Have you ever wanted to buy new furniture such as tables and bed frames but get taken aback by their prices? Most of these pieces of furniture cost a lot and you’re just left wondering what if. Fortunately, there’s one way you can have more stuff in your home without breaking the bank and that’s to do easy pallet projects on your own.
Pallets are relatively cheap and versatile. You can use them to build indoor and outdoor furniture, house decor and other home improvement projects. Below are just a few of the easiest ones even beginners will have little trouble making.
Halloween Wood Pallet Projects
Halloween may have passed once you read this but that doesn’t mean you can’t make spooky decor out of wooden pallets anymore. At the very least, you’ll have an idea what to make in time for next year’s trick or treating fun.
Put a rustic twist to your Jack O’ Lantern by making one out of wooden pallets. First, you’ll need to cut the pallets to your desired size for your lantern. An ideal size would be 4” x 9” for the front, back and sides. The top and bottom of your hanging Halloween lamp should be larger than the sides put together. You’ll also need a smaller square for your top cap.
Draw the face at the center of the front pallet then drill holes inside the shapes you’ve drawn. This is where the blade of your jigsaw will go so you can cut off the face of your Jack O’ Lantern. Sand each board along with the face you just cut out. Next, put your box together using wood glue, clamps, screws, and nails. You can paint the lamp orange then sand a bit to get that rustic look. Another option is to use stain. Finally, insert an eye screw on the top cap, hang on your porch and place an LED candle inside.
Pallet Christmas Tree
A wooden Christmas tree is perhaps one of the easiest pallet projects you can do. Start off by arranging the boards horizontally and cutting out the shape of a tree. Nail or glue them to another board, which will serve as the trunk of your DIY Christmas tree.
For your Christmas lights, you can simply use the ones you can buy from the store and place it on the tree. A better option would be to drill holes on the boards big enough to fit the sockets of string lights.
Place the sockets on the holes before attaching the bulbs. Make sure the wires are well hidden behind the boards. You can cut a star out of the leftover wood to complete your pallet Christmas tree. Plug in and enjoy the holiday spirit.
Wooden Signs
Pallet signs are similar to the DIY Christmas tree above. You just need to cut and arrange the pallet boards to your desired size and shape before attaching a bracket behind. You will need to sand the surface according to your desired texture. Next, paint or print your message or image on the surface.
Pallet Clock
To make a pallet clock, follow the same steps you did for the wooden signs. You can arrange the boards in any manner. You’ll also want to sand the surface and paint it over along with the numbers. Drill a hole at the center for the clock mechanism. After slipping the mechanism through the hole, attach the clock hands.
Pallet Treasure Chest
Everyone needs some place to keep everything that is dearest to your heart. Pirates kept theirs in treasure chests, which they buried or hid in caves. You don’t need to do that but a pallet pirate chest seems like a good place to hide your valuables such as family photos, record collection, and mint condition comic books.
Start off by cutting the wood into the shape of your treasure chest. The lower part, which is the main compartment, is shaped like a box. The cover, meanwhile, is curved.
After assembling the compartment and the cover, attach them to each other with a couple of antique brass hinges. Sand the wood and apply stain to make it look like a genuine pirate chest. Finally, attach the brass handles and latch.
Pallet Planter/Vertical Garden
If you’re running out of space for your herbs and other plants, you can make these pallet projects to good use. A pallet vertical garden or planter doesn’t require much hammering and sawing. Just get your hands on a yet-to-be-disassembled pallet.
You will be using the back of the pallet so you better be sure there are no nails sticking out. Cover the back and sides with landscape fabric. Make sure it’s tightly secured to the pallet using a stapler.
Fill your vertical garden with potting soil. Transfer the seedlings or starter plants. Take care of your plants as you would those in traditional yards and farms so you’ll be a bit more self-sufficient.
Some of the wooden pallet projects listed here are easier than the others. The ease and quality of your work may depend on the tools available to you. If you are serious about your newfound hobby of woodworking, you may want to invest on some quality hand and power tools. To learn about the different woodworking tools you’ll need, visit The Gentleman Pirate.
Woodworking is not limited to recycled pallet projects. There are tons of ideas you can get from sawdust-addict.com. Check them out to learn about the proper techniques, tools, and lots of other things about woodworking.
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