Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[gtaus]

Modified Small Pry Bar Works Great!

Yesterday evening, I pulled a Euro pallet from my stack of pallets in the back yard and used my modified (sharpened) small pry bar for digging out and lifting up those bent nails from the bottom of the Euro pallet planks. It worked great.

I love it when a plan comes together!

I am very happy with the thinner flat blade on the small pry bar. I am considering another "upgrade" that I might try. That would be to cut a V notch in the thin flat blade. Something like this...

The thin flat blade is working as expected, but I think cutting a V notch in the end might make it even better. And yes, I do have a pry bar with a notch like that on the end, but that full-sized pry bar is way too big and thick for the task I need to get under and lift up those bent nails on the Euro pallets.

 

[chickengr]

Modified Small Pry Bar Works Great!

Yesterday evening, I pulled a Euro pallet from my stack of pallets in the back yard and used my modified (sharpened) small pry bar for digging out and lifting up those bent nails from the bottom of the Euro pallet planks. It worked great.

I love it when a plan comes together!

I am very happy with the thinner flat blade on the small pry bar. I am considering another "upgrade" that I might try. That would be to cut a V notch in the thin flat blade. Something like this...

View attachment 4132603

The thin flat blade is working as expected, but I think cutting a V notch in the end might make it even better. And yes, I do have a pry bar with a notch like that on the end, but that full-sized pry bar is way too big and thick for the task I need to get under and lift up those bent nails on the Euro pallets.

thank you for the information. I might modify my small pry as soon as I get time.

 

[gtaus]

thank you for the information. I might modify my small pry as soon as I get time.

Yeah, for digging out those bent over nails, my sharpened mini pry bar is working better than the heavy-duty screwdriver I was using. There is a big difference in the pry bar that I ground down to a thinner blade compared to the original, thicker profile. I can get under the nail with just a few taps of a hammer and lift the bent nail up without having to dig up a lot of wood in the process.

Of course, another big advantage to modifying the mini pry bar is that I can still use it as a pry bar on the flat end and a nail puller with the other end. My screwdriver could not be used as an effective pry bar, nor could it pull out nails.

I have heard it said that necessity is the mother of invention. I guess that is true. I had no need for a sharpened pry bar until I needed a better option for working with those bent nails on the Euro pallets.

Now that I have disassembled about 6 Euro pallets, I am wondering how they are made? Specifically, does someone have to bend those nails and pound them into the wood on the bottom side of the planks? Seems like that would take a lot of manual effort, and time, compared to our standard pallets where you can just use a nail gun and shoot the nail into the wood.

In any case, the Euro pallets that I picked up have had better wood planks than I normally get on a standard pallet. And I have salvaged many full-length planks off the Euro pallets whereas I usually end up using a circular saw to remove the planks from the standard pallets leaving me with much shorter boards.

 

[gtaus]

$485 per Hour Sifting Chicken Run Compost!?

I was in our local garden center the other day and noticed that they are selling 0.75 cubic foot bags of organic cow and chicken manure compost for $12.99 per bag. Well, heck, I make my own chicken run compost so I wondered what the current cost savings for me would be if I used the cost of $12.99 per bag in my calculations.

A few years ago, I invested just over $200.00 and converted a cement sifter into a compost sifter. Here is a picture of my setup...

With the cement mixer compost sifter, I can sift out about 7 cubic feet of compost into that 6 cubic foot black wagon every 15 minutes.

I had to sift out a wagon full of compost for Dear Wife this past weekend for her flower gardens and pots. I wondered how much it would have cost us to buy the equivalent in bags of organic compost at the local nursery. Turns out, that wagon full of my homemade chicken run compost would cost $121.28 if we bought the compost per bag!

That makes my time savings in sifting my own chicken run compost up to $485.00 per hour! Of course, you don't need a cement mixer compost sifter like mine to make valuable compost at home. But I'm an old guy and it was just too much for me to continue to sift all my compost with my old wood frame and hardware cloth over a wheelbarrow.

For those of you who might like to look at the cost savings breakdown of my homemade chicken run compost, here is the math from Copilot AI...

