How to Dismantle Wooden Pallets

If you just got ahold of free or cheap pallets and you have no idea how to dismantle it, this article will help you get started. This article was put together by the wonderful staff at Pasadena Skid and Pallet, a Houston pallets manufacturer.

You want to prevent splitting and breaking of your pallets. Dismantling a wooden pallet takes patience and effort, it’s not as simple is it looks.

I will show you five simple methods to dismantle a pallet.

The Brick Chisel & Hammer

To start, you will need to remove the nails using the hammer and the brick chisel.

Put the brick chisel between the planks and rafters, or the dice of the blocks, then hit it with the hammer.

Remember, do not hit too hard since this could cause the wood planks to break. Instead, hit gently and repeat this several times until the nail breaks.

The Claw Bar

Use this method to remove the dice on the pallets.

With the hammer, tap on the dices to slightly loosen them up.

In order to avoid damaging the pallet, use a tapping block between the dice and the hammer.

Place the hammer between the cross and the dice, and then hit.

Repeat this using the claw bar.

The Sawzall or Reciprocating Saw

This method is one of the fastest if you have a ton of pallets to dismantle.

To make this process easier, you can use a plank to set your pallets in between so that it stays in place or you can place your pallets on top of a wooden table. Clamp your pallet in place so that it doesn’t move around.

Grab your sawzall or reciprocating saw and slice through the nails on each end of the pallet. Start at the edges and then work your way towards the middle.

The Pallet Buster

This tool is very effective and efficient. It is a two way tool designed to use in 4 way pallets or 2 way pallets.

Grab your pallet buster or pallet dismantling bar and place between the deck boards.

Using the handle, push the pallet buster down towards you, the pallets should come apart easily.

The Two Technique: Using The Chisel & Reciprocating Saw

Place the chisel in between the deck board, then grab the hammer and hit softly to loosen up the gabs. This will make the reciprocating saw easier to cut in between the deck boards.

Grab your reciprocating saw and slice through the nails. You can also use a crowbar or pry bar.

Place the crowbar or pry bar between the stretcher to pry between the pallets using the hammer.