Pallet wood

[GlassOnion]

Alright, I know I'm opening up a rather touchy subject here, but I was wondering if anyone has had any success finding and using pallet wood? I'm aware of the potential issues with MB treatment and chemical spillage, but I don't intend to use them for cutting boards or anything like that. I thought they might be a potential source for picture frame stock or for other small decorative uses.
I've used pallets for storage outside and I built a compost bin from them. Earlier today I swung by a couple places I've picked them up before and I found one large weathered pallet that has no markings but is HEAVY so I suspect it is oak. I haven't taken a saw to it yet but when I do I'll get some pictures of the grain. The majority of the other pallets were SYP or SPF. I grabbed a couple nicer ones that i may try to salvage a few pieces for practice or scrap pieces.

Have you guys found good sources of hardwood pallets? Also, do you have any suggestions for identifying the wood types in them? The pine is pretty obvious but otherwise it kinda seems like a shot in the dark.
Also, do you have a preferred way to break down and salvage the wood? Obviously the spiral nails are awful, but I have found some tips online that might help with the breakdown.
Anyway, just wondering what your experiences have been.

 

[MarvinWatkins]

Hey good luck with recycling the pallets. I actually made a couple of painted bookcases with pallet wood. My biggest learning experience with that endeavor was the amount of stress that wood can be under. I started out working the wood, jointing, planing and ripping to size. At one point, I had to rip a board 1/2" thinner. As the board passed through the blade, the 1/2" waste started to corkscrew from the internal stresses.

I am glad to hear that you already know about the chemical concerns.

We look forward to the pics.

 

[tryingtokeepmyfingers]

We have to keep in mind if anyone says anything negative about using wood of a unknown source they are just trying to help and protect us

but with that said this was my first project with pallet wood

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=50519&highlight=pallets+pallets

I delivered the ones I made for my brothers birthday last summer a few days ago for Christmas... I normally run 6 months to a year behind on gifts

 

[Mike Davis]

I was working with some today, it came from the Far East, a pallet of machinery or old parts... had some interesting strips of wood so I pulled them off and tossed em in my scrap pile. Today I was looking for some wood to make tenon gauges and found this. It looks like coco bolo, very dark brown with reddish and dark gold streaks, very heavy, dense, polishes easily. Free is my favorite price, so I'm happy with it.

 

[GlassOnion]

Tat, I saw your post about those the other day. They're really sharp coasters. IIRC the wwmm post made em with "real" lumber but I like your approach. Any idea what wood they are?

 

[GlassOnion]

Mike, that is the sort of thing I am hoping to find. I don't want to spend hours disassembling pallets for 2bf of cracked oak, but I certainly don't mind spending time getting interesting pieces for small projects. If you don't mind my asking, where did you find a pallet with strip of exotic Asian wood? From your workplace or just happened upon it?

 

[Mike Davis]

It was at work, I just happened to spot it as it was headed for the recycle bin.

 

[Steve_Honeycutt]

Marshall,

I see pallets listed on craigslist all the time, either in the free section or in the materials section. I don't know about the quality of these, but it might be worth checking out.

Steve H.

 

[GlassOnion]

Indeed, CL is where I found these pallets. I've picked up several over the last few years for various uses. Most of the ones I seem to find are softwood though.

 

[tryingtokeepmyfingers]

Tat, I saw your post about those the other day. They're really sharp coasters. IIRC the wwmm post made em with "real" lumber but I like your approach. Any idea what wood they are?

I think it might have been oak some I cut up and pine..... Really the key for this project was DIRTY.... or NEAT Dirty looking..... The ones that I gave away looked the best because they were aged with use....

In regards to using more pallet wood I would but in reality it might not be worth the time for larger projects that need more then a board or two

A FEW KEY THINGS aside from chemical treatment issues

1. DIRTY.... Dirty wood dulls knives/blades.... while I know rough lumber bought can also be dirty and all wood probally needs to be brushed off good before run across a tool it just seem we are asking for trouble with stuff that has been in a dirty dusty enviroment all its life... talking in general terms

2. Mosture Level .... we all talk about mosture level and why we just cannot run to the BORG and pick up framing lumber and build projects but picking up pallets that have been sitting in some stack in the rain probally is also asking for trouble

While buying rough lumber does have a cost it might be less in time saved buy trying to harvest a lot of pallet wood for a project.... I am not saying not to do it cause I will always be on a lookout for a hidden gem or two but putting too much effort might not be worth the time

 

[Mike Davis]

Pallet wood project in progress.

