A standered pallet is 4ft by 40 inches and a cord is 4×4×8.
Dream on! I went that route to get a single piece of wood to fix a couch and it wasn't worth it. They use fluted nails and also the wood is of poor quality. Even if you could magically deconstruct the pallets it would still make a poor table. A crowbar helps but even so. You could find better furniture on the street
You can get smaller pieces by cutting with a circular saw between the main 2x4 pieces. Once you have the 2x4s exposed , attach 2 long 2x4s to the pallet 2x4 with big c-clamps and use it them as levers, while standing on the pallet slats.(2-man job) A flat pry bar and vise grips are also helpful in pulling nails . So ,basically it's a divide and conquer strategy You cut slats on one side of the pallet , and hopefully you can then pry off the 2x4s to get long slats off the top side.
Pallets are usually made from strong wood that is also very brittle. To take one apart you'll need a hammer and a crowbar. You have to try to take them apart GENTLY. As you have found out the wood breaks easily. But if you pry them apart slowly you can get whole pieces. Be cautious because the wood is very rough and full of splinters. It might not make the best tables or shelving. My suggestion is to log on to your local Craigslist and check out the 'FREE STUFF' category. I see lots of shelving being given away and also furniture every so often. The trick is to check the listings daily-in the late morning and again in the evening. The selection changes all the time. One day there may be nothing and the next day there may be several items you could use.If you see something that interests you-act quickly. Lots of people take the free stuff and try to re sell it. You can check several other Craigslist categories too. They sell everything on there. I've picked up some great used furniture very cheap. When I went to college I made bookshelves out of concrete blocks and wooden planks. The blocks are less than $2 each at Home Depot/Lowes You stand the blocks on end-about 3'-4' apart (depending on the length of the planks.) then lay a plank across. Then 2 more blocks,then another plank,etc.
