My uncle owns a flooring store, and gets alot of stuff on pallets... Some of them are in pretty nice shape IMHO when he stacks them on the side of the store.

I found ONE that was perfect... Nice, new pine boards. I easily sepperated them with a wrecking bar, and made a very nice (and cheap) shelving unit out of it. All I needed to buy was the 2X4's ($6), and the shelving brackets ($14ish)

I bought too many 2X4's, and have enough to make another shelf.


It's a great shelf, very strong... Lots of crap that I dont really need went onto it.

He's got about 30 pallets, and mabey 1 in 3 is in perfect shape, but not "as" pretty... o well.

I grabbed 3, and tried to denail them also... no such luck. The boards just split, instead of leave the nail in there. I was thinking of "MABEY" taking a grinder to the nail heads, or something similer, so I wouldnt ruin the boards when I take them off.

Any ideas, or am I just a wierdo who enjoys making stuff on the cheap ?
Tks alot
~Nate

__________________
95 Honda Shadow ACE 1100.
1999 Plymouth Neon Expresso. 2.4 swap, 10.5 to 1 comp, big cams. Autocross time attack vehicle!
2012 Escape, 'hunter" (5 sp 4cyl)

Don't tell anyone, but I had a wooden cable reel, painted red, white & blue, that I used as a coffee table back in my younger days. It was free, the paint was cheap, and although it was not indestructable, I didn't care if it got completely trashed!

Can you borrow a Sawzall and cut the nails off below the boards, between the board and cross-pieces, and then push them out backwards?

Good luck, and remember...

"If it's free, it's for me!"

a buddy of mine is in the pallet business,he has a big saw that does just what jim suggests.cuts the nails off below the boards,they just leave the nails in there when they rebuild em,if your that worried about em get a pin punch and punch em out.

Mabey I should explain what I'm doing better.

I'm taking your typical pallet, and taking all the boards off of it. Theres usually 3 on the bottom, and i think at least 8 on the top.

I take the ones from the top, and screw them down perpendicular to the ones on the bottom, leaving no gaps. Then I cut the ends off the bottom ones, flush with the other boards. I then screw 2 shelf brackets on my studs, making sure they're leval with eachother. I then screw my newly made shelf top to the shelving bracket. Then, I cut 3 2x4's to the correct lenght, to (just bairly) apply upwards tention on the shelf. I screw the shelf to the 2x4's, and then add another layer.



I can do everything without issues, except getting the damn boards off the pallets. it SHOULDNT BE this hard, as they pay some idiot to nail them together, with REALLY cheap nails, and (usually) cheaper wood.

I'm wanting to remove the wood, and do with it what I want. In this case, shelving units.


I think if I'd punch the nails threw the boards with a pin punch, they'd split the boards.

So far, I've got 3 choices... It's either use a wrecking bar on it, which is fine if the boards are of great quality, but it splits the other 75%

I could take my angle grinder to the nail heads, and pay no attention to the burn marks on the boards (or flip them over), and possiably comprimize the strenght...

Other option is, i think, slipping a sawzall blade between the top board, and the support, and having at it.

Any more suggestions?
~Nate

__________________
95 Honda Shadow ACE 1100.
1999 Plymouth Neon Expresso. 2.4 swap, 10.5 to 1 comp, big cams. Autocross time attack vehicle!
2012 Escape, 'hunter" (5 sp 4cyl)

you evidently have never been in a modern pallet factory,they have automated machines that can build the whole pallet in one shot.they also use screwnails,believe me you will not pull these out.so if your trying to pull them out you better hope they don't have these.thats why they just cut the nails.i get lots of my firewood from them lots of it is new stuff with no nails they can't use for some reason or another,they stack it nicely for me on a pallet and fork it right into my truck.it's cheaper to give it to me then send it back.you would be in heaven with some of the wood they give me.i have had thoughts of building a shed out of some of it,just wish they had longer pieces.

Grinding the nail heads off sounds good to me. That way the side that is currently exposed can be the bad side and the face that is not exposed and does not have the dents from the nailheads can be the good side.

Also, maybe the fasteners are hardened like sheetrock screws and will not readily cut with a sawzall blade, but the heads will grind off.

__________________
Doug

1987 300TD x 3
2005 E320CDI

nope, never been to a modern pallet factory... Allways wandered how they were made, but whatever.

Yeah, I didnt know they were called screw nails, but 3/4 of them have thoose...


I'll see where the grinder gets me...
~Nate

__________________
95 Honda Shadow ACE 1100.
1999 Plymouth Neon Expresso. 2.4 swap, 10.5 to 1 comp, big cams. Autocross time attack vehicle!
2012 Escape, 'hunter" (5 sp 4cyl)