Nail pulling question

Re: Nail pulling question *LINK*

Kevin French

This is the tool you need, but good luck finding one. They were only in business for a few years. It's called a 'Kwick Gripper' and will pull anything out wood, spirals, rings, with heads, or without heads.

Allegedly this puller will also do the job. I have one but haven't tried it.


Nail Puller

Re: Nail pulling question

Kevin French

Another trick pallet people use is to soak the wood and the nails pull easier. I've used this method with limited success.

What is pallet lumber

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

To answer your question, crow bar.

Lumber grades go in descending order 1sts, 2nds, 1 common, 2A and 2B, and 3. There are hardwood lumber markets where the wood will be used in some finished state for all but 3. 3 Common always is sold for pallet lumber or chipped for pulp.

Lumber is sawed so as to "box the heart" (see my discussion of how lumber is sawed in Articles). The 3 common grade will be sawed from the boxed heart with so little yield that there is no commercial application for it beyond mixed species pallet lumber. Last I knew it sold for about $300/1000 bdft.

So what do you have in a pallet- 3 Common, undried wood with nail holes every few inches. Along for the ride may be enbedded rocks and other junk from its use as a pallet (who knows where pallets have been) and the risk of a broken off nail hidden within.

An example of what my Uncle Willy, the sage, would describe as "Using a dollar and twenty nine cent jack knife for skinning a fart to save a scent" (you have to say it out loud to get it). (1950's prices)

Cat's Paw  *LINK*


Tool

Re: What is pallet lumber

Barry Irby

Wow, I had an Uncle Willy also. He was one of the men who won WWII. (Went ashore at Normandy. The unit ahead of his lost all their heavy equipment in the surf so they took his unit's, so his unit went in with none and became infantry. Fought his way to Berlin, often out ahead of the main forces on recon. Of all the men in his unit all were killed or wounded except him and there were only two other survivors. A better man than I am.)

I understand about the pallet wood and the boxing the heart technique you explained. In fact I tried to explain it to someone sawing with a band mill. They had cut a 4/4 board just above the pith and one just below and were baffled they warped. They looked at me as if I had lost my mind. Those were the widest boards in the log.

The thing about the Jack knife...I like it....Isn't that sort of like tilling a patch of soil, fertilizing and watering and planting a $1 worth of tomato seeds and weeding for three months to save $2.99 at the grocery store? Only a gardener would understand the economics.

So I will rescue this wood if I can. Or not.

Thanks all....went better than expected

Barry Irby

It rained on the pallet over night. Maybe that helped. Went out this morning with a three pound hand sledge, a Cat's paw, a wrecking bar and a claw hammer.

Took less than ten minutes to knock the boards off and pull the few remaining nails. Cut the boards in half and put them in the trash. Put the rails in my green house/kiln. Done altogether in less than half hour including putting everything away.

No blood, no cursing, no bruises. All in all much easier than I expected. This is bad. Now I will have to keep an eye on the pallets out back of the warehouse and rescue some more. Pretty sure the next one will kill me.

Re: Thanks all....went better than expected *LINK*

Kevin French

If you're going to breakdown many pallets one of these will make the job a lot easier.


Pallet Buster

Re: Nail pulling question *LINK*

Dick Coers

I can't say how well it will work on pallet nails, but really love my nail extractor pliers. A wonderful invention that improves the grip on the nail by mechanical advantage, and has the anvil to pivot on. I thought I bought it at Lee Valley, but not sure. A must have tool!


http://www.nailextractor.com

Re: Nail pulling question

Kevin French

I like to see handles a bit longer but looked good enough to try.

Thanks for the link

Re: Nail pulling question

Johanna Johanson

I suggest you invest in a metal detector if you are going to use wood that might possibly contain screws or nails. Lee Valley has one for about $40. This might just save a very good tablesaw blade!

Re: Nail pulling question

Kevin French

My 'Little Wizard II' just arrived today

Not worth it

I beg to differ

Kevin French

Wife's She Shed all Pallet Wood





Even the windows are reclaimed

This will be a 9 x 20' shed built from all reclaimed and pallet wood. Some of the floorboards are on their third uses

Looks great Kev

Keith Newton

I like that stool in the second pic. Did you make that, and what is that seat?

My favorite is the "Cat's Paw"

Jim Matthews

https://www.garrettwade.com/improved-restorers-pry-bars-gp.html?scid=W4011000&gclid=Cj0KEQjwoqvIBRD6ls6og8qB77YBEiQAcqqHezvYSxIi8CQZg_vMTY-k1780ZMO7_ea7Ae7ixroEthsaArQP8P8HAQ

Re: Looks great Kev

Kevin French

The table is made from a used wine barrel head and staves for legs

I work with a guy and made Adirondack Chairs out of used Wine and Whiskey barrels



Cat Tested

Re: My favorite is the "Cat's Paw"

Kevin French

The problem with a pallet is in most cases you're working with spiral or ring wire nails, with not much of a head, buried in hardwood. The head tends to pop off with any type of pry bar. That's why the Kwick Gripper works so well, it grabs the shaft of the nail. I pulled over a 1000 nails with it one day and broke off only 19 nails.

Okay, okay

Re: I beg to differ

Mark Nowicki

You could have saved yourself a lot of work.

Re: I beg to differ

Kevin French

We are fortunate to have a Pallet Factory on our road. They pick up pallets in the area, and they put in ones they can't use on the side of the road for the locals to take. I had cancer surgery last Fall and spend the Winter and Spring breaking down pallets to build back my strength. It was a simple way to do a little work each day.

All the stuff I had stored in what is now my wife's She Shed got move into my work area, so the next project became the shed. I've conservatively pulled 8-9000 nails since the operation. I've used and bought any tool I thought would make the process easier. I figure I've got enough lumber to frame it I might be a little short on siding but should be able to collect that by the time I need it.

There is a market out there for items made from pallets and next year capitalize on that market by adding a few more tools.

In the end, it's all about justifying the buying of tools.

Re: My favorite is the "Cat's Paw"

Barry Irby

Oddly, I have one of those, don't know where I got it. I like it. Kevin mentioned the problem I expected, the heads popping off the nails, which has happening to me every other time I tried to break down a pallet. That's why I pounded the slats off from the back side this time, Either the nails came out with the board or I was left with enough nail to get a grip on if they pulled through.

Re: Nail pulling question

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

When I salvaged pallet wood, I discovered the nail holes were a mess anyway, so I just cut the boards as close to the nails as I could, and wound up with shorts for small projects.

Re: Nail pulling question

John K Jordan

Serious wood hoarders/recyclers might check the stone countertop companies. Pallets from oversees are sometimes interesting "exotic" species with occasional beautiful color and figure. That company tore down all the "pallets" and removed most nails and put the wood in big containers for people to dig through! Some of the pieces I got were fairly heavy timbers (big enough for woodturning) - perhaps the pallets/crates have to be pretty sturdy for shipping heavy stone slabs.

Also, for people looking for standard pallets I hauled a trailer full from the equipment company where I bought my excavator. Most were new, used once. Most were standard size, some were small, some were oversized, some were built from heavy materials such as 4x4s. They were glad to get rid of them because it saved paying an employee to cut them apart for disposal in a dumpster.