LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Finally scored a Pallet!! But was it worth it?? Now what?

Tags
oak question
3K views 20 replies 16 participants last post by  Dakkar 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
For years I've been watching the pile of pallets behind our building come and go and haven't really gotten anything from save for a piece or two of plywood when they have a special container come in. Last week, while walking by I noticed some new ones on the pile and noticed some 'different' but familiar looking grain patterns on some slats on one… almost like quarter-sawn flecks. I stopped for a closer look and behold, a pallet made from white oak, mostly quarter-sawn!! I ran and got my truck and quickly loaded it! I was pretty jazzed, my first 'real' pallet find!

It wasn't long after I got it home, unloaded and started to disassemble it that my excitement started waning… quickly! If you've ever pulled apart a pallet, you know they use a 'twisted' nail about 12d size that don't pull out very easily… so in white oak, I can now tell you they do not pull out at all! Instead, the heads pop off the nails when given a good heave-ho! Also, when trying to pry up the slats a little just to get at the nails, several of them started splitting bad. The slats are approx. 1/2" thick , so you can't pry on them too much before they split. Also, upon closer inspection, it looks like the runners have been re-used and you can see old nails that have been cut off in between some of the slats that are on there now.

So for now, I've put it aside as I was just tearing it up and getting frustrated, but wanted to see if any of you experienced palletizers had any suggestions on what to do with it! I'm thinking I can grind the heads of the nails off and then pull off the slats and try to use them, but I was really more excited about the runners as they are closer to 2×4 dimensions. Now I'm real leary of trying to use the runners as they are chock full of nails… nails I can't seem to remove! So, does anyone have any other suggestions on how to salvage any of this fine wood??

Thanks,
Bill C.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Good Luck!

With pallets I am very short on patience. I cut the stringers out with a saw, leaving a chunk on each runner.
The small parts can be broken off the runners and the nails then pulled more easily.
If they don't pull out… cut them off.

Now…. don't you feel better?
 
#4 ·
Being able to salvage good runners is very difficult.
Even if you do get the nails out , the wood will be full of nail holes and also may be stained. I finally gave up on the runners and concentrate on the cross pieces instead. Good luck …there is a lot of nicely figured wood that gets used for pallets : )
 
#5 ·
Metal detector, cut the exposed nail heads off, and just leave them in there and work around it. I mentioned the metal detector to avoid running a nail through your sawblade. Be very careful when you start cutting into this stuff.

Here's a tip with finding hardwood pallets: stone suppliers (bricks, boulders, etc) generally use some type of oak for their pallets. Forget about the ones behind the grocery and retail stores. You want the good stuff they use for very very heavy materials like stone.
 
#8 ·
good wood does not get used for pallets around here (usually what we call "scrub oak").

IMHO the nails they use are impossible to remove…they like to reuse the pallets so they want to make sure they can survive multiple forklift operations. If you want to make small boxes the slats can produce some very interesting stuff as do the runners but I cut around anything that contains one of those nails…not worth the time or effort.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the input guys (and gals if any!)... guess I was hoping for more positive results with some new-fangled, whiz-bang approach to getting them apart!! Reality sure has a way of spoiling things sometimes! I'll try to salvage at least some pieces of the slats and then probably just turn the rest to firewood for my friend who heats his shop with a wood stove.

Thanks again for all the input!

Bill C.
 
#12 ·
A friend helped me weld up a big pry bar that resembles a u shaped fork. Put that sucker under the pallet slats and pry down. Something is gonna give.

I haven't been able to use the pallet runners except for a couple. Too many nails…lots of them cut off from rebuilds. I always seem to find the ugly ones. However some slats are poplar, cedar and oak. That is what I made the crates from. Gotta think small.

Note: Personally, I down care for stuff built out of pallets that look like they were built using a pallet. If I can't mill it and reuse it in a different way, then I forget it and move on.
 
#17 ·
69BB

I was born into a "frugal" german family that introduced me to the "nail puller" (google it and check out the "slide pounders") at a very early age. I own one but damned if I can get those pallet nails out. I think they use ring shanks with a hook head.

Maybe a small "plug-cutter" would work to free the slats without prying? There can be some nice wood hiding there if you have a planer.
 
#18 ·
I've used the plug cutter approach….takes a steady hand and a few prayers….the nails aren't always straight into the wood and sometimes old nails are just below the slats waiting to ruin your cutter.
When it worked right , it was a good thing : )
 
#20 ·
If the heads break off, a pair of visegrips clamped onto the shank, along with a rip claw hammer. The visegrips take the place of the nail's head. I usually resaw the runners. Mostly the ones at least 1-1/2 thick. I just leave the center line of the runner as scrap, along with almost all the nails. Slats would make decent drawer sides, and backs. Bad part is that those thin slats…...WARP.

Another tip: lay the pallet down flat, with something to keep it from moving on one side. A nice BIG sledge hammer, hitting near the top edge of the runners, will bend the pallet apart. At least enough that one can get at the nails better.

Around here, I can just go past one of the many Amish farms. Seems they also build pallets for the companies around here. usually can pick up a load of their "scraps". They usually use a hardwood, like oak, or ash.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top