Learn How to Properly Dismantle a Wooden Pallet

This story will display in ...Nov 17, 2012 11:00 AM  

We've covered a lot of projects that reclaim free wooden pallets into furniture such as desks , chairs, and garden sheds, but in exchange with free wood you have to deal with taking the pallet apart before you can use the wood in your project and using a crowbar or claw hammer can often split the boards you're trying to reclaim. Instead use a common hammer along with a small sledge and a scrap piece of wood to gently force the boards off the nails.

YouTube user miscpro demonstrates that by using a standard hammer, a piece of scrap lumber, and knowledge of how a pallet is assembled you can use use the hammer to force the boards and blocks from the nails. The hammer only directly hits the piece of scrap wood—this ensures that your boards aren't damaged by the metal surface of the hammer. Remove the boards and blocks from the nails and then remove the nail by gently striking the tip of the nail until the nail reverses itself from the board. Watching the video above really drives home the technique.

How to Dismantle a Wooden Pallet - Saavas Papasaavva | YouTube via Make

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