Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[ChicksnMore]

Initial results of using the Air Locker AP700 to drive nails deeper into the planks...

I am happy to report that my experiment in using the Air Locker AP700 to drive nails deeper into the planks to make removal of the planks was a complete success - in terms of the experiment yielding answers to my questions. Unfortunately, the results were less than satisfactory. Here is what I discovered.

1) Punching the pallet nail heads deeper into the pallet planks most often split the plank wood at the ends. The broad nail head acted as a wedge and when driven deeper into the wood, it would most often split the wood at the ends. This is unacceptable for my purposes. As you know, a little split can often work it's way further up the wood, and in one case, it split off about 12 inches of the board.

2) Driving the nail heads deeper into the pallet planks actually made the planks HARDER, not easier, to take off. Since the broad heads were pounded deeper into the planks, it only made the plank tighter against the 2X4 stretcher and I had a harder time removing the plank, even with a flat bar.

In conclusion, I found that using the Air Locker AP700 to punch nails deeper into the planks to make plank removal easier was a bust. I am much better off using the other methods of pallet disassembly such as using a circular saw to cut off the planks in shorter pieces, using a reciprocating saw with a long demolition blade and just cutting through the nails, or using my pallet buster on those few pallets that it seems to work on. Even a hammer and crowbar works better than trying to punch down the nails deeper into the planks.

Well, I thought I was on to something to speed up pallet disassembly, but the results proved the opposite. However, the Air Locker AP700 is a great tool to de-nail all those pallet planks once the planks are pulled off. I'm OK with that. That is what it was designed to do.

Definitely worth trying and glad you shared!

 

[chickengr]

Location matters. BTW, I saw on TV news that Greece is burning hot right now. How are you and the chickens doing in all that heat? From the times I visited Greece, it was already too warm for me even in May. Anyways, hope you are doing well.

thank God I am safe but I saw fire on the top of a mountain near me. I lost 2 fat hens and a chick. I hope not to loose any more.

 

[Smokerbill]

Initial results of using the Air Locker AP700 to drive nails deeper into the planks...

I am happy to report that my experiment in using the Air Locker AP700 to drive nails deeper into the planks to make removal of the planks was a complete success - in terms of the experiment yielding answers to my questions. Unfortunately, the results were less than satisfactory. Here is what I discovered.

1) Punching the pallet nail heads deeper into the pallet planks most often split the plank wood at the ends. The broad nail head acted as a wedge and when driven deeper into the wood, it would most often split the wood at the ends. This is unacceptable for my purposes. As you know, a little split can often work it's way further up the wood, and in one case, it split off about 12 inches of the board.

2) Driving the nail heads deeper into the pallet planks actually made the planks HARDER, not easier, to take off. Since the broad heads were pounded deeper into the planks, it only made the plank tighter against the 2X4 stretcher and I had a harder time removing the plank, even with a flat bar.

In conclusion, I found that using the Air Locker AP700 to punch nails deeper into the planks to make plank removal easier was a bust. I am much better off using the other methods of pallet disassembly such as using a circular saw to cut off the planks in shorter pieces, using a reciprocating saw with a long demolition blade and just cutting through the nails, or using my pallet buster on those few pallets that it seems to work on. Even a hammer and crowbar works better than trying to punch down the nails deeper into the planks.

Well, I thought I was on to something to speed up pallet disassembly, but the results proved the opposite. However, the Air Locker AP700 is a great tool to de-nail all those pallet planks once the planks are pulled off. I'm OK with that. That is what it was designed to do.

Well darn. It was worth a try.

 

[gtaus]

thank God I am safe but I saw fire on the top of a mountain near me. I lost 2 fat hens and a chick. I hope not to loose any more.

I often complain about how cold it can get here in northern Minnesota. But I know I have lost more chickens during the summer heat - even where I live - and cannot imagine how people in hot climates are surviving the extremely high temperatures this summer. Sorry for your loss, but let's hope the rest of the flock makes it through the heat.

 

[gtaus]

Definitely worth trying and glad you shared!

Well darn. It was worth a try.

