Fun with pallets

[John Wadsworth]

Picked up a truckload of stuff at the local garden center over the weekend and noticed a stack of pallets with some interesting wood. On being told they were up for grabs, I went through the pile and, well, grabbed two.

So--about three hours later (two with various prybars and such to de-nail them and a half hour apiece with chopsaw and jointer) I can see what I've got: 38 pieces of 1 x 4 by about 12 to 15" hardwood--about a third just poplar, the rest mostly oak but with a sprinkling of other woods. Lots of wild grain, a few pieces still with holes or waney bits. Lots of deep color and interesting grain. Also, six pieces of 2 x 4 by about 48" oak, with lots of faults (mostly nail holes) on their edges but few on the wider sides.

So wotta we gonna do with this stash? Make little boxes? Put a patchwork parquet floor in a closet? Add some class to the kindling pile?

All suggestions welcome!

[Jim Becker]

The first thing you may want to do, John, is sticker and stack it and let it dry a bit. Pallet wood is generally "green" wood and although it may appear dry, the thicker pieces may actually be unworkable. A good moisture meter will be helpful to you to evaluate this wood and other materials you bring into your shop. Insuring that all materials in a project are at equal moisture content will help reduce "weird" movement problems over time.

As to projects, anything you can dream of that can use these "shorts" is just perfect! BTW, I've heard from other folks that they have even found "exotics" like purple heart and mahogany in pallets that come from overseas. 'Definitely worth the salvage effort!

[Daniel Rabinovitz]

A photo says a 1000 words
One pallet - one bench
:cool:

[Stan Smith]

First, make sure you check the pieces you are keeping for nails/staples.

If nothing else, you can make some jigs for your shop (pipe clamp jaw extenders, etc..)

[John Wadsworth]

I appreciate the good tips.

Yes, I'm very careful about hidden nails--and indeed, the S4S work is all done now without mishap.

And yes, I'll let the wood sit for a while before using it.

JTW

[Tom Sweeney]

A friend of mine has a huge rack full of mahogany he salvaged from pallets. he's going to make Adirondack chairs from it.
Talk about a nice haul.


Originally posted by Jim Becker
BTW, I've heard from other folks that they have even found "exotics" like purple heart and mahogany in pallets that come from overseas. 'Definitely worth the salvage effort!

[Lynn Kasdorf]

Being a major scrounge, I am always on the lookout for good crates and pallets. Some pallets are about 12' or 14' long, and the 2 main rails are 3" x 4". These rails are frequently red oak, but I have seen white oak.

I have some nice crate wood that a marble table from india was shipped in. It looks like some variety of mahogony. Similar grain, but not dark. I've made some nice pieces with this.

I have found a few pallets that use cherry for the rails and slats! these are more like 5' in length, and 2x4 (actual size).

I have a big rack outside but out of the rain where I store my cleaned up pallet timbers for air drying. Of course, a metal detector is mandatory when it comes time for milling this stuff.

I have made many things out of this wood, including my router table frame, which is quite beefy and has 2 1/2" square legs of red oak. I don't have a moisture meter, but the stuff I usually work with is quite dry after a few months on my racks. The grain can be nasty, but it can be quite good as well. When you plain saw a log, parts of it are quarter sawn, so sometimes you find rails with beautiful grain and flecks.

The biggest challenge is denailing. You can take the approach of just cutting off the slats, then the remaining peices pry off fairly easily. But on some pallets, the slats are decent as well. I occasionally come across a really old pallet in which the nails just don't come out. Careful as I try, they end up breaking off at the surface. If the wood is otherwise worhwhile, I'll use a hollow bit screw remover to drill around the nail, snap this plug off, and insert an oak dowel.

I've welded up a variety of special pry bar gizmos for pallet disassembly. A basic crowbar works as well, but it is very easy to split the slats.

What to do with the slats? I'm thinking they will be good for a variety of outdoor furniture, as Daniel did. The rails I use just like any lumber.

I also use the slats for stickers when air drying lumber. They are just the right thickness.

[David Ripley]

Norm did the samething on The New Yankee Workshop a few years back. If memory serves me, it was a coffee table. He came away with several types of wood. David