Breaking down pallets

A while back I posted about making a pallet fence. My plan at the time was to just use pallets whole (to save time and to use them as holders for plants), however now I want to break them down and do it "properly" so I can make the pallets go further for raised beds etc.

I have seen a few vids for this along the lines of putting a brick under the end of each plank and dropping/standing either side, so the weight on the rest of the pallet pushes it down and lifts the plank off via the brick. But, every vid I've seen is for single-sided pallets. I have 3 or 4 of those, and 20 odd double-sided ones! So no way to put a brick in that's useful, as it would just sit on the opposite plank.

So, can anyone tell me the best way to take one of those apart? Thank you!

 

A claw hammer or small crow bar would be useful.
I think they tend to make them with ring shank nails fired in with a gun, so they dont come apart easy.

 

Do you want to dismember pallets down into their basic components, slats and blocks?

Or just remove the blocks and few slats under them to leave a slatted panel?

I do both, plus use them as fuel and collect about 15 - 20 a month (got another 6 this morning) that I get FOC, so could post a pictorial guide for whatever you want, but I don't mess around with claw hammers and use a jigsaw, splitting sledgehammer and an angle grinder, too dark for pics now though.

And I use the cheaper one of these for splitting pallets

 

I want to dismember, so I can use the slats and blocks as raw materials to make my little fence/raised beds etc.

 

What kind of pallets have you got to work with? I dismantle pallets all the time.

 

Almost all are double-sided, fully slatted with the slats directly opposite each other. Full length block at either end and in the centre.

 

If breaking apart a large number of pallets or if timber prices (plus delivery charges) prove to be exorbitantly expensive or if you just like recycling stuff then why not consider buying (or making) a pallet breaker tool.







To build a large pallet wood planter, you will need just the following: a pallet breaker tool, a claw hammer, a saw, a Stanley knife, a pencil and a pair of gloves. You won't need a measuring tape or a set-square (use the back of the saw for that).

To break the pallets apart, you will need: a pallet breaker tool, a claw hammer and a pair of gloves.

OP, let me know if you want to see the steps that I take in breaking apart a pallet.