Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[gtaus]

Thank you both ❤. So much easier to check from here then rely on the unpredictable email notifications!

The emails work great if you keep up with the thread all the time. However, I have noted that if you don't continue to be active on a thread, the emails notifications stop. For example, one thread that I like is "What Did You Do In The Garden Today," But there are maybe 100 posts per day on that thread and I would not want to get an email notice every time someone posted a comment. I think BYC sends out an email notification, and if you don't click the link, you don't get another notification on that thread until you do, or you post a comment on the thread which resets the notification counter.

I liked the suggestions on how to "Watch" or "Bookmark" threads. I plan on using that myself.

 

[ChicksnMore]

I don't have a problem with pulling nails out of the planks. That is easy enough for me to turn the board over on the underside and pound the nail down, and then use a hammer to pull the nail out from the top of the board.

It's the nails in the 2X4's that are much harder to remove, and especially if the nail head pops off. That's when I bring out the nippers or Crescent Code Red pliers. Because I have been using the 2X4 stretchers for my planter and raised bed builds, I am taking the time to remove the nails out of those boards.



Yes, I'm a big fan of using the Sawzall method to quickly cut those nails and remove the entire plank off the pallet. Works great on many pallets. Sometimes I need a full length plank, and the Sawzall method is about the best in keeping the whole board useable.

It's easy enough to use a punch to pop out the nail heads from the planks after you use the Sawzall to cut the nails. But, the nail bottoms in the 2X4's are about impossible to remove. Not a big deal unless you plan on using the 2X4's and need to cut them with a saw. Those imbedded nail bottoms can destroy a saw blade.

If I use the Sawzall method to break down the pallet, I set aside the 2X4's for projects that will use the entire length of the board without cutting it. That way I do not have to worry about cutting through a nail and ruing an expensive saw blade. That is why my raised bed planters are 4X4 feet - taking advantage of the entire 2X4 stretcher and I don't have to remove the nail bottoms if I don't cut the board.

If you only want the planks, and can live with shorter pieces ~18 inches, then using a circular saw or a jig saw to cut the wood alongside the 2X4 stretcher is a really fast way to break down a pallet and you don't have any nails to pull out or punch out at all - assuming you don't plan on using the 2X4 stretchers with the ends of the planks still attached.

All my planters and raised beds, so far, just use planks cut down to 16 inches, or less. So, the circular saw method works great for me to quickly build up lots of short pieces to use.

I have learned that some pallets are built in such a way that one breakdown method might work better than another on that particular pallet. So, it's really good to know a variety of pallet breakdown methods to take better advantage of what the pallet offers.

Gotcha...I'd be willing to bet that Code Red Pliers is about the best. I can't think of anything else for that!

 

[Sally PB]

I know what tool I'm going to buy next! That nail pulling plier is ingenious! Never seen or heard of one before. Thanks for the info, @gtaus.

Has anyone had a pallet that had long staples instead of nails? DH had an oak pallet that he made into a neat drawer under our bed. He said the staples were a pain, but he got them out somehow. I didn't see how he did it, so I don't know if he did something other than pry boards apart and hammer the staples back out of the boards.

 

[gtaus]

Gotcha...I'd be willing to bet that Code Red Pliers is about the best. I can't think of anything else for that!

It's the best tool I have found to pull out those headless nails that I would otherwise pound back into the board and/or just give up on the board for further use. Again, I am particular about getting out all the nails in a board before it ever goes near a saw. As I say, "Free pallet wood is not free if you destroy a $30 saw blade in the process."

I know what tool I'm going to buy next! That nail pulling plier is ingenious! Never seen or heard of one before. Thanks for the info

I never heard of that tool either until a few months ago when I started pulling nails out of the pallet 2X4's and heads would pop off. So, I started looking to see if there was any specialty tool made for pulling headless nails. I found info about that Crescent Code Red pliers online, looked like it was worth a try, and picked up one at Menards - thinking I'd return it if it did not work out for me. Menards is pretty good at taking returns for dissatisfaction. But, to my surprise, the tool works better than I had hoped. It has paid for itself many times over. So, it's in my toolbox to stay.

Has anyone had a pallet that had long staples instead of nails?

I have not yet seen any pallets using staples instead of nails. I wonder if the staples might actually be easier to pull out because, I assume, they would have a straight shaft compared to the pallet nails which have a spiral - making them like "semi-screws" and much harder to pull out than regular nails.

In any case, I would think that the Crescent Code Red pliers would probably pull out the staples better than a hammer or pry bar due to the horizontal crown on the staple preventing the tongs of the hammers from getting a good hold on the staple. The pliers would have no problem grabbing ahold of a staple and pulling it out.

I just got a narrow crown stapler at Harbor Freight last weekend, so I imagine I'll be pulling out some staples in my projects pretty soon when I get that gun in service.

Again, I want to emphasize that pulling out a long headless spiral pallet nail from a 2X4 stretcher takes some effort for me - but the Cresent Code Red pliers is the only tool I have that can actually do the job.

 

[McChooky]

I'm hoping to free range my girls in this when its finished. The wheels & an electric fence will be attached next.

 

[ChicksnMore]

I'm hoping to free range my girls in this when its finished. The wheels & an electric fence will be attached next.

Adorable

 

[McChooky]

Adorable

Thank you! It has a milk crate nest box in the back corner, one sunny roost and one under the roof. The stain was made out of rusty nails in a apple cider vinegar solution.

 

[ChicksnMore]

Thank you! It has a milk crate nest box in the back corner, one sunny roost and one under the roof. The stain was made out of rusty nails in a apple cider vinegar solution.

O wow on the stain! I'm so glad I save rusty old nails...my kid thought I was nuts! I absolutely have to try that.

Any hints or tips on making the stain?

 

[McChooky]

The roost serves as a brace for the "whole pallet" in the back.It hinges opens in the middle.

 

[McChooky]

O wow on the stain! I'm so glad I save rusty old nails...my kid thought I was nuts! I absolutely have to try that.

Any hints or tips on making the stain?

An old jar filled with rusty nails filled with apple cider vinegar.The longer it sits the better it will look .Strain it before using it to get dirt and debri out.You can use vinegar by itself which is darker or add rusty nails to give it an orange red tint.