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Darren Wright finds a use for some spare pallets and opens up the tool shed once again ...
Building things from wood is a fun way to spend your time but it can prove to be quite expensive . A garden table made from oak is a wonderful thing but not everyone can afford to buy enough oak to create a large table . That is why this month ’ s Screw It , and maybe a few months to come , is going to be looking at things you can make from pallet wood .
Pallets are an inexpensive source of useable timber and the possibilities are endless as to what you can build from them . Look on the internet , ask around , there are always free pallets being given away . If you take the time to properly break them down you can save yourself quite a bit of cash on timber for projects .
When breaking down a pallet you can go one of two ways . You can either try and pry all the top boards off the three main beams or you can get a jigsaw or a handsaw and cut the top boards at the very ends , just inside the main beams and then remove the middle beam . The problem with prying them off is that sometimes the ends are split from where the nails have been pounded in and this can make things problematic when attacking them with a crow bar . Using a jigsaw can avoid this splitting problem but you do get slightly shorter lengths of wood . Either way , pallet wood does give a nice rustic feel to your projects .
Once you have all the lengths of wood you can salvage it ’ s a good idea to give them a quick sand to remove any sharp splinters , random dirt and detritus or any generally rough sections . Then you can start to cut out the lengths needed for this months project . Most pallets use wood that is approximately 3 inches / 75mm wide .
To make this table I aim to construct two shelf sections and then make four leg sections to join it all together .
Start with the longest lengths first . This is a good idea for any project you are making . Long sections first , shorter sections from the offcuts .
The table , finished with wood stain
Cut list
3 ” x 19 ” or 75mm x 480mm - 8 off ( Box sections for shelves )
3 ” x 19 ” or 75mm x 480mm - 14 off ( Shelf tops )
3 ” x 20 ” or 75mm x 510mm - 8 off ( Legs )
3 / 4 ” or 18mm dowel - As required .
All measurements are approximate . I ’ ve given them in both Metric and Imperial just so you can choose your preferred method .