heat treated meaning they were put in a large oven and baked to kill any pests that could be living in them. They only come from Canada not some foriegn land without regulations and such. So any ideas.


Round here we got a lot of walnut pallets


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

wood_chucker said:


> I would like it to be a little longer than 45 in though but I will prob do that.


Stagger the joints, and make it as long as you like. :smile:


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## wood_chucker (Oct 18, 2012)

maple man said:


> Round here we got a lot of walnut pallets


Well I wish I was there instead around here walnut is dang hard to find from local sawyers and 6-9 bucks a foot for fas


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## wood_chucker (Oct 18, 2012)

mdntrdr said:


> Stagger the joints, and make it as long as you like. :smile:


I was curious as to if this would work out, but I guess with that much glue surface area stability wouldn't really ne an issue.


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

I recently posted pictures of several projects made from pallets, including a coffee table from a Maple pallet. To the OP, GO for it. The North American. pallet industry association ( yes they have one) boast that it will expand by 10% in the next 5 years (because of exports to Mexico). At present some 50% of all hard wood ( mainly Oak ) cut down in the U.S. Goes to the pallet industry. In Canada 6 Million board feet of timber is cut every year for the same purpose. I seldom get political but all wood loving people should be more upset about that than anything.


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## Doomi (Aug 5, 2013)

mdntrdr said:


> Stagger the joints, and make it as long as you like. :smile:


This.


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## wood_chucker (Oct 18, 2012)

tonycan said:


> I recently posted pictures of several projects made from pallets, including a coffee table from a Maple pallet. To the OP, GO for it. The North American. pallet industry association ( yes they have one) boast that it will expand by 10% in the next 5 years (because of exports to Mexico). At present some 50% of all hard wood ( mainly Oak ) cut down in the U.S. Goes to the pallet industry. In Canada 6 Million board feet of timber is cut every year for the same purpose. I seldom get political but all wood loving people should be more upset about that than anything.


It is heart breaking honestly. A lot of the maple in these pallets is even spalted. We don't get a lot of oak onrs I snatch them up too.


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

I miss quoted, it is actually six billion board feet of timber cut in Canada, and approx 3.5 billion board feet of hardwood in the US


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## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

Maybe a few crates.


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## nbo10 (Jan 26, 2011)

maple man said:


> Round here we got a lot of walnut pallets


Where is here?


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## maple man (Dec 21, 2012)

nbo10 said:


> Where is here?


South east pa


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

tonycan 

Can u post those photos again or share a link? I would be interested in some projects using pallets. I have a lot of access to pallets as well and would love to be able to recycle them.

Thanks
Rob


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

w1pers said:


> tonycan Can u post those photos again or share a link? I would be interested in some projects using pallets. I have a lot of access to pallets as well and would love to be able to recycle them. Thanks Rob


At the risk of getting trouble for posting these too many times, but I don't know any other way .


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Nice...love the chest! Really gets me pumped to grab some pallets or as I like to think of them as "free wood" and see what I can do. I like the idea of making a new work table top for my work bench too. Not sure what we have around here..I always assumed they were cedar but I guess I will find out soon.


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

Actually I am in the process of redoing my bench top, A few years ago I stopped a guy from across the way from burning an old cedar fence, all 1" x 6" x 4.5 boards . My wife wanted some stuff made. These photos are what she wanted. Some I hot waxed onto my work bench, now due for replacement. The top of the bench is made of 2"x 6" Fir with a 3/4" gap between each board the cedar top is done to match. Working mainly with 3/4" thick wood I can stand boards in the slots to work on them and put 3/4" stock into the slots use them as stops, this is useful when glueing up boards as I can use stop boards and wedges to drive them together. Not very good at explaining things so I'd desired I will post a picture of the bench when finished.


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## foxy (Oct 29, 2013)

I make work benches out the pallets turn out really good.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

I am going to reveal my huge lack of knowledge here and ask what many of you probably think is a stupid question and that is "how can I tell what the wood is?" I have access to pallets too and what I thought were ceder pallets I now believe to be pine(a very light colored wood) but I also noticed that some had darker wood (a reddish color) and what looks like oak. I would really like an easy way to ID. Any suggestions?


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

w1pers said:


> I am going to reveal my huge lack of knowledge here and ask what many of you probably think is a stupid question and that is "how can I tell what the wood is?" I have access to pallets too and what I thought were ceder pallets I now believe to be pine(a very light colored wood) but I also noticed that some had darker wood (a reddish color) and what looks like oak. I would really like an easy way to ID. Any suggestions?


First, no such thing as stupid questions. I have made furniture from pallets for years, have never yet found a pallet made of Cedar. Mainly Oak, Walnut and other Hardwood from the US and Fir and Maple from,Canada. Have actually picked Mahogany from asia and have picked Teak from the beach at Tofino (look that one up). Check out "hobbit house" on the net. Don't despair, I salvaged some green shaded soft wood from Asia that the best carpenters couldn't identify.


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

Should have mentioned this before, in BC , Canada we have vast and I mean vast, tracts of the province that have been devastated by pine beetle and it is possible that they have started to harvest the wood for pallets, treated of course.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

Oh I almost missed this. 

I once came across a Mahogany pallet with 1” thick boards. I didn’t have a planer at the time or any way to plane them down, so I donated the boards to the local high school wood shop. I don’t know what they made out of them, but they were real happy to get them.


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

Sleeper said:


> Oh I almost missed this. I once came across a Mahogany pallet with 1&#148; thick boards. I didn&#146;t have a planer at the time or any way to plane them down, so I donated the boards to the local high school wood shop. I don&#146;t know what they made out of them, but they were real happy to get them.


Good stuff, Mahogany is now protected as a wood,


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## FishFactory (Nov 8, 2013)

Make sure you wire brush them down to get all the grit out of them before they go through the joiner or planer......could save on knife damage.


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## FishFactory (Nov 8, 2013)

Make sure you wire brush them down to get all the grit out of them before they go through the joiner or planer......could save on knife damage.


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## wood_chucker (Oct 18, 2012)

tonycan said:


> First, no such thing as stupid questions. I have made furniture from pallets for years, have never yet found a pallet made of Cedar. Mainly Oak, Walnut and other Hardwood from the US and Fir and Maple from,Canada. Have actually picked Mahogany from asia and have picked Teak from the beach at Tofino (look that one up). Check out "hobbit house" on the net. Don't despair, I salvaged some green shaded soft wood from Asia that the best carpenters couldn't identify.


