Pallet Projects

2017-02-07T06:36:00.004-08:00

It's been a while but I finally have time to post these pics of a great pallet bench and picnic table combination I ran into one day at the flea market. I apologize, but I lost track of the folks names who built this chair, if you know who they are let me know so I can give proper credit.

This is a great example of what you can do with reclaimed pallets. This fella disassembled pallets nail by nail for the wood and then built a project that has not one, but two uses. When the back is folded upright it serves as a back rest for a nice bench. When you fold it down it becomes the top of a half picnic table. If you made two of these they would be a nice matched pair of benches and make a whole table top big enough for 4 to 6 people to use.

Follow these links for more info on building with pallets and which pallets are safe to build with.

The Best Shipping Pallet Chairs On The Internet

2012-12-11T09:34:00.000-08:00

The Best Shipping Pallet Chair Plans On The Internet

As you all know, I have been a fan of pallet chairs, pallet projects and other ways of recycling used shipping pallets for some time. My interest led me to look for pictures, ideas and plans on the internet. What I found was promising but failed to answer the question I had...how do you make a chair out of a pallet?

Needless to say, I did not find a good plan for a chair that did not involve completely dismantling pallets for their wood. I didn't want to use recycled wood to build a "normal" chair, I wanted to re-purpose pallets into functional and interesting yard furniture.

What I did find lots of ideas for building chairs, Adirondack Chairs and pallet chairs. These all included pictures, dismantling pallets for wood and no actual plans. I also found lots of pictures of pallet chairs for sale but these were more like futons and not what I wanted either.

So, I built my own chair. I had a zen moment where I could see the chair in front of me and saw that same chair within an old pallet I had been saving for projects. I crafted and constructed my chair from the ground up. I designed it as I built it, I made some mistakes. When that chair was finished I liked it,so I build another one. The second chair incorporated some design enhancements I had come up with.

Since then I have blogged about pallet chairs, pallet projects and even put up pictures of my chair. Now, I have also added the complete plans/instructions for building a good Andirondack pallet chair. The plans can be found here, The Best Free Shipping Pallet Chairs , at Hubpages .com. For more on pallets and which pallets are good for building with read my post, Pallets Are Not All The Same.

Bluebird House Pallet Project

2012-09-23T19:19:00.000-07:00

I just published the plans for my bluebird house. It is a simple and easy to build design that will last for years, is easy to clean and is proven to attract bluebirds. I have two in my yard and all my family whom I have given one report inhabitants.

Some tips for bluebird houses:

Put up your bluebird houses in lightly wooded areas. They like to perch in trees and scan for flying insects. Bluebirds are also often seen sitting on wires.
Put the house about 5-6 feet off the ground. This is a good height for the birds and makes the house harder for predators to reach.
If the entry hole of your house gets worn out or enlarged with use then replace the front panel of the house and drill a new hole. If the hole is too big an unwanted species could move in or worse, drive out bluebirds nesting there.

Building With Pallets

2012-09-17T19:03:00.001-07:00

Building With Pallets

Pallets are a great source of building material for a wide variety of projects. They are commonly used for building fences, sheds, lawn chairs and almost anything else that scrap or re-purposed wood is good for. In earlier posts I have highlighted some different projects that I and others have done but I thought for today a look at how choosing the right pallet can impact the finished project.

How To Re-Purpose Old Shipping Pallets

Recycling pallets by re-purposing them into useful and decorative items is a growing trend. In fact, some have begun to call it a folk or even a folk-art movement. Folk Art is defined as a art created by local or indigenous peoples, often the working class, from items readily available to them. Folk Art is most often utilitarian and decorative unlike true art which is created for the purpose of its beauty alone. Even though all pallets will need to be recycled at some point not all pallets are good for building material. Some things to look out for when choosing a pallet include size, shape and condition.

Make sure any pallets you use for building projects are clean. Pallets can pick up lots of different kinds of dirt and grime including grease, rotten food and rodent droppings. Give your pallets a thorough inspection before taking them home.
While you are checking out your pallets for dirt also look for loose or protruding nails and staples. Pallets are hastily constructed and not built to exacting standards so it is common for nails and staples to be left sticking out. A loose nail can ruin an entire day for you and bring a premature end to your pallet re-purposing plans.
Condition is another factor that can influence your choice of pallet. For smaller projects like birdhouses a broken or cracked board does not make a big difference. However, for a table or pallet chair condition is everything. The pallet must be whole, without cracks and pleasing to the eye in order to produce a truly great folk-art quality pallet chair.

These pallets are all clean of debris and made from
standard sized 2x4's and 1x material

Construction is different from condition. Not all pallets are the same size, built the same way or made from the same size base stock. Some pallets are a blend of wood, particle board and chip board held together with glue and screws. Some pallets are made of undersized and flimsy boards, making them unsuitable for furniture or walls. Be sure that the pallet you choose is attractive to look at and built out of "high quality" materials.

Build A Compost Container: Pallet Project

2012-08-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

Pallets are great for building compost containers. They are the perfect shape and size for making square frames and bins for collecting the scraps and debris for your compost. Compost is well know as an excellent source of fertilizer and other benefits for gardens and potted plants. I like composting for a couple of reasons; its recycling, its all natural, its self sufficient and it helps the garden. There are dozens more reasons to like compost and using pallets to make a composter is just one more reason to like the stuff. Using pallets to make a composter is recycling a product to make a container for recycling products AND the pallet composter will eventually become compost itself over the life of the composter you make. Whew! That was a mouthful.