 

[Mark Gottesman]

I look for pallets everywhere I go. My last score was made of brazillian cherry. Made with drops for shipping a load of flooring. Keep an eye out for places that get machinery delivered. They are often custom crates made out of BORG lumber. I worked for several years off of a group of crates that contained two industrial spray booth setups and the HVAC system for a building being built near where I was working. Check the granite countertop shops. I don't think they still do it, but growing up the Japanese motorcycle shops got the best crates of exotic wood. Breaking Down: Get someone to make you one of those big pry bars out of steel. big Hammer , crowbar,. If short lengths are OK, just chainsaw the slats or use a circular saw. I'm sure YOUTUBE has a lot of disassembly photos. The Oak I've found has been pretty nasty, so far, but I've still been able to salvage some odd lengths that are clear. Made a router plane out of some of it.

Good Hunting

 

[Guy in Paradise]

years ago I made a shoe rack from pallet wood. The pallets I found were a thicker boards and took some to take apart then size to uniform size. The final product still looks good and is in constant use. Certainly was a memorable project.

 

[Gotcha6]

There is a pallet manufacturer in Marshville that buys whole tracts of timber locally. Everything except the cedar is harvested and used for pallets regardless of species. The facility takes in whole logs on one end and spits out bundles of pallets on the other without human intervention. This is why you'll likely find any kind of wood in them. It's probably typical for most pallet makers. There's also a pallet company on NC150 near Welcome that refurbishes pallets. What can't be used are relegated to a tub grinder. Good luck hunting.

 

[Charles Lent]

See if you can find some printing shops that will save their paper pallets for you. Ask them for their "paper pallets". These are much heavier duty than the typical pallets, usually consisting of two 4" X 6 or 4 X 8" uprights and a closely butted 3/4 or 1" deck. They are nailed together with standard framing type nails and not the spiral nails so they come apart much easier too. They are almost always oak and other domestic hardwoods and are never made from treated materials. I worked for a printing equipment importer/distributor in Charlotte and was able to get one of these about every week or so from them. I was also able to get them from some of their local customers. Sadly, all of my sources for these are now gone, but I still have a small stash of the pieces left.

Charley

 

[CarvedTones]

IME, crates tend to be better than pallets. I think it is because they aren't all cranked out in giant assembly lines like pallets. A place my wife worked a few years ago designed ATV accessories that were manufactured overseas and during the development, a lot of things were shipped over for inspection with custom made crates. They were built of rough lumber, but there were some good hardwood boards used.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Like Mike Davis said above, I've found some very interesting wood in pallets from the far east. Not big enough pieces to make furniture, but great stuff for making small projects.

Find a metal roofing and siding business. They bring in large rolls of metal on very heavy pallets. Most are from Asia, and the wood they use seems to be whatever they can get their hands on. The place I go to is happy for you to take them off their hands. Saves them the trouble of disposing of them.

 

[blakeyon2asd]

This may have already been said above but it seems like they end up being more time than they are worth. I've tried a few little project with them and I always find myself cursing at why I'm pulling out what seems to be 10000000 nails just for a couple piece of wood.

 

[Mike Davis]

Right, I tried burning some for firewood because they were paying to have them hauled away at work.

I spent way too much time fooling with bringing them home, cutting apart and trying to stack and move them around.

I diid it one time and learned by my mistake.

Still if I see a good piece of wood I'll grab it.

 

[Hmerkle]

That is what I did in the past.

We received product from Asia and there were specifically "Good looking" boards. and that is what I took! so 4 or 6 nails to remove or just cut that board out and trash the rest of the pallet...

The second time I did it I had my 20V Dewalt sawzall and it made quick work of the 3 boards I thought worthy of the effort... no nail issues!