On Jul 1, 6:07?pm, dpb <[email protected]> wrote:
> Mike Berger wrote:
> > A lot of the old pallets I've seen have been sprayed with
> > insecticides. ...
>
> How could/can you tell???
>
> --
Most likely the smell. Around here, a lot of the pallets also get
chemical spills. I wouldn't use the wood for much of anything that's
liable to come in contact with living things.
On Jul 1, 1:44 pm, "goaway" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Has anyone used old pallets for building bat houses? Nice seasoned stuff.
> Yes a metal scanner is required for usings this wood. Not picked one out
> yet.
I'll ask my ex what kind of wood panelling was in her bedroom when she
grew up as child.
.
.
.
.
.
(sometimes Rob can't help himself and goes after the low hanging
fruit....)
On 1 Jul, 18:44, "goaway" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Has anyone used old pallets for building bat houses? Nice seasoned stuff.
Here in the UK, pallets are junkwood. You can use them for birdboxes,
but not much else.
> Yes a metal scanner is required for usings this wood.
Or using a saw / sawblade that doesn't care. It's not stuff you need
to run through a planer -- the wood quality just isn't that good.
IMHE with bathouses (don't ask, it was painful) you need a tablesaw
jig for grooving the inner "rungs" quickly. The right spacing is
apparently important for some species of bat, especially when your
customer is asking you for 500 of them at _exactly_ the right spacing.
Andy Dingley wrote:
> IMHE with bathouses (don't ask, it was painful) you need a tablesaw
> jig for grooving the inner "rungs" quickly. The right spacing is
> apparently important for some species of bat, especially when your
> customer is asking you for 500 of them at _exactly_ the right spacing.
>
Andy ... what IS the correct spacing and depth?
Bill
--
I'm not not at the above address.
http://nmwoodworks.com
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"goaway" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Has anyone used old pallets for building bat houses? Nice seasoned stuff.
> Yes a metal scanner is required for usings this wood. Not picked one out
> yet.
>
Typically old pallets have been set down and slid every where. They can be
loaded with small rocks and sand. Don't send it through your jointer or
planer. Nails and staples are only 1/3 of your worries.
"Wade Lippman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "goaway" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Has anyone used old pallets for building bat houses? Nice seasoned
stuff.
> > Yes a metal scanner is required for usings this wood. Not picked one out
> > yet.
> My understanding is that bats will not tolerate a finish of any kind.
> So cedar is the recommended wood, as your pallets will not last too long.
>
> Last year I built a dozen bat houses out of recycled (ie. found in the
> trash) cedar, but never got around to using them when I found out they had
> to be put on poles! Bats will not nest in boxes put on houses or trees.
>
> I used an angle grinder to roughen the wood.
> Naturally you can't attract the bats to someplace they wouldn't ordinarily
> live, so if you don't have bats now, they may not go for your houses.
Depends on how many batrooms they have.
B.
goaway wrote:
| BTW We have LOTS of mosquitoes her on Long Island, but not enough
| bats
As Long Island bats reach a certain age, they migrate in large numbers
southward along the Atlantic coast toward a region in Florida bounded
on the north by Ft Lauderdale and on the south by Miami. I understand
that in their pre-migration stage, they tend to develop bluish hair
and fat ankles...
...while the mosquitos, lacking migratory instincts and the robustness
required for extended flight, remain behind.
--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/
"Buddy Matlosz" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
*snip*
>
> Depends on how many batrooms they have.
>
> B.
>
Weren't they also known as "outhouses" before indoor plumbing? (Or were
the outhouses known as "snake houses"? Ever been to Outback Snake
House?)
Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.
To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm
On Sun, 1 Jul 2007 13:44:38 -0400, "goaway" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Has anyone used old pallets for building bat houses? Nice seasoned stuff.
>Yes a metal scanner is required for usings this wood. Not picked one out
>yet.
>
I used pine because that's what was in the scrap pile at the time,
plus it is lightweight. I used shingles on top. After 15 years,
it's still in good shape.
>
> Last year I built a dozen bat houses out of recycled (ie. found in the
> trash) cedar, but never got around to using them when I found out they
> had to be put on poles! Bats will not nest in boxes put on houses or
> trees.
Recent window replacement require the removal of a few siding boards
which exposed several very unhappy bats. They had crawled in at some
point above and made it several feet down under the siding. I left them
alone and they made their way, slowly, to cover. I installed a deluxe
bat-house when the window project was finished. Point is, if they nest
_in_ my house, I think it'll be okay to put the bat-house _on_ my house.
