# Quality Pallet Wood



## Milo (Apr 24, 2009)

Two of the top 25 are excellent examples of quality projects from quality pallet wood.

It got me thinking, where can you find quality pallet wood? Good, solid hardwood pallets.

What businesses would be most likely to receive stock from areas which would ship with hardwood pallets?

What businesses receive stock from overseas that would have "exotic" wood pallets?

My first thought was a flooring store. I have a lumber liquidators I thought of checking out.

If you have any ideas on the subject, please share.

Thanks,

Milo


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## redSLED (Mar 21, 2013)

Generally I find that all pallet wood is a crap shoot. Pallets span those put together from freshly cut unknown species that crack and twist in 24 hours when taken apart to superbly beautiful hard maple and oak that stays totally straight months after being disassembled - I have found some of these, but they're rare. At least that is what I've found - that is, you cannot ascertain the 'quality' of the pallet wood is until you take it apart and dry it out completely first. My experience, however, is based only on approx 20-25 pallets, taken from random locations - usually retail or industrial.


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

My Guess:

When very heavy equipment is used on pallets, the pallets are probably made of Hard woods.

Otherwise, the pallets are made of more semi-hard woods…

As I said… My Guess… LOL


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## watermark (Jan 29, 2013)

If you have heard any where that is bringing in furniture or large pottery from places like Thailand or Indonesia are good sources.


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## Milo (Apr 24, 2009)

redSLED: Fear not, I fully understand it's a crap shoot. However, it seems that it's at least looking at, and passing, depending on what's available.

Joe, and Watermark. Great ideas. Thanks for the feedback, everyone!


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## LeeBarker (Aug 6, 2010)

When we had this discussion one time before (and it's fine to have it again) one very knowledgeable LJ wrote at length about pallets and their lives. He pointed out that any pallet you see likely belongs to someone. I still poke at interesting pallets from time to time, but I bear that in mind.

Now back to our regular programmin-searching for The Pallet!

Kindly,

Lee


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## Woodmaster1 (Apr 26, 2011)

The last pallets I got the tops were 3/4 7 ply plywood. I am going to used them to make jigs.


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

I've heard pallets are heavily treated like pressure treated lumber. Is that true?


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## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

Pallets that are used for international shipping, by regulation, have to be treated for insect control, lest we ship out little critters. However, mostly nowadays it is done by heat-treating, and you'll know it if there is a [HT] stencil on the sides. From people I know in the industry, pallet manufacturers buy loads of second-quality wood from sawmills and other sources, wood that is too short or of poor quality for furniture. Sometimes, whole truckloads can be graded down by estimators, and off it goes to a pallet facility. This explains why you can sometimes find righteous walnut and other rarities, it gets mixed in with a whole load. Keep looking!


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

I used to get fantastic hardwood pallets from a plumbing place that sold boilers, furnaces, spas, hot tubs…mostly oak, but I swear I got a few sticks of what looks like mahogany. Someone who works there must heat with wood or something because they don't put the pallets out anymore (sniff).


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## vikingcape (Jan 3, 2013)

I have a local sears that sells appliances and asked the manager what he was doing with the pallets and he said all they do is throw them out. He said I could take them when I want to. Also a local auto supply place near my house always has good hardwood ones that kindly said I could also have them when I want to. (His reply was all anyone uses them for is bonfires and Bull#[email protected] So grab them whenever their there) Appliance places and auto parts places. Always be nice and ask, they appreciate that. There are some where they give their pallets back to whatever company ships them and don't have to pay for them. I built my workbench out of pallets and several other projects also. Just look around and ask. Also buy a crowbar, you will need it


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Skip the nailed up ones. Around here, there are a LOT of Amish "farmers" with a barn dedicated to making truckloads of pallets. They saw their own lumber, too. You could take a load of "scrap" off their hands, as otherwise, they just have a burn pile going.

Check behind stores like Walmart, and such, and see if you can have a few of theirs.

Construction sites: ASK FIRST BEFORE ENTERING! Look for a load of steel showing up, and ask about the cribbage under it. Lots of time, this is either 3×3s, or 4×4s of Oak or other hardwood. If any large machinery is going into the "new place" look at the wood under it. I saw 12×18s under a blowmolder being unloaded one year! Some were as long as the flatbed truck!


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## ncwooder (May 5, 2013)

I have been getting pallets from my employer and have gotten some really good boards and 4×4's that were 12' long.These were all ht type and really good quality.Also got some good oak boards.Have to keep check often as to what is coming in but it can pay off with some good usable wood.


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## Kreegan (Jul 10, 2012)

Best source around here is this place called Leisure Time that sells hot tubs, playground equipment and above ground pools.


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

There is a Pallet factory here in Phoenix on 35th Ave down by the River. They have a sign out front that says they will buy all used pallets for $3.00
They use Pine almost exclusively there and thats about all I see used in Pallets in this area.
They mill raw logs to make the pallets. You can see lumber trucks delivering logs all the time.

