Pallets

[snooky]

I am in the fortunate position of being able to get hold of pallets to strip and use for any project which I am working at the time.The problem is with the stripping of them,I seem to split half the planks making them unusable when using a crowbar chisel,hammer,etc.
Has anybody a better way of stripping pallets and produce a better product?

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Snooky, the problem is they use ring shanked nails when making the pallets, so they are very hard to pull out.
I haven't tried this, but you might be able to punch the nails right through the slats if you have a long thin punch.

[Johnboy]

Hi OH,
You have hit the nail on the head literally.
In one of my tunnels that is benched-out the benching is made entirely from ex-pallet wood.
This wood was stripped out and all the nails removed and then the wood run through the saw. It saved me approximately £350.00.
If you cut the pallet into two halves, top and bottom by cutting through the 4"x4" timbers then knock or split off the cut blocks of timber then use a punch, as described by you, to remove all traces of nails. By cutting the blocks of wood you are no longer trying to push the nail into the wood simply through the timber you wish to save.This sounds more complicated that it actually is.
To do the cutting I fit an old blade into the chainsaw then if I do manage to hit a nail not too much harm is done.
When I did the tunnel I used more than a hundred pallets and still use the same old chainsaw blade today for cutting roots and suspect timber. Surprisingly it still has all it's teeth.
JB.

[Compo]

Hi Snooky, you are right it is tricky, I make a lot of wood for my woodburning stove unintetionally when breaking up pallets.

Two further tips, if you manage to prise the blocks apart as described by Johnboy you can use a small grinding disk to cut the nail flush with the wood, leaving the nail head in the wood but flush should not interfere with most recycling projects, this if you can get a power tool to the site where you are doing the work. You can use an angle grinder or a small metal disk cutter that fits in electric drills, a good cordles will do it.

I have a nail puller used for opening packing cases it is a funny looking object but it does work on annular ring shanked nails to a degree I 'acquired it', but similar ones are available for purcase.

http://www.toolbank.com/34/p/C3351/FAINAILPULL

CoMpO
CoMpO

[sally wright]

Dear Snooky,
I know this may sound strange, but the wetter the pallets are when you break them up the easier it is to get out sound unsplit planks.
Regards Sally Wright.

[richard p]

wonderful tool compo, i use one when removing fence panels that have been nailed onto the wooden posts. it allows you to remove a panel from a rotted post and reuse the panel.

[Stephen]

Deconstructing pallets is hard work for certain sure.
I used a woodsaw and a hacksaw (and a crowbar and a claw hammer). If there was power available a jigsaw with a long progressive wood/metal blade would go through like nobody's business and everything would be ready for rebuilding.

[snooky]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions I"m sure that there is one there which will suit