Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[gtaus]

I've always used a cement breaker bar as a lever to pry the boards off...it's a pain in the bleep but works. I'm not handy enough to make one of those tools you did...and I'm too cheap to buy one

Yeah, my homemade pallet buster is back in service. I had to reweld one of the tongs for a third time. My welding skills are a work in progress, but I seem to be getting better with each reweld task. Maybe it will last this time. Those pallet buster bars take a lot of stress if you get good hard wood with long spiral nails.

Frankly, after making my DIY Pallet Buster, even when it does work, it still splits a lot of the wood. I don't use it very much. I would not recommend anyone spending their time or wasting their money on my DIY pallet buster design. Maybe other pallet buster designs work better, but I doubt it.

Having said that, it does work great on some pallets and when you get the right pallet, then the Pallet Buster really speeds up breaking down the pallet with less effort.

I have a ton of osb that I got for $2 a sheet.

Wow! When I built my chicken coop 3+ years ago, a sheet of OSB cost me ~$7.00. During the height of COVID-19, it went up to about $45 a sheet where I live. I don't know what the current price is, but it's certainly not $2.00 a sheet!

I haven't used a lot of osb. It feels pretty flimsy and looks like it's meant for interior something or other. Curious how it'll hold up over a pallet frame if well primed and painted.

There are different thicknesses of OSB. I used 7/16" OSB on the exterior of my chicken coop. I primed and painted it with barn paint and primer. Mostly, it is still holding up fairly well after 3 years. But there are a few patches that are already rotting out from getting wet. If you plan on using OSB for the exterior, then I would suggest you plan on repainting the wood every 2 or 3 years if you want the wood to last. At least, where I live in my climate, you need to repaint it that often.

 

[gtaus]

The idea to use whole pallets came to me from Rural King if you look how they section off their displays with pallets...they connect them (one on back 2 on sides) and I started thinking...that I can do...and can then cover the interior walls to fill in the gaps...takes out a lot of measuring and fitting together...

I love the idea of using whole pallets whenever I can. The less time you spend having to break down the pallets is a good thing. I hope people get some ideas on pallet projects from this thread and will upload a picture or two of their builds to encourage others.

My pallet projects, to date, are not all that complicated to build. But, I am happy with my modest results. I will be posting a picture soon of my latest pallet raised bed build. I finished the build, but I want to get the pallet raised bed out in the garden before I upload my pics.

I have abt 200 in the lumber for the pig hut...if I broke down pallets it would have been cheaper

Looks like you have already saved some money and your project is coming together pretty fast. That's a win in my book.

 

[gtaus]

How do you make the best use of your pallet wood? Are there some designs that work better than others to maximize your pallet wood? Recently, I built some pallet planters and just finished a pallet raised bed. I used different designs and each design had pro's and con's on the way I could use the pallet wood.

First of all, I want to call attention to the planters I built. For reference, here is a pic...

The pro's to this first design is that you can use just about any 2X4 as the inside frame and the looks of the 2X4's don't matter because you will not see them. I just cut my 2X4's to size and screwed them together to make a lower and upper frame. Then I used pallet planks cut to 16" tall to make the sides. Simply nailed the side boards to the outside of the 2X4 frames. For aesthetics, I added the top mitered 1X4 frame. It was a very inexpensive build costing me only maybe $1 in screws and nails. Pretty fast to build, too, except I had to taper the last board on each side wall to fit. Just cut it close to finish and then I used a plane to finish off the final taper.

The con's of this type of build is that the outside side panels are each 16" tall. That left me with lots of smaller off cuts of pallet boards that will probably end up being burned. I know it would easy not to care about wasting free wood, but still, there might be a better design that results in less waste.

In fact, there is. I just finished a pallet raised bed build and the design of that build allows me to use more of my pallet planks. First, here is a picture of one side of the raised bed...

The pro's of this design is that the pallet planks are attached to the inside of this 2X4 frame. You only see what you see from the outside. All you need is to cover the space between the top, bottom, and side 2X4's. Although this frame is 16 inches high, like my planters I build before, I really only have to use pallet planks ~10 inches tall up to 16 inches tall. That allows me to use lots of planks that would be wasted on the previous pallet planter design.