Yep, the experiment was a success, but the results were negative on using the Air Locker to punch nail heads down far enough to easily lift off the pallet planks. I really thought I might have been on to a good idea, but I think it's important to report negative results as well. The Air Locker was not designed to be used the way I used it in the experiment, but it was worth a try.

Having said that, I think if you had a pallet that used really narrow headed nails, or some kind of finishing nails, then maybe it would have worked. As I said, with the typical broad headed nails, the nail head acted like a wedge and split the end of the wood as the nail was punched down deeper into the wood.

I still want to emphasize that if you breakdown a lot of pallets the Air Locker is really a great tool for punching out the nails. As I have said, I estimate using the Air Locker to punch out the nails is about 3X-4X faster than using a manual hammer and crowbar.

For me, the Air Locker AP700 was worth the ~$50 investment. However, I'm at an age where I can justify any tool purchase that makes things easier for me.

Speaking of tools, I went into Harbor Freight this morning and took advantage of some sales. First of all, if you use a reciprocating saw to break down pallets, then you might need some extra blades. I picked up this pack of 15 blades on sale.

I use the metal cutting and demolition blades to cut the nails off the planks on some of the pallets I disassemble. The sale price is already a good deal, but I had a rebate check of Harbor Freight Money for $5.00 that was going to expire in a few days. So, I got this set of 15 blades for $4.94. Thats only 33 cents per blade!

To make things even better, I was able to get a free 5-gallon bucket with any purchase because I am an Inside Track Club member. That's a $5.00 bucket for free!

I am a firm believer that you can never have too many free plastic 5-gallon buckets on the homestead. When working on pallets, I load up a bucket with the tools I will need and carry everything to where I need them. Also, when I use the Air Locker AP700 to shoot nails, I just put the boards over a bucket and shoot out the nails into it. I have found that if you put a nice thick rag(s) in the bottom of the bucket, then the nails will not bounce out.

I made a 5-gallon PVC chicken feeder out of a bucket, and I now store my chicken feed and scratch in 5-gallon buckets with lids. Keeps the mice out whereas they seem to find their way into a normal feed bag once opened.

Of course, there is no limit to the uses you can find for free 5-gallon buckets. Harbor Freight has these buckets sales a few times a year, so I usually have a list of items that I save on my wish list and then take advantage of the free bucket with purchase when the sale hits.

 

[gtaus]

Wow, we are at the start of a 4-day heat streak!. Not so fun working outside, but the other day my nest boxes in the chicken coop came crashing down, so I have started rebuilding that.

Actually, I have planned on doing some cosmetic repairs on the chicken coop for a while now, but it did not become a priority until the nest box rack fell apart. Yesterday, I started taking apart the damaged area and the work I took down, the more I found had to be replaced. When I built my chicken coop 4+ years ago, I used OSB for the sidewalls and then painted it. It still looks pretty good, but when you start working with it now, it just crumbles in your hand.

To be fair, I did not expect OSB to last as long as some other types of wall board, but, at the time, I never had laying chickens and could not imagine that 4+ years on I would still have a backyard flock. I opted to buy OSB and paint the wood rather than spending 3X-4X more on a higher quality sideboard. The painted OSB has held up better than I expected, but where it gets wet and does not dry right away, that is where the OSB is failing.

In addition to bad OSB needing to be replaced, I have had some 2X4's rotting out in the same section. I am literally having to replace and rebuild some structural lumber which I had not expected. I thought I was only dealing with some cosmetic issues.

The old rotted 2X4's are being replaced with pallet wood 2X4's and salvaged wood 2X4's but this time I decided to double up the 2X4's framing in that area. That area being the area where I open the sidewall panel from the outside to collect eggs. That is where water has run down the wall and rotted out both the OSB and the 2X4's. I'm only half done with the project, but it's already twice as strong as the original build.

I took some before pictures, but I'll have to take some progress pics in this case because when you see the finished product, most of the real work will no longer be seen. I'll post the pics when I finish the project.

Also, when I built the chicken coop, instead of buying good quality trim board, I cut some OSB down to 4 inch strips to make my trim boards. That saved me a lot of money at the time. I painted the OSB "trim boards" white and they looked OK. However, I am replacing that OSB trim with pallet wood planks. I suspect the pallet wood trim boards will last much longer and, of course, they are free so I don't even have to buy any new OSB.

