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Re: This wood is tough
Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 1:47 pm
by reible
Thank you for this link. I hope everyone reads it.
Many years ago now we had a presentation at a woodworking group I belonged to and it was dealing with pallet wood. The take away was don't even think about using it for projects. Yes it is tempting but after hearing what I heard I will never ever do any project using it. The one except would be if it were a new pallet and I knew it was new.
At the time PCB's were a big deal, you can look them up but they were contained in all sorts of things often in an oily substance. Clean up efforts proved to be expensive and often after a clean up they would reappear at least in some cases it was due to pallet wood that had come in contact with them on the floor or been dripped on or spilled on and then tracking that stuff all over the place. The contaminated pallet would leave one place by truck and commentating the truck etc etc. I haven't heard much about PCB's of late so I guess that scare is over for the most part but it doesn't mean there is not something else on a used pallet that could be just as bad.
Sorry but every time this comes up I feel that I need to post this sort of information but it is your health during the woodworking phase and then to who ever uses it after that. Free, well there might be some strings attached due to health issue so keep that in mind.
Ed
Re: This wood is tough
Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 4:23 pm
by rcplaneguy
reible wrote:Yes it is tempting but after hearing what I heard I will never ever do any project using it. The one except would be if it were a new pallet and I knew it was new.
Agreed. Pallet wood is no bargain when you factor in your time, trouble, wear/tear on tools, and possible health hazards.
Re: This wood is tough
Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 8:38 pm
by putttn
- Pallet Wood
- IMG_2594.JPG (50.44 KiB) Viewed 3349 times
This is what I'm working with.
Re: This wood is tough
Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2016 8:45 pm
by jsburger
putttn wrote:IMG_2594.JPG
This is what I'm working with.
Yes it looks nice. I would never use a pallet for anything.
Re: This wood is tough
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 12:18 am
by charlese
putttn wrote:IMG_2594.JPG
This is what I'm working with.
That's red oak! Shouldn't be so hard as to notice the planer slowing down.
Something is afowl! shouldn't have dulled your blades. I've planed many 100s of feet of red oak.
Re: This wood is tough
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 12:59 am
by Steamdragon
Some of the SE Asian pallets are actually Mahogany.
Re: This wood is tough
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 2:12 am
by skou
OK, way back, when the "interWab" was a gleam in AlGore's eyes,
I used pallet wood for ALL KINDS of stuff, and this was with my
Model 10. (1983 or '84 time frame.) Since then, I use pallets
for NON COOKING, outside fires. PERIOD!
Back then, I had the 10ER "jointer" attachment, with warped
aluminum infeed and outfeed "tables." (This is the 2.5 inch
"jointer-shaper fence with jointer head, NOT the flip-down
REAL jointer attachment.) I made infeed and outfeed pieces,
with that jointer, and used pieces of red oak from pallets.
Worked just fine!
Same time frame, I was a motorcyclist, and had a friend
at the local Honda/Yamaha dealership. I scored about
400 pounds of imported bike "pallets" and box frames.
Think 2 to 7 foot long pieces of lauan mahogany boards,
in the 2X2 or 2X3 size, and FREE!
steve