Pallet wood is usually of fairly good quality and is free if we have someone to give it to us. The problem is separating the boards from the pallet. If we need short pieces, the easiest way is to cut the boards directly, but if we want to dismantle the entire boards, we have to try to remove the nails somehow. Those who have tried to disassemble a pallet at some point already know that it is not as simple as it may seem. The main problem is that the nails used to make the pallets are not smooth but have ridges that grip the wood and make them very difficult to remove. Anyway, ideas with pallet wood are usually easy to make if we don’t have to disassemble the wooden boards.
The first thing usually tried to disassemble a pallet is to pry with a hammer, but you soon realize that it requires a lot of effort and sometimes without result. If you get a bit rough, you can even break the hammer handle. If you are looking for another method, you might be interested in seeing how to cut pallet nails with a reciprocating saw.
After trying several things, I found that the easiest way (I prefer to cut the pallet nails with a reciprocating saw) to disassemble pallets and the one that required the least effort was to hit the blocks with a mallet. The one I use weighs 5kg, and as seen in the video, you just have to let it hit by inertia to gradually separate the blocks from the pallet.
The result is some slightly rusted nails that we can mostly straighten and use, a few wooden boards from the pallet for our projects, and a pile of wooden blocks perfect for burning in the fireplace.
The process can be dangerous if done in a hurry and trying to hit too hard. In the video, I explain how to reduce the risk of hitting yourself with the mallet. Anyway, there is always a chance of getting hurt, so if you try it, be very careful.