Here is a look at the inside of the raised bed design, where you can see that the planks are all different lengths....

I have the raised bed sitting on a trailer, so I can move it to it's final destination, but you can see that I used pallet planks of various sizes to fill in the frame of the sidewalls. In this build, I lined the planks to the top 2X4, but even that is not required because you can't see it from the outside.

I had lots of pallet plank pieces that were 22" or 24" long. In the previous design, I would have to cut the board at exactly 16", leaving a small 6" or 8" cut off piece - too small for anything in my current plans. With the raised bed panel design, I could cut that same 22" or 24" plank in half and use all that wood with no cut off wasted. It really doesn't matter what the plank length is inside the frame because you only see the outside...

Another advantage to using this frame design is that I did not have to make any special tapered cut on the last board for each side. Because you have 2 2X4" side pieces on the frame, you have 7" of overlap on the outside. I just cut my side wall boards, laid them inside the frame, and moved them right or left to overlap the ends. Then I just nailed them in place. So, the process of making the side panels went very fast.

OK, not everything is a pro in this build. The con's I would mention are that the 2X4's used for the frame were my "better" whole uncut 2X4's from the pallets. I did not use the 2X4's with the cutouts for the forklift tongs. Another consideration is that I used pocket hole screws to build the 2X4 frames, and then I used more pocket hole screws to screw the frames into the 4X4 corner posts. I estimate that it cost me maybe about $5.00 in pocket hole screws and nails for this build.

I don't know how to build those frames on this design without using pocket hole screws. The pocket holes take time to drill out and then put together. Pocket hole screws are much more expensive than normal screws, but still, only about $5 for a 4X4 foot raised bed is not too bad.

Oh yeah, the 4X4 corner posts I used were from reclaimed lumber. So I did not get them from the pallets I broke down. Still free to me, but not technically wood from a pallet. I think it would be possible to make some 4X4 corner pieces from pallets by using two pallet 2X4's put together and cut down to size. I might try that on a future pallet raised bed build, or maybe modifying the build so it does not use the 4X4 corner pieces at all.

What I learned from the pallet planter build and the pallet raised bed designs is that each design makes use of the pallet wood in different ways. I am currently favoring the pallet raised bed design because it makes better use out of the pallet planks and I had very little waste because the boards did not have to be exactly 16" tall.

I am looking for a design that has the benefits of each type of design without the con's of either. That would be the greatest. If I find such a design, I'll let you know.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

How do you make the best use of your pallet wood? Are there some designs that work better than others to maximize your pallet wood? Recently, I built some pallet planters and just finished a pallet raised bed. I used different designs and each design had pro's and con's on the way I could use the pallet wood.

First of all, I want to call attention to the planters I built. For reference, here is a pic...

View attachment 3222903

The pro's to this first design is that you can use just about any 2X4 as the inside frame and the looks of the 2X4's don't matter because you will not see them. I just cut my 2X4's to size and screwed them together to make a lower and upper frame. Then I used pallet planks cut to 16" tall to make the sides. Simply nailed the side boards to the outside of the 2X4 frames. For aesthetics, I added the top mitered 1X4 frame. It was a very inexpensive build costing me only maybe $1 in screws and nails. Pretty fast to build, too, except I had to taper the last board on each side wall to fit. Just cut it close to finish and then I used a plane to finish off the final taper.

The con's of this type of build is that the outside side panels are each 16" tall. That left me with lots of smaller off cuts of pallet boards that will probably end up being burned. I know it would easy not to care about wasting free wood, but still, there might be a better design that results in less waste.

In fact, there is. I just finished a pallet raised bed build and the design of that build allows me to use more of my pallet planks. First, here is a picture of one side of the raised bed...

