Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[gtaus]

Tool Review using the Jawhorse for pallet work.

Tested out my new Harbor Freight Bauer Jawhorse that I bought yesterday. Very happy so far with its performance. Tested it out to hold a pallet while I prepared to cut off the slats with my circular saw....

As you can see, I clamped the pallet on to the stand and was able to cut the wood slats without bending over. Very nice to do everything at waist level.

When I was done cutting the slats, I clamped down the 2X4 stretchers to pull the nails out of them. Worked much better than my lightweight folding work benches with the plastic clamp handles. I could get the 2X4 into the Jawhorse clamp and clamp it down really tight. Does not move after that.

One nice bonus feature I liked is that my round magnetic tool holder, which you can see on top of the Jawhorse, holds fast to the metal. More than once that magnetic dish would bounce off my wood top on the folding workbench. Don't have that problem anymore with the all metal Jawhorse.

I watched a YouTube video where a guy hacked his Jawhorse by attaching one of those magnetic tool strips to a leg of his Jawhorse. That way, when you are not using that tool, you just slap it on the magnetic strip and there it sits until you need it. I can see that in my future.

I am looking forward to using this Jawhorse outside where I have my pallets stacked up for storage. That is when I think I will appreciate this tool even more. Supposedly, the tripod structure of the feet on the Jawhorse provide greater stability (compared to a four legged design) on uneven ground, like outside on a work site. Also, the third leg in the back can use either the pads like the front, or you can position the back footpad out of the way and stick the remaining leg pole down into the ground for increased stability.

How easy will it be to just clamp down a pallet on the Jawhorse anywhere out in the yard and have a portable workbench? As much as I like my mobile pallet wood modular workbenches I built, they are only designed to be used inside the shop or garage.

Just a quick review after only one use, I can say that I was able to take apart the pallet and de-nail the wood faster than when I used my other folding benches. This Jawhorse is much more stable that what I have been using. Even when working out on the end of the board, farthest from the center of the Jawhorse, I had no problem getting the nails out as I pried on the wood. You can also step on the foot peg of the Jawhorse leg to give it even more stability and give yourself more leverage when pulling the nails.

Clamping, unclamping, positioning, and repositioning your project on the Jawhorse is really easy and that, believe it or not, ends up saving you a lot of time and effort.

The biggest difference I immediately noticed is that I did not put much stress on my back because I was always working on the pallet at waist height. Not only am I getting older and things like stress on the back are more concerning, but also my (unheated) garage was only 33F this afternoon, so any back workout stress would have been augmented by the cold. Anytime I can do something without constantly bending over, the better it is for me.

Obviously, I have lived many years without this tool. But I am at an age where I really don't mind spending some money on tools that allow me to enjoy my hobbies longer without tearing up my aging body. This tool certainly is in that category. It's not a necessity, but boy do I appreciate the time and labor-saving aspects of this Jawhorse. I can see me using this Jawhorse a lot for my pallet projects, certainly worked good for a pallet breakdown this afternoon.

 

[ChicksnMore]

Tool Review using the Jawhorse for pallet work.

Tested out my new Harbor Freight Bauer Jawhorse that I bought yesterday. Very happy so far with its performance. Tested it out to hold a pallet while I prepared to cut off the slats with my circular saw....

View attachment 3448807

As you can see, I clamped the pallet on to the stand and was able to cut the wood slats without bending over. Very nice to do everything at waist level.

When I was done cutting the slats, I clamped down the 2X4 stretchers to pull the nails out of them. Worked much better than my lightweight folding work benches with the plastic clamp handles. I could get the 2X4 into the Jawhorse clamp and clamp it down really tight. Does not move after that.

View attachment 3448809

One nice bonus feature I liked is that my round magnetic tool holder, which you can see on top of the Jawhorse, holds fast to the metal. More than once that magnetic dish would bounce off my wood top on the folding workbench. Don't have that problem anymore with the all metal Jawhorse.

