My most popular Youtube video, from 2011, now has over half a million views. It is a how-to video about how to dismantle a pallet without splitting it, without special tools, and recover the nails, and as far as I know, no one else’s method does all of these things.

It’s not without controversy though. Over the years I have enjoyed watching the comments sway back and forth between positive and negative. Even as I watch my 28-year-old self humping that cement block up and down I think, “there is no way I would do that now”. Here are some of my favourite comments, as people argue about whether or not it should be done this way.

ghostlymoron Thats a great tip! I’ve wrecked so many useful bits of wood over the years. Some pallets are nailed with ridged nails - these are particulary resistant.

galanie Great idea! And you really dismantle it rather than cutting it into toothpicks like i see too many people here doing.

Edward Roberts Physics at work… well done. If you were in my class at the university you would have gotten an A……. :)

alan30189 You are going to wear your ass out lifting that heavy block. Better get a 5lb hand sledge and build a rig at waist level, then using your block of wood, knock the slats off the frame. Ten times quicker as well.

e smith Too much lifting bro. 

SUQUORO This is a perfect example of “work smarter, not harder”. Thanks.

Kevin Smith You are doing it completely wrong!!!!! you should get the wife to do the concrete block throwing!

MLTomson I don’t know why… but I get the mental image/picture in my brain of a monkey tearing apart a container in order try and get at his banana that is hidden inside. How, is by using simple ordinary objects found around within his environment. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a banana hidden inside, perhaps wood termites or grubs?

jacinta brooks Buy a sledgehammer caveman

Oh!sama This is actually genius, even damaged wood could be salvaged this way and you get free nails.

Kenneth E Hockenberry Why hammer the nails out… I mean you could drop bricks on them…

nekbiodieselworks what are you building?

What am I building indeed? I used the wood in this here kitchen shelf that I made for my then-girlfriend and now wife!

Pallet Shelf