Ask any craftsmen; artist, carpenter, surgeon, financial planner, etc. what sets them apart in the ease and ability to do a great job over an o.k. job and they will answer: “My tools!” It often takes time and lots of trial and error to discover the perfect instrument that becomes your partner in creating.

In my type of woodworking, the game changing moment arrived when I found my Duckbill Deck Wrecker. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not discounting my other tools; my workshop is filled with tools that are necessary to create practical art. However, the main focus of my craft is creating wall art and furniture from castoff pallet wood.

Finding this simple, relatively inexpensive tool made a world of difference in the time it took to safely take a pallet apart – I used to cut them apart with a reciprocating saw, risking my fingers and sanity every time.

You can buy a quality deck wrecker on Amazon for $74.95.

Here is the description of the Duckbill Deck Wrecker offered by Forrester Manufacturing Company:

• PATENTED DESIGN: Uses leverage to pry boards easily from floor joists. Slides under the board, straddles a single or double joist and lifts the board usually in one piece.
• DISMANTLE DECKS, DOCKS, AND PALLETS IN SECONDS: The ultimate demolition tool and pallet buster.
• NO MATCH: An old fashion heavy-duty pry bar, nail puller or crowbar are no match for the Duckbill Deck Wrecker.
• EASY TO USE: Work from standing position, not on your knees.
• VERSATILE: Head rotates to allow working close to structure

I can vouch for every bullet point! The maximum leverage of the tool lifts the boards easily, leaving most of the boards undamaged and usable. My back and knees are eternally grateful. Not having to replace my saw blade every five pallets makes my wallet happy too!

We are in no way associated with Forrester Manufacturing but a few of the reviews gave us a chuckle:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like butta!

March 17, 2016

Verified Purchase

This is my new favorite tool! I make things out of old pallets, and breaking them up was always a chore. The Deck Wrecker made the job easy-and fun-and I’m a girl!

5.0 out of 5 stars Pulls even the screwed down type boards like nothing, my 10-year old even popped a few …

December 9, 2016

Verified Purchase

I normally don’t write reviews but felt compelled to do so with this tool. This is one of those I wish I had sooner type tools, I’ve pulled decks apart with a crow bar and know how much work they are. With this tool I ripped out all the deck boards of a 20×15 screwed down deck in about 30 minutes! Pulls even the screwed down type boards like nothing, my 10-year old even popped a few boards up himself as tool give good leverage

There you go…a little insight into a piece of the process here at ED Practical Art.

Envisioning the projects, creating the art, getting into the flow is all amazing. I’m grateful to have discovered this way of recycling and I’m often inspired with ideas as I’m dismantling the pallets with my deck wrecker.