Working With Pallet Wood

Working with pallet wood is all the rage these days. It makes sense. Pallet wood is typically free, and can yield some great looking material. Couple that with the fact that you’re recycling (or upcycling) and it’s a win-win. The problem? Getting the pallets apart. We’ll help you out with that.

Tough as Nails

Think about the abuse a pallet takes. On and off trucks, handled by forklifts, dropped…. Companies that make pallets are thinking about that too, so they make pallets tough. They’re put together with long staples or spiral nails or some other fastener with crazy holding power. As a result, they’re not easy to disassemble. Working with pallet wood means figuring out how to get at the wood, without destroying it in the process.

Tools of the Trade

It takes a combination platter of tools to get a pallet apart, and it’s more art than science. We’ll show you how to use a flat bar, cat’s paw, jig saw, and metal detector, along with a specialized tool; The Extractor. If you’ve found a successful way to get pallet wood out of pallets, please let us know in the comments section of this video.

Reclaimed Wood

There’s a lot more than just pallet wood in the world of reclaimed wood. It can come out of old barns, warehouses, bridges… There are lots of amazing types of reclaimed wood available.

What should you build?

Now that you’ve increased your inventory of material, it’s time to decide what to build!