at the price of boards today, you're a millionaire with that score
What free wood did you find today?
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woodtickgreg
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Lol, kinda why I went salvaging wood today. I can save a lot of money building my outfeed table with salvaged wood. It will also eliminate the cost of one sheet of plywood.Of course I will have to put some time into it cutting, jointing, planing, and gluing up boards, but it's wood working and I love that part of salvaging wood.
I was looking for pallets like that a few weeks ago to restack my firewood on. Found a couple behind Woodcraft and they weighed a ton.
I got mine at a steel yard. All hardwood. Pine I get from siding supply and hot tub dealers
Man, down here you'd think they were made of gold. Whenever I buy something on a pallet, there is like a $30 deposit on it.
Alan
Alan
woodtickgreg
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Good places to find pallets like this are from sheet metal fab places, water jet and Lazer companies, and also steel suppliers but the suppliers often won't part with the pallets. End users are usually happy for you to help clean up their yard. I always make it a point to not leave a mess. If I reject certain boards I'll stack them on a pallet so it is easy for them to lift with a forklift and dump in the dumpster. At one time I gave the rejects to a person that heated with wood but he has moved to far away to be convenient.
Remember, wood is everywhere and it's free!
Now I just need to score a bunch of 1x6 pine for my garage roof. At today's prices I ain't buying it!
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I have the woodstove in my carport waiting to be installed in the shop. As a sawmill owner, any other heat would be a bit dumb... the steel yard I was talking about was a production facility not technically a steel yard. You are right.
Anyplace that ships from international locations are good places to find hardwood pallets. It always surprises me the kinds of wood they use for pallets that will be scrapped unless someone claims them. We got a new labeling machine when I was still working from Taiwan that came in a box with teak plywood sides and top.
Years ago, there were some import restrictions on certain woods. A friend of my dad's wanted some of the wood in question. When my dad built his house he put Brazilian Cherry throughout on the floors. It was shipped on Purple Heart pallets.
At least that's the story I heard, but I have a few pieces of the PH.
Alan
At least that's the story I heard, but I have a few pieces of the PH.
Alan
We have a lot of hackberry in the pallets around here. We also see a good bit of sweet gum. Occasionally I'll see some pine.
Pallets down here have a deposit on them too.
Pallets down here have a deposit on them too.
woodtickgreg
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So what did my salvage yield? Well today after getting all my domestic chores done I detail the boards.
This is all 5/4 maple, mostly soft but still nice usable lumber.
I found a couple of curly boards in the mix too.
Curly boards get set of to the side for later use.
Cup o nails.
Not a bad yield I'd say.
I even found a few 1x6 pine boards for the garage roof repair.
Most boards are 4 to 5 foot in length and 6 to 10 inches wide, all 5/4.
The 2x3s will get done another day. I'll use these for legs on my outfeed table bench.
Not bad for free. Of course I'll be working around defects like nots, splits, and checks. But there is plenty to work with here. It's all in the basement shop now waiting for me to work it. Jointing and planing will come next after the legs are done.
This is all 5/4 maple, mostly soft but still nice usable lumber.
I found a couple of curly boards in the mix too.
Curly boards get set of to the side for later use.
Cup o nails.
Not a bad yield I'd say.
I even found a few 1x6 pine boards for the garage roof repair.
Most boards are 4 to 5 foot in length and 6 to 10 inches wide, all 5/4.
The 2x3s will get done another day. I'll use these for legs on my outfeed table bench.
Not bad for free. Of course I'll be working around defects like nots, splits, and checks. But there is plenty to work with here. It's all in the basement shop now waiting for me to work it. Jointing and planing will come next after the legs are done.
Sweet! I still got my Red oak 1x6x48" and maple2x3x120" in my shed waiting for me to use them. Probably gonna make a saw shelter for my bandsaw with mine.
If you find you have too many curly boards, I can swap them out for straighter grain stuff for that bench top. 
just trying to help a fellow out, ya know?
just trying to help a fellow out, ya know?
I like the stockade fence. Keeps the mongrel hoards at bay.
woodtickgreg
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It's about time to replace it, was here when I moved in 7 years ago, kinda wobbly, lol.
My experience with pallet wood is not as satisfying as yours. We must get a completely different kind of pallet down here. In the ones I have tried to work with, pulling the nails is next to impossible and I end up tearing the boards apart trying to just get them out of the 2x crosspieces. It's a workout to tear up the pallets. The nails that don't rip the boards apart break off. I gave up long ago even trying to use them.
Now, it was possible, up until lately, to salvage plywood from shipping crates for machinery. A lot of oilfield equipment is shipped in plywood containers and some companies would give it away to get rid of it.
Well, since 3/8 CD is $40+ a sheet, that well has dried up.
Alan
Now, it was possible, up until lately, to salvage plywood from shipping crates for machinery. A lot of oilfield equipment is shipped in plywood containers and some companies would give it away to get rid of it.
Well, since 3/8 CD is $40+ a sheet, that well has dried up.
Alan
He is breaking larger pallets. They have full 1 inch or thicker planks. Also a deck wrecker/pallet breaker makes life much easier. If using thin pallets, cut both ends just inside the runner then you only have to fight the center nails. It also makes your projects 2/3 holefree. The only time I go after thin pallets is if they have a special little whistle that I cant ignore. Like the acacia and mahogany stuff I salvaged and used on my livingroom wall.
Sounds like you all are coming across some really cool wood, but what about the strong insect treatments used on pallets? Might be good for outside projects, but unsure if I‘d want to have those chemicals inside my home.
Read the stamps, MB = methyl-bromide, HT = heat treated. If it is just HT, likely safe...
Methyl Bromide evaporates completely. It's also used on imported food stuffs. Don't know if other chemicals are used on pallets.