I could go to work tommorow and bring home a whole truckload of cedar pallets, but have never in my life seen a walnut one lol. I guess it all depends on your area of the country.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

tonycan said:


> Good stuff, Mahogany is now protected as a wood,


I heard that before, but I still see it once in a while, Not as a pallet but used in other stuff. Back in the 80s we sold Mahogany Hot Tubs and a lot of them. I wonder if they are still availble. I haven't even heard of them since acrylic & fiberglass spas hit the market


wood_chucker said:


> I could go to work tommorow and bring home a whole truckload of cedar pallets, but have never in my life seen a walnut one lol. I guess it all depends on your area of the country.


I beleve this is true. The Mahogany pallet I had came with a shipment of machinery from the Philippines. I don't know if it originated from there, but the shipping labels and stamps said Philippine.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

I figured that those pallets go all over the country. I guarantee my source gets shipments from everywhere. So what is the trick to identifying what type I am looking at? I assume color and grain but what do I look for? Is the lighter wood the fir or maple? The darker red tinged walnut? To me oak has a pretty distinct grain pattern...:blink:


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

w1pers said:


> I figured that those pallets go all over the country. I guarantee my source gets shipments from everywhere. So what is the trick to identifying what type I am looking at? I assume color and grain but what do I look for? Is the lighter wood the fir or maple? The darker red tinged walnut? To me oak has a pretty distinct grain pattern...:blink:


I guess you just have to look at photos to get an idea.I usaly look at photos on hardwood sites to get an idea. 
http://www.hearnehardwoods.com/hardwoods/exotic_hardwoods/wood_pictures.html


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## Dandan111 (Oct 29, 2013)

W1 ,the pallets I see around here are almost always hard wood. Are the pallets real light weight? That should tell if its hard wood or not. You are probly looking at oak. If it's pine I wouldn't want to mess with them.


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## wood_chucker (Oct 18, 2012)

w1pers said:


> I figured that those pallets go all over the country. I guarantee my source gets shipments from everywhere. So what is the trick to identifying what type I am looking at? I assume color and grain but what do I look for? Is the lighter wood the fir or maple? The darker red tinged walnut? To me oak has a pretty distinct grain pattern...:blink:


Several things to look for are grain color and hardness as well as weight. If its between fir and maple the maple will be much much harder see if you cant dent it with your fingernail. For reference use a piece of pine it should dent easily.


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

On the west coat Cedar is grows in abundance but is too valued for deck construction to be used for pallets, with the amount of Pine Beetle tree kill off in the BC interior I suspect there will be a lot of Pine pallets around, they won't be any good for anything.
On the same subject ,the best tool I own for working on pallets is a metal detector.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

I tried to use some 4x8 pine pallets with 8’ long pieces of varied widths a few weeks ago. I spent a lot of time removing all the staples and stacking them up, but by the time I got home they were twisted up pretty bad and I couldn’t use them.


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

Sleeper said:


> I tried to use some 4x8 pine pallets with 8&#146; long pieces of varied widths a few weeks ago. I spent a lot of time removing all the staples and stacking them up, but by the time I got home they were twisted up pretty bad and I couldn&#146;t use them.


Hard to tell with Pine, my experience is that most Pine pallets are made from Western Pine which I find to be very poor because of its rapid tree growth, on the Canadian prairies the Pine is a really good wood.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

So I have a couple of questions concerning pallets. 1st..how do you take them apart without splitting the wood? 2nd..do you have to worry about metal in them? I know to look for staples and nails but is there anything else?


Also have a crazy opportunity I am trying to decide if I should try to take advantage of or if it is even possible for me to. Found an ad on CL when I was checking out free pallets and found one with a free crate. Not just any crate but a 15'x15'x30' crate. Just need to dis-assemble and haul away.
http://denver.craigslist.org/zip/4193484577.html


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

Personally I use a good quality 12" cats paw , and a 12" flat bladed pry bar. If the nails are too difficult (twist nails) I use a 3/8 plug cutter. I always check every part of the pallet with a metal detector after it is apart. I open to any different technics.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

tonycan said:


> Should have mentioned this before, in BC , Canada we have vast and I mean vast, tracts of the province that have been devastated by pine beetle and it is possible that they have started to harvest the wood for pallets, treated of course.


I live in Colorado and we too have large swaths of the forest up in the hills that are beetle killed. Unfortunately I don't believe they are being used. They just look like a huge forest fire waiting to happen. I didn't think pine was hard enough to use on pallets. I am hoping the ones I am finding are maple. I saw a DIY show recently that they were putting down "maple" floors and they were much lighter than what I expected.


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

Interesting, I was on another woodworking site and spotted thiis part of a post.

"I know there are a few guys on this site that specialize in Beetle Kill Pine (Blue Pine). I recently received an industrial sized pallet, much to my surprise, when I planed the saw marks off I found that it was actually beetle kill pine. I had been planning to order some from Colorado, so this was an awesome turn of events."


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Interesting. Glad to hear someone is using it. I think there is a certain point in the "kill" process that makes the wood pretty much unusable though. Some areas in the state that are decimated and all you can see through entire valley's are dead pine. Really ugly:sad:


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

tonycan said:


> Personally I use a good quality 12" cats paw , and a 12" flat bladed pry bar. If the nails are too difficult (twist nails) I use a 3/8 plug cutter. I always check every part of the pallet with a metal detector after it is apart. I open to any different technics.


Your a better man than I am Tony. Just spent the better part of a day, yesterday, trying to take apart an oak pallet. Only managed to get one board off without totally ruining the board by splitting it trying to remove the nails. Tried using the plug cutter but didn't work very well for me. Hassel trying to get pallet situated to use my drill press and when I did, it cut thru a few of the boards but had trouble with most of them. Long story short? I ended up just cutting the boards off the skids and even after I removed the wood found the nails almost impossible to remove. I had to use vise grips along with a pry bar to get the nails(that I could get a grip on) out of the skids. About 3-4 min. per nail. Still ended up leaving some nails I couldn't get ahold of. Unless you have some trick I can't figure out, I think any wood I get from these pallets is going to be gotten the same way. Cut the wood off the skids and burn the skids in my fireplace. :thumbdown:


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

For the tough ones I pour 3/1 or WD 40 (whatever I have around at the time)a couple of times over the course of a few days this really seems to help. I also use a Recip saw (I think it's an Allsaw in the US )saw to cut heads of nails off. I even tried putting a propane torch to the nails once, that was a spectacular failure. I have had my share of pallet fire wood though.