Every time I drive by there the smell reminds me of Christmas time.


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## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

I work for a walk-in MFGR - We have pallets to spare, cause we have to make our own size to ship on.

A lot of oak & Pine out there, but I have gotten Cherry, Maple, Sycamore, Hickory, Mahogany, & a few other I can't name just yet


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## JollyGreen67 (Nov 1, 2010)

Tim - The answer is YES!!! As I've said many times here at LJs, I was a shipping/receiving manager at a retail and wholesale supply house, and 98% of all the pallets that came in were infused with some kind of insect repellent. So, beware. It's amazing how many LJs do not believe.


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## redSLED (Mar 21, 2013)

My coffee table made of pallet wood (mostly maple, oak and hemlock):


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

up-cycling as opposed to re-cycling is as much in the eye as it is in geographic location as global trading makes the world into a spot where answering your question is somewhat like comparing where a toothbrush is made.


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## Harley130 (Nov 1, 2008)

Around here there are about half dozen full time pallet pickers, they patrol the stores that toss pallets with a trailer and load them as soon as they see them. When I worked at the Home Depot, 95% of their pallets were returnable pallets, those that weren't they used to ship returned items back to the returns center. 
The pallet pickers are not choosy about what they take, they sell them to pallet refurbishers.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

pallet diving


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

its as simple as it gets


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## YanktonSD (Jun 21, 2011)

There is a lot of pallet manufacturer in the midwest and they mostly use cottonwood since it is so hard. I have found that they use oak when delivering tin siding for metal buildings.


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

Working for an Italian tile importer/distributor we get pallets all the time. Never really any exotics. Mostly R/O, Pine and W/O. We do set several out a week. With enough effort, there wood be some good wood in there from time to time. However, we generally re-use the good ones. Seems like the poorer quality ones are most likely to make it to the trash pile.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

one mans journey

is anothers trail


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## Milo (Apr 24, 2009)

Great conversation guys!


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## BentheViking (May 19, 2011)

I work for lumber liquidators and should let you know that we rarely get pallets made from exotics. sometimes some oak pieces, but I can't even remember if I've ever even seen one made 100% from oak

What we do get from time to time are sticks under the hardwood pallets that are approx 2-3" square and 40" long. Oaks and cherry with some frequency, but I've gotten maple, hickory, poplar, walnut, brazilian cherry, and some unidentified exotics in the past. Hopefully you don't have anyone who works at your local store that is a wood snatcher like me!


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## FirehouseWoodworking (Jun 9, 2009)

As many have said, it's catchers-catch-can. I work at a university and the lady who runs the shipping department is more than happy to have someone take the pallets. I am picky and only take the clean ones - and only then if they have not been treated for anything.

I just brought one home last week that looked brand new. It was all maple, even the 2-inch-thick runners!

I have also talked to the manager at our local Tractor Supply store - a farm and home supplier. While they return all their regular sized pallets, the over-sized pallets and shipping crates from implements, riding mowers, etc., are up for grabs. I've often times gotten pine 1×4 up to 12 or 14 feet long.

Cheers!


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## GerryB (May 1, 2011)

Many, if not most, of the pallets I see in this corner of the world are trashy pine about 1/2" thick under stove pellets. Good exercise taking them apart, but not much else.


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## camps764 (Dec 9, 2011)

+ 1 on GerryB. 99% of the pallets I've seen in Omaha are trashy pine as well. The old man works at a company that gets heavy machinery shipped in - had a few of the big shipping pallets that were oak.

Fella down the street works at a company that ships in big rolls of copper tubing and other rolls of heavy stuff. All of the pallets he brings home are oak. I believe he heats his home with them in the winter.


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## Milo (Apr 24, 2009)

Ben and Dave,

Now that is interesting. I have gotten my hands on those long pieces before, Ben, and they are great for jigs and such.

Dave, got go visit Tractor Supply!


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## jgreiner (Oct 23, 2010)

I just salvaged my first set of pallets not long ago, one was southern yellow pine (I love the grain on that), many of them are oak, but another was either soft maple or birch which was a pleasant surprise. All of these pallets came from a hardwood floor dealer.

My buddy good buddy Eric (http://lumberjocks.com/Woodwrecker) who has more oak pallet wood than he has garage space told me that motorcycle dealer was a good place to get pallets.

-jeremy


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## jackthelab (Jan 10, 2011)

Hey

You may want to check with the motorcycle dealerships or those dealers that sell PWC (jetskis) as many times those are shipped in with pallets.


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## Kreegan (Jul 10, 2012)

Stumbled across a new one today. Check your local John Deere dealership. Apparently a lot of the smaller tractors are shipped on pallets/crates.


