Pallet Wood

[Matt S]

Hi
Can you make decent looking projects using pallet wood?
I can potentially get hold of pallets through work - but am trying to decide if its worth the hassle of removing nails and such
Thanks
Matt

 

[MARK.B.]

All pallets are not created equal as in some are better than others, hardwood verses softwood etc , although stuff made from pallet wood is not to everybody's taste at the end of the day wood is wood and if you take the time and the effort and have the tools and skills needed there is no reason why you cannot make something good from pallets, i have seen some that i would say was nice and looked good,on the other hand i have seen more that looked like a pile of

 

[robgul]

Yes - I make quite a bit of stuff* from pallet timber . . . but you need to be selective with the original pallets in terms of condition and how they are nailed together. Most are just machine nailed into blocks or wider battens but some have nails that are bent as they emerge from the slats - avoid the latter as removing nails is awkward and leaves gouges in the timber. I've invested in a pallet-buster tool from Screwfix or TS (?) - makes life much easier with fewer splits levering them apart. Pallets that have had bricks, blocks, pavings are to be avoided as they invariably have bits of stone embedded in them which plays havoc with tools.

Depending on the project I often run the slats through my thicknesser just to smooth the surfaces and save on any sanding later (just have to make sure all the nails are out and accept that blades will wear/chip quickly)

* e.g. shoe racks, kitchen vegetable racks, rustic garden stuff . . . and a TikiBar!

 

[Argus]

I would counsel some research on the code marking on pallets because many of them are impregnated or treated with chemicals that may be toxic. Typically those that are used in international freight.

There have been previous discussions on this forum over the years on the subject of pallet-wood.

Put simply..... you don't know where it's been.

 

[alan895]

No need to go through the effort of breaking up a pallet - just attach four castors to the underside and flog it as a rustic coffee table for £50.

 

[robgul]

I would counsel some research on the code marking on pallets because many of them are impregnated or treated with chemicals that may be toxic. Typically those that are used in international freight.

There have been previous discussions on this forum over the years on the subject of pallet-wood.

Put simply..... you don't know where it's been.

This bloke has something to say on the subject - and his pallet projects are pretty cool

 

[Jameshow]

Only pallets I would contemplate using would be those with big 4x2 or bigger timbers.

Often found in shop fitting situations or industrial locations...

 

[Stuart Moffat]

Makes excellent kindling,
i get left with about 4 a year where stuff is delivered on a pallet. I always remove the nails if I can which go in the recycling.

 

[Majimoto]

I would counsel some research on the code marking on pallets because many of them are impregnated or treated with chemicals that may be toxic. Typically those that are used in international freight.

There have been previous discussions on this forum over the years on the subject of pallet-wood.

Put simply..... you don't know where it's been.

Ones marked HT are ok, (heat treated)
Don't use any with B on them, as they have been chemically treated with Bromium.
Obviously be aware of what they might have been carrying- as in pesticides or chemicals.
Otherwise, you can cut them apart with a "Sawzall" type saw- if you don't mind nail ends in them.
Or prise them apart with special tools but risk a lot of firewood left over!
I've made loads of "furniture " for my grandchildren -- Wendy house, chairs, tables, climbing frames and so on.
Check out Pinterest for good ideas.
Enjoy the trip!

 

[rafezetter]

google youtube and the channel "epic upcycling"

English guy doing incredible things with pallet wood and other offcuts recycled.

 

[Stevekane]

Save yourself the trouble and scoop the nails out with the ashes!

Makes excellent kindling,
i get left with about 4 a year where stuff is delivered on a pallet. I always remove the nails if I can which go in the recycling.

 

[Stuart Moffat]

I do do that if I have loads of the stuff, but they do jam the grate riddling. And I use the ashes so still need to extract them from the dust!

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

I cut them up with the Recip with pallet wood blades (Metal/Wood) then you can poke bits of nails out with a punch if need be? as most are ridged nails so don't like to be evicted from timber!

Were making Bird/bat/Bee boxes

 

[Jarno]

As others have mentioned, not all pallets are created equal, we had a few here which looked like excellent timber, straight grained pine, saw them every day while entering and leaving the building. Ultimately took them apart and resawed the planks (avoided sections with nails obviously).
But there are others which are just ****, hopefully we get some more of the good stuff here, the legs were quartersawn/rift sawn so I kept those as well

 

[TheUnicorn]

I normally try and look for the ones with solid joists / bearers, cut the outside bearers off with a circular saw (ie cross cut across the planks a couple of inches from the edge), that normally leaves a single bearer in the middle, and the planks should pry off without too much effort. The bearers that are left over (with a couple of inches of wood still on) I normally run along with a hatchet, essentially kindling the scraps of plank, leaving you with the bearers and a bunch of nails, now all exposed so should pry out easily. To remove the nails from the planks I nip off the majority of the length with some bolt cutters, then tap them out from the underside leaving exposed heads that pull through easily.

Its a balancing act between the time and energy it takes to take them apart (plus damage to tools from hidden nails, imbedded stones etc) against the cost of buying wood new

In general I find there is never as much useable wood in them is it appears and I've exhausted myself taking them apart

 

[Ttrees]

Good stuff for bird tables until you can better stuff.
A swipe with a hand plane will suddenly make it not so poo should you decide to make stuff from it.
Good to have a few scraps of various lengths for a few jigs, test cuts or whatnot.

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

I normally try and look for the ones with solid joists / bearers, cut the outside bearers off with a circular saw (ie cross cut across the planks a couple of inches from the edge), that normally leaves a single bearer in the middle, and the planks should pry off without too much effort. The bearers that are left over (with a couple of inches of wood still on) I normally run along with a hatchet, essentially kindling the scraps of plank, leaving you with the bearers and a bunch of nails, now all exposed so should pry out easily. To remove the nails from the planks I nip off the majority of the length with some bolt cutters, then tap them out from the underside leaving exposed heads that pull through easily.

Its a balancing act between the time and energy it takes to take them apart (plus damage to tools from hidden nails, imbedded stones etc) against the cost of buying wood new

In general I find there is never as much useable wood in them is it appears and I've exhausted myself taking them apart

I cut down them so have full lengths as blade cuts through nails

 

[sawtooth-9]

Do you value your time and skill ?
If so, find some decent wood that is worth the effort.
Sure, you can use pallet wood - but why bother ?
If it comes down to cost, just make less - but better.

 

[niemeyjt]

Have a look at what this guy does - https://www.youtube.com/c/EpicUpCycling/videos

 

[robgul]

Have a look at what this guy does - https://www.youtube.com/c/EpicUpCycling/videos

I've made a few of the things he's done - it's satisfying and good fun . . . and if it all goes wrong all you've lost is time and some fixings/glue - rather than expensive wood.