Taking pallets apart

[Timbertel]

I'm trying to establish the best way to take pallets apart with the minimum amount of damage to the wood. I'm currently experimenting with grinding nail heads off with a burr in a router although they seem to get to hot and I'm not convinced that the burr will stay sharp for any length of time. A 4 1/2in angle grinder works but scores the timber face quiet badly. I've thought about a milling bit but haven't sourced one yet.

Has anybody else developed a satisfactory way of utilising what seems to be a plentiful source of material :?:

 

[twothumbs]

My experience goes back many years ago and at that time annular ring shank nails were used. The only way I found was to cut through at each spacer block which reduces the timber length down from the 48 inches(?) so not so good. Some of the wood is good too. Best wishes.
.

 

[Jelly]

Use a small crowbar ideally one with the chisel end ground down to a fine taper or even an edge, be gentle and work each bit off incrementally from each of the three points securing it... drive the nails out backwards once the pieces are free.

You'll potentiallt lose some material to snapping where repeated re-nailing has weakened it, but if they're good hardwood pallets that shouldn't be happening to frequently.

 

[wallace]

I put pallets together for 18 years, You could try a recipricating hacksaw thats what we used, for repairing them. Lever the board with a crow bar and run the blade underneath. Then you could punch the heads out from the back. Or you could just use a crow bar to leaver the boards off. The end and middle will be much harder because they have 75mm shanked nails into the blocks.
HTH
Mark

 

[marcros]

i was told to use a plug cutter. i never got round to trying it, but sounds sensible.

 

[meehaja]

Hi,

I use pallet wood for all sorts, and as you say its a plentiful supply of cheap wood and is often free!

For taking apart pallets I usually loosen the joins with a crow bar, then get in there with a flat ended pry bar, hammering if necessary. then hammering the nails through from the sharp end. However, as I'm sure you've realised this has quite a high level of splitting! This in mind I usually just cut them down now, below the join, keeping as much length as possible but reducing the risk of a split.

 

[Chrispy]

I've not tried this on pallets but may be worth a go, you could try punching the nails in ie. right through the top board, you would need a good straight nail punch and a big hammer.

 

[acewoodturner]

You can buy a specially designed crowbar for pallets on ebay. A read a thread on another forum about it and the couple of blokes there swear by them.

Mike

 

[DTR]

SWMBO uses one of these happy chappies

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p63005

 

[Mizjazzi]

I'm trying to establish the best way to take pallets apart with the minimum amount of damage to the wood. I'm currently experimenting with grinding nail heads off with a burr in a router although they seem to get to hot and I'm not convinced that the burr will stay sharp for any length of time. A 4 1/2in angle grinder works but scores the timber face quiet badly. I've thought about a milling bit but haven't sourced one yet.

Has anybody else developed a satisfactory way of utilising what seems to be a plentiful source of material :?:

Hiya,
Millions of uses!
Just google pallet furniture, or recycled pallets.! If you then look at images, you pick up millions of ideas. Lots on pin-interest under DIY also!! I've seen some really amazing stuff.
There is a whole bunch of great stuff from furniture to sheds and even houses!!! Also a site called doornob,has a whole section on recylcled pallet furniture.
Have fun,
It could take awhile!!!
Mizjazzi.

 

[rosinante]

Dont try a plug cutter in a hand held drill as it wil skitter all over the shop,quite dangerous,as said loosen boards with a crowbar ,wedges levers etc and punch out with a paralell punch,it may be nescessary to cut most of the nail off to reduce the length requiring punching,I have just salvaged a machine pallet that was 2.4 m square on 150 x 150 bearers and solid boarded 65mm thick a couple of the boards arw 450mm wide but only white pine Im afraid, needed the forklift at work to shift it!!
The nail holes can be enlarged on a drill press and the disguised with same wood plugs or featured with contrasting plugs.
I built a timber kiln for a firm in Wales that recycled pallets [Euro] he had a power fed horizontal band sawthat cut between the blocks and slats with a metal cutting blade, he reused the good slats and rebuilt with new spacer blocks,a recipsaw would do the saw if you have one,that would leave the nail flush ready for punching out,
HTH
Chris

 

[jeffdavies]

Did this recently with a load of Pallets in order to re-use them to make a shed.
After trying chisels, crowbars which can splinter the wood, we eventually found a much easier method which
causes minimal or no damage.

Get hold of a long sturdy length of scaffolding pole and gently with up and down movement, use it as a lever at each joint.
A square piece of steel, the sort used for making trailers would be even better in order to cover more surface area,
thus the effort involved will be even less. It's easier with two people doing it, one to stand on or hold down the pallet whilst the other levers each 'joint' apart.

This method really does work very well and the planks of wood normally just pop up and away!

Good luck!

 

[Timbertel]

Thanks everyone. I've taken DTRs' advice and also checked out YouTube and bought the Roughneck Demolition and Lifting Bar from Toolstation. I've tryed one pallet and it seems to work quiet well. I'll report back when I've taken apart the lorry load I've been promised :!: :!:. Thanks again for all of the replies

 

[Benchwayze]

.

Has anybody else developed a satisfactory way of utilising what seems to be a plentiful source of material :?:

Some years ago I made a picket fence and a vertical 'tool-shed screen' using pallet timber. The holes in the timber didn't matter so much of course and softwood pallets are ideal for this job. Father-in-Law was delighted.

HTH

 

[waveman2010]

I recall a salvager programme where Rico split the support blocks with a sharp cold chisel and then knocked the nails out afterwards, I did try it on a few pallets and it worked reasonably well

 

[Melinda_dd]

I'm going to go with knocking the nails all the way through.
I used to use just a bit of metal rod and a claw hammer... worked fine

 

[DUNK_WALES]

I used to use pallets for kindling the only sensible way I found was to take a chainsaw to them but I suppose that's not much use to you! Your right though there are many unusual hardwoods to be found in pallets I used to come across all kinds of timbers on them. Good luck