Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[McChooky]

Quail Hotel

I've never raised quail before but I've read they are easily frightened. Thats a beautiful cage.

 

[gtaus]

Quail Hotel

Very nice!

 

[Knobby]

Looks like a very interesting thread. I'll have to go back over it when I have more time to read the posts. Lots of good pallet project talk going on there.



I guess I'm in a pallet phase right now. I picked up another 6 free pallets from Harbor Freight this morning. I'll break them down this afternoon/evening after it stops raining...

I get a lot of satisfaction out of recycling and upcycling free material. I wish we would do more of that as a society. Unfortunately, there are often rules and regulations that prevent us from taking full advantage of recycling or upcycling what would otherwise be junk material. But, I can still get lots of free pallets.



Exactly. I am learning that some projects get out of square because the pallet lumber itself comes in so many different sizes. You really have to try to match them up in your build. Also, I am rethinking some of my project designs to specifically overcome the issue of the pallet woods not matching up. I'll let you know how that works out for me.



Yep. Some wood is hard as steel, and other wood is almost paper thin. If you have a tough time with getting fasteners into wood, I have found pre-drilling my nail and screw holes usually solves the problem.



I have been trying a number of different methods of breaking down pallets. It can be hard work. Some methods of breaking down a pallet work better than others, depending on the pallet you are working with, the condition of the wood, and what you will be using the wood for in your project.

I finally went out and ordered a pallet buster that I found on Amazon....all I can say is WOW. What took me about half an hour to tear apart with a pry bar only took less than 5 minutes. The one I ordered was the Molomax model that could fit between a 4x4 as well as the standard 2x4. I still have to de-nail the planks using a hammer and pry bar, but am currently eyeing a pneumatic de-nailer.

 

[gtaus]

I finally went out and ordered a pallet buster that I found on Amazon....all I can say is WOW. What took me about half an hour to tear apart with a pry bar only took less than 5 minutes. The one I ordered was the Molomax model that could fit between a 4x4 as well as the standard 2x4. I still have to de-nail the planks using a hammer and pry bar, but am currently eyeing a pneumatic de-nailer.

I made my own Pallet Buster and have had mixed feelings about it. For the type of pallets I usually get, my Pallet Buster is not a very good tool because it will split the ends of the planks. That is because most of the pallets I get have the ends of the planks flush with the 2X4 stretcher, which then only allows me to get one tong of the Pallet Buster under the board. That puts too much pressure on the plank end and usually breaks the board.

My DIY Pallet Buster...

In your picture, the pallet planks extend beyond the 2X4's and you can get both tongs of the Pallet Buster under the board, and then easily pry it up. I totally agree that when I get a pallet(s) like those in your picture, then the Pallet Buster is a fantastic tool. And I will second your statement, that with the right pallet and a Pallet Buster you can break down the pallet in less than 5 minutes. But... it really has to be the right kind of pallet.

As for de-nailing... I have the Air Locker AP700 on my long list. At the moment, I don't mind manually hamming out the nails from the planks. But, I know it would be a real time saver if you have lots of nails to remove from the planks.

Since I am saving so much money using pallet wood on my projects, I don't mind investing a little money on new tools. It's all good to me.

Appreciate the shout out on tools that other people find useful for their pallet projects. If you get a de-nailer, be sure to let us know how well it works for you as you did with your new Pallet Buster. I always like to hear feedback from real people who buy and use these tools. I don't have much faith in the online tool reviews anymore. Too many positive fake reviews paid for by companies.

I have a nephew who got paid for writing up positive Amazon reviews on products that he had never seen, or used. They just follow a loose script on the product review and get paid for posting. Lost all confidence in Amazon reviews, for the most part, after learning about that.

 

[Knobby]

I made my own Pallet Buster and have had mixed feelings about it. For the type of pallets I usually get, my Pallet Buster is not a very good tool because it will split the ends of the planks. That is because most of the pallets I get have the ends of the planks flush with the 2X4 stretcher, which then only allows me to get one tong of the Pallet Buster under the board. That puts too much pressure on the plank end and usually breaks the board.

My DIY Pallet Buster...

View attachment 3322306

In your picture, the pallet planks extend beyond the 2X4's and you can get both tongs of the Pallet Buster under the board, and then easily pry it up. I totally agree that when I get a pallet(s) like those in your picture, then the Pallet Buster is a fantastic tool. And I will second your statement, that with the right pallet and a Pallet Buster you can break down the pallet in less than 5 minutes. But... it really has to be the right kind of pallet.