Lots of bat and bat-house links with design considerations and free
plans. Bats are good* and giving them a proper home may help keep them
out of your attic (hey, they're good but I don't want them in my house)
or belfry.
*I hate mosquitoes.
--
Ron Hock
HOCK TOOLS www.hocktools.com
As far as i know most bats are made of ash,so lets keep it simple use
ash.....mjh
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "goaway" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Has anyone used old pallets for building bat houses? Nice seasoned stuff.
>> Yes a metal scanner is required for usings this wood. Not picked one out
>> yet.
>>
>
> Typically old pallets have been set down and slid every where. They can
> be loaded with small rocks and sand. Don't send it through your jointer
> or planer. Nails and staples are only 1/3 of your worries.
>
Morris Dovey wrote:
> goaway wrote:
>
> | BTW We have LOTS of mosquitoes her on Long Island, but not enough
> | bats
>
> As Long Island bats reach a certain age, they migrate in large numbers
> southward along the Atlantic coast toward a region in Florida bounded
> on the north by Ft Lauderdale and on the south by Miami. I understand
> that in their pre-migration stage, they tend to develop bluish hair
> and fat ankles...
>
> ...while the mosquitos, lacking migratory instincts and the robustness
> required for extended flight, remain behind.
Dammit! You owe me a keyboard. Mine just got ruined with a spew of
Miller Genuine Draft. LOL!
I did some "googling" on insectside and pallets. In the limited cases where
the pallet is used to transport goods into the USA and bug contamination is
suspected, then there is a chance of the use of insecticide. The ONLY
approved pest removal for pallets is temperature. Check the site for pallet
manufacturers on this. While this does not eliminate the possibility someone
sprayed a pallet with something. Caution should always be used
http://www.woodheat.org/q&a/qafirewood.htm
"Mike Berger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>A lot of the old pallets I've seen have been sprayed with
> insecticides. I wouldn't use the wood for anything with live
> creatures.
>
> goaway wrote:
>> Has anyone used old pallets for building bat houses? Nice seasoned stuff.
>> Yes a metal scanner is required for usings this wood. Not picked one out
>> yet.
"dpb" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Doug Houseman wrote:
> ...
>
>> If they are US made, most are poplar (aspen). In northern Wisconsin, and
>> the Upper Peninsula of Michigan thousands are built each week. Some are
>> maple and a few are oak. Birch is sometimes used, but the vast majority
>> are poplar.
>
> They must be shipping them somewhere else than here, then... :)
>
> Don't recall _ever_ seeing a pallet of something as soft/weak as poplar.
> _Most_ I'm seeing any more are pretty obviously non-native species but
> what is, is nearly always cull-oak.
>
It's what you've got. "Popple" is pretty much worthless, so pallets are
about all there is to make a nickle out of it.
Lots of soft maple and birch - mostly boxed hearts - go into the pallet
skids of the tougher types, though it's not unusual to see poplar boards.
Not the half-inch fast to split crap like you see with the red oak, but
close to 4/4 popple. Doesn't split, and it's strong enough.
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Larry W) wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> goaway <[email protected]> wrote:
> >Has anyone used old pallets for building bat houses? Nice seasoned stuff.
> >Yes a metal scanner is required for usings this wood. Not picked one out
> >yet.
> >
> >
>
> As a matter of fact, I've used old pallets to make both bird houses and at
> least one bat house. I'm not sure if any bats ever used the bat house as
> it is tied up in a tree at the back of my yard and I've never checked
> it. However, we have had some birds use the bird houses, primarily house
> finches, and a squirrel family used on of the larger houses one year.
>
> Most of the hard wood pallets I find appear to be made of white oak, there
> are also a fair number of boards made of some pale, finer-grained wood
> that I can't identify. It lookes something like birch.
If they are US made, most are poplar (aspen). In northern Wisconsin, and
the Upper Peninsula of Michigan thousands are built each week. Some are
maple and a few are oak. Birch is sometimes used, but the vast majority
are poplar.
Doug
Say Ya to the UP EH!
A lot of the old pallets I've seen have been sprayed with
insecticides. I wouldn't use the wood for anything with live
creatures.
goaway wrote:
> Has anyone used old pallets for building bat houses? Nice seasoned stuff.
> Yes a metal scanner is required for usings this wood. Not picked one out
> yet.
>
>
Charlie Self wrote:
> On Jul 1, 6:07?pm, dpb <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Mike Berger wrote:
>>> A lot of the old pallets I've seen have been sprayed with
>>> insecticides. ...
