DIY Pallet Pry Bar - GardenFork

[@KNBARON]

After years of searching you have officially made the easiest and best device

[@gardenfork]

great! i suggest using larger - stronger angle brackets. and maybe a larger diameter pipe. thx! Eric.

[@leonardhiznay8367]

8 year old video and still making friends. Best / easiest pallet breaker I've seen yet!

[@gardenfork]

Yay! Thank you Leonard! I have an idea to make it better, I got a welder recently and might do a new one

[@VitorMadeira]

Now, this video is a WIN! Thank you so very much, and greetings from Portugal.

[@tommieduhswamy6860]

Very nice...for the people who need only a few pallets broken apart and have a broken welder... Thanks. And now I'm off to the hardware store. Cheers.

[@larryllamma7593]

Came from Instructables. Thank you for making this video. I like that you include what doesn't work right the first time. Speaking of mistakes, you linked to the wrong video on the Instructables page.

[@fideauone3416]

Been looking at all the pallet tool videos. I can weld but didn't want to go that far. Yours is the first one I think I can do. Good job. And I love your dogs.

[@gardenfork]

thx Jim, i would suggest using a larger diameter pipe and larger diameter bolts for this. i hope to make a version 2 soon. thx!

[@ledenhimeganidleshitz144]

There is a line of hardware in most of the big box lumber stores. About 3/16" thick. Simular designs but beefy. Usually with rhe deck and gate hardware.

[@henryezell2385]

I made mine out of an old angle iron bed frame.Worked like a charm.

[@gardenfork]

bed frames are great for projects like this, i have a bunch in the garage.

[@henryezell2385]

Oh yea,I know I welded an entire angle iron bed frame facing together on an old swivel base from an office chair and came up with a up and down,rotating bicycle stand that accommodates just about any bicycle.Also made my own car ramps.

[@mvilmarc]

Oooohhhh!!! Ha sido fantástico ver tu video. Estoy tratando de hacer esta herramienta sin necesidad de soldar ninguna pieza y me ha parecido genial tu idea. Congratulations for your job and how you have explane it. Thank you from Spain.

[@chrisdonovan8795]

I had zero interest in this, but looked anyway. I love how you included the failure, and your solution. Every other do it yourself channel only shows how easy it is to get something done. The truth is that people need to expect things to go wrong, and roll with it.

[@gardenfork]

+thegrimjester that's great to hear, its a big goal of mine to tell a story, somehow, in addition to the writ steps of a how-to, thanks for taking the time to watch and let me know that. eric.

[@Ben31337l]

Geez, I know right, I watched a "How to takew the back cover off the Google Nexus 4" due to the screen bring broken but apparently, they never told me to remove the SD card out, so I broke the back of the nexus... WHich they neglected to show in the video. I find it important to include the failures and stuff like that so yeah, I find it quite good.

[@chrisdonovan8795]

I think a major reason for this is that people feel like they need to look like experts, or they won't be taken seriously. I am not handy, but I have handy friends, and when I "work" with them, I notice that things rarely go as planned.

[@AgustinWhittaker]

Yep, I agree with the comment above 100%... I noticed that a big part in learning to use tools is the process of learning through failing and correcting, and I always have that nagging feeling that something is fishy when I see those videos where they use a tool and everything goes perfectly well. Thank you for bringing a more realistic approach. It not only makes it more believable, but interesting to watch.

[@timothywewege6651]

Well said sir,i agree 100%

[@jasonpiper1177]

Very cool video for people who don't have a welder or the budget to invest in one...loved it....awesome concept.

[@vanstiller5219]

Very Nice. Look at every pallet tool on you tube. Think this is great. Love that you can easily find the pieces needed at any hardware store. Great work. Thanx for sharing your idea and plans.

[@gardenfork]

good to hear, thanks, I wanted to make one that didn't require welding. i will be posting another pallet tool in about a month that uses black pipe instead of the angle brackets. thx!

