[Lol999]

I know that carving in general might look to pallet wood but there are sufficiently thick pieces of a pallet to say make a handle from. Someone on another forum mentioned hardwood pallets, which are in use in the UK, but how do we identify them and has anyone actually used any?

Cheers, Lol

 

[Rodney]

I've used pallet wood but be warned. Even a relatively clean looking pallet will have dirt and grit embedded in it and will dull your tools quickly. You also have the nail holes to deal with. Clean sections without nail holes can get small quickly. These days I might grab a pallet for rough work or firewood but mostly I don't mess with them anymore. The cost of sharpening my saw blades can quickly exceed the cost of clean wood.

Oak is easy to spot but mostly you have to be familiar with the various species of wood to know what you have. Sometimes you can get lucky and get some tropical hardwoods in pallets or shipping crates but not often around here.

Rodney

 

[Batakali]

Most I've ever done was a "practice" shillelagh out of a pine pallet. Not beautiful but not bad for what it is.

 

[Lol999]

I've used pallet wood but be warned. Even a relatively clean looking pallet will have dirt and grit embedded in it and will dull your tools quickly. You also have the nail holes to deal with. Clean sections without nail holes can get small quickly. These days I might grab a pallet for rough work or firewood but mostly I don't mess with them anymore. The cost of sharpening my saw blades can quickly exceed the cost of clean wood.

Oak is easy to spot but mostly you have to be familiar with the various species of wood to know what you have. Sometimes you can get lucky and get some tropical hardwoods in pallets or shipping crates but not often around here.

Rodney

I hear what you're saying and to be honest I'm just not going to bother, sounds like hard work for potentially little reward!

 

[Rodney]

I don't know how your area in England is. Around here there are enough hardwoods growing that I can find suitable material for handles without touching a pallet. I keep my eyes open for downed wood from storms, people pruning trees, brush clearing along roads, stuff like that to get wood.

Look for tree trimming services and people selling firewood or turning stock as sources for interesting wood. Check online ads for people getting rid of wood. We have Craig's List and Freecycle here in my area that offers free online advertising. Facebook also has a local buy and sell section here. Britain most likely has something similar.

Rodney

 

[Lol999]

I don't know how your area in England is. Around here there are enough hardwoods growing that I can find suitable material for handles without touching a pallet. I keep my eyes open for downed wood from storms, people pruning trees, brush clearing along roads, stuff like that to get wood.

Look for tree trimming services and people selling firewood or turning stock as sources for interesting wood. Check online ads for people getting rid of wood. We have Craig's List and Freecycle here in my area that offers free online advertising. Facebook also has a local buy and sell section here. Britain most likely has something similar.

Rodney

Hi Rodney I'm all over stuff like Ebay etc, and I'm going on Friday to harvest some stuff from a site where a house is being built and the trees will shortly be pulled down anyway so they may as well come to me!