building pallets

**justin** · 03-02-2011, 09:30 AM

when you rip the plywood for migratory pallets is there a trick to getting more than four pieces from a sheet? i was planning to rip 22''x33'' pieces.also would it be a terrible idea to use 92 5/8'' 2x4's cut in half for the runners. my pallets would only be 46 1/4''x33''.i have a stack of them and its a long way to town. i already know the answer to that one. thanks justin

**Brian Suchan** · 03-02-2011, 11:22 AM

Might want to go little narrower on the 22"dimension. It will seperate the the back sides of the 2 opposite hives just a little further. All the more room for your hands is that much easier.

**Beeslave** · 03-02-2011, 01:51 PM

Mine are 20"x32"(slightly under) wide using "U" clips. You should get 6 pcs out of a 4'x8' sheet of plywood. That leaves you with a 8"x8' pc to rip in half(makes 2 4"x8') that get cut in half length wise to make 4 pcs 4"x4' to use as fenders(keeps the supers from sliding off) for 6way honey super pallets.

Don't rip the 2x4's. You will regret when picking and moving the bees. Makes it harder to get the forks in.

**justin** · 03-02-2011, 02:33 PM

thanks for the answers, i wasn't planning to rip the 2x4's (making 2x2's) i was trying to say that by cutting them in half my overall pallet size would be 33''x461/4'' instead of a full 48''.my concern is they get trucked with a whole bunch of 48'' pallets and they might make things difficult. thanks justin

**Beeslave** · 03-02-2011, 05:43 PM

When marking your lines for the 32" mark use the center of that line for the center of the saw blade. The hives will hang over the outside a little but the bees don't seem to mind.lol

**Tim Stewart** · 03-02-2011, 05:52 PM

Hello,

This is a little off topic, but if you don't mind, what are the pros & cons of 4way and 6 way pallets?

**BEES4U** · 03-02-2011, 06:35 PM

I did a search for you on pallets:
http://www.beesource.com/forums/show...let+dimentions

Enjoy,
Ernie

**justin** · 03-02-2011, 09:18 PM

thanks again, i read that thread before i asked ernie, and its where i was getting those dimensions. i was just all set to go and then the stack of 2x4's i've been moving around since fall turned out to be studs. i never buy studs! 2x6 studs but never 2x4's. oh well, thanks for lots of good answers. justin

**simplyhoney** · 03-03-2011, 07:03 AM

Justin, you can use all but a 16x16" square out of the sheet. You get 4 decks ( enough for 2 pallets) plus if you cut the remainder correctly you can make one more 2 piece deck. As I recall last winter we built 168 pallets out of a bunk of ply and 3/4 bunk of 2 x 4 s. Just remember to cut the remainder of your piece of ply so you can make another deck.