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

tonycan said:


> I recently posted pictures of several projects made from pallets, including a coffee table from a Maple pallet. To the OP, GO for it. The North American. pallet industry association ( yes they have one) boast that it will expand by 10% in the next 5 years (because of exports to Mexico). At present some 50% of all hard wood ( mainly Oak ) cut down in the U.S. Goes to the pallet industry. In Canada 6 Million board feet of timber is cut every year for the same purpose. I seldom get political but all wood loving people should be more upset about that than anything.


What would you propose people use instead of hardwood? I'm a wood-loving person but, practically speaking, there is no better choice for shipping pallets. Plastics will be expensive and not easily replaced plus they cost more to build and are more likely to be stolen. Soft woods won't be strong enough and metal would be way too heavy. 

Instead of lamenting the fact that pallet makers are using wood for them, recycle as many pallets as you can.


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

wood_chucker said:


> Well I wish I was there instead around here walnut is dang hard to find from local sawyers and 6-9 bucks a foot for fas


Sounds like a perfect excuse for a swap to me. Each pays shipping and sends the other a couple boxes of wood they can't get cheaply at home. Recycled woods, friendships made, win win.


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## firemanphred (Jan 9, 2014)

*Maple Pallets*

 I don't know if it's allowed in here to mention another web site or whatever but I've found a lot of things I can use to make things with on a site called Instructables. They've got a home made pallet breaker that a guy made from scrap parts. Looks pretty handy to me and would save a lot of broken wood.
If this msg. is not allowed on here please remove it as I don't want to go against policy. thanks JT


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

frankp said:


> What would you propose people use instead of hardwood? I'm a wood-loving person but, practically speaking, there is no better choice for shipping pallets. Plastics will be expensive and not easily replaced plus they cost more to build and are more likely to be stolen. Soft woods won't be strong enough and metal would be way too heavy. Instead of lamenting the fact that pallet makers are using wood for them, recycle as many pallets as you can.


See, thats why I rarely get political. Seriously I have several plastic pallets that I " borrowed" but if I came across a pile of plastic pallets next to pile of Oak ones , guess which ones would be on my truck?. Also spend yesterday starting to clean up a 10' machinery sled I got from a company receiving a machine delivery, amazing how companies who get new equipment are glad to have the packing gone. Only cleaned the slats so far, 12 off finished size of 11/2" x 53/4" x 44 ", still have three 3"x 4" x 10' oak sliders to go.


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

tony, I wouldn't really call that a political position, just "reality-based" thinking. I think what you've shown of your "recycled" projects you're doing a damn fine job of making beautiful projects from "junk". I still have some pallets I got from Lumber Liquidators that have some Chinese Elm, and some other beautiful woods. One of these days I may even use them... I was planning to for the current mallet swap but I ended up using chunks of my teak flooring scraps instead.


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## oklahomaben (Sep 23, 2013)

You can go on YouTube and look at IzzySwan he made a pallet disassembling jig that looked like it worked GREAT!!!! He took apart a pallet in about 3 minutes and only cracked 1 or 2 boards. I plan on making one eventually!!!!!


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

oklahomaben said:


> You can go on YouTube and look at IzzySwan he made a pallet disassembling jig that looked like it worked GREAT!!!! He took apart a pallet in about 3 minutes and only cracked 1 or 2 boards. I plan on making one eventually!!!!!


Well worth a try, easy to make jig, i'm still using the last of the rescued cedar fence boards at the moment, but will certainly pick up a couple of pallets and try that jig out. Hope someone else tries it.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

I plan on making one asap..maybe over the weekend. Well worth a try. There was also a nail pulling trick on there that looked ridiculously easy. Can't wait to try them both! If these work I will be a pallet grabbing machine! I have the guys at work looking for good pallets for me. Trouble is, we can't yet figure out what some of them are made from. I have found a couple of oak and I have a couple that look interesting but have yet to dis-assemble to find out what they are. :yes:


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Made jig today. Tried it on pine pallet. Mixed results. Every board removed so far(watching Bronco game) has split. On the other hand, in some cases, the nails are coming out as well. Also tried the nail removal technique he shows in another video using a crow bar and a table vice. Mixed results on that as well. Depending on the nail it either worked perfect or stripped the head off. The pallet skids I tried it on had some thinner nails that didn't want to co-operate with the technique. 
So far, if I was giving the jig and nail removal deal a grade, I would give them both a C+.


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## oklahomaben (Sep 23, 2013)

That the one from izzy swan?


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

That's the one. Tried to buy his plans but couldn't figure out how to do it. Not a hard pattern so I just watched video several times and figured it out. My handle is a little longer and the step might be a tad longer but pattern is essentially the same.

Sorry about the second photo. Tried to get the rotation correct but this site wasn't having anything to do with my attempts to straighten it. One of these days I'll figure it out.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Jury is still out on how well it works. Only used it on part of a pinewood pallet. Will let you know how it works on other types.:thumbsup:


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

w1pers said:


> Jury is still out on how well it works. Only used it on part of a pinewood pallet. Will let you know how it works on other types.:thumbsup:


I will try to find time to make one this week, the reason I hoped other 'pallet people ' would try is because after some 15 years of pallet pulling I have some doubts about this . Pulling the slats through nail heads on well made pallets without splitting seems iffy. Might work better if tthe nail heads where taken off ( Dremel etc.)


