Reclaimed wood pallets

[cricket49]

So we are looking at these premade sheds that can be built on our property. Looking at living in the shed temporarily while visiting to work the land and then live there full time while the house is being built. We currently live 6 hours away.

I have been looking at cheap ways to finish the interior of the shed. I found a shed online that used corrugated galvanized metal sheets for the inside roof (after insulating) and some side wall areas around the kitchen or bathroom. (If we decide to plumb it with water and septic) It looks really neat and rustic.

We have a friend who used some wood pallets we gave him that he made a headboard out of the wood. It looks just like the reclaimed wood that is popular now from old houses and barns. He did clean it up, sand it and then a light coating of polyurethane. After seeing his finished product I realize we have our interior wood to install inside the shed. His headboard looks wonderful. We have a business and have many of these pallets sitting around. I think it might be more work since they are only 48" long but considering the wood is free, it is a project worth undertaking.

[mrs whodunit]

I need to figure out an easy and effective way to get the boards off the pallets.

Somebody awhile ago here on homesteading mentioned some tool and I thought I bookmarked it but guess I didn't. Ah Found it Wonder how that would work on pallets?

[Shoestringer]

Try this with standard pallets made with only two or three boards on the bottom and six or eight (or whatever) on top:
Start with the few bottom boards. They are often broken or more scraped up anyway. Remove them with prybar, hammer or whatever works in your collection.
Leave the pallet upside down and get a sledge hammer. Stand with your feet clear and swing hard at the side of the bunks, as if you are trying to roll them off the boards. They will do just that.
After a few strokes on each you should have a bunch of boards free. Removing staples or nails is much easier than prying at the boards.

[FarmboyBill]

Get on U Tubes and type in old pallet uses/buildings.

[cricket49]

Ahhh thanks everyone for the suggestions.

So I wonder how many people on here have used these pallets for interior walls? I know it will be a lot of work but if you do a certain wall at a time it should work out ok.

I have been on Craigslist and everyone is on the reclaimed wood band wagon. The prices are ridiculous. Wish I had bought reclaimed barn wood years ago before it became a fad.

[FarmboyBill]

Ive made hog fence out of them. It lasted for 20yrs. Mainly cause it covered an area 300 X 100, had 5 pens or lots in it and a small pond, and I never had more than a 1/2 doz hogs.

Made a corn crib out of them Made a rabbit boundry fence from them.

[||Downhome||]

Originally Posted by mrs whodunit

I need to figure out an easy and effective way to get the boards off the pallets.

Somebody awhile ago here on homesteading mentioned some tool and I thought I bookmarked it but guess I didn't. Ah Found it Wonder how that would work on pallets?

It works really well, but only for removing the nail from the pointed side.

You need to pull the deck boards from the stringers.

You can spend 80-100 bucks for a deck wrecker bar or a pallet wrecker bar,
or if you know some one who welds they could make you you one pretty quick.

if you revisit the thread you will see the one I made for removing the deck boards.

Handy dandy new tool!

It makes things super easy.

I can clean a load of pallets in a flash compared to how I was doing it and I have more useable boards when done!

[||Downhome||]

Originally Posted by cricket49

Wish I had bought reclaimed barn wood years ago before it became a fad.

Barn woods never been cheap.

Even when I was a kid!

Its not milled perfect but better quality then what you can buy today (unless you got a custom sawyer nearby or a specialty lumber yard)

[Just Little Me]

sawsall will cut right thru the nails fast. It is what I used.

[||Downhome||]

But if you want to run them through a router or table saw that can be a problem.