View attachment 3222924

The pro's of this design is that the pallet planks are attached to the inside of this 2X4 frame. You only see what you see from the outside. All you need is to cover the space between the top, bottom, and side 2X4's. Although this frame is 16 inches high, like my planters I build before, I really only have to use pallet planks ~10 inches tall up to 16 inches tall. That allows me to use lots of planks that would be wasted on the previous pallet planter design.

Here is a look at the inside of the raised bed design, where you can see that the planks are all different lengths....

View attachment 3222931

I have the raised bed sitting on a trailer, so I can move it to it's final destination, but you can see that I used pallet planks of various sizes to fill in the frame of the sidewalls. In this build, I lined the planks to the top 2X4, but even that is not required because you can't see it from the outside.

I had lots of pallet plank pieces that were 22" or 24" long. In the previous design, I would have to cut the board at exactly 16", leaving a small 6" or 8" cut off piece - too small for anything in my current plans. With the raised bed panel design, I could cut that same 22" or 24" plank in half and use all that wood with no cut off wasted. It really doesn't matter what the plank length is inside the frame because you only see the outside...

View attachment 3222935

Another advantage to using this frame design is that I did not have to make any special tapered cut on the last board for each side. Because you have 2 2X4" side pieces on the frame, you have 7" of overlap on the outside. I just cut my side wall boards, laid them inside the frame, and moved them right or left to overlap the ends. Then I just nailed them in place. So, the process of making the side panels went very fast.

OK, not everything is a pro in this build. The con's I would mention are that the 2X4's used for the frame were my "better" whole uncut 2X4's from the pallets. I did not use the 2X4's with the cutouts for the forklift tongs. Another consideration is that I used pocket hole screws to build the 2X4 frames, and then I used more pocket hole screws to screw the frames into the 4X4 corner posts. I estimate that it cost me maybe about $5.00 in pocket hole screws and nails for this build.

I don't know how to build those frames on this design without using pocket hole screws. The pocket holes take time to drill out and then put together. Pocket hole screws are much more expensive than normal screws, but still, only about $5 for a 4X4 foot raised bed is not too bad.

Oh yeah, the 4X4 corner posts I used were from reclaimed lumber. So I did not get them from the pallets I broke down. Still free to me, but not technically wood from a pallet. I think it would be possible to make some 4X4 corner pieces from pallets by using two pallet 2X4's put together and cut down to size. I might try that on a future pallet raised bed build, or maybe modifying the build so it does not use the 4X4 corner pieces at all.

What I learned from the pallet planter build and the pallet raised bed designs is that each design makes use of the pallet wood in different ways. I am currently favoring the pallet raised bed design because it makes better use out of the pallet planks and I had very little waste because the boards did not have to be exactly 16" tall.

I am looking for a design that has the benefits of each type of design without the con's of either. That would be the greatest. If I find such a design, I'll let you know.

Your builds are lovely!!
Your points are super awesome!
Thanks for making this thread!

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

Ummm look what I got!!

 

[gtaus]

Ummm look what I got!!

Looks like a gift wrapped pallet of pallets!

 

[gtaus]

I have a hackzall...it's Milwaukee's lighter version of the sawzall. I use that just like you use your circular saw to cut between the heavier boards in the center. The stretchers? At any rate...if shorter boards will work then I just do that.

If you just want to cut the boards off alongside the 2X4 stretchers, any type of saw will probably do fine. I use my 18v circular saw, but a jigsaw (or saber saw), your hackzall, or your daughter's sawzall would all work fine. If you only need shorter plank boards, then it really takes only minutes to cut off the wood to break down the pallet. The planks are long enough for my planter builds.

If I need a longer board, then I'll cut off the planks at both ends and use my Pallet Buster to lift up the middle section. Usually, the middle section can be lifted off without breaking the boards.

I find that using the Pallet Buster on the ends of the pallet usually breaks and splits the wood. Many times, the wood is already split just from the nails themselves. But, that can vary from pallet to pallet depending on the quality of the wood and if there is any overhang at the end or if the wood is flush with 2X4 leaving only one side to pry up.

I like the way she did it...I've got so many projects in progress right now...but I'm itching to get some pallets and try that. Not sure my hackzall will handle it as well but can borrow my daughter's sawzall if needed. I have lots of punches if needed...but think I could work around most of the heads and just remove them if needed.

