Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[Three Stents]

Yeah, I have a pallet buster that I use on some pallets. It only works for me on maybe 1 or 2 pallets out of ten. When you have the right pallet, it's a great tool. Most of the time, however, with my pallet buster, I end up breaking more wood that saving planks.

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Just wanted to add that the pallets I have disassembling in the past two pallet runs were made up of all 2X4's. No planks as in the picture above. So, the nails and screws to fasten the 2X4's to the frame were longer. I'd break my pallet buster before it could pop off those 2X4's.

I have thought about getting something like this long pry bar...

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I don't have one of those, but for that last 6X9 foot pallet with 2X4's fastened down with both nails and screws, I think the extra 36 inches leverage would have made the job a lot easier. I only had an 18-inch crowbar with me and that was a workout on that last pallet...

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That was the only pallet I wish I had a longer pry bar to use in the disassembly of that 2X4 pallet. I have a hard time buying a new tool for a single use in ~3 years of tearing apart pallets. However, I'm sure if I had a longer pry bar in my tools box, I would find more uses for it.

Well, that, and I'm not as arm strong as I used to be. I have had to purchase a number of new tools, and power tools, as I have gotten older. I'm OK with that if I can enjoy my hobbies for a few more years. It's just a matter of making smart purchases and not wasting money.

But I would really like to hear if you use your pallet buster a lot and if you salvage good wood, or if the pallet buster breaks more wood than is acceptable. Again, my pallet buster breaks a lot of planks so I don't use it as much as I expected. It's the perfect tool for some pallets, but not for most of the pallets I find locally.

There are pallets where this tool doesn't work all the time and pallets that work all the time. You just have to be smarter than the tool. The only tool that works 100%, is the saws-all.

 

[gtaus]

Couldn't you add a pipe to the end of the crowbar to add leverage? Like a cheater bar?

I was using the flatter end to pry up the 2X4's. The other end of my crowbar is hooked like in this picture...

I have used pipes to add leverage to many things, but the hooked shape of the end of my crowbar does not accommodate that idea. Cheater bars are great. Leverage is king. That's why I might be looking at getting a longer, straight, pry bar for the future.

 

[gtaus]

There are pallets where this tool doesn't work all the time and pallets that work all the time. You just have to be smarter than the tool.

I have a good feel for which pallets my pallet buster will work on. That comes with experience. I like to think I'm smarter than my tools. I'm just not always smart enough to know which is the best tool for the job on hand.

The only tool that works 100%, is the saws-all.

When I break down my pallets, I usually end up using my circular saw to cut the ends of the planks. Most planks are split and checked on the ends, so they would get cut off anyway. Sometimes I use the reciprocating saw with the demolition blade to cut the nails if the plank wood is good all the way to the ends. And I always have my pallet buster and pry bars ready to use.

I don't think there is any one best way to disassemble a pallet. In my experience, it all depends on the specific pallet you are working on and knowing which method you want to use to salvage the wood you need.

 

[Smokerbill]

I have a good feel for which pallets my pallet buster will work on. That comes with experience. I like to think I'm smarter than my tools. I'm just not always smart enough to know which is the best tool for the job on hand.



When I break down my pallets, I usually end up using my circular saw to cut the ends of the planks. Most planks are split and checked on the ends, so they would get cut off anyway. Sometimes I use the reciprocating saw with the demolition blade to cut the nails if the plank wood is good all the way to the ends. And I always have my pallet buster and pry bars ready to use.

I don't think there is any one best way to disassemble a pallet. In my experience, it all depends on the specific pallet you are working on and knowing which method you want to use to salvage the wood you need.

I don't know how well this would work, but for boards that can't be easily pried off a pallet, drilling a couple small holes along the length of the screw or nail might allow the board to lift off easier. For screws that can't be salvaged, drilling off the screw heads first might also help.