[pookey]

I made some raised beds from garden wood bought from my locAL TIMBER MERCHANT and it cost a fair bit - £1 metre for 150 x 22 mm.

i prefer the beds to open ground and want to convert the rest of my plot, but cant afford to buy more wood as i need about 200 metres!

I was thinking of collecting pallets and using the wood slats but my dad said they are virtually impossible to pull apart as they use special 1-way nails.  

any ideas?

[woodentop]

You could cut them to the required height then fill in the gaps with black polythene on the inside. Just screw them together with offcuts as you go along and whack in posts for support.

[pookey]

You could cut them to the required height then fill in the gaps with black polythene on the inside. Just screw them together with offcuts as you go along and whack in posts for support.

do you mean cut the pallet into strips, so the beds are 'double walled'?

[new_2_veg]

i used pallets on one of mune

i got the 8x4 pallets and striped then for the wood and built then that way

[Ice]

I made a raised bed out of pallets but also found that some were impossible to pull apart because of the nails.  It can be done, but not without significant blood, sweat and the inevitable tears. :cry:

[new_2_veg]

4 options,
 
the ring shank nails will pull out with some time and effort
punch the nails through the slats (never split any when i done it)
or snap the heads off with a chisel
grind the nail heads of with a hand grinder

all 3 work but some people get on diffrently with each one

[Ice]

Not allowed to work that hard anymore.  Need the easy option every time now.

[new_2_veg]

in that case, 4x1" timber that they use to brace up nef roofs, its a rough cut wood and if you know anyone with a trade account at a builders yard can be very cheap

nathan

[splodger]

i wouln't have thought that pallet wood would last that long - it's a cheap sort of deal - and would rot quite quickly.

i am going to use chestnut poles (halves or quaters) for my bed edges - they won't rot (in my lifetime   )

are there any privately owned woods / copse near you?

you can buy the poles quite cheaply - 6-8 ft lengths cost about a quid each if you buy a few. small local woodland owners really struggle to get rid of their timber - because of imports and bulk buy only buyers.

it's always worth asking - the worst that can happen is they say no - buggar off!

although saying that - i get mine for nothing because my dad has a chestnut copse  

[Plot No 2]

Health and Safety Regulatoins say builders got to scrap scaffolding boards after so long. Maybe contact some builders locally.
For my raised beds, I broke up CAT engine pallets. Hard work, but worth the while.