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Izzy has a nail pulling method that, at least part of it, might be applied to the jig and that would be hitting the nails to loosen the glue and break the bond with the wood before you pull. May try that while I am experimenting.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Like your idea on removing nail heads, but then removing nails from skids would get a lot harder. I got 3 maybe 4 pieces of salvageable wood from the pine pallet I used Izzy's pallet machine on. Most just split beyond use for anything but fire wood. However, his nail pulling technique, i.e. using a crow bar, with nail puller, in a vise, is brilliant! As long as you have the nail head sticking out where u can grab it with the puller it works great. Cleaned the nails from the three skids in about 10 min., both sides. I will give the pallet destruction machine another try on a heavier pallet, but if it doesn't work this time... quite honestly I will just go back to cutting them up. The time it took me to disassemble the 1st one I tried the more traditional way is not worth it. I will use the shorter pieces for small projects. Boxes and the likes. Already used a part of one of the pine skids for a new push stick with handle.


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## oklahomaben (Sep 23, 2013)

Thanks for the info man!!!!


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## DitchDoc (Jan 11, 2014)

I just picked up some pallets and am getting ready to get started on this. I was looking at making izzys jig too. Maybe I should try something else though.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

You should give it a try. I didn't buy his plans, just made from hints on video so maybe I did something wrong.(?) Also used on a pine pallet I wasn't to excited about anyway. I am going to try on better wood pallet. Maybe you'll have better luck or be able to tell me what I did wrong.


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## jigs-n-fixtures (Apr 28, 2012)

I've found that a lot of pallets are put together with screw shank nails. For me it works to snap the heads off the nails and then pop the slats off the runners. This then leaves the shank of the nail exposed about 3/4 of an inch. I then chuck the exposed nail into my drill and spin it out in reverse.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Found this video on youtube.




 you can buy one from this company
http://www.cargo-cycles.com/
Looks to be about $140 us. Shipping from the UK.
Or if u have a welding buddy you could make one.
The one I made with Izzy's pattern does not appear to be likely to hold up long. Already having some breakage issues with center (fulcrum) board. Plus the fact that it doesn't work great. All the videos I saw with this cargo-cycles type seemed to work pretty good.


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## jigs-n-fixtures (Apr 28, 2012)

You can buy comparable items on Amazon, for about $65. Search for "deck wrecker".


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

Finally got a pallet ( live on a small island so my pallet supply is limited until I go to the main Island) and tried the YouTube jig, didn't work for me although the pallet was a brand new Pine ( nails still shiny). Actually tried two 3' sash clamps on a flat bar with more success, the problem is that the angle is too steep and the clamp is only lifting by its heel. Might try some angled wooden blocks when I get another pallet.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

jigs-n-fixtures said:


> You can buy comparable items on Amazon, for about $65. Search for "deck wrecker".


They look similar but I am not sure if they would work. Would really like to find something from a locale store so I could return it if it didn't work. Also found a youtube vid with someone that made their own. Need someone that will make one for me.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Well I thought I had posted this, on this thread last week, but can't find it so I am re-posting(?) it. Found a devise on ebay for $49 + $15 shipping called a "pallet strip down bar" Looked a lot like some of the other metal devices I have seen on youtube. All of which are similar to Izzy's pallet wreaker, but I am optimistic that it works better based on what I have seen. Should be showing up this week(I hope).
Tried Izzy's device again because I was getting antsy and it actually worked pretty good this time. Wood planks were thicker and it was a newer pallet but really only split a couple boards and nails were super easy to remove. Not sure what kind of wood it was. I will open a new thread and post the pics of the wood on it in hopes that someone can identify what the wood is. Problem I am having with Izzy's device is yet again the central fulcrum/handle is breaking on me, and this time I used a piece of white oak from the pallet I broke up a week or so ago. :thumbdown:


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

jigs-n-fixtures said:


> I've found that a lot of pallets are put together with screw shank nails. For me it works to snap the heads off the nails and then pop the slats off the runners. This then leaves the shank of the nail exposed about 3/4 of an inch. I then chuck the exposed nail into my drill and spin it out in reverse.


Tried your trick with the drill. Managed only to break nail off closer to the wood. Usually some technique to these things so I am probably doing something wrong. :huh:


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

Got another Pine pallet and in my never ending quest to be cheap, and inspired by the postings I tried using the flat blade of a pick axe. Took about 15 minutes with no split boards ( did have to back hammer two bottom boards ) hope this works when I get an Oak or Maple pallet. Hope some else will try this method and see if I just got lucky or not.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Got my "pallet strip down bar" today. Problem is, is that it is snowing and the car is in the garage so I don't have room to try it out tonight. :thumbdown: Maybe tomorrow.


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

Picked up two crapped out heavy duty pallets today( repaired with added stringers and 300 nails) usually I would pass on these but wanted to try the pick axe again. Actually got most of the boards off without splitting using both the flat side and the pick side of the axe.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

tonycan said:


> Picked up two crapped out heavy duty pallets today( repaired with added stringers and 300 nails) usually I would pass on these but wanted to try the pick axe again. Actually got most of the boards off without splitting using both the flat side and the pick side of the axe.


Interesting...would like to see the technique you are using with the pick ax. How about some pic's? I hope to have a report tomorrow about how the PSDB I got on ebay works. I have to say that the thing is HEAVY DUTY. They did a great job on construction. Not going to be able do any with added stringers but I have avoided those as well. But if you have a good tech. to disassemble those, I have a pick ax sitting in my shed.


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

w1pers said:


> Interesting...would like to see the technique you are using with the pick ax. How about some pic's? I hope to have a report tomorrow about how the PSDB I got on ebay works. I have to say that the thing is HEAVY DUTY. They did a great job on construction. Not going to be able do any with added stringers but I have avoided those as well. But if you have a good tech. to disassemble those, I have a pick ax sitting in my shed.


I will try some pics when I get another pallet.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Tried the PSDB on what I thought might be oak pallets. I think the skids are oak but the slats where very *brittle* and I think they were pine. I don't think they were a fair trial. They will make good firewood. I have a couple more pallets to try before I judge it. At this point its not any worse than Izzy's device and it certainly will hold up a lot better than Izzy's has. I think on the right kind of pallets it will work well.


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

Finally got around to trying a suitable pallet to take apart with a Pickaxe. A repaired US hardwood ( repaired with a Pine slat, added runners and a messed up underside. Generally I started in the middle as it seems to minimize splitting but sometimes had to work along the slats and ease, the slats where a lot closer together than normal. It took me 25 minutes to disassemble( not including nail removal, split one board ,took a chunk out of another and managed to get the already split board off intact. Was it worth it ? As an experiment ,yes and because it only took 25 minutes. The slats being close together meant I had to use a metal pipe.