[@christined.3728]

Hey thanks for this, you just saved me $75 to buy one. I discovered yesterday that my pickaxe worked pretty well for most of the pallet until I got to the end boards. It still made it much quicker than using a sawz-all. What I like about your idea versus the reciprocating saw is that you can get the nails completely out. Thanks for the idea--I'm definitely going to give it a shot.

[@gardenfork]

good to hear Christine, I found that this version bent a bit, i want to build another pallet breaker with a larger diameter pipe and larger diameter bolts. thx!

[@garyholloway1]

OMG... The pick axe!! Never even thought of that and it SITS RIGHT NEAR MY PALLET STASH! THANK YOU!

[@SLINGSHOT33]

Très bonne idée ! Pratique et fonctionnel, et accessible à tous. Thanks!

[@kb3svj]

Nice idea; I'm going to try using 1" pipe.

[@SkySwing2025]

Thanks a lot mate. I was really thinking about making one but couldn’t think of an idea. Appreciate your videos

[@gardenfork]

Yeah!

[@diywoodworkingmadeeasy420]

Nice design for the non welding people. Another way to make it based off your design is to add a T fitting on the end of your pipe, add two 2" long pipes into the T, add two elbows to that then add 4" long pieced to the elbows. Basically making what you made out of all pipe fittings. It would be super strong.

[@gardenfork]

yes, another viewer made one similar to your idea here and sent me some photos, i hope to build it soon and make a video about the process. thx!

[@jaimedavila2999]

good idea ,,make a video about this ??

[@sergemalouin]

Or share the user's picture?

[@Digiclub101]

Can you make one

[@markheintz1878]

Good idea, just need to lock the pieces into the T so they can't unscrew when you are prying, Locktite or small srews?

[@noiricha]

Absolutely love it - you might be able to use a 2 x 3 as the main center lever - I will experiment but thanks for "planting the seed".

[@gardenfork]

Have fun! Eric.

[@StormWolf01]

It's the first time i watched a video from this channel, and i must say that i'm impressed by the quality, and the nice and relaxed pace of the video. I'll go check the other vids from this channel. I might subscribe.

[@gardenfork]

yeah! thx!

[@louislandi938]

Eric, Try breaking the ends of the boards first and then the center. Seems to be the common way to break pallets. Worth a try.

[@davidwellman7080]

I wonder if you coul use. JB weld between every brackets to strengthen everything up. That way maybe the angle brackets won't shift and not loosen the bolts. And also use the red lock tight on the bolts? What do u think?

[@mikeoppenheim8504]

I've been trying to work out how to make one on the cheap and boom! never through of using angle brackets. Thanks team

[@toddbartel6300]

Nice build

[@gardenfork]

been thinking of a welded version, i have a flux core welder now...

[@avoidtheherd7066]

Simple is best, if it works, and yours works the best. It's a small thing, but nylok lock nuts are made to eliminate lock washers. My question: Do you pull the the twisted deck board nails out of the stringers? If so, what method? Many thanks.

[@johnp8409]

Was looking to make something like this but have been pretty successful in doing the same thing using a garden fork.

[@gardenfork]

a couple of people have found using a gardenfork works well. has to be a robust one. this breaker bar works well, needs some improvements. thx!

[@johnp8409]

Clearly it doesn't work well as you destroyed it before you had even dismantled a single pallet and then had to rebuild it.

[@EricRoy85]

I am so happy I found this video, thank you!!! I'm heading to the hardware store now to get the materials to try this. I appreciate you including the failure, because now I have an idea of what the weak points could be. Thank you

[@gardenfork]

I think a wider diameter pipe and thicker bolts will help. Thx ! Eric.

[@russellrlf]

I love that you show mistakes....we are all human! Great project. I am on it this weekend. BTW...more Labs! I love all your videos and look forward to them. Thanks!

[@gardenfork]

+Russell Franke Thx Russell, let me know how it works for you. thx!

