Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[gtaus]

I like your arch! Someone mentioned in another thread that the staples would quickly rust away. If that's a problem, there are stainless steel T-50 staples available that you could use next time for outdoor projects. The Arrow brand are naturally more expensive than off brand stainless staples. Good Work on the cart, too!

https://www.amazon.com/ARROW-Staple...-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

Thanks for the tip on the staples. I'll keep on eye on any rusting and early failure. I did not know that Arrow sells stainless-steel staples. Actually, I never paid attention to what they are made out of. So, I'll be looking at getting some of those stainless-steel staples as well. I do have a bag full of the heavy duty fence post staples, if needed, but I think the stainless steel Arrow staples sounds like a better option if they hold good.

As to the pallet wood mobile bench top cart, it's just a simple pallet project that comes in very handy for me. It's a portable work bench at a comfortable height. Works great for potting up plants, too.

 

[Plants_Pets_Projects]

Pallet Wood Mobile Work Bench update

A while back I posted how I made a work bench out of a pallet for one of my tow-behind garden carts. It was a very simple project. All I did was screw on some scrap 2X4's to the bottom of the pallet so the pallet would fit snug on the cart and not move all around. Anyways, the riding mower that I was using to tow the cart up and died on me. The engine went bad and the head mechanic at our local Fleet store told me that the problem was internal to the engine, and it was not worth spending the money to rebuild the old engine. So, I have put my ~40 year old Snapper rider back into service and here it is hooked up to the pallet wood mobile work bench...

View attachment 3543740

I can easily slide the pallet forward/backward on the cart and store my tools inside the cart. Then I just drive everything out to the location where I want to work. I'm a big fan of using regular sawhorses, but sometimes it is just easier to have a bench top to work on.

No jokes about the old Snapper, please. I have had lots of bigger riding mowers come and go over the years. This old Snapper still remains. Got to respect that, I guess.

This is brilliant!

 

[Sally PB]

No jokes about the old Snapper, please. I have had lots of bigger riding mowers come and go over the years. This old Snapper still remains. Got to respect that, I guess.

No jokes, much respect!

Our 40(?) year old refrigerator is still running. Probably sucks down the electricity, but dang! it's still going. We bought it used 29 years ago for $167, delivered, installed.

 

[gtaus]

Here's a copy of a post I made to the gardening thread. I'm posting it here, too, and adding a little bit more info you related to the pallet wood build specs...

I saw on YouTube that fresh cut grass clippings, about 1-2 inches thick, make an excellent top mulch for the gardens. So, I mulched up a couple raised beds the other day with grass clippings.

Eggplants and peppers in this pallet wood raised bed I made last year...

Tomato plants here in my newly designed pallet wood raised bed I built this year...

I like the looks of the green grass clippings. Another option I was considering was using unfinished compost from the chicken run. Anybody got some thoughts or suggestions on top mulch options that work for them? Thanks.

Additional Info for the pallet wood build specs: The top photo pallet wood raised bed design from last year used pocket hole screws to hold the frames to the 4X4 posts. Pocket hole screws are not extremely expensive, but I figured I had about ~$5.00 in pocket hole screws in that build.

The lower picture of the newly designed pallet wood raised bed did not require any pocket hole screws, just basic wood screws. I estimated that I spent maybe ~65 cents on this new build. Also, this new design is much easier and faster to build because it does not require any pocket hole drilling and screwing. Using pocket hole screws on last year's design takes more time than this new design using basic wood screws straight on into the wood. Also, I really wanted to use up some of those 2X4's with the forklift cutouts in a pallet project. I think the cutouts, in the new raised beds, look pretty good.

I just thought photos having both pallet wood designs, filled with plants and top mulched, give a nice comparison of the designs that I have been building. Both pallet wood raised beds are 4X4 feet. Our big box stores sell kits for these type of raised beds but they cost about $150.00. And, I don't think those kits are as strong as these pallet wood raised beds I built for a fraction of the price of those store kits.

For comparison, here is a kit from Menards of a 2X4 foot raised bed - costs $210.00

It would take 2 of those 2X4 foot kits and over $400 to make one equivalent 4X4 pallet wood raised bed that I built for less than $1.00. Makes me feel pretty good about building my own garden beds out of pallet wood.

 

[gtaus]

Our 40(?) year old refrigerator is still running. Probably sucks down the electricity, but dang! it's still going. We bought it used 29 years ago for $167, delivered, installed.

Yep, those old refrigerators were built to last. Unfortunately, they typically suck down about 3X the amount of electricity as a new model. Sometimes it makes sense to replace an older appliance that is still working just on the cost of the electricity usage. I have a Kill-A-Watt meter that shows me how much electricity my appliances use and that helps me decide when to replace that old unit.

I usually hang on to something until it dies, but sometimes it makes more sense to replace an old appliance with a newer energy efficient model. The Kill-A-Watt meter helps me make those type of decisions because they measure actual energy used.

My brother replaced an old freezer with a new energy efficient model and the money he saved on electricity paid for the new freezer in less than one year. He was happy.

 

[Sally PB]

We have thought about replacing the fridge. Except that a new one is about $700-1000, and we have seen two (!) die where we worked within 10 years of being purchased.

 

[gtaus]

We have thought about replacing the fridge. Except that a new one is about $700-1000, and we have seen two (!) die where we worked within 10 years of being purchased.

My brother replaced his fridge a couple years ago. It died last month - less than 2 years old. Fortunately, it was still under warranty, so he got a new one.

But a person really does not have much confidence in a new appliance when they just don't last very long. I had to replace a freezer last year, and I assume that it will only last as long as the warranty period and probably not much longer.

Anyways, the Kill-A-Watt meter lets you know how much you are actually spending on running your old appliance and that helps you calculate whether or not to replace it with a newer energy efficient model.

Ideas for old fridges/freezers....

Or, in line with the pallet project theme, add some wood around the unit...

 

[gtaus]

This is brilliant!

Thanks. It's not much more than a pallet sitting on top of the garden cart. It took less than 5 minutes for me to screw on some scrap 2X4's to the bottom to custom fit the pallet to the cart. That helps prevent the pallet from sliding off the cart when I tow it around the yard.

It's a lot easier for me to tow the work bench out to the yard then bringing everything back to the garage. Instead of putting everything on the ground where I am working, I can just use the mobile work bench for staging my tools. That's a lot less bending over during the day and makes things a little better for the back.

For now, I have decided to keep the top as is, with spacing between the pallet planks. I like being able to drop stuff between the boards into the cart. I have considered putting a solid top on the pallet, or maybe half solid/half spaced, but so far this pallet has worked for me as is.

 

[Smokerbill]

Or, in line with the pallet project theme, add some wood around the unit...

My, wouldn't that make an awesome party size beer cooler!

 

[gtaus]

View attachment 3544466

My, wouldn't that make an awesome party size beer cooler!

I guess we all see different possibilities in things!