I watched a YouTube video where a guy hacked his Jawhorse by attaching one of those magnetic tool strips to a leg of his Jawhorse. That way, when you are not using that tool, you just slap it on the magnetic strip and there it sits until you need it. I can see that in my future.

I am looking forward to using this Jawhorse outside where I have my pallets stacked up for storage. That is when I think I will appreciate this tool even more. Supposedly, the tripod structure of the feet on the Jawhorse provide greater stability (compared to a four legged design) on uneven ground, like outside on a work site. Also, the third leg in the back can use either the pads like the front, or you can position the back footpad out of the way and stick the remaining leg pole down into the ground for increased stability.

How easy will it be to just clamp down a pallet on the Jawhorse anywhere out in the yard and have a portable workbench? As much as I like my mobile pallet wood modular workbenches I built, they are only designed to be used inside the shop or garage.

Just a quick review after only one use, I can say that I was able to take apart the pallet and de-nail the wood faster than when I used my other folding benches. This Jawhorse is much more stable that what I have been using. Even when working out on the end of the board, farthest from the center of the Jawhorse, I had no problem getting the nails out as I pried on the wood. You can also step on the foot peg of the Jawhorse leg to give it even more stability and give yourself more leverage when pulling the nails.

Clamping, unclamping, positioning, and repositioning your project on the Jawhorse is really easy and that, believe it or not, ends up saving you a lot of time and effort.

The biggest difference I immediately noticed is that I did not put much stress on my back because I was always working on the pallet at waist height. Not only am I getting older and things like stress on the back are more concerning, but also my (unheated) garage was only 33F this afternoon, so any back workout stress would have been augmented by the cold. Anytime I can do something without constantly bending over, the better it is for me.

Obviously, I have lived many years without this tool. But I am at an age where I really don't mind spending some money on tools that allow me to enjoy my hobbies longer without tearing up my aging body. This tool certainly is in that category. It's not a necessity, but boy do I appreciate the time and labor-saving aspects of this Jawhorse. I can see me using this Jawhorse a lot for my pallet projects, certainly worked good for a pallet breakdown this afternoon.

That thing does look handy. Gotta love back and knee savers

 

[gtaus]

That thing does look handy. Gotta love back and knee savers

Yep, I try to give a fair perspective on why I am liking the Jawhorse so much. When my father was alive, we used to do so many projects together. I never thought about having a second person around to hold something until you don't have a second person anymore. Then you discover that many of the "easy" jobs you used to do together are just a bit more challenging on your own. Many of my tool purchases after my father's passing have been to act as a third hand and allow me to effectively, and safely, work alone.

Dear Wife sees me bring home new tools and asks me why I had to buy it. My go to answer is always, "Because I am getting older and I work alone." She is OK with that answer and that is the end of the inquisition.

Sad thing is, it's usually a truthful answer.

The Jawhorse is definitely a third hand helper for those who work alone. You can quickly clamp lots on it to hold it tight so you can cut, hammer, or bang on the item. It also elevates the action to waist height, so you don't have to bend over. I immediately saw the advantage to me and thought I would share my experience. Some tools are worth a shout out and I think the Jawhorse is one of them. Especially for those people, like me, that are getting on in age and are working alone. If I find a tool that allows me to enjoy my hobbies for a few years longer, it's worth a post.

 

[ChicksnMore]

Yep, I try to give a fair perspective on why I am liking the Jawhorse so much. When my father was alive, we used to do so many projects together. I never thought about having a second person around to hold something until you don't have a second person anymore. Then you discover that many of the "easy" jobs you used to do together are just a bit more challenging on your own. Many of my tool purchases after my father's passing have been to act as a third hand and allow me to effectively, and safely, work alone.

Dear Wife sees me bring home new tools and asks me why I had to buy it. My go to answer is always, "Because I am getting older and I work alone." She is OK with that answer and that is the end of the inquisition.

Sad thing is, it's usually a truthful answer.

