How to Make Hog Panels
- 1). Examine the pallets you have collected. Some pallets have one vertically placed board in every other space, others have no spaces in between these "slats." The pallets with no spaces will provide a stronger hog panel than the others, but either will do as long as the reinforcing bracing is added at the top and bottom of each pallet. To make viewing the inside of your hog pen or trap easier, you will either have to locate pallets of the same size that have slats or remove every other slat on the pallets that do not have spaces between them.
- 2). Insert the pry-end of the pry bar into the space between the slat you want to remove and the base of the pallet. If the nails holding this slat to the base of the pallet are far enough apart, try to hammer the pry bar into the area between the nails. Hammer the pry bar as far as you can into this space and begin pulling and prying to get the slat loosened. Repeat this step with each slat you want to remove, then flip the pallet over and begin prying the other ends of these slats off.
- 3). Select the two that are closest in size and stand them up on their narrow sides in the form of the letter, "L." Do this on a flat surface so that they will not fall over easily.
- 4). Cut one of the 2-inch by 2-inch by 8-foot posts in half. Insert one of the half sections of the post into the space between the top and bottom boards on the first pallet. Place the other half section into the same area of the second pallet where the two corners meet to form the "L." Secure the two halves of the post together by driving self tapping 3-inch screws through the post into the wood slats of the pallets. These braces will reinforce the strength of the pallets.
- 5). Cut the remaining post in half using a 45-degree angle cut. Drill a pilot hole through the center of this angle cut on each of the two sections. Align the two pilot holes and glue the angled ends together to form a 45-degree corner. Let the glue dry overnight.
- 6). Secure these ends together by drilling a screw through the pilot holes. Line up the corner of this angled post with the outer corner of your pallets. Drill at least three self tapping screws through each end of the angled post into the wood on the pallet. This extra brace will help add stability to the hog panel.
- 7). Coat the panel with a generous portion of water sealant. Let the sealant dry for 24 hours and add another coat. Once connected with other hog panels, these pallets will form a tough barrier for a pen, a trap or fencing for hogs or any other tough animal.