# Pallet Craft - The Difficulties



## craftedbyethan (Jul 16, 2012)

View more images for this post at: *Pallet Craft!*

*Hello Readers!*

Working with pallets can be fun, it can be gratifying, and it can keep you busy… These are all good things, but there is a dark side to the madness that is; Pallet Craft!

*Difficulty #1 *– Many pallets are decayed or built with cheap wood. It is unfortunate, but many pallets cannot be repaired for use, at least not by me. If this is not bad enough, some pallets are beyond decay, and are not fit for my use and many other uses. I would suggest inspecting the pallets you get before you attempt even picking them up.

*Difficulty #2* – The second issue is good for pallet manufacturers and shippers, but bad for me. The nails used in pallet assembly are made to stay, removing them is difficult to do, unless of course you own a metal cutting saw… which I do not. In my case, I use this method: http://blogspud.blogspot.com/2012/07/pulling-boards-from-pallet-without.html

*Difficulty #3* – Many pallets are chemically treated. Now this can be a Debby downer for any pallet reclaimer, so to fix this issue, you must first, look for heat treated pallets which is a standard for many pallet manufacturers. These are regarded to be safer for use (you can tell usually because they will have the letters “HT” branded on them). If you are unsure of the origin of the pallets, use precautions when using them to insure safety and use a respirator mask to prevent breathing in the dust.










Pallet crafting is fun, and enjoyable and I want anyone that wants to do so to also enjoy it as well. Don’t let the difficulties get in the way, and only good things can come from it.

Like this post below and share with your friends and make sure to checkout more projects, blogs and more on *Pallet Craft!*


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## dbales (Jun 21, 2011)

Good stuff. All the things you said I've found true with trying to reclaim some of the pallets my job gets sometimes. 

Are there better indicators of how to figure out if a pallet has been chemically treated or heat treated? I've noticed some of the pallets that we get at work will turn grey when left in the elements and others will stay the natural wood color. Being that I've seen that pressure treated decking boards turn grey over time, I'd assume the pallets that turn grey in the elements would be chemically treated ones, so I've stayed away from those.


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## craftedbyethan (Jul 16, 2012)

dbales said:


> Good stuff. All the things you said I've found true with trying to reclaim some of the pallets my job gets sometimes.
> 
> Are there better indicators of how to figure out if a pallet has been chemically treated or heat treated? I've noticed some of the pallets that we get at work will turn grey when left in the elements and others will stay the natural wood color. Being that I've seen that pressure treated decking boards turn grey over time, I'd assume the pallets that turn grey in the elements would be chemically treated ones, so I've stayed away from those.


I am unsure if there is a relationship between grey and chemicals, but I associate them with dry rot, decay and falling apart. lol. So I generally dont use those anyhow.


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