Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[gtaus]

Update: Major Failure on my Harbor Freight Bauer Clamping Workstation.

I initially gave this product a 5 star rating after a few uses. I really loved how well it clamped tight on the pieces I was working on. It was the third hand I needed. Today, everything started slipping out of the clamp and I could not get it to hold. I took off the top clamp plate, turned it over, and discovered that the tracks underneath the piece were bent up a good 1/4 inch, causing the teeth of the clamping mechanism to slip.

I don't know how well you see it in this picture, but I put a piece of wood at the spot where the metal was bent and indented about 1/4 inch. You can see where the teeth on the clamping mechanism have been slipping.

I have maybe 10 hours of use on this workstation, and it has failed due to poor quality of the metal where it counts - on the clamping track underneath the movable clamp piece.

I will be talking to my local HF manager to see what my options are other than returning it for a full refund. This workstation only lasted me about 50 days, so I would never consider another unit with a 90 day warranty knowing it will not last up to the work I expect it to do. If there is an extended warranty replacement for a number of years, it might be worth the cost for that extended warranty time and replace it after that. But my unit did not last 50 days - 10 hours - of actual use and I don't abuse my tools. It's just poor quality metal that failed.

I am really heartbroken to have to report this turn of events. I loved this clamping workstation and used it all the time for my work on pallet breakdowns. Obviously, it failed due to quality of the metal and I would no longer recommend it with a simple 90 day warranty.

If I can work out some kind of exchange with a 3 year warranty, I would consider that, knowing that I most likely will be exchanging it somewhere in that period. If I can work out something other than a simple refund, I'll let you guys know. I really loved this workstation when it was working, but now that it is broke, I'm really disappointed.

UPDATE EDIT 2023-05-21: I talked to the manager at Harbor Freight this afternoon, and, unfortunately, that clamping workstation does not offer an extended warranty at Harbor Freight. So, it's only warrantied for 90 days. My best option at this point is to return it for a full refund. Let me add that I really liked this clamping workstation and am considering buying the Rockwell Jawhorse for $250.00 but comes with a 5-year guarantee. I don't know. Too brokenhearted to decide right now. Another option is putting some kind of wood vise on one of my pallet wood modular workbenches I built last summer.

 

[gtaus]

Well, the topic of the Harbor Freight Bauer workstation came up in the gardening thread, so I'm copying the post here also for those who follow this thread....

Wow, after reading just this part, I was all set to go Harbor Freight and buy one! But after your experience, I'll just stick to my hand "pallet-buster" tool.

It was a real heartbreaker. That Harbor Freight Bauer Clamping Workstation was one of my favorite tools to use in pallet breakdowns. It was so easy to clamp down on some wood and pull out nails, bang on the wood, etc... I initially gave the workstation a 5 star review. After the unit broke, and how it broke due to the metal bending, I wrote a new 1 star review on the product which I hope will warn others of the inferior quality of the product and that there is no after sale support. All you can depend on is the 90-day return period at Harbor Freight.

BTW, I did return the workstation to HF and got my money back. But, I would really have been more happy if the unit was still working.

Because I liked the concept and function of these clamping workstations so much, I am now considering paying more money for the original Rockwell JawHorse at Home Depot.

For comparison, Let me list the specs I found out to compare the original Rockwell JawHorse to the knock off Harbor Freight Bauer Clamping Workstation.

Rockwell JawHorse
Price: $231.85
Warranty: 5 years
Clamping Strength: 2,200 lbs.
Estimated cost of unit over warranty period: $231.85/5 years = $46.37 per year.

Harbor Freight Bauer Clamping Workstation
Price: $149.99
Warranty: 90 days or 0.25 years
Clamping Strength: 1,000 lbs.
Estimated cost of unit over warranty period: $149.99/0.25 years = $599.96 per year.
Estimated cost of unit over warranty period at sale price of $99.97 = $99.97/0.25 years = $399.88 per year.

As you can see, the estimated cost over warranty period of the HF unit, even on sale, does not come close to the more expensive original Rockwell JawHorse. I will looking for the JawHorse ot go on sale at Home Depot and then maybe buy it. I'm all into saving money, but you can see that if the HF unit dies after that 90 day return period, you lost everything. Sometimes it makes more sense to pay more money for a higher quality product with a longer warranty. I think this is one of those times.

I suspect that the original JawHorse with 2,200 lbs of clamping strength is using a much higher quality steel than the HF Bauer unit with 1,000 lbs of clamping strength. Also, I have looked all over the internet and have yet to find a review on the JawHorse where the metal has bent on the clamping track.

So, yeah, I am back to using my pallet buster and other tools for pallet breakdowns. I am also looking at making a DIY clamp to hold the wood - like the clamping workstation - because I really got work done a lot faster being able to clamp down on the wood and go to work. It just made things easier having that third hand.