>> How could/can you tell???
>>
>> --
>
> Most likely the smell. Around here, a lot of the pallets also get
> chemical spills. I wouldn't use the wood for much of anything that's
> liable to come in contact with living things.
Guess it depends on what and where, but seems mostly overly conservative
to me...ymmv, obviously...
--
In article <[email protected]>,
goaway <[email protected]> wrote:
>Has anyone used old pallets for building bat houses? Nice seasoned stuff.
>Yes a metal scanner is required for usings this wood. Not picked one out
>yet.
>
>
As a matter of fact, I've used old pallets to make both bird houses and at
least one bat house. I'm not sure if any bats ever used the bat house as
it is tied up in a tree at the back of my yard and I've never checked
it. However, we have had some birds use the bird houses, primarily house
finches, and a squirrel family used on of the larger houses one year.
Most of the hard wood pallets I find appear to be made of white oak, there
are also a fair number of boards made of some pale, finer-grained wood
that I can't identify. It lookes something like birch.
--
Better to be stuck up in a tree than tied to one.
Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar.org
In article <[email protected]>,
Wade Lippman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
<...snipped...>
>Last year I built a dozen bat houses out of recycled (ie. found in the
>trash) cedar, but never got around to using them when I found out they had
>to be put on poles! Bats will not nest in boxes put on houses or trees.
>
<...snipped...>
You may be right about this but I have personally observed bats sleeping
right on a tree limb during daylight hours, in both Maryland and
Pennsylvania.
--
Better to be stuck up in a tree than tied to one.
Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar.org
Doug Houseman wrote:
...
> If they are US made, most are poplar (aspen). In northern Wisconsin, and
> the Upper Peninsula of Michigan thousands are built each week. Some are
> maple and a few are oak. Birch is sometimes used, but the vast majority
> are poplar.
They must be shipping them somewhere else than here, then... :)
Don't recall _ever_ seeing a pallet of something as soft/weak as poplar.
_Most_ I'm seeing any more are pretty obviously non-native species but
what is, is nearly always cull-oak.
--
In article <[email protected]>,
Doug Houseman <[email protected]> wrote:
<...snipped...>
>If they are US made, most are poplar (aspen). In northern Wisconsin, and
>the Upper Peninsula of Michigan thousands are built each week. Some are
>maple and a few are oak. Birch is sometimes used, but the vast majority
>are poplar.
>
>Doug
>
>Say Ya to the UP EH!
Around here, (Maryland) "poplar" usually means a relatively soft,
straight-grained but nondescript hardwood most obvious by it's greenish
tinge, Very easy to work with but not very good rot-resistance; pallets
made from this poplar would not last very long outdoors. I take it the
poplar-aspen you refer to is a different species. Now that I think of
it, I have seen pet bedding that was made from aspen shavings and chips
and it is deifinitely not the poplar I am familiar with.
--
There is always an easy solution to every human problem -- neat,
plausible, and wrong." (H L Mencken)
Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar. org
Larry W wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Doug Houseman <[email protected]> wrote:
> <...snipped...>
>> If they are US made, most are poplar (aspen). In northern Wisconsin, and
>> the Upper Peninsula of Michigan thousands are built each week. Some are
>> maple and a few are oak. Birch is sometimes used, but the vast majority
>> are poplar.
>>
>> Doug
>>
>> Say Ya to the UP EH!
>
> Around here, (Maryland) "poplar" usually means a relatively soft,
> straight-grained but nondescript hardwood most obvious by it's greenish
> tinge, Very easy to work with but not very good rot-resistance; pallets
> made from this poplar would not last very long outdoors. I take it the
> poplar-aspen you refer to is a different species. Now that I think of
> it, I have seen pet bedding that was made from aspen shavings and chips
> and it is deifinitely not the poplar I am familiar with.
Yeah, good catch....I somehow missed the aspen even though it's right
there and thought of the southern/eastern tulip poplar even though he
also mentioned WI. Aspen is definitely much more likely candidate.
--
On Sun, 01 Jul 2007 17:52:21 -0700, henry <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>I have just built a couple out of cedar and was going to attach them
>to trees untill I read the above. I thought trees were okay if it was
>open around the tree and lower limbs are cut off. I need a site that
>talks about whats needed such as height etc.Any recommendations?
The important spec is temperature. The bats like it quite warm. A
position that gets morning sun to give a quick warm up after cooling
down all night is most ideal. Thats why trees arent recommended,
their branches shield the house from the sun, limiting the inside
temperature.
