Idea for a pallet dismantling tool

Yesterday I cut up some pallets and built a new hen house.
It didn't take too long,  but faster would be better.

I have an idea for a jack powered pallet buster.
All it would be is eight 2x3's arranged in 4 pairs.
Each pair would be through bolted together 3" side to 3" side via one 3/8" bolt at the end of the boards.
One board of each pair would be through bolted to a common 2x6 board, the other board of each pair to another such board.

To use, slip the device inside of a pallet,slide a floor jack between the 2x6 boards and operate the jack.
Ideally the 2x3 lumber will apply force in such a way as to easily pop the fasteners cleanly  out of/through the wood.

A potential problem I see are one of each pair of 2x3's being too far from the deck boards/stringer joint,  so it just smashes through the deckboard.

Another potential problem I see is the 2x3's being too weak to handle the force.

I  can imagine other set ups, where a treadle or such translates body weight into expansive force, maybe power hammer style,  but this idea seems more reasonable right now.

Any feedback would be welcome.

I've struggled to disassemble pallets without damaging the pallet boards.  My pallet supply company has odd ball sized pallets with oak runners and glued spiral nails.  So they're very hard to pull.  And the board spacing is irregular.  

The best tool I've found is the missus and a large crowbar.  She kind of gets all zen on them and slowly cranks through piles of pallets.  She can tell when the boards are about to crack and tries a different angle.  

If I had to come up with a custom tool, I'd be tempted to make a wedge system that slides into the center of the pallet (like a forklift's forks).  It would consist of three pieces of wood/metal, two that stay in place and press against the pallet slats and one wedge that presses in between them to separate the slats.  

Cool idea!  I'm thinking cordless Sawzall would make short work of it.

If you can get the slats loose from the wood runner a bit, a sawzall with a metal cutting blade will zip through the nails, leaving you with nice boards with cool nail heads.  If you can get the slats loose a bit.  If you get them any looser than the width of the sawzall blade (very easy to do), when it cuts the nail you end up with a bit of nail shank protruding from either the slat or the runner.  So depending on your final use for either piece of wood, that could be a problem.

I use a sawzall too.  I've found it to be faster than anything else and I just hammer any bits of nail that stick out.

I've been dismantling some pallets recently too. I also dream about nifty ways to do it without resorting to two different pry bars, a deadblow mallet, a claw hammer, and a pair of nail-pulling pliers... skinned knuckles and bruised fingertips..
I don't have one (yet) but there is a pallet stripping prybar that is like a fork shape that works well for this job. Check out Karl Treen's video about it .

There are  pallet dismantling machines, designed to save the wood for building "new" pallets. They are wide bandsaws that cut the nails right between the deck boards and the stringers. Each of the boards gets a little shave in the process, but not enough to matter (at least for pallets), and the boards are left with remnants of the nails.

Are the pallets you are using hardwood or softwood? I've found that the softwood pallets often come apart more easily, and with less cracking than hardwood ones.

I've also thought that the ends of the deck boards, with the nail holes, and often split, aren't much use anyways, and so would need that trimmed off for use in a project anyways.
So a saw cut to free the two outside stringers leaves just the center nails to pry free.

A mattock is a very useful tool for prying pallets apart.

My pneumatic denailer was developed for the pallet industry. I use it primarily to remove flooring nails. You put it over the pointy end of the nail and squeeze the trigger. Goggles should be worn. This tool has given me a tremendous advantage in processing recycled flooring.

I've been using  sawzalls, battery and otherwise.
I am seriously considering a cordless circular saw, just for processing pallet lumber wherever I find it.
Switching to a sawzall pruning blade has made it faster, but damn it, I want it fast still.
Plus, a circular saw blade lasts along time.
I don't mind the shorter boards, that come from cutting, I just plan around that.
I leave the nubs of the deck board nailed to the stringers, unless they get in the way.
I plan projects around mostly leaving the pallets intact , but that isn't always possible.

Once the bottom deck boards are removed, it's pretty easy to stand on the top deckboards , in between the stringers, and kick/pry the stringers loose,
Maybe I will focus on that.
I have built prybar style pallet buster, but the 1" ridged electrical conduit bent on my first use!
It might be time to revisit that design.

If I were trying to dismantle many pallets of roughly the same size, I would put three stakes in the ground and then cut the tops so that they become big long wedges. Stand a pallet on top and smack it down, hitting the rails with a small sledgehammer. This may just remove the boards from one side, but it would be very quick to do. And you're working with gravity. It would end up looking like Vlad the Impaler has taken over a portion of your yard.

 A twist on the wedge idea, would be to have the same three wedges and put the edge of the pallet against a foundation wall. Now use the sledgehammer to drive the wedges until their tips hit the wall. You can start them out just about an inch narrower than the gap in the pallet and have them end two inches  wider.

Suppose you've got dozens of pallet boards that have been separated and they are all filled with nails. Hold the board over an anvil or a section of I-beam and smack the board with a rubber mallet, just behind the nails. All of the nails should be driven up enough that you are able to grab them with a claw hammer. If it's just rough boards for building you could use a small sledgehammer instead of a rubber mallet, since denting wouldn't matter.

I’m glad Dale mentioned the AirLocker pneumatic nail removal tool... that is also on my list to get...

I break down the pallets and crates, then bring the boards into the shop for denailing. Good rainy day/nighttime project, plus I avoid nails in the driveway!! (Free lumber isn’t free when tires are expensive)

The cordless circular saw is great! Faster than the sawzall for sure. Breaking the pallets down at the source also allows for more to fit in the truck.

