Free pallets

[wendell]

Just Googled steel suppliers and the first call I made seems to have me hooked up for life.

I'm not sure you are allowed to quote yourself but here I go.

I stopped by after work and all of their pallets are at least 8-12 feet long and have huge gaps between the slats so not going to work for the base but it did pick up one to use to stabilize the stack as it goes skyward.

I drove around the industrial park they are in and have 6 places to call tomorrow to see if their pallets are available.

 

[pulldownclaw]

I put bricks under my pallets at the load bearing points to try to lengthen their life a little.

 

[wendell]

4 of the 6 said take all you want and 1 I need to call back tomorrow. 1 is a major score as theirs aren't full size but they are made with the thickest oak I have ever seen on a pallet and the cross pieces are made of solid oak 3x3s. They are so well built I was really surprised they weren't keeping them for something. I'll be picking them up tomorrow!

 

[BucksCounty]

District is putting on an addition at the school where I work. Was told I could take as many pallets as I would like. Found some good solid ones to start my stacking.

 

[leaf4952]

Look up your nearest marble & granite countertop cutting place. They got em. The marble is deliverd on them. Also befriend managers of grocery, liquer & convenient stores and ask if you can be there when there CocaCola guy delivers or their delivery drivers for their heaviest bottled items. These delivery guys drive big trucks with premo strong pallets ! After they unload ..they can be coerced. Just be nice & ask !

 

[stockdoct]

I just found a couple pallets. Back side of the maul to break the "slats" off the "support beams" (so to speak).
It was really tough. Then I had to chain saw the 4' slats and beams to fit in my stove. Not tough, but I wish I had a sawbuck to make the process easier. Maybe I'll build one.

Is there an art to processing pallets to stove-size?

 

[myzamboni]

I just found a couple pallets. Back side of the maul to break the "slats" off the "support beams" (so to speak).
It was really tough. Then I had to chain saw the 4' slats and beams to fit in my stove. Not tough, but I wish I had a sawbuck to make the process easier. Maybe I'll build one.

Is there an art to processing pallets to stove-size?

Use a circular saw and cut the slats right along the beams. Then cut the beams into halves or thirds. Much quicker than what your are doing.

 

[Badfish740]

Use a circular saw and cut the slats right along the beams. Then cut the beams into halves or thirds. Much quicker than what your are doing.

I picked up a couple of garage sale saws ($5) just for this purpose. The blade frequently gets pinched and the wood is tough as nails so it's pretty rough on a saw and I don't want to burn out my good Milwaukee cutting up pallets. Just make sure you buy the most aggressive carbide blade you can find so you can rip through nails and knots.

Speaking of free pallets...

Here's today's haul-there's A LOT more where those came from!

 

[Flatbedford]

My local nursery and garden guy will give me as many as I want. He puts the stacks right on my truck with the forklift. I have more than I need right now. I see them offered for free on Craig's list all the time.

 

[SWNH]

For the past month, I've been feeding my shop furnace a steady diet of pallet wood only. I can haul about 20 in my truck and alot more once my trailer is free of it's snowy (and muddy) bonds. I built bins for the wood (out of pallets, of course). While a circular saw is a bit faster, I find it's less strain using a good jigsaw with an aggressive blade. Cut the slats from the stringers and then cut the stringers with a chop saw.

Everything in the bins represent about 50 or so pallets. I have another 100 or so at a friends property. More every week as I find them and coordinate pick-ups during my regular commute. All from postings on Craigslist.