How to deconstruct a pallet?

[greenpeeps]

My husband works for a company that just built a machine to rip apart pallets. It's a nasty looking machine that has a couple saw blades that cut the top and bottom pallets and pulls them apart. Wouldn't want to get caught up in that, ouchhh

 

[cliff01]

pallet needs to be completely disassembled, the other will be partly disassembled and used for the body of the trailer. Using only a pry bar or hammer to take apart the pallets is usually very difficult and will usually crack the boards. This plan strongly recommends using a circular saw first to separate the boards.
After the top boards are cut away, use the thongs on the back of the hammer to knock out the wood blocks from between the nails. Use a pry bar to take out the nails.





Palletways

 

[patandchickens]

Ms. Cluckingly :

I've watched some videos on youtube, but neither of them were what I needed to know. I've got many pallets in my garage just itching to be made into my new coops, and I can't take them apart! I do not have a sawzaw, and they are the kind of pallets with planks on both sides. Anyone have any tried and true methods for dismantling these suckers without loosing valuable wood?

Time to buy a sawzall, or get good at using your circular saw, or use a design that involves whole pallets

Some pallets disassemble ok; others just CAN'T be done without a lot of tragic damage to the wood.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[Violinist4lyfe]

I've been using a crow bar to pry what I can and if it's too tight I put a rock under the pallet and use a small sledge hammer to knock it loose (with my 8 year old on top of the pallet as a counter weight). I also have an iron wedge that helps loosen the board so that the hammer claw can grab the nail. I do loose some of the boards but they were free so I don't mind sacraficing a couple pieces.

 

[bfrancis]

Quote:
Ever see a hammer explode? You will if you continue to do that method...wear eye protection