How to dismantle a pallet without splitting it

[1pcfred]

On stringer pallets like those I'll take a circular saw and set the blade depth to just cut through the deck planks and simply cut off the outer stringers. Yeah I lose an inch on each end of the deck planks but I never split a board. I've found it just isn't worth fighting for that extra 2 inches.

[lutherdriggers]

@1pcfred good point (unless you need the 2 inches)

[1pcfred]

@lutherdriggers If that is the case then you just get a longer pallet. They come in many sizes you know?

[Mizacy111]

Super helpful, going to give this a shot, thanks!

[313DNB]

Lol your lawn looks like mine.

[galanie]

Great Idea. Though I remove the nails because I resaw the lumber often.

[MrDaddio34]

i got a drill bit the same size as the nail head, and just cut the heads of the nails off

once u remove the slats, u gotta pound down the leftover nail parts

[MRSketch09]

Should buy yourself a large sledge hammer with a 4 foot handle or something.. and then whack it. Probably be easier than carrying that large piece of conrete around.

[edward1960hotmail]

Physics at work... well done. If you were in my class at the university you would have gotten an A....... :)

[MrAbuyaka]

Nice technique, although to save your back over time, it seems like rigging your large block onto a stationary pulley system would let you accomplish the same thing by repositioning the lighter pallet each time instead of the heavier concrete block. Just a thought.

[1pcfred]

@MrAbuyaka Who told you pallets were light?

[Mauromoustakos]

Good method, good job. It's similar to mine.

A heavy hammer will be more easy to lift than a heavy block. But with a block you need to strike once, and you seem to have better result than my hammer!!

If you are doing this often, you need a workbench, then you can work standing comfortably.

You should also underline for your audience how important it is to remove the nails immediately. No nails means no accidents. So..., you also need a box for putting them in.

Hm, maybe I make a video myself.

-.

[pitbullman77]

gat a Sawsall Milwaukee brand use a Long 9inch - 11inc metall cutting blade and cut the nails in half between the 2x4 and the slats on top - with plactice you can brake down 5 pallets in 15 -20 mins sometimes I can do 7 on 15 mins --- their is no splitting of the wood - sometimses I need a small 2lbs slege hammer to lossen the wood - it takes practise at first i was slow but with my son to stedy them I can do 8-10 in 20 mins thats 2 mins each

[koreyokeenelove]

try oak wood and pine boards nothing you do will stop it from spliting! try 1000's of ways noing but 1 use the bloody sawsall and cut the bloody nail!!!

[Impulse2core]

Hi lutherdrigger. Nice video. This video: watch?v=ZtPmUZ-k3aI&feature=re­lated displays a much less labour intensive way to dismantle pallets, however your way is for real men!

Thanks for posting brother.

[ivonno1]

bravo.... molto utile.

[jef4130]

I cut several 7" long 4X4 chunks to prop up the pallets. I'm also jumping/stomping onto the pallets to pop the nails up some. After so many boards are removed and I don't feel comfortable jumping/stomping on it, I put a 4X4 block on top and whack it with a mallet.

Thanks for putting up your video. Prior to watching it, I more or less destroyed 2 pallets trying to take them apart. After your video, I gutted 2 pallets and have a lot of good lumber now.

[lutherdriggers]

@jef4130 Great to hear!

[1fanger]

excellent vid, pallet wood is useful and I will use this technique. Thanks

[jona71377]

Good idea, thanks.

[Organikmechanic]

If you use the techniques I show in my video you can use a bar to prise apart the pallet and retain all the useable wood. Still your method is one of the best uses for concrete I've ever seen! Cheers from Normandie.

[galanie]

Great idea! And you really dismantle it rather than cutting it into toothpicks like i see too many people here doing.

[ghostlymoron]

Thats a great tip! I've wrecked so many useful bits of wood over the years. Some pallets are nailed with ridged nails - these are particulary resistant.

[claudius2u]

Nice improv! It may not work too well with very dry tropical wood pallet lumber, as the nails may rust-frozen and the heads pull through the boards.

[lutherdriggers]

@claudius2u True... is there anything that _would_ work in that case?

[claudius2u]

@lutherdriggers Good question! I've noticed that boards that wintered outside in the rain, or otherwise softened with water, gave up their nails modestly easily. I also have had limited success by hammering these a little into the wood, before firmly gripping the nail shank with a Vice Grip, and pulling with a Wonder Bar.

[toobigaman]

RightO, I like it good idea,also looks to be a good way to get a strong back.

[AlphaSphere]

Great technique indeed! I'm dismantling four pallets and I was having quite some trouble with them. Will try your technique and see if it helps :) now all I need are some heavy bricks.

Thanks for sharing :)

[lutherdriggers]

@AlphaSphere Glad I could help :) Good luck.

[koozdra]

Great technique.