Table made from hardwood pallets

I have only been playing around with wood for 2 months now, and at the start of September i decided to build a table after i completed a coffee table with built in planter box. My ambition vs my ability was very out of whack..lol. I found that the hardwood pallets were mostly gum, so it gave some great assorted colours and grains. I don't have a plan, i just start to build and work from there. Staring at the wood for ideas...lol. The feet were built from the pallet braces, and combining them together. After i sanded it back, i then oiled it twice with 50:50 Linseed and turps, while sanding in between coats. After that i finished off with a couple of coats of Wax applied with Steel wool. Pretty happy with end result.

Added a piece on top to protect table a bit.

My first attempt at inside furniture. Coffee Table with Planter Box.

Find more posts tagged with

Craft and Hobbies

Furniture

Building and Construction

Recycling and Upcycling

Accepted answers

All comments

DIY19

Wow!! Congratulations. They look amazing. Very cleaver indeed.

dean

Thank you.

Bundaboy

That is sensational! well done, you obviously have a "knack". I particularly like the legs (and esp. the feet).

I must say though, I have been using pallets for 8 years now for various things and have yet to come across a hardwood pallet, perhaps it's a locality thing. I am jealous.

dean

Thank you for you kind comments. There are many hardwood pallets around. Look around industrial sites. They are much better than the pine, and are usually spotted gum. Only thing is they are very heavy..lol..

Bundaboy

Thanks mate, alas I live in a country area so there is not a lot of industry so that probably explains the absence of hardwood pallets, they do exist but they are generally of the blue type or similar and thus are returned to the owner.

I did find one once, but when I got it home I discovered it was marked MB grrrr!

Cheers.

Jason

Congratulations @dean. You have every right to feel proud of your creation. It's a beautiful table that I'm sure you will be able to enjoy for many years.

We're really pleased to have you join the community and trust that you'll get loads of helpful information, advice and inspiration for new projects from other members. Please feel free to post anytime you need a hand or have something to share. And let me know if you ever need assistance getting the most from the site or have any feedback about how we can improve Workshop for you.

Thanks again for sharing,

Jason

dean

Thanks Jason, as i am still learning, and trying to understand the wood that i am working with. I am sure that i will come up against problems..lol, such as movement, which i am reading up on. I will see how they go over the summer.. I am just finishing a Butchers block/island bench, so i will also share when it done.

bluemoonskye

Hi Bundaboy, what does MB mean, on pallets?

thx in advance

TerryN

G/day Dean,Your project came up great.Well done.It looks terrific against the exposed brickwork. I've done a few bits and pieces from discarded pine pallets but the hardwood ones are quite rare these days.(here at least)

Again,well done.

dean

Thanks Terry, many hardwood pallets become landfill, so i keep my eye out around industrial sites, where they are just left out on the curb.I started with pine, and when i discovered the hardwood pallets were mostly spotted gum, i could not resist.

dean

Methyl Bromide (Stamp and code: MB), a harmful chemical used to fumigate pallets which makes it bug-resistant; perfect for import/export shipping.

As a general rule of thumb, avoid using MB (Methyl Bromide) stamped or coloured pallets for any of your projects.

Pallets with no stamps or codes are referred to as “national pallets” and are used for domestic freight/shipping. Though they are not treated with chemicals it is hard to tell where all pallets come from and what they were used for, e.g. a pesticide company or chemical processing company to name a few.

Bundaboy

Hi bluemoonskye, I see your question has already been answered but as a matter of courtesy I will duplicate it, MB is a stamp present on a pallet that has been treated with Methyl Bromide, a quite toxic chemical.

In general, the "pallet recycling" community recommend only using pallets stamped "HT" = Heat Treated which is obviously much safer to use.

In truth the pallet manufacturing industry indicates that the MB gases off within 48 hours or so, and actually supports those pallets thus treated being reused for other purposes, but for most, including myself, it's a "better safe than sorry" approach.

It's important to note that MB was the fumigant of choice in Australia for many import/exports, until 2005 when it was decided to phase it out, not because of it's toxicity, but because it is a an ozone depletion substance.

It is still used to fumigate imported and exported stockfeed.

Old-gal24

@dean All I can say is wow, wow and wow again. This is a perfect example of trash into treasure... Great to see the old pallet brought back to life, better than it was before..

Keep up your amazing work and @dean please please share. It gives us LEARNERS that don't have the chance or the talent to be able to make something so lovely - the HOPE that we may some day create something half as lovely.

This Old Gal

redracer01

Fantastic, amazing work!

Bryan2409

May I have some details on how you constructed the legs for the table please.

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Workshop community @Bryan2409. It's great to have you join us!

Let me notify @dean of your question to see if they are able to provide some assistance. The legs they have created have some elegant construction techniques and it would be great to hear in some detail how they were made.

You'll find many creative members contributing amazing projects and knowledge here daily. I trust they'll provide some great inspiration for your own projects.

If you need assistance or have something to share please don't hesitate to hit that "Start a discussion" button.

Mitchell

dean

@Bryan2409

Hi Brian, i created the legs and feet with the batons from the hardwood pallets. I first glued them together and the screwed them. i then created the extra bits to sit on top. The legs were the same. I really had no plan, as for anything i have built. I sit there and stare at the wood, and get ideas, and start from there..lol As this was one of my first things i built, i learnt a lot from my mistakes.. lol. I have attached some photos. PS..as this is hardwood from pallets, i am dealing with wood that is not straight - as you can see there is a bow in the legs..lol..that makes it more fun...

Bryan2409

Thank you very much Dean, much appreciated. Job well done my friend.

dean

No worries Bryan2409, as i mentioned in the original post it was a sheer mix up of ambition verses ability..lol. But i managed to pull it off.. I was just amazed how it came up when i oil and waxed it all.. The grain popped.

Child Item