The Jawhorse is definitely a third hand helper for those who work alone. You can quickly clamp lots on it to hold it tight so you can cut, hammer, or bang on the item. It also elevates the action to waist height, so you don't have to bend over. I immediately saw the advantage to me and thought I would share my experience. Some tools are worth a shout out and I think the Jawhorse is one of them. Especially for those people, like me, that are getting on in age and are working alone. If I find a tool that allows me to enjoy my hobbies for a few years longer, it's worth a post.

I work alone a lot too. Definitely gets harder with age. Thanks for sharing

 

[fuzzi]

New tool alert!

I bought a new tool today at Harbor Freight that I hope I will find useful for lots of things in the garage workshop, including my pallet projects. It is the $150.00 35 in. Hands-Free Portable Clamping Workstation, 600 lb. Capacity ...

which is a clone of the more expensive $250.00 Rockwell Jawhorse. (Current prices as of the date of this post).

The Harbor Freight Jawhorse is normally $150.00, like I said, but is currently on sale for $99.00. Plus, I had a coupon worth $5.00 in Harbor Freight money which I used on this purchase. I have a Harbor Freight store credit card that pays me back 5% in all purchases at Harbor Freight and gives me "Harbor Freight money" which I can only use at Harbor Freight on future purchases.

Maybe I had too much time on my hands and watched too many YouTube reviews of the Jawhorse, but it really looks like a tool I absolutely needed to have! What sold me on the Jawhorse was all the guys were saying, "If you work alone, this is the third hand you always wanted." I said, "Hey, that's me!"

Actually, I started off looking for a bench vise or clamp for some of the pallet wood workbenches I built last summer. But most of those bench vises and clamps cost around $100 just for the vise. So, I kept the vise/clamp idea in mind on my "someday to buy" wish list, but it never worked its way up to the top.

Then I saw a few videos of the Rockwell Jawhorse and thought that was a neat tool, but I did not want to spend $250.00 on it. Almost by accident, I watched a video on the Harbor Freight "Jawhorse" copy and saw that it was on sale for $99.00. That was more in line with my budget. So, I looked into the HF Jawhorse knockoff v. the original Rockwell Jawhorse and the video reviews were very postive on the HF Jawhorse. In fact, one guy had both models and he showed how you could take off the clamping pieces from one Jawhorse and use them on the other! Exact fit!

When I am working with pallet wood, I often need to clamp the wood in a strong vise so I can pull out the nails on those 2X4 stretchers. I have a small Work-Mate bench that I use, but it's not very strong and I don't dare to pound on it at all. It's also too light to provide much counterweight. I had one of those benches that I tried to hammer in a nail on some wood and just broke the benchtop wood in half. The clamps on those small workbenches work OK, but when start to pull nails, it usually pulls the wood out of the vise unless you have one hand on the wood and push it down.

I bought my small $20 folding workbench from Menards many years ago, and it's still working. They look like this...

The problem is that the folding workbench is really only good for very light duty work. The folding workbench itself is less than 10 pounds of weight - compared to the HF Jawhorse which weighs about 42 pounds. Also, notice that the workbench clamps are plastic and you cannot clamp anything with much force before you would break the plastic. On the other hand, the HF jawhorse uses a jack type system which has 1,000 lbs of locking force. That's a big difference!

Another feature I look forward to using on the HF Jawhorse is the anvil on top of the vise...

View attachment 3447572

I watched one video where the guy said that anvil on the clamp head was great for pounding bent nails straight. Perfect! I have a couple of bins in my storage case full of bent pallet wood nails that need a little persuasion before I can reuse them. But I did not have anything to pound them out on. Now I do.

Obviously, I will be using this Jawhorse for lots of things in addition to my pallet projects. If you want a general idea of what the Jawhorse can do, here are a few videos for your enjoyment... (***Note: Prices in the videos are from years ago.)

As always, if anyone has any experience in using the Jawhorse for pallet work, please let me know how you use it. Thanks.