OK, a little self-confessing needs to be done. I have built a number of outhouses and sheds over the years, but I always used higher quality wood in those builds. When I built my chicken coop, I wanted to save as much money as possible. The reality was that eggs at the big box stores cost less than $1.00 per dozen at the time, and I could not justify spending $1000's of dollars for a small backyard flock chicken coop, which, I expected to only have for a couple years. If I had to rebuild my coop today, I think I'd use pallet wood as much as possible - which is better than the OSB I purchased - and maybe double up on the 2X4's from the start. That would have saved me even more money and would have been a stronger build.

It's going to be a long day.... In this heat, I work a little bit and rest a lot. It's just terribly hot and humid and that is not a good combination for me. I hope to finish the project today, but if not, I'll be OK with it taking a bit longer. Later...

 

[Smokerbill]

Wow, we are at the start of a 4-day heat streak!. Not so fun working outside, but the other day my nest boxes in the chicken coop came crashing down, so I have started rebuilding that.

Actually, I have planned on doing some cosmetic repairs on the chicken coop for a while now, but it did not become a priority until the nest box rack fell apart. Yesterday, I started taking apart the damaged area and the work I took down, the more I found had to be replaced. When I built my chicken coop 4+ years ago, I used OSB for the sidewalls and then painted it. It still looks pretty good, but when you start working with it now, it just crumbles in your hand.

To be fair, I did not expect OSB to last as long as some other types of wall board, but, at the time, I never had laying chickens and could not imagine that 4+ years on I would still have a backyard flock. I opted to buy OSB and paint the wood rather than spending 3X-4X more on a higher quality sideboard. The painted OSB has held up better than I expected, but where it gets wet and does not dry right away, that is where the OSB is failing.

In addition to bad OSB needing to be replaced, I have had some 2X4's rotting out in the same section. I am literally having to replace and rebuild some structural lumber which I had not expected. I thought I was only dealing with some cosmetic issues.

The old rotted 2X4's are being replaced with pallet wood 2X4's and salvaged wood 2X4's but this time I decided to double up the 2X4's framing in that area. That area being the area where I open the sidewall panel from the outside to collect eggs. That is where water has run down the wall and rotted out both the OSB and the 2X4's. I'm only half done with the project, but it's already twice as strong as the original build.

I took some before pictures, but I'll have to take some progress pics in this case because when you see the finished product, most of the real work will no longer be seen. I'll post the pics when I finish the project.

Also, when I built the chicken coop, instead of buying good quality trim board, I cut some OSB down to 4 inch strips to make my trim boards. That saved me a lot of money at the time. I painted the OSB "trim boards" white and they looked OK. However, I am replacing that OSB trim with pallet wood planks. I suspect the pallet wood trim boards will last much longer and, of course, they are free so I don't even have to buy any new OSB.

OK, a little self-confessing needs to be done. I have built a number of outhouses and sheds over the years, but I always used higher quality wood in those builds. When I built my chicken coop, I wanted to save as much money as possible. The reality was that eggs at the big box stores cost less than $1.00 per dozen at the time, and I could not justify spending $1000's of dollars for a small backyard flock chicken coop, which, I expected to only have for a couple years. If I had to rebuild my coop today, I think I'd use pallet wood as much as possible - which is better than the OSB I purchased - and maybe double up on the 2X4's from the start. That would have saved me even more money and would have been a stronger build.

It's going to be a long day.... In this heat, I work a little bit and rest a lot. It's just terribly hot and humid and that is not a good combination for me. I hope to finish the project today, but if not, I'll be OK with it taking a bit longer. Later...

I have a suggestion for ya. Start working very early in the morning at first light while it's still a little cooler. When it gets too hot, stop, kick back and relax with a cold drink. When the sun drops over the horizon, go out and work a little more if it's not too hot.

Heat is hard on us old farts, so be careful.

 

[ChicksnMore]

Wow, we are at the start of a 4-day heat streak!. Not so fun working outside, but the other day my nest boxes in the chicken coop came crashing down, so I have started rebuilding that.

