Forum menu
Where us the best place to get the above from? Got some allotment structures to built and some of both.
Look for a house locally that's being done up. It will have scaffolding up and will have pallets on which cement etc has been delivered on 😉
Joking apart, have a ride round your local industrial estate. Most units will have pallets outside that they are getting rid of and may let you take some.
Can't help with the scaffold planks though.
Visit your local scaffolders and see if you can buy their unusable ones. If they are damaged they won't use them on a job so they just want rid of them.
Do you have a local wood recycling centre? We have one in Bristol. Odd sized pallets are free, standard ones are a quid or 2 and scaffolding boards are sold by the foot and they have hundreds. Theoretically you can pick all this up for free if you keep your eye out and sweet talk builders but having a one stop shop is handy.
Just in case this is convenient for you, the price is better than usual for Wickes
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Scaffold-Board-38-x-225mm-x-3000-mm/p/145308
For ground structures I usually try to find some old fence posts or bits of treated C16/C24 timber as they last longer.
Nick, where is that in Bristol?
Currently behind temple Meads, accessed from feeder road but I suspect they'll be moving with new arena works. Well work a visit. They often have some nice hard woods in and all kinds of offcuts and odd bits
The Bristol one is called the [url= http://www.bwrp.org.uk ]Bristol Wood Recycling Project,[/url] and it's a completely brilliant community interest company, run by excellent folk. Can't recommend it enough if you're in Bristol.
Try here....
It's worth having a search on Gumtree for both.
If there's any industrial/warehousing areas near you then you should see pallets on most streets ( this is certainly the case in Digbeth, Birmingham )
Pallets are easy to get for free. Pretty much any industrial estate will have them lying about and if you ask they are normally happy for you to take them. Southampton Wood recycling gives away pallets for free.
Be aware that stripping down a pallet leaves you with a LOT of nails and some broken wood bits.
Scaffold planks are £15 each at the Southampton Wood Recycling.
Free pallets
[url= https://c5.staticflickr.com/2/1578/23972802284_8e5c281529_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://c5.staticflickr.com/2/1578/23972802284_8e5c281529_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/CwoSVj ]20160123_164655[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/89686376@N04/ ]WCA![/url], on Flickr
Lots of nails
[url= https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1696/24233194409_1773145d04_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1696/24233194409_1773145d04_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/CVpsqH ]20160124_100114[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/89686376@N04/ ]WCA![/url], on Flickr
Some broken bits
[url= https://c7.staticflickr.com/2/1494/24574807446_62f95338a8_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://c7.staticflickr.com/2/1494/24574807446_62f95338a8_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/DrAj5E ]20160123_172223[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/89686376@N04/ ]WCA![/url], on Flickr
End Result
[url= https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1695/24807181569_4d7dcc4d03_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1695/24807181569_4d7dcc4d03_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/DN8hP4 ]20160214_125948[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/89686376@N04/ ]WCA![/url], on Flickr
For the allotment I would go with pallets rather than scaffold as they are free. Over construct stuff and pallets will last ages anyway. Some ideas : https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=allotment+pallets&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjsp4bn8JXOAhXDDMAKHdx0BGwQ_AUICSgC&biw=1344&bih=707
Where are you, Loddrik? I have a lot of pallet wood at work that's always available...
Our scaffolding firm sold spent scaffolding boards for £3 a pop a few years ago.
pallets I get for free from our local farm supplies / pet food place.
Scaffold boards - at least down our way (Sussex), good luck trying to find them cheap(ish)! Used boards are currently going for £12+VAT each at the very bare minimum (undelivered). I've found someone who intermittently gets non-graded 3.9m boards that he does for £8-10 each but they're often split or splitting and delivery can be a PITA.
I lucked out and found a local scaffold co who was selling their old boards off at £1 per metre but that was a while ago. Pretty much every place has cottoned on now and sells at steep prices...
Thanks Perchy,I had forgotton all about 'Widdin Palettes' 😆
There is value in pallettes so don't just go wandering round helping yourself or you might get am irate warehouse worker punching you to protect his christmas bonus.
^^^^^ only the blue heavy duty ones .
Thanks chaps.
If you'll pardon the slight digression what is the best way to break pallets up?
Don't ever pay for pallets, they are the cheapest shittest wood going. Just tell whoever that they're for a community project or something, and you'll get them for nothing.
Scaffold boards; just have a quiet word with the gaffer at a scaffold yard, say you don't mind damaged boards, and you should be able to do a deal. Bear in mind most yards have to pay to have boards taken away, so don't be fooled into paying silly prices. £15 each is just crazy. I don't think they cost that to buy new!
Scaffold boards; just have a quiet word with the gaffer at a scaffold yard, say you don't mind damaged boards, and you should be able to do a deal. Bear in mind most yards have to pay to have boards taken away, so don't be fooled into paying silly prices. £15 each is just crazy.[b] I don't think they cost that to buy new[/b]!
Yup. Insane. Can only figure it's the market for used boards to be made into massively overpriced garden furniture down our way. If you're lucky you can find them for £1 per foot + VAT + delivery. Which works out at approx £15 for a 3.9m board before you've got it delivered.
I'm midway through building eight large raised beds for our garden so it's a sore point ATM
Our previous neighbour worked at Mercedes in the commercial vehicle servicing garage. He'd bring home every parts pallet he could and they pretty much heated their house through winter using wood he patiently processed.
My wife comes home and tells me the maintenance man at work has a stack of pallets come help yourself usually every 2 mnths .
My wood shed and next tool shed will be pallet based.
Scaffold planks can be picked up for 2-3 euro depending on condition ,or building sites concrete shuttering is usually free for the asking.
Moto is ask around !
I haven't done it, but the number I may need had me thinking this might be a good investment.stayhigh - MemberIf you'll pardon the slight digression what is the best way to break pallets up?
http://www.cargo-cycles.com/
Worldclassaccdent - your shed is fantastic. I officially have shed envy.
Worth looking for local printers, the bigger the better, because they'll be getting stacks of paper delivered on pallets made to a higher standard than your regular EuroPallet, as the paper will be strapped down with a sheet of smooth chipboard on top to keep it absolutely flat and stable, the sheets of chipboard may be available as well, giving you some work surfaces. Where I used to work there were always loads of 90x70cm pallets kicking around, as the paper came in B2, 70x50cm stacks, but if the printer uses B1 or B0, 100x70 or 141.4x100cm then the pallets will be correspondingly larger. I built a work bench for the folding machine I used to run just by stacking seven 90x70 pallets on top of one another then hot-glueing a sheet of the chipboard on top to give a smooth work surface, it's still in use after around eight or nine years.
It gives a bunch of spaces between the pallets to shove stuff like drawer holes as well.