Thanks for taking your time to read our information on the best saw to use for cutting up pallets. Pallets as you may know are used to transport boxes and other materials, and once finished with, they are often left sitting around.
DIY people use pallets for a variety of home projects and many people just want to chop them up and use them for firewood. Most pallets are made with a soft wood such as pine, and many of those are also treated to make them relatively waterproof.
When it comes to cutting up pallets, you could of course use a standard hand saw. The problem with that is that it would be painfully slow, and would take a considerable amount of effort.
Which Power Saw is Best?
When it comes to an affordable option there are two main choices for a power saw which will make cutting pallets up very fast and very easy. Those are:
- A reciprocating saw
- A circular saw
You could use a chainsaw, table saw or a band saw, but those are an expensive purchase. Circular saws and reciprocating saws are a much more affordable option. They are also both portable so that makes them handy as well.
What are You Using the the Pallets For?
Some people will want to reuse the pallet boards and other will just want to chop the board up for firewood.
- Reusing the boards - Use a reciprocating saw and we have shown the technique below
- Firewood - Use a circular saw for quick and easy pallet to lots of firewood
Reciprocating Saw for Cutting Pallets
We would say that the reciprocating saw is probably the better of the two options. It is the cheapest, and it is the easier of the two to use. This type of saw works just like a normal hand saw, but instead of the hard work, an electric motor does the sawing for you.
Reciprocating saw blades can get through wood and nails with considerable ease. (Just make sure you have a general purpose blade)
Here is a video of a guy using a reciprocating saw and making its way through pallets quickly.
As you can see from the video, the reciprocating saw with a long blade is the one to go with.
Tips for Using a Reciprocating Saw on Pallets
- Always lay the pallet flat on the floor.
- Try to put a heavy weight on top of it to prevent it from moving around when sawing
- Work horizontally along and do each end of the pallet
- Leave the middle board to the end and then lift each board off one at a time
- Ideally use a cordless reciprocating saw as that way you don't have to worry about trailing leads.
- Make sure your battery is fully charged and if possible have another one charging
The best one on the UK market right now is the DeWalt 18V XR Lithium-Ion Body Only Reciprocating Saw, and you can check if it is available at Amazon by clicking here.
If you prefer to see our top 5 buyer's list of reciprocating saws, then please click on the link below.
Circular Saw for Cutting Pallets
If you just want a saw that can quickly cut through a pallet and quickly get you a lot of cheap firewood then we would recommend a good circular saw. This type of saw is really useful if you need to cut a lot of wood or are a keen DIY type of person.
Like the reciprocating saw, a circular saw, with a multi-purpose blade will rip through a pallet in no time at all.
Here is a video of a chap doing just that.
Tips for Using a Circular Saw on Pallets
- Make sure the pallet has a heavy weight on it before working with it as this stops any unexpected movements
- Again a cordless circular saw is the better option, but if using a corded one keep a close eye on the trailing electric lead
The best one on the UK market right now is the Makita DSS610Z Cordless Li-Ion Circular Saw (Body Only), 18 V, and you can check if it is available at Amazon by clicking here.
If you prefer to see our top 5 buyer's list of circular saws, then please click on the link below. Or if this is not the sort of thing you need then check out our article on all the different types of saws.
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It is nice that you recommended a saw but as I already have a De Walt cordless circular saw I was hoping that you might also have been recommending a blade
for cutting pallets.
As you have not, I am presuming that you feel that any blade will cut pallets, and that it is a silly question.
I am interested in your reply.
Hi Bernard, you sound like yo have a very good quality saw. The problem with cutting pallets is that generally speaking they are rough wood and prone to having nails or staples buried into them. General purpose blades like Evolution can deal with that type of obstruction. I would just avoid using expensive good quality blades for that type of rougher work.