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## Camden (Oct 22, 2013)

Someone may have mentioned this, so if I'm repeating it, I apologize, but I use a jigsaw with a Skil "Ugly" blade to cut the nails between the slats and runners. Then, just use a punch to drive the heads out. It's pretty quick(just did three full pallets in about 20 minutes), and unless you really want to use the runners, it's fairly efficient. When the pallet has good runners(I found some 10' pallets with oak 4x4s as runners), I just cut the slats flush to the runners(yields smaller, but cleaner slats), and then pry the nails and scraps out with your favorite leveraging device. Mine is the "cats paw". I use loads of pallet wood, and this is pretty much a twice weekly routine for me. Good luck!

WCT


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

Hi Camden no apologies needed , most of us have used that technic but after a few years it is a matter of pride to salvage every scrap of wood, hence all these various methods being tried, Interesting to know what you use the wood for, do you build stuff with it ?


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Thanks for the pics tony...I have an oak pallet I picked up today with the slats really close together that I was wondering how I was going to start dis-assembling but your technique looks like the ticket to get it started. You should post it on youtube. Certainly better than most I have seen. So far I have been happy with the pallet strip down bar I got from ebay. I think the key with it ,as with any of these tools, is the quality of the wood. I have a couple pallets that I used it on last week but the wood was so "brittle" it didn't even split it just broke. If the slats are thicker and newer wood it works flawlessly. 

Camden...always glad for productive suggestions and if the runners are damaged or just not worth saving your method is certainly worth using but I too like to save as much wood as I can.


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## Camden (Oct 22, 2013)

Tony- I use pallets for just about everything, it seems. I build furniture, mostly, and pallet furniture is pretty big right now, so I do a lot of that these days. Prior to that, it was usually utilitarian stuff; I built a lumber rack out of pallet wood to hold more pallet wood. I built several crates to hold short slats and cut-offs. I built my compost bins out of pallets, as well as the carcasses for my raised bed gardens(still living in the city). Right now I'm working on a new hand tool cabinet for my shop, after which I am scheduled to build a trestle desk out of pallet wood with hardwood trestle. I love using them, but I hate breaking them down. I use the split pieces as fill for my raised beds(split wood in the very bottom, sand and compost next, soil and compost next, them manure topped with shavings from the lathe). I do understand the pride behind saving every square inch of wood; I got started building furniture via the salvage business, so I don't waste ANYTHING. Nails get straightened and reused(where possible), or sold as scrap(only when absolutely necessary). I hope the pallet craze continues forward, as it is surely saving many acres of land from being absorbed into landfill. I wonder what the next big "up-cycle" trend will be? Maybe "alley chairs", as we call them around here?

WCT


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

Camb den, good to know, how about some pictures?. I am just about ready to start some Swallow nesting boxes.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Camden said:


> Tony- I use pallets for just about everything, it seems. I build furniture, mostly, and pallet furniture is pretty big right now, so I do a lot of that these days. Prior to that, it was usually utilitarian stuff; I built a lumber rack out of pallet wood to hold more pallet wood. I built several crates to hold short slats and cut-offs. I built my compost bins out of pallets, as well as the carcasses for my raised bed gardens(still living in the city). Right now I'm working on a new hand tool cabinet for my shop, after which I am scheduled to build a trestle desk out of pallet wood with hardwood trestle. I love using them, but I hate breaking them down. I use the split pieces as fill for my raised beds(split wood in the very bottom, sand and compost next, soil and compost next, them manure topped with shavings from the lathe). I do understand the pride behind saving every square inch of wood; I got started building furniture via the salvage business, so I don't waste ANYTHING. Nails get straightened and reused(where possible), or sold as scrap(only when absolutely necessary). I hope the pallet craze continues forward, as it is surely saving many acres of land from being absorbed into landfill. I wonder what the next big "up-cycle" trend will be? Maybe "alley chairs", as we call them around here?
> 
> WCT


I would love to see your work too. I have a pretty good collection of pallet wood going, with a few ideas on projects, but would like to see what others are doing with theirs.


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## Camden (Oct 22, 2013)

I'm hoping to finish up a tool cabinet tonight, all made from pallets. I'll post pictures this evening as it progresses. I've sent requests to the owners of a few pieces I've either sold or gifted, so hopefully will have pics of them tonight as well. I generally don't take many photos(never been a picture person), but I suppose if I'm going to be a contributing member of a forum, I better start. For now, here's my waste-wood crate(I made this in about 10 minutes with no measurements, clamps or anything else, so it's a bit of a rhombus. Laugh all you want, it holds wood!


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## Camden (Oct 22, 2013)

Forgot about this one. It's not finished, but this was a rough-up of a trestle desk I made with pallets and some other scavenged lumber(none of it was purchased, or even dimensioned lumber). I ran into trouble when I peeled off the oxidation and realized that one of the 4 frame pieces was poplar instead of oak... OOOPS! Put a little set-back, but the piece should be finished next week. Wow. I just realized how many irons I have in the fire. No wonder I'm exhausted...


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Nothing to laugh about...box looks functional and after all...it is for scrap. Looking forward to seeing the finished table.


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

Thanks for the photos, I'm looking forward to seeing the finished table also.


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## beagles53 (Feb 14, 2014)

Hi all! Always interested in pallet and crating re-use. Most of my finds get burned up in my wood stove. The good stuff gets saved for projects.

Here is my version of a "Pallet Buster". All of the material came from my junk box. The forks were "J" hooks used to secure the walls of industrial buildings and were part of the garbage clean up. It is light weight and works well.


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

Hello Beagle53, good to hear from another pallet person, looks like a good homemade pallet buster. How is the pallet situation in Toronto?, plenty around and what types of wood.


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## beagles53 (Feb 14, 2014)

Thanks,

Lots of free wood places around here that recondition pallets. They have piles of boards and cross pieces that are all ready (knocked apart) to saw up and throw in the stove. It is always a mix, of softwood (mainly spruce) and hardwoods like Birch, Maple, Oak and even a bit of Elm on occasion. But, even the junk wood gets scarce this time of year.