I have seen many YouTube videos using the Sawzall method. That was the first video I saw where someone had built a simple jig to hold the pallet vertical while you broke it down. I thought that was a great idea because you don't have to bend over much at all compared to cutting a pallet horizontally on the ground. I thought that was better than leaning the pallet against a tree, holding it vertically while sawing it, or even laying it down on a table while breaking it down. Keeping it vertically, and secured with a screw, like she did allows the boards to just fall off naturally when you cut through the nails. All the other methods of holding the pallet while you break it down will work, but I thought her pallet holding jig was an improvement in the process.

As to the saws, my sawzall has a 6 inch metal cutting blade on it. I don't know how long your blade on the hackzall is, but I think a long blade is easier to use if you plan on cutting off the nails between the plank and the stretcher. Not all blades are created equally, either. My metal cutting blade on the sawzall works much better than the combo construction blade I used at first. If you intend to break down a pallet using the sawzall method, then you really don't need a blade that also cuts wood. You just want to cut off those nails.

I find the nail heads remaining in the planks come out really easy with just a hammer and a punch. If you are working on a build that it does not matter if you leave the nail heads in the wood, then it would be a waste of time to remove the nail heads. Since I was cutting my pallet planks down to 16 inches for the pallet planters, I did not want to leave any nail heads in the wood. Those metal nail heads will mess up a good saw blade.

I have not found any good method to remove the nail bottoms that remain in the 2X4 stretchers if you use a sawzall to cut off the nails. If you use the entire 2X4 stretcher, it's probably not a problem to leave those nail bottoms in the wood. If you have to cut the 2X4 stretcher, then you better know exactly where those nails are buried in the wood before you take it to a chop saw.

Since I have been recutting my 2X4 stretchers for my current pallet projects, I prefer to use a saw to cut off the planks, and then I remove the bits of wood and nails left on the 2X4 stretcher using pry bars and hammers. It takes more time to remove all those nails, but in the end I know there are no nails in those 2X4 stretcher boards and I can use them on my chop saw without worrying about hitting a hidden nail.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

Continued...

I rotated the pig hut so that the roof will slant to the right, the front "door" will be open yr round and it faces the front of what the pen will be.

Still working on filling in that back wall!

ETA more pics and the back wall is done

Some more progress

 

[Sally PB]

We've had all kinds animals show up over the years...not a lot considering how long we've lived here, but a wide variety. Our tortoise was a stray we couldn't find the owners for. We've had stray horses as well.

A stray horse... Just the thought makes me

 

[ChicksnMore]

Wow! When I built my chicken coop 3+ years ago, a sheet of OSB cost me ~$7.00. During the height of COVID-19, it went up to about $45 a sheet where I live. I don't know what the current price is, but it's certainly not $2.00 a sheet!

I got really lucky on that...the lady I got them from had a pet resort that the pandemic killed. When she sold the building she had a huge sell. She had 30 some sheets stored flat and indoors. They're 4x8 sheets and look about 1/2" thick.
She was also selling a ton of kennel panels with heavy gauge, small holed chain link for $1 per liner foot. I payed $10 for 10' long, 6' tall kennel panels. The gates were $6 and she threw in all the connecters for the panels. That's the main part of the projects I'm working on...Ive got all the panels together now for chicken runs and I'm building coops from the osb and some recycled wood from a ramada and fence. Then I'll need to add roofs.

I hate to profit off someone's sadness, but none the less I'm grateful for my crazy good deal.

How do you make the best use of your pallet wood? Are there some designs that work better than others to maximize your pallet wood? Recently, I built some pallet planters and just finished a pallet raised bed. I used different designs and each design had pro's and con's on the way I could use the pallet wood.

First of all, I want to call attention to the planters I built. For reference, here is a pic...

