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I have a question about using pallet wood in wood working projects. How safe do you all think it is? Was it treated during the manufacturing process? Then where did it come from? If anywhere outside the country I would think they were fumigated to prevent unwanted critters from entering the country. Does anyone know? What was on the pallet and did something leak on it? Just because it looks nice does not mean it is safe. I certainly would not use it for anything that comes close to food or anything else for that matter except wood for my wood stove.

Sounds more like a statement instead of a question LOL. I have a friend who has a feed store (farm supply). His pallets are built local (Western US) and used locally (state wide). I think they are safe. Everyone make their own decision. I think it depends on your source. If you don't know, or can't verify, don't use ....

I've written on this subject several time in the past. Here is me quoting me.

"The problem with any pallet is you don't know where they have been and what might have spilled on them, what they sat in, and what type of chemicals they have on them. PCB's are no long very common on loading docks and truck/train/cargo hole but they are a lot of other no so good for you things that you can not see or smell but can be present in the wood.

I've been to a presentation on the subject and I personally stay away from all things pallet. Wouldn't even use it to burn."

"+++++++++++++++ warning pallet wood speak again+++++++++++++++

I would NOT use pallet wood. I had gone to a presentation once where pallet wood was discussed as use for home work shops. These pallets can and do go to all sorts of "bad" places and have all sorts of "bad" things set on them. Who knows what leaks or is spilled on them, or what was on the floor when they were put down. Back then PCB's were in the news, contamination was showing up in places where they should not have been. Want to guess how they got there? Yep pallets. All the contaminated waste was put in drums and transported on pallets to be disposed of. The pallets were then reused for all sorts of things....

Ever wonder why there is so little insect damage to pallets? You can find ones that are 20 years old sitting on the ground and nothing has tried to eat them? I'd be wondering too.

I've posted this same information many times here but people feel they either don't believe it or it will not happen to them. I am not like that, so I do not use pallet wood for anything."

"Hi,

Just in case some of you missed my last discussion on this......

First pallets are not "free wood" in a lot of cases. They have a value and are very often reused many times over. People are arrested for stealing them. So make sure you know who owns the ones you are eyeing up and make sure it is you. If they are sitting out back of a store or somewhere you better ask! But after reading what is below maybe you will not be so interested.

Second, pallets are often used for many things, they sit on docks, on floors in plants, in back of trucks. So how lucky do you feel. Like to make things with high levels of PCB's, pesticides, hey maybe some heavy metals or worse?? Sure somethings you can see but a lot more can't be seen. Some things you can smell but not all of them. Do you know where your pallet has been the last couple of year, 5 years ago, 10 years ago... heck some might be 20 or more years old.

I attended a seminar on this some years ago. What was presented would scare your socks off. Every time I see a pallet now I see a toxic waste dump. So as for me it is not worth it."

Ed

Ed

rjent wrote:Sounds more like a statement instead of a question LOL. I have a friend who has a feed store (farm supply). His pallets are built local (Western US) and used locally (state wide). I think they are safe. Everyone make their own decision. I think it depends on your source. If you don't know, or can't verify, don't use ....

Why do you think it is a statement? I am asking questions since I don't know. Pallets from a feed store are probably just fine if they came from the known manufacturer that does not treat the wood and you know that it has not been anywhere else. Then again the farm store 2 miles down the road from me sells feed, coal, fertilizer and a whole lot of other stuff that are on pallets. Why would I trust them? Once they leave the manufacturer and went stare wide who knows.

reible wrote:I've written on this subject several time in the past. Here is me quoting me.

"The problem with any pallet is you don't know where they have been and what might have spilled on them, what they sat in, and what type of chemicals they have on them. PCB's are no long very common on loading docks and truck/train/cargo hole but they are a lot of other no so good for you things that you can not see or smell but can be present in the wood.

I've been to a presentation on the subject and I personally stay away from all things pallet. Wouldn't even use it to burn."

"+++++++++++++++ warning pallet wood speak again+++++++++++++++

I would NOT use pallet wood. I had gone to a presentation once where pallet wood was discussed as use for home work shops. These pallets can and do go to all sorts of "bad" places and have all sorts of "bad" things set on them. Who knows what leaks or is spilled on them, or what was on the floor when they were put down. Back then PCB's were in the news, contamination was showing up in places where they should not have been. Want to guess how they got there? Yep pallets. All the contaminated waste was put in drums and transported on pallets to be disposed of. The pallets were then reused for all sorts of things....

Ever wonder why there is so little insect damage to pallets? You can find ones that are 20 years old sitting on the ground and nothing has tried to eat them? I'd be wondering too.

I've posted this same information many times here but people feel they either don't believe it or it will not happen to them. I am not like that, so I do not use pallet wood for anything."

"Hi,

Just in case some of you missed my last discussion on this......

First pallets are not "free wood" in a lot of cases. They have a value and are very often reused many times over. People are arrested for stealing them. So make sure you know who owns the ones you are eyeing up and make sure it is you. If they are sitting out back of a store or somewhere you better ask! But after reading what is below maybe you will not be so interested.

Second, pallets are often used for many things, they sit on docks, on floors in plants, in back of trucks. So how lucky do you feel. Like to make things with high levels of PCB's, pesticides, hey maybe some heavy metals or worse?? Sure somethings you can see but a lot more can't be seen. Some things you can smell but not all of them. Do you know where your pallet has been the last couple of year, 5 years ago, 10 years ago... heck some might be 20 or more years old.

I attended a seminar on this some years ago. What was presented would scare your socks off. Every time I see a pallet now I see a toxic waste dump. So as for me it is not worth it."

Ed

Ed

Thank you Ed! That is exactly what I thought. The only two I have burned came with my Quincy air compressor and my Powermatic PM 2000 table saw.

Even if you posit that the wood is not contaminated by chemicals, there are problems galore. Nails. So many! And they are tough to remove. Some are buried, unseen. Dirt. Tiny stones. The dirt and nails are hazards to your nice saw, jointer, and planer blades.

Rather than using pallets for a wood source it would be better to make pallets and sell them. However you must find a market for your pallets and probably make hundreds of them.

Need a source for wood, nails, and proper machinery. Not a job one would do in a hobby shop.

There is some pretty good info on this webpage as to whether a pallet is safe from new. This of course does not reflect if it is safe today.

http://mobilehomeliving.org/the-beginne ... -projects/

I use a lot of pallets... Mostly as pallets.
I have several tractors with 3 point hitches on them and several sets of forks. I also have one tractor with a loader on it and it will accept a set of forks. I just plopped a 3/4" plywood topped pallet down next to the farm shop yesterday. This afternoon I will stack it with a batch of parts for one tractor (8N Ford) I am trying to get around to working on this month. Hood, new fenders, new front wheels, new hood parts, front bumper, fuel tank and a couple of grills etc. Then I can tuck them in a building "someplace" until I am ready for them.
I also use pallets for moving horse hay around and all manner of other "stuff".
I have a stack of small logs at the sawmill to get started on and I will use pallets for stacking that after it is cut.
In a barn down the road I have a pallet stacked with over 200 BF of kiln dried black walnut that I have moved a couple of times and it is a hundred times easier to move on a pallet than re-stacking it.

Reading back over this it sounds like I am organized... I'm not...


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