This blog post is compiled from comments on the Straw Bale Dome Home in France blog post. It seems important enough for a separate blog post.
Here is a link about decay resistance of untreated wood species in the USA with two very different climates — Wisconsin and Mississippi.
Thanks for Michael for this tip. White oak and red oak both have over 20 years durability! That means no stain or other finish is required. So using pallet wood shingles is a viable and practical possibility.
Split wood — shingles split with the grain of the wood — is preferred. Pallets are made of sawn wood. That’s just one factor to consider. Another is nail holes and the spacing between nail holes. You’d want to trim one end to get rid of the holes. The distance to the next holes would be a factor in determining the overlap.
A nail gun would work best since the wood will be very hard and dry and prone to splitting.
A small jointer onsite or hand plane would be a plus since pallet wood is ripped at high speed and the edges tend to be very rough.
Thanks to Jay for his tips about building pallet wood roofs. See the link to the other blog post above for details.
Was looking for inexpensive yet quality ways to re-side my farmhouse and cabin. They now both have that depressing Depression Brick (asphalt stuff) that looks awful.
I doubt that you would be happy with the look of recycled pallet wood used as shingles to side your house, as it would inevitably look rough and rustic. But if this appeals to you then go for it.
I’m not sure where to post this, but I suspect Owen will love this tool.
Cheap. Easy to make, and EXTREMELY USEFUL.
Izzy’s Pallet Pal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkKFGIjPSvI
This idea is so inexpensive and ingenius, I nominate it for it’s own dedicated blog post if Owen or Kelly choose to.
I think you may have posted about a big heavy metal tool that performs a similar function on this blog before somewhere (I can’t find the post), but this tool is so cheap and easy to make that it’s kinda a game changer for dismantling pallets.
BTW… Izzy’s YouTube channel is a gold mine of ideas and projects from pallets and woodworking jigs and tools made on the supercheap. Worth checking out.
Very good. It’s in my queue of upcoming blog posts.
Oh, I actual forgot I posted that link Owen. ^_^