At northern latitudes its recommended the house be painted black, to
maximize solar gain, at mid latitudes, a neutral color is recommended
and at southern latitudes, the house may even need to be painted white
to keep from over heating.
The recommended height is 15 to 20 ft.
Now having said all this, 6 years ago I built a bat house, insulated
it, put it on a utility pole facing south, painted black, 20 ft up,
and I've never had a bat move in, just wasps.
Try this web site, Bat Conservation International.
http://www.batcon.org/home/index.asp?idPage=47
dickm
"Puckdropper" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>> Depends on how many batrooms they have.
>>
>> B.
>>
>
> Weren't they also known as "outhouses" before indoor plumbing? (Or were
> the outhouses known as "snake houses"? Ever been to Outback Snake
> House?)
>
What accumulates under the bathouse is called guano, and is fairly abundant.
Keep at a distance from small children and clean up once in a while.
Strange how we get our knickers twisted over insecticide when more dangerous
stuff is right under our noses....
Leon,
Thanks for the warning. But for these critters, they want a rough
surface to cling to. Will likely join the edges with tongue and grove
approach done on a TS. Fancy is not needed. Still doing research on proper
dimensions for the bats near me. Seems there are two type of bat houses in
general. One for the males and a larger one for the females with young. The
highest criteria seems to be light tight with very rough interiors.
BTW We have LOTS of mosquitoes her on Long Island, but not enough bats
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "goaway" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Has anyone used old pallets for building bat houses? Nice seasoned stuff.
>> Yes a metal scanner is required for usings this wood. Not picked one out
>> yet.
>>
>
> Typically old pallets have been set down and slid every where. They can
> be loaded with small rocks and sand. Don't send it through your jointer
> or planer. Nails and staples are only 1/3 of your worries.
>
henry wrote:
> I have just built a couple out of cedar and was going to attach them
> to trees untill I read the above. I thought trees were okay if it was
> open around the tree and lower limbs are cut off. I need a site that
> talks about whats needed such as height etc.Any recommendations?
>
http://www.batcon.org/home/index.asp?idPage=47
--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
[email protected]
"goaway" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Has anyone used old pallets for building bat houses? Nice seasoned stuff.
> Yes a metal scanner is required for usings this wood. Not picked one out
> yet.
My understanding is that bats will not tolerate a finish of any kind.
So cedar is the recommended wood, as your pallets will not last too long.
Last year I built a dozen bat houses out of recycled (ie. found in the
trash) cedar, but never got around to using them when I found out they had
to be put on poles! Bats will not nest in boxes put on houses or trees.
I used an angle grinder to roughen the wood.
Naturally you can't attract the bats to someplace they wouldn't ordinarily
live, so if you don't have bats now, they may not go for your houses.
goaway wrote:
> Thanks for the warning. But for these critters, they want a
rough
> surface to cling to. Will likely join the edges with tongue and grove
> approach done on a TS. Fancy is not needed. Still doing research on
proper
> dimensions for the bats near me. Seems there are two type of bat
houses in
> general. One for the males and a larger one for the females with
young. The
> highest criteria seems to be light tight with very rough interiors.
>
> BTW We have LOTS of mosquitoes her on Long Island, but not enough bats
Sounds like a great place to use a belt sander and 24 grit belts.
Used this approach extensively to prep plywood before laminating knitted
fiberglass and epoxy to the plywood.
BTW, 24 grit eats nails and other stuff you may find in pallet material.
Lew
"henry" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> I have just built a couple out of cedar and was going to attach them
> to trees untill I read the above. I thought trees were okay if it was
> open around the tree and lower limbs are cut off. I need a site that
> talks about whats needed such as height etc.Any recommendations?
>
While your bats are a bit different than what we have in Washington
(the state, not the "state of mind"), see if some of the information
here
is of help: http://www.batsnorthwest.org/
We built a bunch of the "rocket box" houses - I used a 8 foot cedar
4*4 (rough) for the top section and then a 12 foot pressure treated
for the lower section, bolting the two sections together with an 18"
overlap. Makes it easier to transport, more resistant to rot at the
bottom and cheaper. The "Rocket Box" houses are detailed here:
http://www.batsnorthwest.org/images/rocket_box_plan.jpg
We have not had a chance to get back and check out the 5 we put
up out at the Girl Scout camp (it was my daughters project) but we
hope they moved in - they had sealed up the old barn the 400 or so
bats had been using for years after parents complained about babies
falling on the kids during a meeting in the barn.
mikey