********************************
Let's break this down step by step to calculate your savings per hour:

1. Determine how many bags of store-bought compost equal 7 cubic feet:[7 \div 0.75 = 9.33 \text{ bags}]
2. Calculate the cost of 9.33 bags:[9.33 \times 12.99 = 121.22]So, 7 cubic feet of store-bought compost would cost $121.22.
3. Find out how much you produce per hour:Since you sift 7 cubic feet every 15 minutes, in one hour you would sift:[7 \times 4 = 28 \text{ cubic feet}]
4. Determine the cost of 28 cubic feet of store-bought compost:[(28 \div 0.75) \times 12.99][37.33 \times 12.99 = 485.10]

So, by sifting your own chicken run compost, you save $485.10 per hour compared to buying the equivalent amount from the store.

That’s a huge savings! Your method is definitely paying off.
***************************

NOTE: This was posted elsewhere on a composting thread, but since I have mentioned my cement mixer compost sifter setup and the pallet wood base I built for it, I thought I would add the post to this thread as well.

 

[gtaus]

Ryobi Replaced my Malfunctioning Sliding Miter Saw

I just want to update my previous posts on my issue with my malfunctioning Ryobi 10-inch sliding miter saw that was still under warranty. I first submitted my warranty claim on 7 April 2025, and today, 27 May 2025, I did finally receive my replacement saw...

I am glad Ryobi finally came through and honored my warranty claim. It really seemed like a long battle because I sent off many emails and phone calls this past 2 months on this issue. Ryobi stopped responding to my emails about 4 weeks ago and that was concerning. However, today I received my saw with no prior notification or shipping information.

I think Ryobi could have done better with keeping me updated on the status of my warranty claim and my numerous requests for shipping information. They did not do that very well. I see online that they listed my miter saw as Out of Stock, so maybe they had other issues they are dealing with at this time. Still, I would have appreciated any updates, even if it was to say that the item was temporarily out of stock.

I have been a Ryobi customer for about 20 years, and in all that time, only a few tools have failed within the warranty period. The other tools were less expensive and were immediately replaced. This one took considerably longer, which I had assumed was due to the cost of the item, but maybe it was just that they were temporarily Out of Stock. I am happy to report that Ryobi has always honored their warranty on their products I have purchased. This saw just took a lot longer than my other warranty issues.

I still have my old Ryobi miter saw which I can now use as replacement parts or just use in its current state of not functioning 100%. They did not make me ship it back to them. So, I probably came out ahead in that respect.

As for the saw itself, I was always pleased with the performance of it. For an 18v saw, it cut all the wood I needed cut. It was not as fast or powerful as my older corded miter saws, but it got the job done. I was willing to trade some speed and power for the convivence of having a cordless saw that I can use anywhere. Plus, the new 18v Ryobi sliding miter saw has a number of advantages that my older corded saws did not have in terms of cut angles and functions.

I knew Ryobi would eventually honor the warranty claim, and maybe all the delay was just due to a shortage of the item. At any rate, I'm celebrating tonight!

 

[Smokerbill]

This morning I noticed lots of tomatoes are sprouting out between the pallet slats on the sides of my compost pile. I threw lots of tomatoes to the chickens over the last couple of years, both grocery store tomatoes and tomatoes I grew, so no telling what kind of fruits the plants will produce. Bonus tomatoes!

I'm going to try planting a couple of butternut squash in the top of the pile to see if they'll grow. I read somewhere that squash grow well in straight compost.

 

[gtaus]

This morning I noticed lots of tomatoes are sprouting out between the pallet slats on the sides of my compost pile. I threw lots of tomatoes to the chickens over the last couple of years, both grocery store tomatoes and tomatoes I grew, so no telling what kind of fruits the plants will produce. Bonus tomatoes!

Nature's gift to you! Volunteer plants.

I'm going to try planting a couple of butternut squash in the top of the pile to see if they'll grow. I read somewhere that squash grow well in straight compost.

