Building with pallets

david75 · 16-09-2012 1:32am #1

Anyone else do this? I've built a few tables and chairs. Want to build a few beehives and a chicken coop and a shed. Turns out the shed will be easier than the tables or so I'm told

Made a few bits bit this is my favorite.
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wayoutwest · 16-09-2012 9:14am

Building bee hives with pallet wood could be a no-no due to the treatment that is used to preserve them.Whole pallets joined together would,I imagine, be too big . Tables are easy-just screw some legs onto a close boarded pallet,fill in the gaps by nailing little strips of wood taken from another [dismantled] pallet and then run through cheap table saw to get the right width.
Building sheds with them is very quick and satisfying -just use 4"[100mm] nails to join them together, using the gaps in the 'not so' boarded side to gain access in order to swing the hammer .I've found that the pallets with blocks are best used as the deck as they are smaller, stronger, and deeper. The pallets with 'runners' are better for the walls as they are generally larger and easier to join together[2" runner+2" runner+4" nail = good tight fixing as opposed to scew nailing into blocks]. Have the pallets with the the runners running vertically and then tie the wall together by nailing a length of 4"x2" down onto the exposed ends of the runners-now you can go up a level without having to stagger the pallets for strength.Finish off with 6mm ply on the deck and roofing felt battoned to the walls[or leave as is for a great firewood drying shed].
Happy hammering-wayoutwest.

The Royal Scam · 16-09-2012 9:32am

that shed sounds gift, for firewood drying, have you any pictures . i've a brutal imagination

wayoutwest · 16-09-2012 9:39am

Will post up picture tonight.

david75 · 16-09-2012 11:08am

Thanks wayoutwest. I'd love to see a picture or two as well. You make it sound easy, hope it will be. Have to move about a half ton of muck and compost at the end of the garden first. It'll be a tight fit but I think I can get a 4 pallet floor in width in there and there's a grand strong back wall to build against. One thing I am wondering is exactly how many pallets will I need, in terms of actual amount for structure and some for random lumber.

Also cheers for the heads up about the beehive but I'm told if I paint them they should be ok to use? We'll see.

wayoutwest · 16-09-2012 11:37am

I would post up a question about what wood to use, to the 'Smallholding' section, over at 'Farming and Forestry. Thats where you'll find the Bee people.

paddy147 · 16-09-2012 2:14pm

I would not use pallets for a bee hive.

You dont know what chemicals are in the wood and what the pallets have been used for in the past,witrh regards their cargo and any leeching/fluids.

Cedarwood or larchwood is a good wood for bee hives.

PS-The worker Bees will form a protective ball around their queen come wintertime and when they hibernate.

This is to insulate and keep the queen warm.

wayoutwest · 16-09-2012 8:58pm

These are a few pics of my kindling/lawn mower/bicycle/assorted junk shed. I kept it to one pallet high and then the height of the roof [2"x2"s]was determined by the roll of 1200 gauge builders plastic which is 12' wide -so I made each 'rafter' just over 5 foot long,which gave me a bit extra to roll up,pull taught and nail down using roofing tacks.This shed cost about 20 euro [plastic,2"x2",hinges,4" nails] and 1 days work. The pallets wer'nt the best, but they were free. When the plastic starts to degrade,then just cover it with a new bit [7 euro] and re use the roofing tacks.
It is over 5 years old and had new plastic fitted last year-each layer cushions the next layer from any rough woodwork.

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wayoutwest · 16-09-2012 9:24pm

This is picture of a log drying shelter.Two pallets form the deck - this rises the stack away from the damp ground and weed growth allowing air to enter from below. Skew nail three pallets on top - loose fill but stack the front as you go, heap the top up and cover with a square of builders plastic held in place with a couple of battons and 40 mm screws. I angle them so the accessable side is gonna get the least weather ie:Northeast. It holds about 1.3 cubic meters of [loose thrown] logs and dries them quicker than heaping them into an airless stone shed.I will post up more pics tomorrow- of lean-to pallet logstores that I've done.

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moy83 · 16-09-2012 9:31pm

Looks good wayoutwest and pretty respectable too considering its made out of pallets .

Spread · 17-09-2012 2:14am

You could be on to a money spinner here. No, not franchising but Hazel O Connor (or perhaps Angela Merkel) appearing between the bicycle pedal and the green crate. Photo opp for some up and coming wannabees?

wayoutwest · 17-09-2012 9:52am

Spread- Thanks for pointing out mystery squatter in woodshed.I opened the door this morning and uttered a few words iof German that I know [achtung,schnell and the like], but there was no reply so it must be Hazel O'Connor. Thank god I did'nt put any glass windows in - thanks for the heads-up.:)

Spread · 17-09-2012 12:50pm

If it is Ms O Connor ....... could you please get an autographed pic for my wife, who I think may be slightly unhinged also

The Royal Scam · 17-09-2012 6:57pm

Thanks for the pics, it's musch easier to use your imagination when you have a little visual inspiration. Good stuff

fergal.b · 17-09-2012 7:49pm

Anyone know where I can get some 1/4" or 6mm by 3" or 4" mahogany. The last time I got them for the side of the boat I had to buy rough planks and have cut and sanded it was not cheep:eek: and there was a lot of waste in sawdust.

