# Is Wood Recycled from Pallets Safe?



## Corec

Hi, all. I'm new to the forum, but I've been stalking this site for a couple of weeks now. I've been very impressed with the awesome projects that people post on here, and it's left me itching to try my hand at woodworking.

On the downside, my woodworking experience is limited to rough framing houses while I was in college. As such, I'm hesitant to make a big investment in lumber for my first few projects that will likely fail miserably.

I've seen a lot of posts on this site where people are using wood recycled from old pallets for their projects, and pallets are something that I can get plenty of at work. I've also seen a couple of articles online that say pallets get treated with some pretty serious chemicals (pesticides, fungicides, preservatives, etc.), but I haven't been able to find anything to substatiate those claims.

So my questions for the experts are:

1) Have any of you encountered problems with this in the past?
2) Is this an issue that I should be concerned about?
3) Are you aware of any research on the subject?
4) Is there already a post about this on the forum somehwere? (I couldn't find one)

Thanks.


----------



## b2rtch

I use wood from pallets but the first thing I did was to buy a metal detector.
About $20.00.
In the past I lost two fingers because of piece of metal in a piece of wood I was working with


----------



## DerekL

The answer is - maybe, maybe not.


----------



## live4ever

Depends…sometimes they are more trouble than they're worth.

Pressure-treated wood is hard on bits and blades and it can release all sorts of nasty stuff with its dust. I tend to discard pallet wood if it looks PT.

The rest is hit and miss. Sometimes you can find nice straight wood in pallets. Sometimes it's so badly twisted and bowed and cracked and warped that it's not worth the effort.

And like Bert pointed out, gotta watch for hidden metal.


----------



## Rick Dennington

I use them when I can find them…..they usually are made of good wood like oak, but like b2rtch said, get a metal detector to find the metal *you CAN"T see*. I recycled several old pallets, and made a couple of projects with it…turned out beautiful…..I've never ran into a problem where they treated, unless I jut didn't know it*..I've heard of no research about it*, so if you can get some, go for it…..just watch for things…...


----------



## 33706

You have to keep in mind that pallet manufacturers buy their loads from wholesalers and brokers, all the rippins and lower-quality boards to build pallets where appearancce is not of any importance. So when a lift is graded by the lumberman, there MAY be some nice boards in it, but they're usually well sorted by the time they've been purchased by the pallet maker's buyer. I have, however, found some nice quarter-sawn oak, mahogany, black walnut boards, but this was mostly when I was a warehouse receiver and saw dozens of pallets daily, sometimes hundreds! Remember that these boards were kiln-dried with no regard for cabinet makers' use. Don't waste any time thinking you can remove those spiral nails…forgetaboutit! Forget the stringers, just be happy to yield some 18"-22" slatboards, and watch out for embedded pebbles as well as nails/metal mentioned above. Avoid any pallets that are stained by unknown liquids.


----------



## bigike

some people have allergic reactions to wood in general, as far as pallet wood goes go for it and if your still nervous just wear long sleeves and a mask. I cut all the pallets at my job for my bosses fire wood for his house and campsite so I would say it's safe. I also still see little bugs on the wood sometimes don't know what they are but they are very small and don't look like they can damage the wood in any way I just kill them and call it a day. Like everyone else said get a metal detector or try to get the parts of the wood with no nails in it you will be all set. You can always send it to me and I'll make sure it's good to use. LOL


----------



## Corec

That's a really good point with the metal detector. When I asked about safety, I hadn't considered hangups/kickbacks due to embedded nails. I was figuring I could saw the ends off with my Skil saw and just waste the stringers and the last couple of inches of each slat.

As far as the treatment, I specifically had read that when goods are shipped overseas, they are sprayed at customs with chemicals to stop the spread of invasive plant/insect/animal species. I also read that pallets tend be contaminated with food bourne bacteria like E-Coli after shipping food products, and then they get reused by other industries. If these things are true, it would lead to me believe that pallets could be potentially dangerous if you breathe the sawdust or maybe even if you have too much skin-to-pallet contact (even though I've been tossing pallets around for years and haven't died yet).

I saw these statements in a couple of blogs on other sites, but I couldn't find anything to support them from a credible source like the USDA, Forestry Service or Customs websites.


----------



## PurpLev

'wood from pallets' is a very general description and the answer is - either yes, or no - but why take the chance?

I use it for different things, mostly for things that require lumber that can withstand the weather (outdoor stuff) and jigs but I wouldn't use it for anything food related (cutting boards, etc)

and yes, a metal detector is a must - I already missed a couple of nails that tore apart my planer blades.


----------



## 33706

*@corec:* Nowadays, most countries exporting to or from the US or Canada must have the letters "HT" stenciled or branded onto the pallets. That lets Customs know that the pallets were 'heat treated' and therefore unlikely to be harboring insect pests. I don't know of any requirement for liquid bug management for Customs purposes.