I got one of those folding work benches, but from Aldi's. We don't have a Menards nearby.

 

[fuzzi]

I created a roost for my chicks out of pallets:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fuzzis-chicken-journal.1550586/post-26620026

I think they like it...

 

[gtaus]

I got one of those folding work benches, but from Aldi's. We don't have a Menards nearby.

I actually have 3 of those folding work benches and have used them a lot over the past ~30 years or so. 2 of the folding work benches are pretty light duty, but the third one is stronger. I can't complain about them in the sense that they have served me well for many years.

I did not really become aware of the Jawhorse until a few weeks ago. For some reason, at about 2am in the morning, I watched a YouTube on using the Jawhorse and how it was really good as a clamping third hand for those of us that work alone. Sounded like an interesting tool, but the original Rockwell Jawhorse costs something like $250.00 online. That was too much money for me for what I thought was a sawhorse with a clamp.

But our new Harbor Freight store has their Bauer (knock-off) Jawhorse which normally costs $150.00 and it just so happens to be on sale for $99.00. After watching a number of YouTube videos on the HF Jawhorse v. the Rockwell Jawhorse, I decided to give the HF Jawhorse a good try.

I was impressed with the unit and that is why I posted my "tool review" here. For those who have been following this thread, I have been posting little reviews on the tools I use for breaking down pallets and building my pallet projects. Sometimes I get confirmation on my review and sometimes I get suggestions for other tools to try out.

The older I get, the more I am willing to spend money on tools that allow me to enjoy my hobbies.

 

[gtaus]

I created a roost for my chicks out of pallets:

That is some creative idea there! Love how the chickens can sit outside in the sun or go inside and relax in the shade. Very good use of full pallets and some scrap lumber. Anyone could build that roost in almost no time. Thanks for sharing.

Will have to check out updates on your journal link, too. Thanks.

 

[gtaus]

I created a roost for my chicks out of pallets:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fuzzis-chicken-journal.1550586/post-26620026

Very nice journal thread. Just started looking it over. Thanks for the link. I am borrowing your pallet roost build from your journal thread and copying that info here. I think lots of people interested in pallet builds might be interested in how you built it as well.

Following info copied from https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fuzzis-chicken-journal.1550586/post-26620026 ...

Working on the roost!

I took my two best pallets and leaned them against each other, adjusting until I got the angle I wanted. I slipped a couple 2x4s through to help keep them upright while I inserted long wood screws.

I wanted to use some 2x8 boards across the top, but they didn't cover the pallet end openings, so I yanked a couple boards off other pallets to fill in the gaps, screwed them down tightly:

Then I was able to add the larger boards to make a nice level roosting area on top:

I did use a piece of lattice as a shim, you can see it in the middle, where the boards meet

Then I added 2x4 pieces to make stairs, but staggering them as much as possible to prevent the chickens from on each other:

All the 2x4 steps are attached to both pallets. The entire roost felt solid when I moved it over to the side of the coop.

Once the chicks leave the brooder I will move this to the spot under the tarp and put some straw underneath. The base is wide enough for even me to reach under it, or rake it out.



Follow my journal here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fuzzis-chicken-journal.1550586/

 

[fuzzi]

That is some creative idea there! Love how the chickens can sit outside in the sun or go inside and relax in the shade. Very good use of full pallets and some scrap lumber. Anyone could build that roost in almost no time. Thanks for sharing.

Will have to check out your journal link, too. Thanks.

Thanks for the feedback. I didn't want to attach a roost bar to the coop frame or damage the hardware cloth integrity, so the solution for me was a free-standing roost. And I had several pallets lying around that I hadn't used to create the coop.

I have a very basic working knowledge of hand tools, but haven't done much aside from simple tasks such as hanging pictures and building small shelves. Building my hoop coop gave me a better feel for tools and how to use them. Now I'm totally comfortable with my cordless drill, but still am a bit hesitant and anxious with the circular saw...I say a prayer for protection before I make any cuts!