As for pallets, I’ve been finding the specialty ones that are odd-sized to be a decent source for 2x4, 1x4, 1x6, and other lumber. The standard pallets find their way back into circulation (and there’s a whole industry about that) but these specialty ones are really only of use to the original manufacturer. (And too costly to aggregate and back-ship)

Solar panels, sheet metal, snowmobiles, plate glass, are some hints for companies that may have these...

If you find a place that installs big HVAC units or other big cumbersome things that are shipped, you are likely to find a source of larger lumber and even plywood. I once salvaged a bunch of really good 2x6 that was used to pack a very expensive steam generator. When the product inside is worth hundreds of thousands or millions, they don't scrimp on packaging materials.

Kenneth Elwell wrote:
I don't have one (yet) but there is a pallet stripping prybar that is like a fork shape that works well for this job. Check out Karl Treen's video about it

.

I do have one of these and it is easily one of the most worthwhile tools I have bought. I can bust a pallet apart in about 5 minutes, sometimes less. That doesn't include pulling nails out, to be fair. There are almost never busted boards, unless the pallet wasn't in good shape to start. I think the tool cost about $60 and with it, I have already gotten enough wood to build a 6x8 chicken coop, mostly out of oak and other hardwoods. So it certainly paid for itself several times over on that project alone.
It's actually kind of fun to use, too. I cannot recommend a tool like this enough. I would say be sure to get one similar to the one in the video. Those moving platforms are crucial. At first, I got a similar seeming tool sold as a "deck wrecker" (which didn't have the moving parts). It split every board we tried to use it on and was quickly returned.

I have since gotten that tool, and make good use of it. I find it works well on pallets in "good condition" and the swiveling pads do make a great difference over other pry-bar methods.
On pallets of "fair" or "poor" condition, I find it a crap-shoot as to whether the boards will split or crack at the ends, usually the middle makes it whole, but not always... Sometimes the nails pull out with the boards, sometimes the nails tear through the boards and remain in the stringers. A 3 foot nail puller is a good companion, since these nails get in the way of further use of the pallet buster.

If I am realistic about my use of the boards, I acknowledge that I will often cut away the nail holes and splits at the ends. So, depending on that, I may opt for just sawing off the two side stringers and only pry the boards off of the center stringer. I may even just cut all the stringers out, resulting in two shorter deck boards, but without the risk of splitting at all.

Another thing is too be realistic about yield. You will break some boards... The wood is usually some form of "reject" to begin with, despite how nice some of it looks. It's either wood that is un-graded air-dried (maybe) stuff that wasn't ever going to become furniture or framing lumber, or it is stuff that didn't meet the grade, or culls from the lumber yard. I just used some OSB from a pallet/crate that was stamped "Reject - all other stamps VOID" so, consider your re-use, if it might be structural... Plan ahead for this and get an extra pallet, or three? They're free right?

The nails used on pallets are usually (almost always) nail-gun (not by hand) nails, and often have ribbed or spiral shanks for better grip, and may be coated with glue as a means of "collating" the nails for the gun. The glue melts when it enters the wood as fast as it is driven by the gun. Another thing that happens to pallets in the weather is rust. All of this makes for difficult pulling of the nails. Sometimes a hit with a hammer will break the nail free before pulling. Sometimes a mallet to strike your nail-puller will do the same, although you may tear off the head. (nail pulling pliers are amazing here). Sometimes driving a nail in or folding it over is adequate, if you aren't sawing it there. And, finally, these nails can be difficult to straighten and reuse... It can be done, but you'll spend a lot more time.
I also got a de-nailing gun, which drives the nails OUT of the boards once pried apart, which is great if you are serious about this. It can turn the nails into flying projectiles though!!, So over a garbage can or pail helps but not even a sure bet... I haven't tried a water-filled one, or through a sacrificial garbage bag over the top, but those might help?

A magnet sweeper. Free lumber isn't free... if you have a nail in your tire. If you dismantle pallets in your driveway, or garage, be EXTRA careful to clean up ALL THE NAILS! Seriously, price out a tire (installed) plus that lost time, and price out new lumber.

I bought the plans and built Izzy Swan's pallet pal.

I was a little disappointed because it didn't work as smoothly as the video showed.  (Wound up with a lot of cracked ends.)
But from your description it sounds like even the professional steel tools have that issue, so it may just the nature of dry old wood rather than the tool's fault.

Only other problem I had was that I thought I was being poetic by making the handle out of an old pallet piece as well.  Then a fellow pallet-picker unbolted and walked off with it.  Oops, on me. :P

I welded up this from a piece of "gun metal" (left over pipe from someone's gas fitters), a wonky metal fence post holder and 2 old brick hammers.  It is very good. I  angle grinded grooves in the front of the brick hammers to pull nails.  My video suggests some improvements to the design. I made it years ago, and it still works great  You could use the ends of old crowbars instead of brick hammers.  
 

I've dismantled hundreds of pallets and found the best method that works for me is to start on the bottom of the pallet and using a pickaxe pry the boards off breaking about half of them. Then I use a big wooden maul with a 6x6 inch head and a long handle and smash the 2x4s off of the pallets. This leaves all of the top boards in good condition and most of the 2x4 rails.

This one is tedious (I don't use this method anymore because I have access to lots of pallets and a wood fire for anything that goes wrong)  but it had the best yield of useful wood.