 

[gtaus]

Also, I posted a few comments on my new Air Locker AP700 nail puncher which I use for my pallet breakdowns....

I like Harbor Freight for tools I like to have on hand but know I'm not going to use very often. But for things I know I'll use a lot, I'd rather get top or mid-level recognized brands with good reviews. Harbor Freight carries a lot of Chinese knockoffs, which can be OK for some things (I got my greenhouse from there and it's been OK) but not for serious, go-to tools.

I am in 100% agreement. I look to save money on consumables and Harbor Freight has been the leader in that area for many products. I will also buy cheap tools for a specific job knowing that I probably will never use that tool again. But when it comes to tools I expect to use a lot, I'll pay more money for higher quality and longer warranties.

Speaking of putting my money where my mouth is... I recently bought an Air Locker AP700 in a kit with an extra driver at Amazon. It was about $15.00 more than the less expensive knock-off brands, but the less expensive ones had short warranties and no ability to replace the drive if/when the driver breaks. From what I understand, those drivers will eventually wear out or break. With the Air Locker, you can replace the driver for about $15.00 and have a working tool again. In the knock-off brands, when that driver wears out or breaks, you have to replace the entire tool.

BTW, I have been using the Air Locker AP700 for about a week now and really like it. It shoots out nails and speeds up that process about 4X-5X faster than I can do with my old hammer and crowbar. So, it's a tool that I will be keeping.

I love tools that save me time and energy. Both of which are more valuable to me at my age.

FWIW, I got about $5.00 off the Air Locker AP700 kit with driver I ordered because they had a unit with a damaged box. The unit was brand new, but the box had a small tear in it. Heck, I'll take the $5.00 and live with a ripped shipping box that I'll just throw away. I always look for used, open box, or cosmetic damaged items when I shop at Amazon. I have saved lots of money. And, if you don't like the unit, you can just return it for a refund.

 

[gtaus]

I copied the following @Smokerbill post from the gardening thread. Thought someone here might like to read about it...

When I was on my way to Tractor Supply I saw a big pile of long pallets at a place that sets lumber scraps and pallets out by the road for whoever wants to take them. So I'll disassemble them and make a picket fence around the garden to stop the chickens, with a few electric strands above that for the deer.

I might be able to cut the pallets into sections and have ready-made fence panels.

 

[gtaus]

@Smokerbill, would love to see some pictures of what you end up doing with those long pallets. If you get a chance, upload some pics of your pallet project work. Thanks.

 

[Sally PB]

^^ Yeah, me too!

 

[Smokerbill]

I decided to leave them whole, stand them on their sides and support them with t-posts. Why cut them up when they are already configured as fence panels? Much easier, and I don't care what it looks like. I just care that it works.

I didn't get them set up today, but at least I figured out what I'm going to do with them.

 

[gtaus]

I decided to leave them whole, stand them on their sides and support them with t-posts. Why cut them up when they are already configured as fence panels? Much easier, and I don't care what it looks like. I just care that it works.

I didn't get them set up today, but at least I figured out what I'm going to do with them.

Some of my best pallet projects are those that require the least amount of modifications to the pallets themselves. Please upload some pictures of the fence once you have it put together. It helps people visualize what is possible with pallets and how they can be used in different applications.

 

[Sally PB]

Please upload some pictures of the fence once you have it put together.

Second this!

 

[gtaus]

Got my new pallet wood hügelkultur raised bed planted with cherry tomatoes that I started in the house - on my pallet wood seed starting shelf - earlier this spring.

I like to use the square foot gardening system in my raised beds, but I was unsure of the spacing for cherry tomatoes. In the past, I have planted tomatoes one per 4 squares, so my 4X4 raised bed only had 4 tomato plants in them. But when I looked up cherry tomatoes, it said to plant them 1 per square foot. That sounds really cramped to me to have 16 tomato plants in a 4X4 bed. After some thought, I planted these cherry tomato plants 16 inches apart giving me 9 plants for this 4X4 raised bed.

In keeping with the low cost of this bed, I got that white twine for free from the Menards load out shack. I just staple it to the wood where I want and presto, the grid is done! I added the tomato cages later, so everything is done in that bed.

I had 4 cherry tomato plants leftover, so I planted them in one of my older 4X4 foot raised beds but spaced them out 1 plant per 4 squares. That should give me a good idea of what spacing works better for the cherry tomato plants. 4 or 9 plants per 4X4 foot bed.

FWIW, I really like the design of this new pallet wood raised bed and even more so now that it is filled with topsoil/compost and I have plants growing in it. It looks even better in real life than in this picture.