I have a couple of favorite places, out of the way, that have Maple and Oak 2 X 4 and 4 X 4 pallets from transporting steel. These can be often re-sawn into other projects. A couple of cart tops and a load of firewood pictured here.




Another place has Mahogany at times. You can see some of my file handle projects here.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-File-Handles-Without-a-Lathe/


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## Camden (Oct 22, 2013)

Holy pallet wood, Beagle! That's got me a little green with envy. Nice tool, as well. You could make a small fortune selling those things to hipsters with more money and time than sense... Toronto must be a great pallet town. Louisville(KY) is pretty good, but people have gotten territorial in regards to salvage. Used to only be the scrappers, but now the gutter-punk contingent is sweeping the city for anything that will hold a nail, which would be fine if they were doing anything useful with it... Ah well. I'm just a grumpy old young man, these days. 

WCT


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## EdS (Mar 21, 2013)

Back in the mid 70's, when I was in High School, my dad had a friend at the lumber yard who would allow him to sift through the discard lumber pile and take what he wanted. One day he took me along and we found a huge pile of pallets that came in from Texas, all built with 1 1/4" oak. The guys said we could have all we wanted and we loaded up the truck.

I spent the next week or so making various sized cutting boards, took them to a co-signment shop and sold them for $20-$40 each. It was great, all I had to do was put in the time, materials were free. It allowed me to pay for Homecoming for me and my date. 

More simple times.


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## igster (Oct 31, 2013)

What about taking a circular saw, setting the depth to equal the slat, and simply cutting out the slat just inside the end nails? That leaves the middle nails, but a couple short twists to loosen up those middle nails, and you get enough room to slip a pry bar or whatever you use to leverage up the piece so that it comes off, then you just hammer out the nails. This is what I usually do - after all, the few inches on the very ends of those slats aren't really useful, are they? I' lucky that I have access to loads of pallets from work...mostly oak, but there is one kind that I don' know what it is - it's hardwood, with a sort of greeinsh tinge to it.


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

igster said:


> What about taking a circular saw, setting the depth to equal the slat, and simply cutting out the slat just inside the end nails? That leaves the middle nails, but a couple short twists to loosen up those middle nails, and you get enough room to slip a pry bar or whatever you use to leverage up the piece so that it comes off, then you just hammer out the nails. This is what I usually do - after all, the few inches on the very ends of those slats aren't really useful, are they? I' lucky that I have access to loads of pallets from work...mostly oak, but there is one kind that I don' know what it is - it's hardwood, with a sort of greeinsh tinge to it.


Hi there, good to hear from another PP, personally try and get all the slat off, its's a point of pride, When I can I use the runners and find it easier to get the whole slat off, and when the slat is run through the planer ( after using the metal detector) I get any sniping on the poorer part of the board. To each his own though and whatever any PP feels comfortable with. Glad to hear from so many PPs and always like to know what projects the wood I'd used for.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

beagles53 said:


> Hi all! Always interested in pallet and crating re-use. Most of my finds get burned up in my wood stove. The good stuff gets saved for projects.
> 
> Here is my version of a "Pallet Buster". All of the material came from my junk box. The forks were "J" hooks used to secure the walls of industrial buildings and were part of the garbage clean up. It is light weight and works well.


Nice looking pallet buster...I thought about having someone make me one but I figured by the time I tracked down the materials and got it made I could buy the one off of ebay and get thru the pallets I had.
I would love to find 2x4 and 4x4 oak pallets...I should try the steel plant I have locally... see if I can con them out of some.


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## Camden (Oct 22, 2013)

Rob-
I get my larger pallet wood from a couple places: the big box hardware stores usually have them, as appliances are usually delivered on them. I have a connection to a large machine shop that I get my 3x4 and 4x4 runners from(usually 8-10' long). They're mostly red oak and poplar here lately, but I've gotten everything from maple to Douglas fir and other unidentified species. I also have a small Vietnamese grocer in my neighborhood that saves his pallets for me, and they're generally exotics, though much smaller. Being in the Midwest, pine is always the most common, which is fine, as there is always a need for 3/4" pine board. For example, this is the start of a new tool cabinet for my home shop. Gonna be a few more days at it, and definitely going to add a little more "pizazz" to it, but so far, it's all pine from pallets.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Great ideas! Never thought about checking HD or L's for pallets. I have an Asian market not to far away and a company that gets steel rolls that they make stuff with that's about 1/2 hr away. I am trying to identify some of the wood I am getting. Besides the obvious pine and the white and red oak, I think I have some maple and maybe some walnut?


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Another photo of the walnut?


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## OldEd (Jan 14, 2014)

can i get some of those pallets? where are they, anyhow??


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## SkySkrape (Oct 8, 2013)

w1pers said:


> Your a better man than I am Tony. Just spent the better part of a day, yesterday, trying to take apart an oak pallet. Only managed to get one board off without totally ruining the board by splitting it trying to remove the nails. Tried using the plug cutter but didn't work very well for me. Hassel trying to get pallet situated to use my drill press and when I did, it cut thru a few of the boards but had trouble with most of them. Long story short? I ended up just cutting the boards off the skids and even after I removed the wood found the nails almost impossible to remove. I had to use vise grips along with a pry bar to get the nails(that I could get a grip on) out of the skids. About 3-4 min. per nail. Still ended up leaving some nails I couldn't get ahold of. Unless you have some trick I can't figure out, I think any wood I get from these pallets is going to be gotten the same way. Cut the wood off the skids and burn the skids in my fireplace. :thumbdown:


W1 I work with all kinds of pallets and have learned (the hard way) some pretty nifty tricks for dismantling oak pallets. I'm going to post a video to YouTube on the "quickest and easiest" way of doing it, though after taking apart 3 or 4 of them you feel like your back is broken in multiple places. All that crouching over and pulling and heaving really takes a toll (and I'm still a "young guy" at 31). 

Question to all: I have access to an unlimited supply of "European pallets" which literally come from Europe and are a bit smaller than your standard US pallet. They are heavy and solid and VERY well made as they are super hard to dismantle. Any idea what they're made of!? I'll post some pics of the pallets and also a coffee table I just made from one such pallet. I'm beginning to think it's some type of oak...is that common in Europe!?


