With all possible slats removed it’s now time to remove the slats that we couldn’t previously. To do this, find a further 2 lengths of 3×2 roughly 2 feet in length. Place these either side of a slat roughly 3 inches away. This method is probably the one to go for when dealing with lower quality, cheaper pallets as levering and beating these often splits the slats rendering them useless. No matter what you do, take care when working with pallets. Don’t forget that the nails are in place if you leave them – they could cause significant damage to your tools – and to YOU. ALWAYS wear protective gear, especially goggles or safety glasses when working with pallets. With both side of slats cut through the final job now is to simply lever the slats away at the centre. To do this use a breaker bar or large sturdy screwdriver to prise the slats up and off. To get your screwdriver or pry bar under the slat simply wiggle the slat up and down and this will begin to pull it off For a full run down on the different types and quality grades of pallet see the Pallet Company guide here for more information.

To remove the end slats, simply use a length of 3×2 timber and lay it roughly 3 or so inches away from the slat and then use this as a fulcrum to lever against to remove the end slats As the timber is of better quality it’s nicer to work with and also makes the job of breaking the pallet down a fair bit easier. With the pry bars positioned, gently push them outwards and start levering the slat up taking your time as you go What to do with the nails? You have two options depending on the finish you want to make to your project. Remove the nailsWhichever method you use from the list above, once you have broken your pallets down into individual slats you will have one last remaining job to do and that’s denail them.

The PalletSaw-W is equipped with large wheels covered with synthetic material for longer durability So have a go with the materials you have to hand (because they are free!) and see how you go, you can always tweak the design once you’ve field tested it. My first pallet breaker was suitable for pallets with 47mm (2″) bearers but then I got some pallets that had 100mm (4″) wide cross planks, so I made another one with a wider jaw.

PRS Group, Inc.

p.s. please excuse the ‘basic’ nature of the video, you won’t see me in it, as I have a face made for radio…. 🙂 For example, the PalletSaw-W can be combined with combination with the Cekamon EndSaw. A machine that trims boards of used pallets. Even when the boards contain rests of nails. With the use of a robot we achieved tailor-made solutions for dismantling pallets. The robot saws the broken board or pallet foot. DEWALT Reciprocating Saw, 12 Amp, 2,900 RPM, 4-Position Blade Clamp, Variable Speed Trigger, Corded... Position your levering timbers either side of each slat and move them outwards until they touch your new fulcrum timbers then simply move your levering timbers outwards as you did in the steps above. Repeat for any further slats that need removing

Angle both prying/levering timbers outwards away from each other so that the ends underneath the slat you are removing come together at the centre of the slat. The underside of each prying timber will now sit against the top edge of the slat to the side of it. This will allow us to lever upwards, using these slats as a fulcrum Using a reciprocating saw to dismantle a pallet is best done with the pallet standing up on its edge so you need to ensure it’s stable and solid and doesn’t wobble and flap about. Breaking a pallet down using a reciprocating saw is one of the better techniques and if done with care, pretty much guarantees no damage to any slats. So with this in mind, we have found much more success in breaking down pallets not using brute force techniques that could ultimately waste your time.Many DIY jobs and projects in the home involve timber and if you are working to a budget a great source of, in many cases, free timber is the common pallet, but to use the timber you first have to dismantle the pallet. Stand pallet upright and screw it to another pallet laying on the floor at 90° so that its solid and supported This method is one of our favorite methods; it didn’t require any pallet disassembly tool, only a hammer and an old wood plank (from another pallet, for example) that will be used to absorb all the hammer hits and impacts. Here are the step-by-step instructions: Next, find 2 lengths of either 3×2 or 4×2 inch timbers that are roughly 3 feet long each. These are going to be used as levering bars

DEWALT 20V MAX Reciprocating Saw, 3,000 Strokes Per Minute, Variable Speed Trigger, Bare Tool Only...Unfortunately this is not a nice job and if you have loads of slats to denail, one that can take quite a while. The length of the tines depends on your pallets but the ones above are 150mm (6”) long; although for most pallets, 112mm (4 1/2”) or so is sufficient.