As for de-nailing... I have the Air Locker AP700 on my long list. At the moment, I don't mind manually hamming out the nails from the planks. But, I know it would be a real time saver if you have lots of nails to remove from the planks.

View attachment 3322305

Since I am saving so much money using pallet wood on my projects, I don't mind investing a little money on new tools. It's all good to me.

Appreciate the shout out on tools that other people find useful for their pallet projects. If you get a de-nailer, be sure to let us know how well it works for you as you did with your new Pallet Buster. I always like to hear feedback from real people who buy and use these tools. I don't have much faith in the online tool reviews anymore. Too many positive fake reviews paid for by companies.

I have a nephew who got paid for writing up positive Amazon reviews on products that he had never seen, or used. They just follow a loose script on the product review and get paid for posting. Lost all confidence in Amazon reviews, for the most part, after learning about that.

I've used this pallet buster on the types of pallets you've described...ones with planks flushed with the 2x4 on the end...and it's worked fine. I think having the flat tongs, as oppose to the round ones on yours, really makes a difference.

As for the de-nailer, that's the exact model that I've been reading reviews on and I have it on my list. Time is money, so it'll be worth the investment. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[gtaus]

I've used this pallet buster on the types of pallets you've described...ones with planks flushed with the 2x4 on the end...and it's worked fine. I think having the flat tongs, as oppose to the round ones on yours, really makes a difference.

I have wondered if a round tong or a flat tong would make a difference. Perhaps it does. A flat tong would have more surface contact on the plank.

I watched one YouTube video where a guy made a separate jig with a flat board to put between his Pallet Buster tongs and the pallet planks. He said it worked better for him because the flat board spread out the force of the Pallet Buster tong over a greater distance on the nailed plank. He had flat tongs on his Pallet Buster, but his jig with a wider flat board was his solution.

Also, the quality of the pallet and planks makes a big difference. I have successfully used my Pallet Buster with round tongs on better quality planks with only 2 or 3 nails in the end, even if the plank was flush with the 2X4. But I have had not much luck with rebuilt pallets, where the planks are already split at the ends, and maybe 5 or 6 nails driven into the wood.

I am pretty much to the point where I just look at a pallet and decide if I can use my Pallet Buster to save long planks, or if I need to take out my circular saw and cut off the planks in shorter sections between the 2X4's and use that wood in my planters and raised garden beds. Most of those projects only need planks that are about 16 inches long.

As for the de-nailer, that's the exact model that I've been reading reviews on and I have it on my list. Time is money, so it'll be worth the investment. I'll let you know how it goes.

Yep, the Air Locker AP700 seems to be the top choice. There are a few other similar models out there and you might save a few bucks, but really that tool is a long-term investment so you might as well get the best for only a few dollars more.

If time is money for you, then it will not take very long to break even on that ~$50 tool.

Most of my projects, planters and raised beds for example, just use the shorter 16-inch plank sections, so I really don't spend much time de-nailing planks for use. I cut those pieces off the pallet with my circular saw and they don't have any nails in them.

If you get the Air Locker AP700, or similar de-nailer, please let us know how it worked out for you. Lots of positive reviews online, but always nice to hear an honest review from a fellow BYC member. Thanks.

 

[gtaus]

Here's a nice Plant Stand idea for using scrap wood or pallet wood that you might have laying around....

Easy to modify the size of the plant stand to fit your particular pots, and/or the height of the legs. I was thinking a few of these at different heights in front of our south facing window would be nice for some of the plants that we bring in the house to overwinter.

This design uses 2X2 and 1X2 boards. Easy enough to rip a pallet 2X4 down to size for the 2X2 cross pieces and some good pallet planks ripped down to 1X2 for the legs.

Follow the link above for complete instructions and free downloaded PDF. But, here are some of the pictures of the plant stand build taken from the website. Looks pretty easy.

 

[gtaus]

Nail Puncher alternative to Air Locker AP700....

I know a few people here have been considering buying a nail puncher, such as the Air Locker AP700. I just got a notice from Amzon about the 3PLUS HAPT50SP Punch Nailer/Nail Remover/Nail Puller which is currently selling for $44.88, about $10 less than the Air Locker AP700.

FWIW, the online reviews of this model are positive, but I don't own either nail puncher so I have no first hand knowledge. Just passing along some info that may be useful to those looking at purchasing a nail puncher for their pallet breakdowns.

 

[Mamatomany123]

We are currently working on a bigger chicken run.

 

[ChicksnMore]

We are currently working on a bigger chicken run.

That looks amazing