Here is a link to an article I wrote about building a compost container and how to compost at home.

Build A Compost Container

This is the first composter I have built from recycled pallets. I took the pallets apart for the wood but next time I will use whole pallets cut into sections. Regardless, it works great. I have been able to produce three batches of finished compost this summer.

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I finally finished my Birdhouses

2012-05-22T10:44:00.001-07:00

I had a lot of left over wood from building my pallet chairs so I used them to make a couple of birdhouses. Altogether, so far I have built six birdhouses. Four of them are in use now and three of those have birds living in them. This house is based on the dimensions for a blue bird house that I got from the National Audobon Society website. The basics are this:

Interior dimensions should be about 5 inches square.
The hole should be 1 1/2 inches or less to prevent larger birds from stealing the nest site.
The hole should be 5-8 inches off the floor of the house

Other than that I have read that you shouldn't paint the house. However, I have also seen dozens of advertisements for decoratively painted houses. Right now I have a white house hanging in my back yard as an experiment to see if any birds will nest there.

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Pallets are not all the same

2012-04-25T08:26:00.002-07:00

Duh...Of course they are not all the same. That never mattered until I started making pallets into projects. What was the difference between one pallet and another as long as the wood was nice. Turns out there is a lot of difference. Pallets are not all the same. They are made by different companies to different specifications out of different kinds of trees.

The first major difference between pallets is material. Pallets can be made from a variety of woods and synthetic materials. I have never encountered a synthetic pallet but I have seen just about every other kind of pallet. They can be made from pine, poplar, oak, hickory or any other kind of wood. Pallet makers usually use smaller trees so anything not used for lumber can be cut up and made into pallets.

There are two types of lumber pallets, those marked HT and those marked MB. HT pallets are heat treated to kill pests and make them safe for use. MB pallets are treated with chemicals. Most countries outside the US require pallets to be HT, heat treated. HT pallets are usually made of a high quality wood such as red oak, cherry or black walnut that is too small or low quality for other uses. Which means HT shipping pallets are a great source of high quality project lumber, if you take the time to reclaim it.

Another big difference is the dimensions of the lumber. Remember, the manufacturer is using smaller, cast off trees to make these the pallets. For the most part lumber is cut into standard dimensions but it is very rough. Some pallets are made for heavier loads and are built with larger pieces, some are built for light loads. The boards used for the packing surface can also vary in width. Depending on the project it could take a significant amount of time to find and fabricate the right pallets.

There is no standard size pallets for building with. They are made to suit the needs of the manufacturers and the clients who buy them. Pallets are made for different purposes and different products. If your project relies on whole pallets or standard sizes of cut up pallets then it could be difficult for you to achieve your goals. It is possible. Finding a steady source of pallets is a good place to start. Pallets will probably come from the same source on a regular basis which increases your chances accumulating enough pallets. You may also be able to find a large number of the same pallets in one place. Large shippers may have dozens of pallets from the same source. Other than that it just takes time to find the right pallet. Whenever I break one down for parts I save whatever I can. I sort the pieces by type of wood and when I have enough I make something.

Pallet Sheds!

2012-04-23T10:26:00.006-07:00

I have been surfing the web looking at some really impressive pallet projects. One of the ones I was most struck by was this pallet shed.

I think you'll notice one of the most striking features of the shed is the uniformity of pallets. It's important to note, pallets are not all the same. Finding and using the same kind of pallet, made by the same manufacturer and even those in the same production series is crucial to achieve this affect. You can sort pallets as you find them, or find a source of pallets that will provide with what you need.

For my own projects I've found a local filter supply store near my house that gets regular shipments from the same manufacturers. I noticed this place because there were always pallets outside, they always seemed to be new and clean, and they were fairly regular in size, shape and appearance. What I've discovered since then is that 1) the pallets were trash as far as the shop owner was concerned 2) the pallets were high quality, clean and pristine and 3) they weren't all the same, there are three kinds he gets regularly that are all nice and regular within their group. This means I have a regular source of quality pallets.

You can follow this link to learn more about the Tony Utterback Shed shown in the picture above.

Pallet Projects Are Gaining Popularity

2012-04-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

The best pallet projects have natural beauty and appeal

There is a growing number of home project enthusiasts who are turning to recycled shipping pallets. Used and cast off shipping pallets are a largely untapped resource of wood and building materials. I have seen pallet projects on different websites ranging from garden walls to pallet chairs and decorative furniture.

Not all pallets are good for making projects. It can take a little effort to locate a source of good pallets but once you do it is usually a reliable source into the future. Some pallets are too beat up. Broken, twisted or otherwise poor quality pallets should be avoided. Also watch out for dirty pallets. A little dirt that washes off is one thing but a nasty pallet used for shipping produce is more trouble than it is worth. I get pallets from a filter supply store down the street from my house. The pallets are clean, unbroken and often come in attractive patterns.

The beauty of pallet furniture

Pallet furniture has a very natural rustic beauty. The natural wear and aged patina that pallets can come with results in attractive outdoor furniture. For the most part it is obvious that chairs and tables are made from old pallets but the appeal is there never the less. This pallet is destined to become a bench. I'm going to cut it in half and make to make two pieces, one with five boards (the back rest) and one with four pieces (the seat).

Then I will have to dismantle at least one other pallet to get the 2x4's. Those will become supports and legs for the bench. A few coats of water sealant or polyurethane help with the finished look and add years of life.

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