View attachment 3222903

The pro's to this first design is that you can use just about any 2X4 as the inside frame and the looks of the 2X4's don't matter because you will not see them. I just cut my 2X4's to size and screwed them together to make a lower and upper frame. Then I used pallet planks cut to 16" tall to make the sides. Simply nailed the side boards to the outside of the 2X4 frames. For aesthetics, I added the top mitered 1X4 frame. It was a very inexpensive build costing me only maybe $1 in screws and nails. Pretty fast to build, too, except I had to taper the last board on each side wall to fit. Just cut it close to finish and then I used a plane to finish off the final taper.

The con's of this type of build is that the outside side panels are each 16" tall. That left me with lots of smaller off cuts of pallet boards that will probably end up being burned. I know it would easy not to care about wasting free wood, but still, there might be a better design that results in less waste.

In fact, there is. I just finished a pallet raised bed build and the design of that build allows me to use more of my pallet planks. First, here is a picture of one side of the raised bed...

View attachment 3222924

The pro's of this design is that the pallet planks are attached to the inside of this 2X4 frame. You only see what you see from the outside. All you need is to cover the space between the top, bottom, and side 2X4's. Although this frame is 16 inches high, like my planters I build before, I really only have to use pallet planks ~10 inches tall up to 16 inches tall. That allows me to use lots of planks that would be wasted on the previous pallet planter design.

Here is a look at the inside of the raised bed design, where you can see that the planks are all different lengths....

View attachment 3222931

I have the raised bed sitting on a trailer, so I can move it to it's final destination, but you can see that I used pallet planks of various sizes to fill in the frame of the sidewalls. In this build, I lined the planks to the top 2X4, but even that is not required because you can't see it from the outside.

I had lots of pallet plank pieces that were 22" or 24" long. In the previous design, I would have to cut the board at exactly 16", leaving a small 6" or 8" cut off piece - too small for anything in my current plans. With the raised bed panel design, I could cut that same 22" or 24" plank in half and use all that wood with no cut off wasted. It really doesn't matter what the plank length is inside the frame because you only see the outside...

View attachment 3222935

Another advantage to using this frame design is that I did not have to make any special tapered cut on the last board for each side. Because you have 2 2X4" side pieces on the frame, you have 7" of overlap on the outside. I just cut my side wall boards, laid them inside the frame, and moved them right or left to overlap the ends. Then I just nailed them in place. So, the process of making the side panels went very fast.

OK, not everything is a pro in this build. The con's I would mention are that the 2X4's used for the frame were my "better" whole uncut 2X4's from the pallets. I did not use the 2X4's with the cutouts for the forklift tongs. Another consideration is that I used pocket hole screws to build the 2X4 frames, and then I used more pocket hole screws to screw the frames into the 4X4 corner posts. I estimate that it cost me maybe about $5.00 in pocket hole screws and nails for this build.

I don't know how to build those frames on this design without using pocket hole screws. The pocket holes take time to drill out and then put together. Pocket hole screws are much more expensive than normal screws, but still, only about $5 for a 4X4 foot raised bed is not too bad.

Oh yeah, the 4X4 corner posts I used were from reclaimed lumber. So I did not get them from the pallets I broke down. Still free to me, but not technically wood from a pallet. I think it would be possible to make some 4X4 corner pieces from pallets by using two pallet 2X4's put together and cut down to size. I might try that on a future pallet raised bed build, or maybe modifying the build so it does not use the 4X4 corner pieces at all.

What I learned from the pallet planter build and the pallet raised bed designs is that each design makes use of the pallet wood in different ways. I am currently favoring the pallet raised bed design because it makes better use out of the pallet planks and I had very little waste because the boards did not have to be exactly 16" tall.

I am looking for a design that has the benefits of each type of design without the con's of either. That would be the greatest. If I find such a design, I'll let you know.

Ah..you should have seen my pallet raised bed. It was ugggly! Yours are gorgeous. Thank you for sharing the details of building...I think I could do that.

Some more progress

Really looking good! And thank you as well for sharing...yours also looks like something I could manage. I'm very excited! I'll have projects to keep me busy for the next year...lol.

A stray horse... Just the thought makes me

That was my response too. We did find their owners!