----------



## kayakdude

you have a good question , i have used palet wood its goos for fires and i have used with my scroll saw for small projects and you can plan it down to 3/8 to make draws and the side parts of the palet are in most cases are 3'' x 3'' and that my frend is good for wood turners ,the next thing to remember is that palets are made from oak, birch,ash, maple, and pine a goos sorce for glue ups . first on all you need a good metal detector that will cost about 40.00 dollars and next is a serface planer and a thickness gaige . do not get palets from meat werehouses that put chichen, and meats on the palets . free wood can be found behide bissness park dompters like places that use wood to make there stuff . it never herts to take a drive 
untill then make sume dust


----------



## chpmkr

You have had some great replies on this unusual topic. I purchased pallets for a large food and chemical company. Most were Oak but we required them to be treated for mold and bacteria because we did not want to introduce a contaminant into the warehouse or production area. I have seen some beautiful woods come in from foreign countries where they made pallets out of "common" woods but rare to the U.S. It is very tempting to use them for projects. DO NOT!
I am now a woodturner and as soon as I start making dust I wear a lot of protection. With Pallets you just don't know what the wood has been treated with or what the pallet carried. It is just not worth the risk to your equipment let alone you to be exposed to something that could hurt you or your family.
In Turning we have a saying that "Life is too short to turn crappy wood" 
Good luck and enjoy your projects but be safe!


----------



## chriswright

I'm just going to reiterate what most everyone has said. It's hit of miss with the quality of pallet wood. Some times you can get a nice hunk of red or white oak, some times it's just poplar or some other less expensive wood. Along with looking out for metal, they tend to be pretty dirty too, so that can be rough on blades and bits as well so that's something to think about as well. That being said, I've made a few projects out of reclaimed pallet wood and they turned out great.


----------



## Finn

I worked for a sheet metal contractor and they get their sheet steel on 10' long pallets made of 4"x4"s . I scored lots of oak, mahogony, gum, and pine. Burned all I could use and milled just as much. They were happy to have me haul this wood off.


----------



## bandit571

I have used pallet wood for years. Oak,ash, poplar, and even cottonwood. Along with the issue of nails, one other item seems to cause problems…staples. Not the big,easy to see kind, it's those little ones people tack paperwork, tags, and other labels on with. While I use the "slats" for some items, I tend to use the runners for most woodworking.

Getting those screwnails out can be a PITA, but can be done. A GOOD pair of Visegrips comes in very handy. Also, when nails are used to make a pallet, those collated nails will leave little bits of metal in the wood around the nails. As for what can be made:


----------



## TopamaxSurvivor

There was a local company that posted free pallets on Craigs List several times. since they were 1 1/2 miles from the house, i drove past to see what they had. I intended to use most of them for fire wood. They were coated with some type of chemical. I emailed the ad asking what was on them, but there was no response. I am sure they were long for some fool to haul their haz-mat away. Beware!! Lots of good wood out there too.


----------



## jackass

*Anybody I've spoken to about pallets, is that they are a b--h to take apart. By the time you have a piece of wood in hand you have had to transport the pallet home, go over it with a metal detector. take them apart board by board, ( and they are usually dry enough that you have to reef like hell to get a nail out) probably split many of the boards, then put them through a planer. Only then do you have a piece of wood you can use. Why do you think they give them away? Conversley, a friend made a kitchen table for his family, just beautiful. He said the worst part was dismantling the pallets.
Jack*


----------



## bandit571

Yep, taking a pallet apart can be a bear. However, once you do have one apart, and de-metaled, remember that all that nice hardwood you now have in your hands is still zero dollars. Then only expense you have in that supply of hardwood is, what, a bit of work to get it ready to use? There a light-duty pallets out there, 4/4 runners with 1/2 slats, that are stapled together. The slats make nice drawer sides, just cut between the runners. The 4/4 runners can be planed down to 3/4 nicely. Cut out all knotty areas, ALL of them.

Pallets will be WET. Let them dry in the shop for a while after you broke them down. Cut out the "bad" areas and just set the "good" stuff aside for awhile. There is no rush. While you are waiting for that stash to dry out, go looking for more good stuff. Trucking companies use a lot of 4×4s as cribbing, see if you can get their throwaways from them. Machinery crates are another good source. If you can find some good crates, they are the ones that have been screwed together, not nail-gunned.


----------



## TopamaxSurvivor

Every time I take a pallet apart, usually for firewood, I think about what my dad used to tell us boys when were helping him on the farm, *"Never pound when you can pry." *


----------



## b2rtch

I no longer take the pallets apart. 
I use a cheap HF saw-all and I cut out what I can use and everything else goes in my wood stove. 
I takes me just few minutes and a minimum effort to achieve that


----------



## bandit571

Nothing wrong with using the runners off of pallets. Legs were resawn,and then turned. Top is from resawn runners. Same with the aprons. Nail holes are there, just buried in glue joints.


