Drill bits.

[doldrum]

I'm trying to dismantle pallets and making hard work of it.
I got myself a pry bar, have got a claw-hammer and have been attempting to to dig around the nail-heads with a GUILD cordless drill.
There HAS to be an easier way of doing this.
Have been looking at wood plug cutter drill bits but don't know where to start.
Basically, what I'm looking to do is this;
Drill a 6mm hole around the nail-heads, so, in effect, the nail-head is center of the plug, then simply lift the slats off the pallet.
How difficult can THAT be, but how ?
My drill is just a cheap cordless and so bits are secured by hand-grip.
There is no drill chuck, I'm not keen on upgrading to a B&D.
Also, arbors ???
I just want to put a bit in my drill, put holes in around those nail-heads and lift those slats.
What's so complicated about that ?

[Someone-Else]

Drilling with a small bit around each nail will take a very long time. If your drill has no chuck are you sure its a drill? sounds like its an impact driver. Some plug cutters do have a hexagonal shank, but if your guild device is up to the job is another question, I wouldn't suggest a B & D get a Dewalt, much better.

To be honest, I would burn the pallet and buy timber, it's quicker in the long run and the wood is not rough.

[doldrum]

S-E, I'm retired and have time to kill. Also, I love the idea of reclaiming that wood. If I needed it to be smooth, which I don't, I would probably be looking at sanding it.
My drill driver is a GUILD 18V LI-ION.
In case anyone else looks in.
But hey !Thank you for looking in.

[wine~o]

doldrum, You do have a chuck, it's just not a "keyed" chuck. the hand tightening gives it away. If you must use pallet wood then screwfix sell reasonably cheap plug cutter bits.

*used pallets can have all sorts of contaminants on them including rat p155.

[dewaltdisney]

Pallet wood is usually poor quality unseasoned sawn timber. It really is not worth reclaiming for anything other than firewood and then you can saw the pallets up rather than de-nailing. I saw a bloke build a paling type front fence with the rails from pallets, it looked shite.

DWD

[doldrum]

Lol! Yes we have rats.Well, rats as in I have seen the odd one but only rarely.
I live close to countryside and there is quite a big space between our street and the one whose back gardens meet our back gardens.
It's big enough for a football pitch, and some gardens are not as well tended as they might be.
I always use gloves when I do anything in the garden.
Shall have a look online and see what they got.

Thanks wino-o.

dewaltdisney,
I'm making a couple of hibernation units for hedgehogs.
And again, I love the idea of recycling, saving stuff from the tip.
Certainly wouldn't use it for anything out front.
Having said that, a chap over the way made some decent looking planters from pallet wood.
Must our age, we're both old men.
And yes, I could go out and buy the wood which has probably been visited buy rats.

[Grendel]

When I’m dismantling pallets with a view to keeping the timber i tend to use a reciprocating saw with a metal or dual purpose blade , run down the joint and it comes apart cleanly. Then just punch the nails out from the cut side. Using a drill sounds an awful lot of faff to be honest and I can’t help thinking that using a plug cutter is going to result in several knackered bits…

[Grendel]

To be fair most pallet wood is lower quality although I have come across some made of hardwood . Some pallets were treated with chemicals but mostithink are now heat treated against pests

[doldrum]

Guys, your replies are very much appreciated but I'm wanting the impossible I think.
The hole plug cutter only works with the counter sink bit, I see that now, and I can't use the c/s because the nail-head will be in the way.
Shall just let it ride for now and see what I can come up with.

[big-all]

plug cutters work fine but you need perhaps a 8mm giving you a perhaps 12mm hole
the plug you normally cut is seperate but from similar grain timber to match in the countersink bit is a seperate unconnected operation
often the easiest way is to cut just to the sides off the nails to give you clean planks nail free but 400-550mm in general
sometimes prise a 2mm gap with a bar and recipsaw/jig saw/hacksaw /osscilating sawthrough the nails

[dewaltdisney]

This is the problem with hobby jobs, to build a cheap project you suddenly need loads of tools you have not got. Grendels way to use a reciprocating saw to cut the nails between the joins on the pallet is a good idea but a cheap Titan RS from Screwfix is £35 and a pack of metal cutting blades is another£10. (I have this saw, its good) It is a good idea to think through what jobs you will be tackling in retirement as few can be tackled without a good tool supply. Far be it from me to dampen your enthusiasm but you have to think each job through before you start to decide if it is viable.

DWD

[doldrum]

plug cutters work fine but you need perhaps a 8mm giving you a perhaps 12mm hole
the plug you normally cut is seperate but from similar grain timber to match in the countersink bit is a seperate unconnected operation
often the easiest way is to cut just to the sides off the nails to give you clean planks nail free but 400-550mm in general
sometimes prise a 2mm gap with a bar and recipsaw/jig saw/hacksaw /osscilating sawthrough the nails

big-all, it's impossible to force the slightest gap to get the pry bar or claw hammer in to get any sort of start on getting slats off.
8mm x 12mm would be fine with me.
I shall see I can get a bit of that size.
I'm considering and all purpose hand saw that, it is claimed, will cut through nails.

[doldrum]

This is the problem with hobby jobs, to build a cheap project you suddenly need loads of tools you have not got. Grendels way to use a reciprocating saw to cut the nails between the joins on the pallet is a good idea but a cheap Titan RS from Screwfix is £35 and a pack of metal cutting blades is another£10. (I have this saw, its good) It is a good idea to think through what jobs you will be tackling in retirement as few can be tackled without a good tool supply. Far be it from me to dampen your enthusiasm but you have to think each job through before you start to decide if it is viable.

DWD

DWD, "hobby jobs", don't I know it.
I had never had any inclinations toward diy AT ALL until I got into this hedgehog business.

I'm finding pallets very hard to come by. Had settled for the one unit that I have made and then I managed to acquire another pallet, almost wish I hadn't.
I could imagine myself tinkering about in my garden, making a few small items, nothing to write home about, if when the opportunity to strip down a pallet presents itself but who knows when that might be?
We shall see I suppose.
I don't want to get into power tools.

[dewaltdisney]

Buying tools can be narcotic, you can always justify your needs. I made a lot of stuff over the years and probably a cordless combi drill, a table saw, chop and sliding saws amongst others have been the most used. I have made furniture for myself and friends but I never made money, I accepted it was me using my time. A place to work and store tools is also important but now I have reached a stage where I have to decide if I should downsize my tool stock as I do not use a lot of them anymore but of course, the day I do I will need them.

DWD

[Grendel]

I'm considering and all purpose hand saw that, it is claimed, will cut through nails. And I don’t want to buy power tools.

p p.m.
I can understand the not wanting to buy any more tools or power tools at least , I generally feel the same and think I’ve got enough to last me . I have one of those multi saws and they are very useful . I was in restoration from the start of my apprenticeship and we used them for taking down old panelling or whatever where it had to be done carefully and that was before the likes of multi tools . We also used bog standard hacksaws either in a frame or with just a handle at one end. As time or speed isn’t really an issue for you a hacksaw put down the joint might be a decent option although saying that if you can work your measurements carefully you may be able to cut from the unnailed parts of the pallets.