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

igster said:


> What about taking a circular saw, setting the depth to equal the slat, and simply cutting out the slat just inside the end nails? That leaves the middle nails, but a couple short twists to loosen up those middle nails, and you get enough room to slip a pry bar or whatever you use to leverage up the piece so that it comes off, then you just hammer out the nails. This is what I usually do - after all, the few inches on the very ends of those slats aren't really useful, are they? I' lucky that I have access to loads of pallets from work...mostly oak, but there is one kind that I don' know what it is - it's hardwood, with a sort of greeinsh tinge to it.


I do sometimes use this method if I can't get the nails to pop without splitting the wood but you have to be really careful about hidden nails when your doing that. But your right, for the few inches you (might) salvage, its sometimes worth doing it this way.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

SkySkrape said:


> W1 I work with all kinds of pallets and have learned (the hard way) some pretty nifty tricks for dismantling oak pallets. I'm going to post a video to YouTube on the "quickest and easiest" way of doing it, though after taking apart 3 or 4 of them you feel like your back is broken in multiple places. All that crouching over and pulling and heaving really takes a toll (and I'm still a "young guy" at 31).
> 
> Question to all: I have access to an unlimited supply of "European pallets" which literally come from Europe and are a bit smaller than your standard US pallet. They are heavy and solid and VERY well made as they are super hard to dismantle. Any idea what they're made of!? I'll post some pics of the pallets and also a coffee table I just made from one such pallet. I'm beginning to think it's some type of oak...is that common in Europe!?


Nice looking table you have going there. I am not the person to tell you what kind of wood your using there but it doesn't look like oak to me. At least it doesn't look like the oak I get around here. Can you get a closer pic of grain pattern?


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

Skyscrape. Nice table. Being born and raised in the UK I'm pretty sure most of the Western European pallets are Fir. Not much Oak around as they used it all for building naval ships. Those pallets ( usually called 'block and stringer) are, For me, one of the tough ones.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

OldEd said:


> can i get some of those pallets? where are they, anyhow??


Which pallets are you referring to? If your asking where I got my pallets, I get them from work, I work for an electronics retailer and we get our product in a couple times a week. I usually have a selection of 1/2 dozen or so...I get mostly oak. I try to avoid the pine...just don't need that much fire wood. The pallets I got with the wood I posted pic's of, I got from work also. The darker wood that I think is walnut was on a pallet with the lighter wood that I think is maple. I have also gotten what I think is hickory but I got that one when I was pallet diving a light industry area a few min. from my house.
If you are asking where to look? Everywhere! Most places are glad to get rid of them. There are ad's on CL with business's asking people to come get them. Found one last night that will deliver it to my house, only issue is...I have to take the whole semi load .


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## SkySkrape (Oct 8, 2013)

tonycan said:


> Skyscrape. Nice table. Being born and raised in the UK I'm pretty sure most of the Western European pallets are Fir. Not much Oak around as they used it all for building naval ships. Those pallets ( usually called 'block and stringer) are, For me, one of the tough ones.


Thank you for the input, tonycan. I don't have any experience with working with fir so it didn't even cross my mind. It doesn't look or feel like oak but I thought maybe it was some weird foreign species. Silly me.


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## tonyuno (Jan 5, 2013)

Must admit that after 16 years of busting pallets and making furniture ( Have probably made 70 + coffee tables as gifts and donations to charity auctions) 1 was getting very jaded and had virtually quit doing it. Seeing some of the projects and ideas has invigorated me somewhat so I will probably start up again. It won't be another tablet though. On the West Coast we have another source of spare wood ( not pallets) and I'm sure a lot of places in the States do as well, that's the log cabin manufacturers a lot of them do post and beam work also and can be generous. Here's a hint, when I first approached them ( and others) I took a small Oak pallet coffee table with me and photos of the dining room, bed room and living room furniture as well, this shows people that you are serious and not trying to scab free firewood. These are two teaming off cuts from some beams they gave me.


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## SkySkrape (Oct 8, 2013)

tonycan said:


> Must admit that after 16 years of busting pallets and making furniture ( Have probably made 70 + coffee tables as gifts and donations to charity auctions) 1 was getting very jaded and had virtually quit doing it. Seeing some of the projects and ideas has invigorated me somewhat so I will probably start up again. It won't be another tablet though. On the West Coast we have another source of spare wood ( not pallets) and I'm sure a lot of places in the States do as well, that's the log cabin manufacturers a lot of them do post and beam work also and can be generous. Here's a hint, when I first approached them ( and others) I took a small Oak pallet coffee table with me and photos of the dining room, bed room and living room furniture as well, this shows people that you are serious and not trying to scab free firewood. These are two teaming off cuts from some beams they gave me.


That's a great idea. I have many places like that in my area (northern Utah). Thanks for the tip! There are a lot of things I could do with that kind of wood.


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Camden
Thanks for the ideas on where else to look for pallets. Went pallet hunting today. Didn't really find what I had hoped at HD or L's but did find some nice smaller oak pallets behind my least favorite store.. Walmart. Also revisited that light industry area and got what I think maybe a larger maple pallet? Looks almost like a bleached wood.. very white.. not sure but I figure its worth taking a look at since its got lots of wood on it. The steel place is closed on Sat. so I couldn't get in. Will have to check with them next week to see if they will let me look over their pallets. Didn't have time to check the Asian market but really anxious to see what they may have. I plan on making a wood bin similar to your scrap bin but for my raw pallet pieces. Love the pic posts.. giving my all kinds of ideas for builds.


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## OldEd (Jan 14, 2014)

After looking at the video of the guy ripping those pallets apart with his home-made ripper gizmo, and reading some of the other entries, I went to Amazon and took a look at what they had. Not impressed at all... Over priced and didn't look too sturdy.

Then I got to thinking - that must have been what I was doing, 'cause my wife complained about the smoke - that instead of welding the thing up out of steel scrap, you could probably put one together out of steel pipe. A length of pipe - 1-1/2" or so - for the handle, terminating in a tee fitting, into which you would screw a couple of 2" or 3" nipples - maybe even 1-1/2" - followed by an elbow on each, into which you'd screw a 4" to 6" nipple...

A bit expensive to do out of HD or L, but I know that plumbers buy stuff for CONSIDERABLY less than us poor peons.

