Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[gtaus]

I really want to finish the pallet modular workbenches because they are going to be used as storage underneath the benchtop.

Yeah, it's been like 18F here and all my outside work has come to stop. Got caught up on going through all the junk mail and other business stuff that was not very important. So, mainly catching up on inside jobs at the moment.

One of the things I was thinking about today was that these 2X4 foot modular workbenches that I plan on making with built in storage bins, shelves, or drawers for storage underneath will really come in handy this winter to store my paint and spray cans inside the house. Things that I don't want to freeze in my unheated garage. The narrow 2 foot width of the workbenches will be easy to get through my house doors. Probably will end up with 1 or 2 of those benches for storage downstairs in the basement for the winter.

Oh yeah, should be great to stack on a boat battery or two for the winter. Also, all the riding lawn mower batteries need to be stored away for the winter. Better to store them in the basement and not let them freeze in the garage.

I bought 4 of those dollies at Harbor Freight this past weekend when they were on sale for $10.00 per dolly. That gives me 4 sets of wheels for the modular workbenches. I also got that OSB board cut into 4 benchtops. So, I have lots of stuff ready to put together when it warms up.

We are supposed to see some warmer weather this weekend, so I hope I have enough energy left for one final push to complete the modular workbenches and finish cleaning out the garage before winter snows. Too early....

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

are there any happy neighbors at all?

This is why as much as I hate we only have a little bit of land, I just LOVE LOVE LOVE our location! We have one neighbor who is .25 miles from us. Our yards are unseen by each other, unless they drive by then they see ours, but we NEVER see theirs. (Dead end road to boot!!) Any other "neighbors" we have are a least a mile away and on a different road!!! It's super secluded and peaceful, though if I could change one thing, we would be on the dead end

Looks really good. I like that board on board method, so easy, so fast, looks good.

The best way I know of reducing the splitting of boards is to predrill holes in the wood where you use a screw, or nail. I have a 18 gauge brad nailer, and that works works really fast to tack on the boards. OK, for areas that don't require great holding strength. But my brad nailer was >$100.00 and I know you are keeping costs to a minimum. Might be an option to consider in the future.

First off, thank you! It definitely turned out better than I thought it would!
Second, WHY WHY WHY didn't I think of that!!! I am smart enough to know this, I just didn't think abt it! Sigh! Everything is on and secure and a few cracks just add to the rustic charm
Great tip abt the brad nailer!! Thank you.

Looks like a happy pig. Lucky he has such a nice place.

He seems pretty happy. He's most happy when I am in there giving him rubs and scratches! He's just like a dog in that way...he slowly falls to the ground just soaking up the love

Yep, you are living the dream. I keep asking Dear Wife if it's time we get a pig or goats, but she won't budge yet...

Gosh, i do love it!
Seems we are gonna have to wait till next yr to get any other animals. (Turkeys as well, but that was the plan originally) I have my fingers crossed that your Dear Wife will eventually get on board with some other fun little critters!!!

Yeah, it's been like 18F here and all my outside work has come to stop. Got caught up on going through all the junk mail and other business stuff that was not very important. So, mainly catching up on inside jobs at the moment.

Man, it's getting colder here but not 18°F yet! I believe we were at 27°F last night. I am anxious about the colder weather. I DO NOT like to sit still for long periods of time so winter time is hard for me. I am already thinking of indoor projects I can do in order to keep myself busy.
Do you have any indoor project planned for winter??

We are supposed to see some warmer weather this weekend, so I hope I have enough energy left for one final push to complete the modular workbenches and finish cleaning out the garage before winter snows. Too early....

I am sure you'll be able to push through and finish!!! Especially since it'll be one of the last few days of "warm." I assume anyway. That's the direction we are headed as well. A few warmer days are coming up, and I am pretty sure that's the end for us!

beautiful! don't forget ventilation.

Thank you! There will be plenty of ventilation at the top of the build. Just gotta get the roof on!!! (Hopefully during the few warmer days that are coming up)

 

[gtaus]

Do you have any indoor project planned for winter??

I moved some of my woodworking equipment into our main garage. The garage is attached to the house, but unheated. I might get a few more weeks of small indoor jobs before it gets too cold, but once it's cold out in the garage, it's pretty much game over until next spring. I have a small Mr. Buddy propane heater that I can use to heat up the garage if really necessary, but I typically don't heat the garage in the winter unless we have a car breakdown or repair that I can do myself.

FWIW, I used to have electric floor heat in the garage. It worked great, for about 6 years, then the electric wire in the cement burned up. It was a whole class act lawsuit against the electric wire company. Those wires were supposed to last a lifetime - not a mere 6 years. Anyway, sad story, I was overseas serving in the Navy during that time and lost out on any class action damages or reimbursements. So, I got nothing but very expensive burned up wire in the garage (the basement as well).

