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View Full Version : 5/4 Oak real real cheap



Mark Azevedo
10-18-2003, 1:25 AM
At work we've got about 60-80 pallets made from 5/4 oak instead of 1x4 pine. The 2x4's are made of oak also. No knots, no wane.

Who in the #$!! makes pallets out of oak?

I'm thinking these pallets might be re-used, and originally came from some type of hazardous waste or chemical company. It is just fishy. As tempted as I am to tear these pallets apart and use the pieces for some nice furniture, I'm worried about what is actually in the wood.

Again, who in the #$!! makes pallets out of clear 5/4 oak?

Kevin Gerstenecker
10-18-2003, 7:20 AM
Mark, here in the Midwest, we have a lot of Sawmills who mill lumber for Pallets. They use green Oak for the majority of them, because of the durability factor. Now finding pallets with 5/4 Oak is another story. I can't recall seeing many of those...............the pallets must have been built for something very heavy or awfully expensive. Most of the Pallet Oak I see is not very attractive, but now and then you see some with outstanding wood. They shoot these pallets together with hardened, spiral twist nails for the most part, and taking them apart is a challenge in itself. Sounds like you have hit the mother load of pallets. If they at one time carried hazardous waste or chemicals, chances are they never were contaminated with the waste.............they monitor the transportation of those materials closely, and if there had been even a minute spill, the pallet would have become hazardous waste itself and destroyed. I do know that there are many Woodworkers who use mostly reclaimed pallet wood, and some of the work they do is amazing. I say check them out, and get the best ones............what do you have to lose? Good Luck, let us know how it shakes out! :D

Tony Falotico
10-18-2003, 8:47 AM
Mark, I've gotten some mighty fine woods from pallets, oak, hickory, lots of poplar, and some stuff I never did identify. It's a pain to disassemble the pallets, getting them screwy nails out is sometimes close to impossible. Depending on what I was going to do with it, sometimes I just cut it up to smaller pieces for craft-work. Honestly, there were times when I wondered if it was really worth the effort. Unfortunately, my source of pallets dried up a couple years back when my neighbor changed jobs.

Good luck and let us know what you salvaged.

Brad Schafer
10-18-2003, 8:50 AM
can't remember the post, but someone in here just scored some mahogany pallets.

like kev, i've seen red & white oak, plus poplar, and some really colorful stuff that i couldn't identify. (dad burned it. :mad:)

there's a pallet company about 10 miles west of here. they're forever hauling in truckloads of (what looks like extremely NICE) oak.

i always thought it was a waste of good lumber,


b

Jim Becker
10-18-2003, 7:11 PM
Pallets are made of whatever is plentiful in the manufacturer's area...around here, there is a LOT of oak used for that reason. Do keep in mind that pallet wood isn't usually dry, so once you rip them appart, you'll want to stack and sticker them with good airflow until they get to an acceptable MC. Use a moisture meter to determine that...every shop should have one of those!

Robert Waddell
10-18-2003, 7:56 PM
I'm in the chemical business. All of our pallets have to be made of oak. The 55 gallon drums will destroy a pine pallet in a skinny minute. Most of ours is made of white oak but it is not unusal to have red oak mixed in. Once in a while we get an off sized one in from a vendor and it comes home with me. I sold somewhere around 50 dollars worth of small stuff the other day made from pallet wood. I would have to say that 5/4 is a little excessive. Most of ours is 3/4

Pete Lamberty
10-20-2003, 10:59 AM
Hi Mark, I live near Chicago and there are a number of places around here that buy used pallets. I think they pay about ten dollars a pallet. I think that if you can get those pallets for free, you could sell them to a used pallet buyer, that is if they have them by you. Then take the money and go buy some nice wood at a wood store. Pete

Bev Polmanteer
10-20-2003, 11:03 AM
Mark, as a matter of courtesy please refrain from using foul language in your posts please. Thanks, Bev

Mark Azevedo
10-20-2003, 9:00 PM
Bev, you are right... For that I am sorry!

The thing that would keep me from using any of these pallets is, I am near a large farming community. I think I need to clarify, when I say chemical I am not talking "hazardous Waste" (I worked for a transportation company, and am fimilar with the miles of DOT regs for shipping haz mat) I think these pallets might have residigual pestacides/fertilizers(I don't think I spelled that right, anyway) on them from local farms.
I was more courious as to who would need a pallet of that strength. I think we got these pallets for a tire company, kinda like Big O. And when I say they are strong... I saw first hand. A guy at work try to backed over one with the fork lift and I didn't even hear it crack.

Mark

Mike King, Sherwood Pk., AB
10-21-2003, 2:18 PM
Instead of trying to pull those beastly nails, Mark.. My pallet story from where I am is mainly softwoods, but once I scooped 13 different hardwood varieties from a load of 27 pallets. Latest bunch yielded Cherry. I cut the pallet top pieces away from the skids using my old skilsaw and a cheap blade- the skids if too narrow can't be resawn to get anything out that doesn't have nail holes, so I usually display them in the firewood basket :D