F.Y.I re: reclaimed pallet wood.

  I finished pulling all the nails out of the pallet boards today. I figure that I got 15 3/4 board feet of usable wood.  There are of course nail holes and if I want smooth wood it will be probably only 1/2 inch think by the time the boards are planed.  Rough storage or out side flower boxes seem like a good use for the wood.  I want to make something  quick and easy.  I may not even fill the nail holes.

  Now that I have worked out a method for reclaiming wood I may do it more often. My first efforts, trying to pry the skids/pallets apart meant too much of the wood was wasted to make the effort worth while.

two and a third layers of reclaimed wood.

   There are lots of things that can be made with rough lumber.  There are even more things that can be made with lumber that has been filled and sanded.

  I think I'll make something quick this weekend.

  cheers, ianw

Recycle a Pallet, Get a Reciprocating Saw

  It is all the rage to collect and reuse shipping pallets.  I am a strong supporter of reusing and recycling anything if possible.  Today I spent some of the first real nice days cutting a pallet apart with my reciprocating saw.  Technology has advanced significantly since I bought my saw, the saws are smoother and available in cordless models.  When I bought my saw a decade ago battery technology wasn't up to powering a reciprocation saw.  

  As with jig saws there are many specialised blades for recip saws. I have a reciprocating saw to prune small trees and cut up green wood too. Every major tool company and blade maker has developed all sorts of blades.  Cutting the pallet apart I used a blade that sliced through the nails. This way there is less damage to the boards.  Using this system the next most important tool is a nail set to drive the nails out of the boards. 

  Now that I have some pallet wood I thought I'd look at some pallet projects on Instructables 

Looks nice.

   After I bashed the pallet apart I sent quality time with fine wood working tools.  I  have three small repairs from 10,000 Villages and finally affixed a handle to the paint box. I like making repairs to wooden objects for 10,000 Villages, repairs always involve sharp knives, planes, rasps and files.   I find  relaxation and comfort in fussy and fine wood working. After the tools are done the next stage is finishing with shellac or wax.

  I am hoping the weather will be good tomorrow.  I want to ride my motorcycle, and then I will take out the rest of the nails and move onto a project.

cheers, ianw