I saw in woodies they have 2" strips by Richard Burbidge but I would like it a bit bigger maybe even panelling that I could cut the edges off any ideas welcome as you know money is tight these days

and I cant afford to waste it on sawdust

.

paddy147 · 17-09-2012 8:02pm

fergal.b wrote: »

Anyone know where I can get some 1/4" or 6mm by 3" or 4" mahogany. The last time I got them for the side of the boat I had to buy rough planks and have cut and sanded it was not cheep:eek: and there was a lot of waste in sawdust.

I saw in woodies they have 2" strips by Richard Burbidge but I would like it a bit bigger maybe even panelling that I could cut the edges off any ideas welcome as you know money is tight these days and I cant afford to waste it on sawdust

.

Higginbotham Hardwood suppliers and woodturners in Newtown Industrial Estate,Coolock....(just opposite Robbinsone Stone and Marble).

http://www.higginbotham.ie/

Very easy and good to deal with.

fergal.b · 17-09-2012 8:07pm

paddy147 wrote: »

Higginbotham Hardwood suppliers and woodturners in Newtown Industrial Estate,Coolock....(just opposite Robbinsone Stone and Marble).

http://www.higginbotham.ie/

Very easy and good to deal with.

Thanks,sorry I posted this in the wrong place meant to be in woodcraft

paddy147 · 17-09-2012 8:12pm

fergal.b wrote: »

Thanks,sorry I posted this in the wrong place meant to be in woodcraft

No harm in that:D

wayoutwest · 17-09-2012 8:18pm

Here are some pictures of a logsstore that I did for a neighbour a couple of years ago, using nice close boarded pallets. He wanted the boards running vertically cos he liked them better that way- and I think he is right, although it is structurally weaker this way{ie:the structure rising up on posts rather than boards] - it does look smarter. When going two full pallets or more high I woulld keep runners vertical.
I screwed 4"x2" to the wall and ran a few 2"x2" s down [using the offcuts as noggins- to stop the plastic sagging]. I rolled one end up over a roofing baton, which I then screwed down to the top of rafters and siliconed the V that is formed pitch of baton and the wall.
Bits of old plywood form double doors .
Excluding Pallets and ply the total cost = about 30 euro.
No leaks yet.

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david75 · 17-09-2012 8:21pm

Just about pallet wood, is there a reliable effective way to tell which wood is which? Some of it is just like packed straw but other ones can be really solid and dependable. No idea as to how to go about discerning which wood I'm dealing with, and itdbe good to know when it comes to wanting to build things that will last.

wayoutwest · 17-09-2012 9:11pm

Hiya David - For shedbuiling I would'nt be looking especially for hardwood pallets as I would have to be doing a lot pre drilling to stop the nails bending [but it would be worth it]. When my kindling shed finally collapses[say another 10 years] I will chop it up into kindling and fill up my new,improved,bigger shed with it.
I made a nice parquay floor using cuts from some lovely teak pallets I came across once[sorry no pics]-they were very heavy and were used to transport heavy machinery parts.Maybe ask importers etc.
Look at the growth rings in the end grain-the smaller the spacing the more durable the wood is going to be.
I like your tables and chairs by the way- they are rustic,quirky,colourfull and for nothing - excellent.

angeldaisy · 17-09-2012 9:19pm

Great inspiration here guys - hoping the oh is going to spot this and take note:D

So far we have made small coffee tables using pallets - the kids use them in the toy room as 'school desks':rolleyes: Also he has used pallets to make a display table for a dolls house and a farm play area - raising them off the ground makes them easier to play with.

Tonyandthewhale · 22-09-2012 12:38am

Where do people get their pallets (preferably free or very cheap)? I'm in the Limerick area if anyone has any specific suggestions.

wayoutwest · 22-09-2012 8:46am

That would be telling now.;)

You could check out 'fertilizer pallets' in the 'heating' section of dondeal- I saw the ad a few days ago.

Joey the lips · 22-09-2012 8:55am

In the process of going into bee keeping. Have been reading its too dangerous using pallets because some pallets are sprayed with insectacide to kill off bugs traveling from country to country. Generally speaking they are stamped but the general agreement is not to trust them.

I cannot see a bee keeper taking the chance.

david75 · 09-10-2012 5:53pm

Made some stuff

A dresser
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A workbench
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A side table
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A coat rack
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A tool rack
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A bookshelf(it's not staying there, I made it for me mates ma)
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Another coat rack for a mate
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Another side table
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Anyoneneed anything made?

wayoutwest · 09-10-2012 7:58pm

David75 - great inspiration......who needs Ikea....I prefer your work [and its probably sturdier!].:cool:

david75 · 09-10-2012 8:26pm

wayoutwest wrote: »

David75 - great inspiration......who needs Ikea....I prefer your work [and its probably sturdier!].:cool:

Thanks! Definitely is. Most of the weight is screws and nails

wayoutwest · 20-10-2012 11:24pm

Hundreds of pallet build pictures on this short [2 minute]video.:cool:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFGaW2FdKB4

david75 · 25-10-2012 6:41pm

New addition.
Was this

Now this.

david75 · 16-11-2012 7:06pm

It's a spice rack. Or a little bookcase.

Building with pallets

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