[@IRONDAWG63]

PUT A LONGER BOLT IN THE HOLE ON THE BRACKET SO IT GOES FROM ONE TO THE OTHER DOWN BY THE ELBOW THAT WAY THEY ARE STABLE THERE ALSO

[@thebigchuckster]

a plus for featuring the Labradors :)

[@yz250fpegged]

Love the tool. Headed to lowes now! Love the labs too. I have a chocolate 👍🏼

[@DOYLECLEVERLOBE1]

This is a great idea thanks for sharing it. I think a good improvement might be to put some J.B. Weld in between each L bracket, might make it a little stronger.

[@amandabruney3835]

cool glad you showed trial and error and new idea

[@Sullybeerkits]

Amazing man looking forward to making a book shelf for the kids now

[@gardenfork]

+Sullybeerkits neat, good for you. eric.

[@alibobber]

Very cool! collect pallets for projects all the time, I will try this out! Thank you.

[@gardenfork]

i'm working on a few new pallet projects, i post new DIY vids every week. thx!

[@aferetis2379]

Easy to find + No expensive parts! No weldings...! 5 points out of 5 ! THis is what DIY means to me. (thought of using pipe istead of shelf brackets? ) thank you for sharing with us.

[@perreperre9370]

I was thinking the same thing. Put a T connector on the end of the pipe and build up two fingers from there. That would probably work. Or you could also use some sturdier T-brackets. GardenFork his brackets seem rather thin. Nice idea and nice video!

[@haroldsherrill5883]

Not only thin but soft steel; tempering would do wonders if you have a torch snd some waste oil, harden the steel.

[@Piijo2K-hf3vk]

Love the dogs , jajajaja, the pry bar with no welds is good.

[@gardenfork]

it could use some improvements, but I found this worked pretty well. thx for watching!

[@mildot5482]

till now the best homemade

[@gardenfork]

this breaks down pallets pretty good. next version i will use a larger diameter pipe. any suggestions? thx!

[@wills9108]

Great idea - but I would have the brackets facing the other way, so the curve of the elbow makes a nice rounded fulcrum point, would mean less brute force trying to overcome that protruding end of the elbow

[@ReviewMarineProducts]

Good video, especially that you showed how to deal with problems along the way. Well done.

[@imlivingyourlife7354]

Your improvement worked well and seemed ok but i was thinking....upsize to 1 inch pipe and 1 inch elbow and add 1 or 2 more L brackets...my biggest consern is after a couple of uses you will be constantly tightening the hardware. How has it been holding up over time?

[@gardenfork]

Exactly, after I made this, i realized it needed bigger hardware. It held up well for a while, but then the brackets started to bend. My goal was a pallet breaker with no welds, and we did that, but there is room for improvement. Thanks for taking the time to write! eric.

[@hansdegroot8549]

Great idea because no welding is required. I'll give it a try to make one. Thanks for sharing.

[@gardenfork]

Thx Hans, I found a larger diameter pipe and bolts make this a stronger pry bar. thx!

[@Hierroymadera02]

I like it, how good it has to without welding, I did something the same and I also had to make several attempts. Greetings from Argentina

[@blueyez078]

that is pretty awesome! you could have put a long screw in the two brackets to connect them at the end

[@pbarnrob]

blueyez078 A long bolt across would be in the way of the 2x frame, sorry. It needs that space! I thought that at first, at the failure, then realized it couldn't get in.

[@waynemauldin2208]

Let us know how that works. How you going to straddle the 2X4 and get two sides under the plank, if they are fastened together at the end?

[@HiltonMeyer]

you could use a smallish builders square. not sure if it will be stronger but it's one piece of steel instead of the three brackets

[@snedkerspm]

Cool and simple as always !

[@gardenfork]

+Søren Peter Mogensen and it works great! eric.

[@timsawyer7443]

It looks like you said -- quite a while ago -- that you were going to make a "new, improved" version of this, and post a video. Did you ever do that? I can't find it, and I'd love to see it! You did a fabulous job on this first one, so "take 2" would have to be awesome!

[@gardenfork]

Hi Tim, i hope to later this spring, a viewer sent me a very interesting design improvement. you can sub to our emails, the info is in the text section below the videos. thx!