I have considered adding a wall mounted or ceiling mounted electric heater running on off peak electricity at half the rate, but it's an investment that is not in my current budget. Not just the cost of the electric heater(s), but the cost of the additional $$$ to heat the garage in the winter. I really don't think any small projects I might do in the garage in the middle of the winter would justify the money spent on heating the garage.

 

[chickengr]

Looks really good. I like that board on board method, so easy, so fast, looks good.

The best way I know of reducing the splitting of boards is to predrill holes in the wood where you use a screw, or nail. I have a 18 gauge brad nailer, and that works works really fast to tack on the boards. OK, for areas that don't require great holding strength. But my brad nailer was >$100.00 and I know you are keeping costs to a minimum. Might be an option to consider in the future.



Looks like a happy pig. Lucky he has such a nice place.



Yep, you are living the dream. I keep asking Dear Wife if it's time we get a pig or goats, but she won't budge yet...

I remember a thread here on byc. a lady wanted chickens, her husband said yes sometime in future. 3 years later she bought a few chicks. coop was made within few days. all of them enjoyed having chickens.

 

[chickengr]

He seems pretty happy. He's most happy when I am in there giving him rubs and scratches! He's just like a dog in that way...he slowly falls to the ground just soaking up the love

will you be able to butcher him? I wanted to get pigs but I am not sure I could butcher a dog-like creature.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

will you be able to butcher him? I wanted to get pigs but I am not sure I could butcher a dog-like creature.

This pigs fate was set prior to pick up. His butcher date is set, and I view him as a food pet.

I enjoy them while they are with me treating a butcher animal no different than a non butcher animal

Raising my own meat has been something I've wanted to do for a long time ...I do not think I will back out of his butcher, but if I do...there's a contingency plan..my hubby!

 

[gtaus]

Raising my own meat has been something I've wanted to do for a long time ...I do not think I will back out of his butcher, but if I do...there's a contingency plan..my hubby!

Please don't eat your hubby! He sounds like a nice guy.

More seriously, are you planning to butcher your pet food pig yourself, or is your backup plan to have your hubby butcher the pig? Or do you have someone else scheduled to butcher and process the meat? Just curious on how that works. I have raised small animals, but have never butchered anything bigger than a large goose or meat rabbit.

FWIW, I helped my grandfather butcher animals from a very young age. Mostly ducks, geese, and rabbits back in the day. I think I learned from an early age to respect the process, kill the animal without hesitation to minimize trauma to it, and thank the animal for the sacrifice. So, I grew up knowing where food came from, not thinking it was already prepackaged in the supermarket. I like to think it made me a better person. Long way around to suggesting that you might want to have the minors help in the butchering process so you can pass along your values towards food and respect for the process of raising animals that you will be eating. Sounds like you are already getting the minors involved in the housing and such.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

Please don't eat your hubby! He sounds like a nice guy.

More seriously, are you planning to butcher your pet food pig yourself, or is your backup plan to have your hubby butcher the pig? Or do you have someone else scheduled to butcher and process the meat? Just curious on how that works. I have raised small animals, but have never butchered anything bigger than a large goose or meat rabbit.

Doc has a butcher date of April 26th. We will take him alive to he processed, they will take care of the rest.
Would I love to learn how to butcher and harvest my own meat??? ABSOLUTELY!!!
just haven't gotten that far yet, and I feel I am too new to butchering to just dive in. We have little experience with chickens, and will harvest our own turkeys when the time comes, and our chickens obviously. Minors will eventually help with it if they show interest. I do NOT want to force this lifestyle on them if they do not wish to learn it. I have a few that are extra sensitive, and one that's like 'let's harvest that chicken for dinner tonight.' Skills I want them to have, and they will pick up on a lot of it just being around it. My hubby can process a deer so it's likely we will do that on our own. (Fingers crossed for a good deer season!!)

 

[gtaus]

Minors will eventually help with it if they show interest. I do NOT want to force this lifestyle on them if they do not wish to learn it. I have a few that are extra sensitive, and one that's like 'let's harvest that chicken for dinner tonight.' Skills I want them to have, and they will pick up on a lot of it just being around it.

I never had any children, so I'll leave parenting advise to others. I was a teacher in an elementary and middle school for 6 years, and I do understand that some children are more sensitive than others. As for me, I always wanted to be with grandfather and do whatever he was doing. It was just natural for me. So, butchering small game animals was just one of the things I learned how to do from him.

I told Dear Wife that if we got a pig, or some goats for meat, that I would not want to butcher them myself, either. Do you bring your pig into a processing plant or local butcher? Just curious. I think it would be worth the money to have the animal butchered and the meat all processed and packaged by someone with good equipment. Also, if the pig was kind of a family meat pet, it would put a little distance in the process.

 

[Sally PB]

are there any happy neighbors at all?

I am blessed with 4 sets of nice neighbors. Like getting a new job, you never know what your coworkers will be like. We won the lottery here.

Also, all the riding lawn mower batteries need to be stored away for the winter. Better to store them in the basement and not let them freeze in the garage.

Is this true of all riding lawn mower batteries? Something I should recommend to DH?