Some pallets are not worth it, some are fine, but usually have some dirt on them and nails. Once you remove the nails or cut around them, you can plane it,cut it and sand it. I personally went through the trouble a couple of times, last time when I used it for a frame for my desk at home. The old holes from nails are features. I did not bother to sand it as the projects was in a spirit of ‘good enough for now’