DIY Wood Pallet projects

[ohiotw]

I just recently realized how many possibilities there are for wood pallets. I'm going to be making some racks for shoes in our spare bedroom upstairs, and most likely some shelves in my garage from free wood pallets at work. We also have 2x2 wood planks around 48'' in length (also free) I'm going to start using as well.

What sort of projects are you folks doing with wood pallets?

[Rustaholic]

I heat our house with them.
I do keep some large ones to build with.
I need a couple firewood sheds and these huge pallets will do fine.
I have a lot of 250 pound pallets.
They are hardwood and 4' 8' X 12' 8"
That will give me a 12'8" back wall on the main shed.
In width I can cut eight or sixteen inches off them so three standing up that are four feet wide will give me a perfect twelve foot long back wall.
That mass will make a very strong shed too.

[Fire-Man]

I use 6 40" x 48" pallets and 2 pieces of tin for the top--to make chicken coops. Each Sleeps/roost 20 hens comfortably.

[Jokarva]

Potting bench, benches for the deck, wood shed nicknamed the 'Taj Mahal', chairs and table for firepit area, individual planks used for decorative stuff...I love pallets!

If I get the laptop going tomorrow I'll post some pics, can't upload from the tablet for some reason.

[ohiotw]

I still live in the city unfortunately (it was a cheap option out of college). However this year I am getting married and with most of our debt paid off besides a small student loan we will be trying to move out of the city next year to a rural location of 5+ acres. I am starting to learn all I can about re-purposing and these seem like they have tons of uses! I think I will try my hand at a few home decoration items and garage shelves for now then next year when we move try to build a shed and wood storage building with them. I even discovered some folks that have built tiny houses with them in some areas with mild climates.

[gal5]

I used the slats off the pallets and put them on my barn to reinforce it and give it a face lift. Before and after:
ImageUploadedByHomesteading Today1422024044.180139.jpgImageUploadedByHomesteading Today1422024062.451594.jpg
I'm really liking the look of free wood 😜

[BamaNana]

Here's a cool website for ideas. http://www.1001pallets.com/page/2/

[Chucknbob]

I built adirondack chairs. I wrote a tutorial on the Instructables website.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Pall...ondack-Chair-1

[Jokarva]

Some of our projects, they're fairly self explanatory..

[Chucknbob]

I've also built a composter, and a nice livestock pen for the back of my truck to haul sheep in.

[gal5]

Wow those are awesome!!! Would love to see your livestock pen for your truck!!!!!!!

[snowlady]

Check out Pinterest, too. Just search pallets or pallet projects. The only thing I have done with them is make a double compost bin and use them for crossings in our timber.

[Jokarva]

Without pictures, it doesn't exist

[gal5]

I insulated and used pallet wood in my back porch. I use it as a seed starting room and a brood out room for my chicks😃ImageUploadedByHomesteading Today1422123244.563093.jpgImageUploadedByHomesteading Today1422123258.400088.jpgImageUploadedByHomesteading Today1422123269.177804.jpg I love pallet wood

[My2butterflies]

You all have some great talent!
I plan on using pallets to built an outer fence for my garden come spring and to make a chicken coop. I'm still new to working with wood. I haven't used pallets yet, but the mixed wood I've used from a woodworking factory always split on me:/ I'm hoping pallet wood will be a bit easier to work with!

[COWS]

I've used complete pallets to reduce the width of cattle chutes and to as a temporary block to gaps in cattle handling areas. I've never had much luck taking pallets apart since the hardwood ones are fastened together with screw nails which don't pull out of dry oak without splintering. I do better getting machinery packing cases and machinery skids. Yesterday I got 5 hardwood 4 x 4s, no nails, from 2 farm equipment dealers. There were plenty of pallets aviliable and some packing crates with long pine lumber in them.

COWS

[gal5]

If your having problems with wood splitting, then you have to drill a pilot hole. Which is a small hole drilled with a drill bit close to or just smaller than your screw or nails. I use screws on everything I can and with pallet wood I do have to drill a pilot hole. At lowes they have a flip bit, one end has drill bit the other the screw tip!! I love it !!! Helps with not having to change out the bits 😜

[gal5]

My DH uses a huge ban saw at his work to cut the hardwoods apart!! I'm a lucky lady 😍

[fixitguy]

I seen about 10 homes today that had a pallet standing upright just before the mailboxes. It keeps the county snowplows from blowing over the mailboxes from the impact of the snow.

[Rustaholic]

Originally Posted by fixitguy

I seen about 10 homes today that had a pallet standing upright just before the mailboxes. It keeps the county snowplows from blowing over the mailboxes from the impact of the snow.

I just have an old 1940's heavy steel mailbox that is large and securely mounted to half of a utility pole. That pole is buried at least six feet. Do not hit my mailbox. The mailbox is mounted back on the pole just so the door can open.

That way to hit the box you have to hit the pole of doom. I used to plow snow with a Ford 3500 Industrial tractor that had a bucket and it had a snow blade on the back. I was cleaning in front of the mailbox and the tip of that snow blade caught the pole. It stopped that very heavy tractor Right NOW.

The reason I used the utility pole is my first mail box pole was a treated 4X4 and I snapped it off plowing with my old 1965 Jeep.

That old box is cool because a few years ago someone put some kind of fireworks that expanded the sides and blew the doors off every other mailbox on our road. I opened mine and there was just remnants of burnt paper in there.