Actually, I have planned on doing some cosmetic repairs on the chicken coop for a while now, but it did not become a priority until the nest box rack fell apart. Yesterday, I started taking apart the damaged area and the work I took down, the more I found had to be replaced. When I built my chicken coop 4+ years ago, I used OSB for the sidewalls and then painted it. It still looks pretty good, but when you start working with it now, it just crumbles in your hand.

To be fair, I did not expect OSB to last as long as some other types of wall board, but, at the time, I never had laying chickens and could not imagine that 4+ years on I would still have a backyard flock. I opted to buy OSB and paint the wood rather than spending 3X-4X more on a higher quality sideboard. The painted OSB has held up better than I expected, but where it gets wet and does not dry right away, that is where the OSB is failing.

In addition to bad OSB needing to be replaced, I have had some 2X4's rotting out in the same section. I am literally having to replace and rebuild some structural lumber which I had not expected. I thought I was only dealing with some cosmetic issues.

The old rotted 2X4's are being replaced with pallet wood 2X4's and salvaged wood 2X4's but this time I decided to double up the 2X4's framing in that area. That area being the area where I open the sidewall panel from the outside to collect eggs. That is where water has run down the wall and rotted out both the OSB and the 2X4's. I'm only half done with the project, but it's already twice as strong as the original build.

I took some before pictures, but I'll have to take some progress pics in this case because when you see the finished product, most of the real work will no longer be seen. I'll post the pics when I finish the project.

Also, when I built the chicken coop, instead of buying good quality trim board, I cut some OSB down to 4 inch strips to make my trim boards. That saved me a lot of money at the time. I painted the OSB "trim boards" white and they looked OK. However, I am replacing that OSB trim with pallet wood planks. I suspect the pallet wood trim boards will last much longer and, of course, they are free so I don't even have to buy any new OSB.

OK, a little self-confessing needs to be done. I have built a number of outhouses and sheds over the years, but I always used higher quality wood in those builds. When I built my chicken coop, I wanted to save as much money as possible. The reality was that eggs at the big box stores cost less than $1.00 per dozen at the time, and I could not justify spending $1000's of dollars for a small backyard flock chicken coop, which, I expected to only have for a couple years. If I had to rebuild my coop today, I think I'd use pallet wood as much as possible - which is better than the OSB I purchased - and maybe double up on the 2X4's from the start. That would have saved me even more money and would have been a stronger build.

It's going to be a long day.... In this heat, I work a little bit and rest a lot. It's just terribly hot and humid and that is not a good combination for me. I hope to finish the project today, but if not, I'll be OK with it taking a bit longer. Later...

I look forward to seeing your repair work.
Now I want to rush out and buy metal roofing to cover the osb I used. That osb was such a good deal I couldn't pass it up and it was the last day of their business closing sale... so it was headed to the dump if unsold. But I didn't actually have a use for it and had to find one. But I do actually know better...well, it'll still provide a little heat insulation under the metal.

 

[samanthaoverton]

Yeah, I just posted the option of using zip ties. All my chicken run fencing is attached to the T-Posts using zip ties. They have held up for 4 years and still working fine. Just make sure you use the zip ties that are made to be outside in the sun. I think they are called something like UV rated for outside use. "Normal" zip ties might break down in the sunlight and not last nearly as long.

For my chicken run fencing, I made sure I paid a little extra for the sunlight proof zip ties. Otherwise, I just grab the cheaper ones for short term usage.

Hey thought I was the only one that did that..

 

[gtaus]

Speaking of using pallet wood planks as trim board, I thought I would mention a few additional thoughts. First of all, if you have need for a longer vertical trim board on your project, then you will have to overlap the exterior boards so that the water will run over and off the wood. There is a right way and a wrong way to cut the overlap angles. Here is a drawing of the correct way to cut the boards and overlap them so the water, running down the wood, will not get in between the cuts.

Inside wall.

Outside to weather, water drains off - over - the lower board.


I mention this because last week I watched a YouTube video where the guy cut his angles just the opposite way. Afterwards, when the project was finished, he realized his mistake and took twice as long on the video explaining the mistake he made and why you really want to get that overlap angle correct. His excuse was that he mainly worked indoors and there the cut angle does not matter. But outside, you really need to pay attention to the cut angle so the water does not drain into the angle and rot out the wood over the years.