How to Harvest Pallet Wood |10 best videos

Have you ever tried to take apart a pallet? Some are definitely easier than others. I tried years ago to harvest pallet wood with crow bars and a hammer. The ringing of the hammer hitting the crowbar and the strength of manhandling the pallet was too much for this old gal to handle. I have my own way of taking pallets apart. The first video below is my own, and the way I prefer to dismantle pallets. On the rare occasion that this method doesn’t work, I generally chuck the pallet and move on. However after searching YouTube for the best ways of dealing with pallets, I may give a few of these options a try.

Thanks for PINNING IT!

*This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to buy something I may earn a small commission without costing you any extra money. I truly appreciate your support of this site. Read More Here*

 

A Duckbill Deck Wrecker Dismantles a Pallet

Yep, this is me taking apart a pallet with a Duckbill Deck Wrecker. I find that it really works well on most pallets. I haven’t tried it on a deck yet.

 

Use a Sawzall to cut through the nails to harvest pallet wood

This guy uses a reciprocating saw to cut through the nails instead of the wood. Make sure you use blades that will cut through metal. I like the tip he gives about separating the slat a little. Watch to the end to see his tip on moving HEAVY pallets. I know I’ll be using it the next time instead of dragging a heavy pallet.

 

 

Use a sawzall to cut the wood along the edge of the pallet

Using a sawzall to cut the pallet wood, along with bi-metal Diablo Blades makes this job easy. Jake gives a great tip about hammering out nails and getting the stubborn ones with nail nippers.

 

 

 

 

Crescent Brand Bull Bar for harvesting pallet wood

The  Bull Bar is a demolition tool for pallets, decks and siding. It has a patent pending center nail puller!! Great for removing those nails without damaging the wood.

 

How to Make Your Own DIY Pallet Busting Tool

The Pallet Pal is a diy alternative to one of the manufactured pallet busting tools. Make your own tool to dismantle your next pallet. Great NAIL PULLING TIP at the end of the video. Download plans for the Pallet Pal here to help support Izzy’s channel.

 

 

Dismantle Pallets without Power Tools

This method of taking a pallet apart looks to work well on those monsters that have the large wooden blocks on the ends. I also like the way he deals with bent nails. I love learning something new from YouTube videos. As for pulling nails, I don’t have brute strength, so I prefer adding a block of wood under the hammer for extra leverage.

 

Circular Saw is Helpful to Harvest Pallet Wood

If you don’t mind loosing some length on the slats of the pallet, using a circular saw is an easy way to take pallets apart. An extra long crowbar is helpful for the center runner. Other handy tools include a nail setter,  nail punch and a metal detector to make sure you don’t leave any unwanted nails behind.

 

Take a pallet apart with a small sledge hammer and scrap wood

How to take a pallet apart with only a sledge hammer, wood scraps! I’m in awe as I watch this video. Taking apart the first side of the pallet is a little more time consuming, but the backside goes really quickly. You can tell that this guy has taken apart a LOT of pallets. He’s a wiz at taking the nails out as well!

 

Harvest Pallet Wood by Using Two Crow Bars

A slower option to dismantle pallets for the patient diy’er using crow bars and a hammer. It’s all about technique to pop up the boards without splitting and using the proper crow bar.

 

Dismantle a Pallet using a Hacksaw

Wow! This is a new way for me, I’ve never seen anyone tackle dismantling a pallet with a hacksaw! It seems to work well for him.

 

Bonus Videos:

How To Remove Nails from Pallet Boards

This video shows you how to use a guide bit holder to punch out all the nails left behind in your pallet boards.

 

Make Your Own Pallet Pry Bar

 

There you have it, a collection of great videos to help you harvest pallet wood for your next great project. See the link below for a super array of pallet project ideas from experienced DIY bloggers. If you have a tip that was missed, please share it below in the comments.

gail