[@howtofixitworkshop]

Not bad. I've tried many different methods but keep going back to the reciprocating saw with a long bi metal blade. -Josh

[@garrybeattie8265]

G'day from Australia. What a great tip. Thank you. Unfortunately we don't get all the variations of tools you guys do, so being able to make my own is a must. I use a lot of pallet and skid wood, but until now I have used brute force and a sledge hammer to get the timber apart! I love the fact that you showed that the first one you made, failed. Most people don't do that. And then you showed your solution and fix. Great work. Thanks again. Garry

[@gardenfork]

Hi Garry, this tool failed later. Mbe use a larger diameter pipe and better brackets. See some of the other helpful comments. Good luck!

[@garrybeattie8265]

Thanks. I actually thought the brackets were still a little light, even with 4 of them. Perhaps if you welded the brackets together it would make them stronger. But them again that would defeat the initial idea of not requiring a welder. Garry

[@manuelcamacho2754]

Espero que hables español. ¡Me acabas de hacer el día! Tu solución SIN soldadura es simplemente genial...y muy económica. ¡Saludos desde México!

[@johnjo699]

Turn the joint the other way round, that way it'll roll on the wood rather than dig in, like you did at the beginning when you said it was wrong.

[@daveh7945]

it also puts pivot point closer to the board for more leverage

[@theTeslaFalcon]

Even better, make it ALL out of black iron pipe & joints: 1" instead of 3/4".

[@shaniaa9287]

Great idea👍

[@jimbob6406]

Looks Great!! if I used pallets in my work I would build this immediately. P.S. I made your chili and corn bread recipe, it was great.

[@gardenfork]

+Jim Bob excellent Jim Bob! love the chili and bread, eric.

[@kensmapleleafretirement]

Thanks for showing your design. It is weak but has some info I can use in my own design. I have to admit, I thought the first one was strong enough, but as it turns out there is a lot more stress on the claw than I thought. Well done...

[@janetwisecarver7804]

Please let us know what you come up with

[@lancerudy9934]

Nice build! Thanks

[@petevermouth5567]

I did the same but I used a 1" square tube, and 1/4" mild steel barr for spacing. I t is possible to get brakets that are stronger (1/4 " steel) but most stores do not have them.

[@niwradsiphone]

Wish I've seen your video before my first pallet break down...😃. But thank you for this idea. I will definitely build one for myself!

[@gardenfork]

good to hear, use a larger diameter pipe for the handle and bolts, it will last longer. thx!

[@rondabuckner7580]

I liked it. A easy way to make your own.

[@waynemauldin2208]

I love how he ground off the corner of angle brackets, so as not go gouge the wood, however, he ground the corners that do not touch the wood. The corners that do touch the wood are still intact, and quiet able to make dents in the boards. Other than that, very useful tool.

[@guyh.4553]

Great idea! I tried the 100% galvanized pipe build and it kept coming undone. I'm definitely going to try this! One suggestion is maybe use JB Weld? Could help...I don't know

[@gardenfork]

+Guy H. Hi Guy, don't think JB will help. This will work better with a thicker diameter pipe and bolts. Mine bent after a while. Thx!

[@robertmahon2820]

Great Video , Just a heads up never hold a piece in your hand while your drilling if it catches you cant hold the piece and it will mash your fingers on the table. There are slots in the table just put a bolt thru the slot were the piece your drilling can rest against it . So if it catches you won't get hurt . Especially with thin pieces they have a tendency to twist and fly.

[@gardenfork]

+Robert Mahon Thanks for the info Robert, I was rushing the project and blanked on that. and i want to keep all my fingers. thx, eric.

[@rachelrrt69]

Your wife made it hilarious, it was honest, might even try it, as soon as I show my boyfriend.

[@thomasmurphy1648]

Very SMART idea.

[@drflfonseca]

I liked very much your idea. Congratulations my friend!

[@russtex]

Really cool tool!

