Here's An Easy Way To Safely Dismantle Wood Pallets Without Damaging The Boards

When it comes to finding materials for wood projects, the more sustainable way to go is to use reclaimed wood. Budget-friendly wood pallet DIYs are fun, and the pallets themselves are very easy to find, but breaking down a pallet into usable wood can be a pain. You could use a circular saw to trim off the ends, but then you lose a significant amount of length on each board and you are out of luck if you're away from your tools.

An alternative method that keeps the boards intact and doesn't require an outlet or batteries is to create a simple machine out of three pieces of scrap wood. By placing two pieces of 2x4 on either side of the pallet stringer board you wish to remove and placing a third in a T-shape beneath the stringer and above the 2x4s, you create a sort of leverage system. When the perpendicular middle stringer is struck with a board and hammer, the 2x4 that formed the T-shape presses against the nearby stringers and forces the target board and its nails straight up. Unless they are mangled and bent, the nails can be hammered out from the back once the board is separated. 

This manual method is perfect for crafters and DIYers with one or two pallets that need to be dismantled. It would not be the most efficient method for someone looking to dismantle a whole stack of pallets, nor would it work on EPAL pallets (European standard) or other close-boarded pallets because there is not enough space to hit between the stringers. For those, you will probably want to invest in a pallet buster tool or try your hand at building one from scratch out of scraps, some screws, and a couple of bolts.

Once the pallets have been dismantled and the nails have been removed and discarded, take the necessary precautions before using the wood to create coat racks, furniture, wall decor pieces, or even a full wooden shed for your backyard—and be sure to treat the wood so that your hard work can withstand the stress and elements in its new form.