----------



## jeenyzhang

yes, it may be true! if the woods have been used for a long time like the iron installed in the wood may ruin the wood material and if people uses it the material will become weak and can not be used for a long time! but if there is a *handheld metal detector*, it can detects the metal and avoid this problem!


----------



## gpop

I recycle them into jig parts, saw horses, etc. The wood is nasty sometimes but I've been quite surprised to find pallets made of beautiful hardwood.
I cut away about 2/8" after laboriously prying out huge nails (spikes), or just cutting around (if it's just a plank). So far these pieces have been useful to have around the shop instead of going out to buy expensive virgin wood just for making a sawhorse… sure, it's not as pretty but it gets the job done!


----------



## mtnwild

I don't think I've ever used pallet wood. However, I've used lots of crate wood. I've found pallet wood is usually from inferior wood to start. Crate wood is from people that had to box up or get something ready to ship. Never know what they might use. Sometimes I figure they use what's handy and sometimes some pretty nice wood was handy. Lots of mahogany is used making crates and wherever local wood in the vicinity is usually used and that could be fairly exotic. 
Usually crate wood is kiln dried, rough cut and after being put through the planer can really bring surprises. I've found some cool spalted pieces and figured sections. See on my falcon canes. The knotty falcon and wounded falcon, for sure is crate wood. .


----------



## Knothead62

I used to work for a company that sold hardwood flooring. All imported wood had to be containerized and treated for a number of days to kill any critters before it was released for shipment; boxes were on pallets. OTOH, my son bought oak flooring and had to have several boards replaced due to some kind of beetle in the wood. In the morning, there would be a cone of fine sawdust and a pinhole in the wood.
Pallet wood would be crapshoot as you don't know what was spilled on it.


----------



## carver1942

Numerous times I have seen warnings in publications warning on the use of pallets for firewood. most are treated with chemicals that are dangerous to breathe. I would not risk the health of my family to save a few bucks. I'm on a very limited budget also and like to save money, but not that way. If something is worth making, it's worth saving and buying the wood for it. I may have to choose a lower grade wood, but at lease it will be safe. The inhaling of contaminated dust from sawing or sanding pallet wood is also dangerous. When I was younger I got some really nice woods like oak and maple by keeping an eye at the curb on trash pickup days. I found some nice tables and nightstands that people were discarding and were free to take. One maple table I found yielded me enough wood to make a load of toy cars, and a serving tray. JMHO
regards
Ed


----------



## bandit571

Used pallet wood for decades.

Resawed pallet wood for decades

The main trouble I had was removing all that iron from the wood. Screw nails are a bear to remove from oak.

HT branded on the side of a pallet merely means it was heated to kill off any bugs inside. Heat was used, NOT chemicals.

Another good source would be the 4×4s ans such that are underneath loads of structural Steel ( red iron types) as these are usually hardwood.

If you do use a pallet's wood, let sit awhile, just to dry out. Most are green wood when made. Avoid any pallet coloured BLUE. These are food safe ones, and are the property of the stores using them. Not sure what is the blue colour, anyway.

Pallet wood, construction site cribbing, dunage timbers, Barn Wood,......Reclaimed wood is still…reclaimed wood. How much work you want to put into using this stuff, is up to you.


----------



## JustJoe

I've salvaged a few pallets and agree with everyone who says the are a PITA to take apart. Whoever designed those ring-shanked nails knew what they were doing. If you've got the patience and the right source for pallets though I guess you can score some nice pieces of wood.

I just want to ask the people who talked about food having been on them - 
Are you speaking from experience, like you actually worked in a slaughterhouse or poultry processing plant, or at the delivery docks on your local supermarket? I'm trying to picture when someone would move live animals around on a pallet, and can't. I thought that the FDA would [email protected] bricks if processed foods were just dropped unwrapped on a piece of unsanitized lumber. I can picture vegetables I guess, but I'd think they would be in bushels or baskets and if they did go bad like lettuce sometimes does then it would leave an obvious stain or stink on the wood so you'd know not to get it.

Sorry that's long winded but that's my question. I'm not being facetious or anything. It's just that the mention of the food got me thinking, and the only food factory I ever saw was a tour of the Kellog plant a few decades ago as a kid.


----------



## bandit571

Think of a pallet this way

They are made to carry one item, after that, it's up to whomever gets the pallet. They will get used until they are so broken down nothing will sit on them. Then, out they go. They are NOT treated lumber, there is no reason to treat them.

Pallets from the oil industry will show stains from the oils they carried.

IF there is some sort of stuff on the pallet, let it sit out in the rain for a while. Let the rain wash it off. Then take a look at the wood.

What next? Maybe a Geiger counter? Yeah right, them type of pallets ain't going to be available, anyway. Same with any other Haz-Mat type of pallet. You and I will not be allowed to get them, anyway.

Just go dumpster diving near any wharehouse that allows you to. Most of the pallets there will be already broken up, just to get rid of them. IF a place recycles pallets, you won't get anything there, either.


----------