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## Edwardnorton (Feb 15, 2013)

I use pallets all the time here. I get them from a home/farm store called Rural King. They have some very nice wood in their pallets. I've gotten Oak, Maple, Walnut, Cherry and some Hickory. I suppose there built that way because of the heavy merchandise they get in there store (automotive tools, woodworking tools, generators, tire balancers, tire changers, wood stoves,) etc

Unlike the big box stores like Menards, Lowes, Walmart, Home Depot, etc., Rural King does not reuse or put the pallets in a crusher to be tossed out like garbage. They put them outside to be hauled away by either the trash collector company OR anyone else that wants to take them.

I wait until a day after their normal delivery days and spend about 2 hours picking through 2 or 3 dozen of the pallets. As mentioned I get some very nice wood. Of course I have to take them apart, clean them from nails, screws and staples and then run them through my planer but it saves me literally hundreds of dollars by doing so.


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## Milo (Apr 24, 2009)

Edward, what part of the country is Rural King in?


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## Edwardnorton (Feb 15, 2013)

*Milo - The Farm Store Rural King is in Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana & Tennessee. *


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## ProfPenguin (Apr 1, 2013)

I just grabbed my first load of hardwood pallets from a machine shop. I've been keeping my eyes open for a while as I use the soft pine pallets for compost bins, outdoor furniture, fire starters, etc.

I didn't think anything of it when I pulled up to the pallet pile until I got out and sure enough, there were hardwood pallets in there. This was the first time I got the ok to pick through this pile and he says he gets a couple dozen every week, I'm stoked. One of the boards is a 10' cherry 2×4 with maybe 1' of sapwood on both ends. The center will make great boxes and small projects. The rest of the stuff I took looks to be white oak, poplar, and maple.

The white oak will be turned into a potting bench for the lady, the cherry/maple is for me. And the poplar is for painted decorations. Woot!

I had no idea that you could get hardwood pallets. They are certainly not clear wood by any means; #1 common grade at best, but its a whole lot cheaper than the alternative! Now I will be able to convince myself that a jointer and planer will be worth the investment.

Oh brother, I can hear what she's going to say now… SWIMBO won't be happy about this conclusion… lol

Have a great weekend guys!


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## woodworkerforchrist (Apr 25, 2013)

Great source but really gotta be careful and alot of them are junk. Some nice wood csn be found though


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

skid projects


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## hoosier0311 (Nov 8, 2012)

Printing companies are good source for me. Much of the equipment they get in is heavy stuff. i often find pallets with 3×3 and 4×4 runners from 4 to 6 feet in length. The smaller stuff is usually Pine and Oak. Some of the supplied parts for the bindery come with a "window pane" peice on the top. This is usually poplar but it's 8 inches wide and about 3 to 4 feet long. after jointing the edges it makes very nice thin panels suitable for the back of a chest of drawers or drawer bottoms.


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## Edwardnorton (Feb 15, 2013)

*I agree with woodworkerforchrist in that some of the pallet wood is crap but as I said earlier above I get a lot of good hard woods from them. I'd say about 65% of the pallets I bring home end up in the fire pit outdoors but it IS worth the 35% of good hard wood for me to still use pallets.*


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

beauty is only skin deep


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

the rest

pure BS


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## NatalieM (Jan 6, 2013)

Woodworkers fighting over pallet wood: 
My son-in-law works at Leatherman Tool Company in Portland, they let him take whatever pallet wood he wants, so he brings me some great stuff once in a while. They get materials from many sources. But he has to fight with the other hobby woodworkers who work with there. Apparently, some departments have access to much better pallet wood than others, since they use different materials. Each department is pretty territorial about their pallet wood and they all do trades. "10 of your oak boards for 5 of these walnut/mahogany".


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

go to your local drop shop

….. its free ?

putting a skid into a mud pile is harder then some might think and rescuing the pigs ear is often less expensive then seeking silk hats.

this i know


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

if you can make "simple"

make sense

you win


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

perspective


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

be thankful for the blessings in front of you.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

vanity buries more skids then people can pick a friend who cares










dont worry

my pets are friends


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)




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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

never be afraid to remember yesterday


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## redSLED (Mar 21, 2013)

^ off on a pallet wood tangent are we?


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## jeffswildwood (Dec 26, 2012)

I actually have a pallet shop near where I live. They make up pallets every day for sale. A few years ago I had three silver maple trees removed from my yard before they fell on my house. The guy who removed them asked if I wanted the wood and at the time I said no. He cut them to length and sold the logs to the pallet shop. That tells me something about a source of wood pallet shops use. So they could be anything.


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## verdesardog (Apr 2, 2011)

funiture stores are a great source of some good pallets, seems the manufacturesr use scrap funiture wood to make the shipping pallets.


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## Milo (Apr 24, 2009)

Gotta check out the furniture store angle.

Another spot to check out are Sign shops. The get large sign in loaded in crate fairly often.


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