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Pallet Wrecking Bar

Harry Brink
Harry Brink
in Tools Archive

Featured Replies

With all the projects being made now with pallets I'm looking for an easier way than just with a hammer and crow bar.


There's a few at H/D that mite work but has anybody know of a good one?


I can get free pallets from where I used to work so the price is right.



Harry Brink
Bulldog Woodworking
Montana

  • Author

Looks good but Lee Valley doesn't stock it anymore.


I'll check out the other wood tool sites.


Thanks.



Harry Brink
Bulldog Woodworking
Montana

Sorry about that, Harry, I did not notice this was discontinued.

Harry Brink said:


Looks good but Lee Valley doesn't stock it anymore.


I'll check out the other wood tool sites.


Thanks.



Harry Brink
Bulldog Woodworking
Montana



  • Author

No problem, Lew.



Harry Brink
Bulldog Woodworking
Montana

No offense intended Harry, but as someone who worked in the trucking/delivery industry for a number of years, I have great reservations about using wooden pallets for anything other than for their original use. I have seen way too many chemicals and other non-sanitary compounds (including human bodily fluids of various types) as well as bug and rodent droppings that gets on the wood in warehouses and trucking facilities that I would never re-use a wooden pallet for anything but firewood. Just my $.02 worth I would not personally consider using them. 



Allen Worsham
Corona, CA

allenworsham@gmail.com

'Graze in every man's field, but always give your own milk.'
J. Vernon McGee

“Our greatest fear should not be that we won’t succeed,
but that we will succeed at something that doesn’t matter.â€
D.L. Moody

  • Author


Good point, Allen. I can get "clean" looking ones but I may rethink this one.


This may be more labor on my back than I want to do. Your 2 cents worth is always welcome. Try to save a $ and wind up spending $$$ at the doctors to get my back put back in place!


Thanks.



Harry Brink
Bulldog Woodworking
Montana

or getting hepatitis shot Harry!

Harry Brink said:



Good point, Allen. I can get "clean" looking ones but I may rethink this one.


This may be more labor on my back than I want to do. Your 2 cents worth is always welcome. Try to save a $ and wind up spending $$$ at the doctors to get my back put back in place!


Thanks.



Harry Brink
Bulldog Woodworking
Montana





John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
ning-image001-1067-25.jpg?width=90

I used a "Breaker bar" or a spud bar.   The kind where you can STAND on the bar and watch the slats pop up.    Crowbars?  Only IF they're at least 48" long.    



When unloading a pallet from the stack.   DRop it on a corner, HARD.     It may skew the pallet a bit, but it will loosen the nails.   Then drop it on the other corner just as hard.    Nails should have moved enogh.  Besides, any "foul" stuff would have shaken off during the drops, done OUTDOORS.  



Many times, I had simply sawn the slats off.    The scrap still on the runners can then be knocked off, exposing the nail heads for a better grip.  



Head of a nail break off?  ( and they do a lot)  Big pair of Visegrips locked onto the shank of the nail, leave just enough room under the jaws to slip the claws of a framing hammer under them.   Use the Frammer hammer to work the nail out.



Any "Blue" painted pallet is for Food Grade items, and is treated for bugs.   Not good for woodworking.   A pallet with an "HT" stamp is just a heat treated pallet, in that they kill off any bugs and such with heat, no chemicals. 



Worst part of Pallet Salvage?   Them #$#$#@$ Screw shanked nails!    HATE THEM. Royal PITA to remove.



Planer? I'm the 'planer', and these are what I use...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuOKyGmd7BY a neat home made pallet disassembler.



Gene
'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

  • Author

Thanks Steve for the info. I can get pallets from the hardware store where I used to work and I knew about the "blue" ones. I'll have to see about the "H/T" ones.


Gene, That's the video and the wrecking bar from Izzy I was trying to find. Thanks.



Harry Brink
Bulldog Woodworking
Montana

I was so impressed with that tool I installed the video on our home page below the forum!!! Wow!!!


Harry, you can buy the plans for the pallet wrecker at http://www.thinkwoodworks.net/#!menu/ch8j

Gene Howe said:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuOKyGmd7BY a neat home made pallet disassembler.



Gene
'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton





John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
ning-image001-1063-85.jpg?width=90

  • Author

Thanks, John. I keep playing with the idea of using pallet wood for some things.

There's a lot of pics floating around of some nice looking projects, and it would be "free" wood.

Allen pointed out some drawbacks and how hard would it be on my back? I'll keep pondering it!

Harry Brink

Bulldog Woodworking

Montana

That Wizz made tool would probably be easier on your back than other methods.

Also, bleach would nullify some of the nasties. Household bleach won't change the color appreciably. 

Used to get some fairly exotic stuff from pallets and crating from Asian and Italian motorcycle dealerships.

Ron has a pretty good supply close by, too. Oh, if I'd just had my pick up in Indiana.

Gene

'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

We use em for firewood here Gene.

Gene Howe said:

That Wizz made tool would probably be easier on your back than other methods.

Also, bleach would nullify some of the nasties. Household bleach won't change the color appreciably. 

Used to get some fairly exotic stuff from pallets and crating from Asian and Italian motorcycle dealerships.

Ron has a pretty good supply close by, too. Oh, if I'd just had my pick up in Indiana.

Gene

'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

Salvage pallets, burn pellets, eat pullets. 

Gene

'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

There's a pallet repair factory here in town and on any given day you can pick up a truck load of scrap for free so most folks around here just burn the stuff.  There's alot of elm in these.

Ron Dudelston

Site Administrator

Above and Beyond WoodWorks

I just the other day saw a video of a pallet bar to do just what you want.



Making your own would be child's play you don't even need metal. Though a spring is necessary.



Google Videos


Izzy Swan Pallet Pal


He sells 'em too I believe.


  • Author

That's where I saw the one that Izzy makes. Keep playing with the idea.....



Harry Brink
Bulldog Woodworking
Montana

Ron, I've never worked with elm. I understand that it's stringy, but I have seen some projects using red elm. It finishes really nice. 



Gene
'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

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