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Using planks and cordage to make paths and fences,rope ladder style

 
gardener
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Location: Cincinnati, Ohio,Price Hill 45205
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I had an idea on how to use the planks from a pallet.

After recovering the planks from the pallet, arrange them in stacks and drill a hole sized for your cordage on either end.
Thread cordage through the stacks of planks until the whole thing is almost too heavy to handle, then secure the cord to itself or the wood.
You should now have a stack of planks held together with cord, that you can lay on the ground as a single unit.
Flexible, but as strong as cordage is at its weakest point, you could stack them, or if you interspersed  the planks with stakes, you could turn the whole thing on one edge and drive the stakes into the ground , creating a  fence or wall.
Wire could be used as the cordage, making it easier to tighten and secure.
If a spacer was used between each plank, the supply would go further, and there would be a place for dirt/water/ etc. to fall.


Why do all this, rather than just laying down pallets or even nailing a stack together?
While still susceptible to rot, the boards are more stout set on edge to the forces exerted by feet.
When they do fail, there wont be a bunch of fasteners to contend with.
The cost savings in fasteners could be significant, some  kinds of cordage would be recoverable and others would be biodegradable,and/or safe to burn.
Bamboo is an option as a substitute for cordage, as is any cheap/free log, rood shaped material.

All of this is speculation, I have yet to try any of it.
I hope to start by building with a "doormat" of sorts, with spacers between the planks to facilitate boot scraping.
 
pollinator
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Location: Big Island, Hawaii (2300' elevation, 60" avg. annual rainfall, temp range 55-80 degrees F)
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I think it would work, but what pops to mind is that it would an awful lot of pallets even to make a short pathway. If one had access to that many free pallets, it may be fun to give it a trial run. Here in Hawaii. Pallet wood loses its integrity in two years if in contact with the soil, so it wouldn't last long.

Because I have access to about five free pallets a week, I use them to make all sorts of things. Pallet grow boxes, compost bins, chicken pens, garden work tables,  mini green house foundations (that is, table top gardening with a plastic top), temporary piglet enclosures, etc. When they begin to rot, they go into the current hugelpit (though I save the sound wood for fire kindling) and make a replacement whatever.
 
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