And I'm acquainted with a plumber who does a lot of work on big building projects. Who knows what might fall off his truck if I gifted him with a nice box for him to give to his wife on their wedding anniversary...


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## Camden (Oct 22, 2013)

Ed- if you need cheap pipe, make friends with the local scrap yard. They sell me black and galvanized at pennies over scrap, and the connectors often are thrown in for free. Can you guys tell how cheap I am? Oh, and if you're mechanically inclined at all, you can often find old woodworking machines at the scrapyard, too. How else could a dirt poor single dad afford a 30"+ bandsaw? 

WCT


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

Camden said:


> Ed- if you need cheap pipe, make friends with the local scrap yard. They sell me black and galvanized at pennies over scrap, and the connectors often are thrown in for free. Can you guys tell how cheap I am? Oh, and if you're mechanically inclined at all, you can often find old woodworking machines at the scrapyard, too. How else could a dirt poor single dad afford a 30"+ bandsaw?
> 
> WCT


Serious? I would be afraid that I was just picking up someone else's problem. Or as was the case of the 'lathe' I picked up on ebay, not standard parts so impossible to find useful components. Not that handy with electronics or mech. No problem with used in "good working condition", but not into referb. That is really cool that you can do that. :thumbsup:


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## Camden (Oct 22, 2013)

Rob- the machine refurbishing was born of necessity; I needed a drill press, but no way could I afford to buy a new one(at least of any quality), so I did what I know- got to scrounging. I found 3 presses within a week, and payed a total of 80 for the lot. All American made, and all now opporational. I learned as I went, and definitely made some mistakes along the way, but the more I get into it, the easier(and more addictive) it gets. As far as parts go... Yes, it can be a problem. There are avenues to pursue for said parts. They're out there, but not always easy to find. It's a cost/ benefit situation. For me, I don't have a lot of money, but I have a lot of drive, so I work it out. Sweat equity, as it were. It's not worth it for a lot of people, and I totally understand that. If I could afford a brand new saw stop, I may not have just purchased a 1963 Unisaw that needs a LOT of work for $150.00. But, to me, it's the best way to get a quality cabinet saw on a tight budget. Just an example. 

I have a serious drive to utilize what some view as waste, as I believe most people on this thread do. My son is almost 3 years old, and I shudder to think of the kind of world we may be leaving him. I can't go save the rainforests, but I can do what I see as my part. It's obviously a very personal thing, and like I said, not for everyone, and that's fine. It's just part of my approach to woodworking, and life in general. 

Sorry for the windy post. I get carried away sometimes.

WCT


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## w1pers (Nov 27, 2013)

*Pallet Heaven*

Think they would let me in to grab one or two?

Also built a large box from pallet wood to store my recovered pallet wood. Inspired by Camdens scrap box. I know it looks like I just built a rail around an already assembled pallet but I actually put this together from pallet wood I had already recycled and used recycled pallet nails. Felt silly rebuilding a pallet but I used wood that I wasn't likely to use on any of my projects. Mostly pine.


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## OldEd (Jan 14, 2014)

Camden said:


> Ed- if you need cheap pipe, make friends with the local scrap yard. They sell me black and galvanized at pennies over scrap, and the connectors often are thrown in for free. Can you guys tell how cheap I am? Oh, and if you're mechanically inclined at all, you can often find old woodworking machines at the scrapyard, too. How else could a dirt poor single dad afford a 30"+ bandsaw?
> 
> WCT


Yes, I know. I thought of that when I was helping a friend dispose of some scrap left by the previous owner of his house. There is just one little problem with that Idea in NYC - where I have the (mis?) fortune to live. 

That being that usable pipe - i.e. clean (or cleanable) galvanized or black iron pipe finds ready buyers and seldom makes it to the junk yard. And when it does... How do you think the junk-yard makes it's profit?

I might be able to get upstate to another friends place and scout the local junkyards up there. 

I'd need what - 7 feet of 1-1/2"or 2" pipe, 3 caps, 2 elbows and a tee. And them the machinery to either cut and thread, or ditto to cut and weld.

Can't do either, unfortunately.

It's all moot. No pickup truck to transport the pallets in, anyway...

My wife is a real-estate broker and needs the car to be neat and clean and available at all times.


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## Camden (Oct 22, 2013)

That's a bummer, Ed. My lady-friend's family lives in NYC, and they find it incredible that I can acquire so much "stuff" for free by driving around. Of course, they also find it incredible that I can "drive around"(they're well-to-do Manhattanites, and don't spend much time in the front seat). I too am truck less at the moment, but my small hatchback, with the seats down, is a surprising good little hauler. In fact, this was last night's haul, in my tiny little car: white oak 4x4(true), 4' long, 6 fence slats, pine, 6" wide by 6' long, and another big 3x4 poplar beam, 10' long, lots of figure.


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## OldEd (Jan 14, 2014)

Camden said:


> That's a bummer, Ed. My lady-friend's family lives in NYC, and they find it incredible that I can acquire so much "stuff" for free by driving around. Of course, they also find it incredible that I can "drive around"(they're well-to-do Manhattanites, and don't spend much time in the front seat). I too am truck less at the moment, but my small hatchback, with the seats down, is a surprising good little hauler. In fact, this was last night's haul, in my tiny little car: white oak 4x4(true), 4' long, 6 fence slats, pine, 6" wide by 6' long, and another big 3x4 poplar beam, 10' long, lots of figure.



Lucky stiff.... Having a (really) baby station wagon. There! I've dated myself. I don't think they even make "station wagons" these days. They are "sports utility vehicles", or "hatch backs" or something. 

When I was a kid I (we) lived in Berkshire County, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the most popular vehicle was the pickup truck (of course - it was farming country) followed by the station wagon.

And the "local junk yard" was the town dump, where you could find all sorts of really useful things that others had thrown away, including old pipe. It was sort of expected that your junk was someone else's raw material.

Ah, those were the days.

I get told by the "store locator" function on some web sites about a store in Brooklyn, or Secaucus, NJ, or someplace else "within 25 miles". Hate to tell them that 25 miles in NYC, unless it's on the subway lines, might as well be on the far side of the moon.

Ah well. We've had a lot of snow this winter. I see on the news that you people in the "warm" states are getting some too.

It's after 2 am - got to get to bed nighty-night


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