[@LeonardoSilva-jv5ci]

Here in south Brazil everywhere we hv the same angle iron u hv for $0,25 each. Will use them (4 per side) Good idea. Thank yr friends too. Nice dogs

[@trisco900g]

idea of elbow was great well done

[@gardenfork]

+trisco900g I based that on some other designs I've seen.thx!

[@Swanky95472]

I don't use pallets, but I like hammers and pry bars. and i love leverage! what do you use the pallets for?

[@gardenfork]

+Swankster i use the pallets to fire the maple syrup evaporator, plus some upcoming wood projects. they are handy to have around! thx, eric.

[@fernandoalfonso9984]

Nice tool boy!!! But perfect would be with 5 squares in each side of the tool. I am going copy your pallet's dismantler using five squares but riveting it to keep join the sides instead of screws and bolts.

[@gardenfork]

Good idea, let me know how it works. Thx!

[@reinharddecker4650]

This could be a solution for me. I make a lot of DIY projects with palletwood. But extracting them, perfectly without broken boards, is stil a difficult job for me. And also Im not able too do welding or something like that. So, for this here I need only a drillpress. I bookmarked your video and maybe, sometimes I try my own one. Thanks formthe inspiration.

[@gardenfork]

Hi Reihard, I suggest you use a larger diameter pipe, bolts, and larger angle brackets. this pallet breaker slowly warped. thx! eric,

[@allencallender2205]

Put long bolts backed up with washers and nuts at the working ends of the corner braces so they reinforce each other.

[@EnjoyTimeOutdoors-Steve]

Great build Eric! Looking forward to building one myself.

[@gardenfork]

+Steve Spisblog - EnjoyTimeOutdoors let me know any improvements you can make, thx! eric.

[@bakersbuilds]

wow, I may need to make myself one of these! Nice job!

[@TIMLASHLEY]

maybe you can put a angle bracket from the lower bolt on the handle to the closer bolt on the pry fork that will stiffen it up pretty good and maybe a little enamel paint color of your choice let me know what you think

[@gardenfork]

that would help. also next one i build i will use a larger diameter pipe. thx!

[@n124lp]

have you considered using strong pipe to build the bottom section as well? You could use two pieces of pipe joined by a 90 degree connector on each side. you could then drill enough holes in the vertical sections to use three or four heavy-duty bolts to connect all three pieces of pipe together.

[@gardenfork]

i'm working on a new design that a viewer sent me that uses all pipe, i'll post it in few weeks. thx!

[@ronhensley8549]

What is the length of the bar and what is the overall cost of all parts needed?

[@timjakobs9950]

I was thinking as you built this that maybe another full length bolt in the front may keep it from bending and possibly cause both sides to act more like one solid piece, however this is awesome bro I'm for sure gonna try it cause I build appt with pallets and don't wanna spend 100s of dollars in pallet breaker lol

[@gardenfork]

good to hear, i want to build a better version of this soon, thx!

[@lonestar6812]

Wouldn't it rock smoother on the round part of the elbow?

[@lonestar6812]

Like you put it together bass ackwards, turn your angles the other direction and try it.

[@infocpctrainer]

Good idea but restricted to narrow struts. in UK they are 4 inch wide across, this would limit its use, but good idea for small pallets

[@haroldsherrill5883]

Use the bolt holes to add extensions on each side; 4" enough?

[@Swintech42]

personally I just turn the pallets upside-down stand on them and apply even pressure to the board using a block.... works with all 2 way stringer pallets. I see lots of pry bar based pallet pullers.... they normally manage to split the wood. took 5x 3m pallets apart and de-nailed within 2 hours last weekend with only 5 blocks of wood and a claw hammer.

[@gardenfork]

good to know! i have done the same with two 2x4s but i also love building tools, thx!

[@Swintech42]

GardenFork I made a sketch up based pdf explaining my method, if you are interested? I tried to make a video last time I had some pallets to no success due to hardware failure....

[@gardenfork]

i need to learn sketchup, be great to see yours, pls email me: [e-mail] thx!

[@charlesmaxson5570]

Thank you,I’m putting one together tomorrow morning I’ll let you know it works!!

[@Terminalbeats]

Did it work?

