As a (now former, but hopefully again in the future) marathon runner I am accustomed to exerting large amounts of physical for little, if any, gain. Well, I came into possession of a 6ft pallet that I decided to break apart for some future projects. After 90 minutes of banging, prying and pulling nails, I was left with a small pile of crappy (mostly cracked or damaged) wood. I feel like I ran a marathon. Instead of a medal and a ton of respect from people that hope to someday run a marathon, I ended with this s***** wood and a bunch of people that think "hey I should do that and make xyz project". I have a new respect for people that bust pallets to make things that are better than an old used pallet. Now, where is the icy hot?
Busting Pallets (and my body)
- Thread starter Dehn0045
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Charlie_W
Member
Yup, they can be a booger to get apart.
Here is a project my daughter and I did several years ago with pallets.
Here is a project my daughter and I did several years ago with pallets.
Repurposing, Upcycling, Whatever They Call It......
Today, my daughter and I played in the driveway and made shavings....and sawdust. She works at a garden center and decided she wanted some planter boxes for all the succulent plants she has been bringing home. She got two pallets from work and we made ten planter boxes. The pallet boards were...
www.penturners.org
mnerland
Member
That's funny! I worked in a factory setting several years ago and walked out on the loading dock and immediately smelled black walnut. There was a stack of brand new pallets, all black walnut about 20 ft tall. Could not imagine this wood being used for that purpose. I decided to liberate one of these poor things for a better life. I too, learned that pallets are nailed together with cement coated sinkers or ring shank nails. I got a few good pieces.....but realized I was going to have let the other prisoners go!
@Charlie_W it looks like you and your daughter did pretty good! My daughter turns 3 years old this month, she helped, that was definitely the best part. I look forward to when she can run a circular saw, but for now I'll let her swing the soft dead-blow hammer and repeatedly ask "daddy, what are we going to make".
TellicoTurning
Member
I'm with Sam on this... I broke down one pallet years ago and decided the effort wasn't worth the results.
I worked for an export packing company in Houston and saw how they put crates and pallets together for international shipments... sometimes the sound of a nail gun almost sounded like a sewing machine... some of our guys would put 5 nails where 2 were needed and most were screw shank 2" and about 10p... will say this, none of our crates ever fell apart at the dock or on the ships. Some packers used chip board/strand board for the sides of crates (which will absorb water like a sponge), we use 1/2" plywood.
I worked for an export packing company in Houston and saw how they put crates and pallets together for international shipments... sometimes the sound of a nail gun almost sounded like a sewing machine... some of our guys would put 5 nails where 2 were needed and most were screw shank 2" and about 10p... will say this, none of our crates ever fell apart at the dock or on the ships. Some packers used chip board/strand board for the sides of crates (which will absorb water like a sponge), we use 1/2" plywood.
The screw shank nails are impressive! Also, I think mine had the nails coat in adhesive too, so they were a real bugger. The wood was either still pretty wet when the pallet was assembled, or the it was dried under harsh conditions - basically everything was checked. That made breaking it apart without further damage even more difficult. Every once in a while we have large crates come through that are made from 2x6s - those might be worth the effort and a easier to disassemble without blowing up all the wood. Especially considering lumber prices at the box stores lately - $6 ea for 2x4s
JohnU
Member
I used to pry pieces off crates and pallets and soon realized it was easier and quicker to cut an inch or so off to the side of the nails and lose a little wood instead of beating myself up. Lol. Good luck!!!
eharri446
Member
Use a reciprocal saw to cut the nail by sliding the sawblade between the wood pieces. Then all you have to do is know the nail head out of the wood. That will get you the slats nut cost you the vertical runners since the nails are still imbedded in the wood.