Pallet Reclamation Bars

Woodworking
Pallet Reclamation Bars

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I have broken down a few shipping pallets, in my time. Most recently, I used pallet demolition to test out a Stanley FatMax Fubar they sent me for review. Each time, I am surprised at how much work is involved. Modern shipping pallets are tough and well-made, and do not come apart easily.

If I had to do it very often, I would spring for a purpose-made tool. Several commercial models can be found for sale online using Googlons like “pallet buster” and “deck wrecker,” but I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for the maker-made Pallet Reclamation Bar from Cargo Cycles of Norwich. As you can see in the video, it’s a heavy tool, and if you’re not in the UK shipping may be prohibitive. If you know your way around a welder, it would not be too difficult to build something similar yourself. The key features seem to be:

  1. A long handle to provide plenty of leverage and allow you to work from a standing position.
  2. One or more forks, each having two tines that can wrap around a stringer and pry on both sides at once against a board nailed on top.
  3. A narrow fork for prying around nominal 2″ stringers, and a wide fork for prying around nominal 4″ stringers.

The Cargo Cycle Pallet Reclamation Bar does not seem to have a dedicated web presence, but its design, development, and construction are detailed in the linked thread, below, at British country living forum Over the Gate, and the video includes e-mail and telephone contact points for interested buyers.

Over the Gate :: reclaim timber from old pallets

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30 thoughts on “Pallet Reclamation Bars

  1. MAKE | How-To: Knock Down a Pallet with Simple Tools says:

    […] Down a Pallet with Simple Tools If you don’t reclaim enough pallet lumber to justify a specialized prybar for the purpose, it is of course possible to knock down shipping pallets using everyday hand tools. A common […]

  2. How-To: Knock Down a Pallet with Simple Tools says:

    […] you don’t reclaim enough pallet lumber to justify a specialized prybar for the purpose, it is of course possible to knock down shipping pallets using everyday hand tools. A common […]

  3. MAKE | Lighting Fixture from Crate Wood says:

    […] Pallet Reclamation Bars Calling all remakers, upcyclers, found object artists, and refuse miracle makers! Win a MakerBot Replicator and a trip to World Maker Faire in NYC! Submit your idea to Project Remake, presented by Schick. Share this: Pin ItLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. […]

  4. Lighting Fixture from Crate Wood | vis a vis | visual mind says:

    […] Pallet Reclamation Bars Calling all remakers, upcyclers, found object artists, and refuse miracle makers! Win a MakerBot Replicator and a trip to World Maker Faire in NYC! Submit your idea to Project Remake, presented by Schick. […]

  5. Sail Boffin says:

    I’m a little disappointed in you guys. I needed a similar tool to remove some deck boards from a roof in reasonable shape so I could reuse them. I didn’t have a week to order a tool like that, couldn’t find it locally and didn’t think it was worth the hundred or so bucks it would cost so with a bit of scrap pipe I made these


    1. Sail Boffin says:

      Links got stripped out, here they are again

      http://tinypic.com/r/29cudyq/6
      http://tinypic.com/r/f9k474/6

      1. David Boston says:

        Sail boffin what size pipe is that made out of can you give discriptions??

        1. Sail Boffin says:

          I used whatever steel pipe I had lying round, in this case it was 3/4″. The only thing that’s a little hard to see in the pictures is that I had to drill through the T and street elbows and put bolt through it to keep it from rotating.

    2. Sean Ragan says:

      Thanks for the link! But why are you disappointed? This post is about A) you can buy one of these from an awesome dude who makes them in his garage and B) if you don’t want to do that, here’s a list of the key features and a link showing how he makes them so you can do it yourself.

    3. Joe says:

      How well did your pallet breaker work?

  6. goreshade says:

    The hardest part to me is getting the nails out. I have a pallet with spiral shanked nails that literally tear apart rather than pull out.

    1. Joe says:

      One might as well not even try to remove the nails. I sometimes cut them flush with a sawzall. If I’m making a rustic item like a table or whatever, I leave the nail heads in or you can use a punch and hammer to remove what’s left. They’re definitely a beast and have an iron grip on the wood, especially with oak pallets.

  7. MAKE | 15 Projects Made from Shipping Pallets says:

    […] easily split if you’re not careful. Luckily, our very own Sean Michael Ragan published a post on how to efficiently dismantle them, even discovering that there’s a special pallet reclamation bar designed specifically for the […]

  8. 15 Projects Made from Shipping Pallets | Rob's Personal Aggregator says:

    […] — easily split if you’re not careful. Luckily, our very own Sean Michael Ragan published a post on how to efficiently dismantle them, even discovering that there’s a special pallet reclamation bar designed specifically for the […]

  9. Pallets! - Page 4 says:

    […] I noticed that they make a nail gun just for pallets. Don't have one myself, I just Googled it. Pallet Reclamation Bars | MAKE P & M Recycling – Specializing in E-Waste Recycling. If it plugs in or runs on […]

  10. Paliet Bukser | DK Tøj says:

    […] Pallet Reclamation Bars | MAKE – MAKE | DIY projects, how-tos …I have broken down a few shipping pallets, in my time. Most recently, I used pallet demolition to test out…(url) https://makezine.com/2012/05/08/pallet-disassembly-tools/ […]

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I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

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