[@rafaelcolon6754]

I am so thankful for your video, I did it and not so good as you and it works. Thank you 💪💪💪✌

[@gardenfork]

Yeah!

[@davesullivan8073]

Nice job boss. However,,So far all I’ve seen is videos that are working with maybe two or three nails at the most the pallets I break up our bigger and usually have about five nails and the nails are the twisted ones so whether or not this would work on something like that I don’t really know but I appreciate what you did dude

[@DeeFromBrooklyn]

this is a great idea. i could reuse tons of material with this tool. . I'm going to work on one right now

[@Digiclub101]

Wow I was about to buy one I'm going to try this

[@kateslowvisionliving8091]

Great idea Eric...thanks for sharing it :)

[@gardenfork]

+Kate Hilbert thx Kate!

[@Rusty_ok]

Cool solution.

[@5x30Workshop]

Awesome job. Not the way I went with mine but this is still effective. I could also see it being easy to add onto it to make the breaker a little longer for longer pallet boards. Mine is good for short boards and I'm trying to figure out a way to adapt it for the wider pallet boards. I have a video out on it. it is pretty long but that's really only because part of it I show how to make it with with hand tools (hand saw), but if you skip past that part until I get the jig saw out, it's not as bad lol.

[@Bialytwo]

Eric, I like your pallet pry bar design. I do believe the pry bar's failure was due to not having bolts in ALL the holes that bind the brackets together. I noticed this when viewing the failure result. In your beefed up redesign you placed bolts in ALL the holes to bind them together. The lack of extra bolts may have contributed to the failure. Just my thoughts.

[@gardenfork]

+Ray W. Hi Ray, yes, completely agree with that. I do think adding additional brackets also helped, but keeping them together as one made a big difference too. i may do an improved version, thinking about how to strengthen the design yet make it easy to build. thx, eric.

[@478241]

hows the snow!?

[@FlannelAcres]

Clever! Great scenery, too! :-)

[@gardenfork]

+Flannel Acres there was this neat fog and warm weather just breaking over a field i drove by, so i stopped and pulled out the phone! eric.

[@ponchotran9004]

If you are not committed to DIY, the off-the-shelf product (just the head) is about $25. The full product with handle is about $60. I noticed the ends of wood seem to always want to split - the three 2x4 with sledge hammer method seems to take care of this. But for me, this is all theoretical - I have yet to go collect an actual pallet and try it out!

[@abbii1661]

nice, no welding is the key word. like it very much

[@gardenfork]

+ab bii this needs a thicker pipe but it worked well. Thx!

[@rafaelcolon6754]

Just the idea I need it, thanks ✌

[@lancerudy9934]

Very nice? Thanks. Cool tool!

[@gardenfork]

Glad you like it!

[@themightychabunga2441]

I use the horizontal flat side of a garden pick-ax.Takes a little technique but I rarely break a board. Nails come out pretty straight too.I recycle everything I can.

[@ronbattiston2468]

I think it was a nice try. But I think that including the actual cost would be a good idea too. Why? Because the cost of all these parts gives one an opportunity to consider alternative designs costing less. If you could obtain these parts at a low cost -no problem! Thanks for the idea!!

[@FrankWu]

you add extra bit on bar is other side i recommend adding a nail remover. both side can do the job

[@originalhigene]

Most of my pallets are from a floor covering business and the spaces between the boards are about 2 inches. I need a pry tool than would fit in that small space. Ideas?

[@gardenfork]

you could modify this pallet breaker with shorter arms to fit into the space given. thx!

[@PaulOtis]

I would put a long bolt in the front to tie the two tines together.

[@FlannelAcres]

+Paul Otis I had the same thought, but if you tie the two tines together, it won't straddle the long cross board under the top boards.

[@gardenfork]

+Flannel Acres yes! that is the dilemma.

[@Silentc71]

use 1/14" pipe, and commercial galvanized angle brackets used for strut, with 3/8" bolts. will never break

[@gardenfork]

+Silentc71 good points, have to try that on the next version. thx!