I have read that also. Recently, on another thread, I posted my idea to turn an old wood pile into a hügelkultur mound. I have started dumping grass clippings and leaves on top of the wood. Next, I will add straight chicken run compost and plan to put some squash in it. The only problem I have with the mound is that it is about 6 feet tall and that is too high for me to really work with and dump some compost on top. But maybe the pile will compress down and be better next year. In any case, squash is what I plan to plant in it this year if I get it done in time.

Here is a picture of that wood mound a few days ago. It might not look 6 feet tall in the picture, but it is. I have more than doubled the amount of grass clippings on the pile since this picture...

 

[Smokerbill]

Nature's gift to you! Volunteer plants.



I have read that also. Recently, on another thread, I posted my idea to turn an old wood pile into a hügelkultur mound. I have started dumping grass clippings and leaves on top of the wood. Next, I will add straight chicken run compost and plan to put some squash in it. The only problem I have with the mound is that it is about 6 feet tall and that is too high for me to really work with and dump some compost on top. But maybe the pile will compress down and be better next year. In any case, squash is what I plan to plant in it this year if I get it done in time.

Here is a picture of that wood mound a few days ago. It might not look 6 feet tall in the picture, but it is. I have more than doubled the amount of grass clippings on the pile since this picture...

View attachment 4137057

I read that the biggest problem with growing squash directly in the compost is that it's difficult to keep the compost moist enough for the plants to grow. One recommendation was to bury a half gallon milk or juice jug next to the plant, small end down, bottom (at the top now) cut off. Fill it daily and it'll water the compost.

I was thinking that I'd leave the lid on the jug and drill a very small hole, maybe 1/8" or less so the water comes out in a slow trickle.

Another thought was to place a 5 gallon bucket above the plants, holes drilled in the bottom with small tubing running down to each plant. I have a selection of different drip irrigation drippers/sprayers and might find one type that would work with the bucket/tubing/gravity setup.

Since the compost is mainly decomposed woodchips with chicken droppings in it, it really wouldn't hold much water, so it might need to be watered daily.

It the squash grow successfully, I think that the roots would help break down the compost too.

 

[gtaus]

I read that the biggest problem with growing squash directly in the compost is that it's difficult to keep the compost moist enough for the plants to grow. One recommendation was to bury a half gallon milk or juice jug next to the plant, small end down, bottom (at the top now) cut off. Fill it daily and it'll water the compost.

I was thinking that I'd leave the lid on the jug and drill a very small hole, maybe 1/8" or less so the water comes out in a slow trickle.

Another thought was to place a 5 gallon bucket above the plants, holes drilled in the bottom with small tubing running down to each plant. I have a selection of different drip irrigation drippers/sprayers and might find one type that would work with the bucket/tubing/gravity setup.

Since the compost is mainly decomposed woodchips with chicken droppings in it, it really wouldn't hold much water, so it might need to be watered daily.

It the squash grow successfully, I think that the roots would help break down the compost too.

Good ideas, there. I will have to look into some kind of drip irrigation system, too. I have lots of 5-gallon buckets and milk jugs. I think I would be able to rig up something.

Or, I have playing around with the idea of burying a pipe in the backyard to bring water out to that area. I have enough garden hose to lay it on the ground all the way to that mound, but I am getting tired of having to move 150 feet of garden hose every time I mow that section of the property. This might be the year when I finally bury a pipe out to the raised beds.

Speaking of garden hoses, I had to find my "Y" adapter for the outdoor faucet to hook up my hoses. Unfortunately, my garage was jammed full of pallet wood that I have been breaking down from the pallets. Long story short, it took me about 3 hours moving out all that pallet wood into a storage rack and cleaning up the garage before I finally found my outdoor water supplies. Well, at least I can walk around freely in the garage again.

 

[Smokerbill]

I had to put my Y adapter in my garden hose system a couple days ago too. I had to buy a new 50' hose because I didn't have enough to reach my new garden bed down by the woods. I have four hoses now, three 50 footers and a 25 foot long hose.

I put the Y in the raised bed area, with one hose coming out to water the raised beds and the other for a hose going down the hill to the new bed. Water reaches the new bed OK, but it could be a little longer.

I've known where my Y adapter was since I used it last year. I placed it right next to the outdoor spigot so it wouldn't get lost. LOL