Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[StinkyAcres]

Very nice! Those ducks look quite happy. Love the sink drain idea for draining the pool.

How long does the water stay clean? I had ducks and geese years ago, but they made a mess out of everything fast. I don't think I've ever seen duck pool water that clean!

Just a thought, but I think that duck pool water would be great on a compost pile when you drain it. Save all that duck manure in the water to supercharge your compost. Looks like your pallet wood deck duck pond is built on a downhill slant, maybe you could put a garden hose on the sink drain and gravity drain all that water into a compost bin(s) somewhere downhill.

Thanks! The water doesn't stay clean for long. However, they are Muscovies and don't spend as much time in the pool as Mallard-type ducks would. Using the water in the compost is a great idea! My duck pen surrounds our small orchard and right now the pool waters the fruit trees.

 

[gtaus]

If you need more photos, I'd be happy to get them for you.

I'd be interested in knowing how you put in that sink drain. That's a great idea. But I suspect some people (me, anyway) might be hesitant to cut a hole in a kiddie pool unless they knew how to install the drain correctly and make the pool watertight.

Also, it is hard to see how you supported the kiddie pool on the bottom. Did you use extra framing? I'm thinking someone building a deck like yours on flat, level ground might make good use out of a pallet underneath the pool to support it up off the ground for draining, plus that top pallet deck around the rim of the pool.

 

[gtaus]

Thanks! The water doesn't stay clean for long. However, they are Muscovies and don't spend as much time in the pool as Mallard-type ducks would. Using the water in the compost is a great idea! My duck pen surrounds our small orchard and right now the pool waters the fruit trees.

Yeah, no use to waste that duck water. I would think it's got great potential for the compost or fertilizing your fruit trees. I know that chicken poo takes some time to cool off before I can apply it to my garden beds, but is duck poo safe to use right away? Or when diluted in pool water, is it safe to use immediately?

FYI, I live on a lake and when I had ducks and geese they just swam in the lake whenever they wanted. So, no collecting of any kiddie pool water for me. I did compost the duck and goose bedding, but that was all.

 

[Knobby]

Glad it helped! If you need more photos, I'd be happy to get them for you.

yes please! photos and measurements help out tremendously. I'll have to measure the diameter of each kiddie pool and build accordingly.

 

[Knobby]

I'd be interested in knowing how you put in that sink drain. That's a great idea. But I suspect some people (me, anyway) might be hesitant to cut a hole in a kiddie pool unless they knew how to install the drain correctly and make the pool watertight.

Also, it is hard to see how you supported the kiddie pool on the bottom. Did you use extra framing? I'm thinking someone building a deck like yours on flat, level ground might make good use out of a pallet underneath the pool to support it up off the ground for draining, plus that top pallet deck around the rim of the pool.

Kiddie pool only cost me $5 at the Dollar Store, so not a big investment lost if I were to mess up.

 

[StinkyAcres]

I'd be interested in knowing how you put in that sink drain. That's a great idea. But I suspect some people (me, anyway) might be hesitant to cut a hole in a kiddie pool unless they knew how to install the drain correctly and make the pool watertight.

Also, it is hard to see how you supported the kiddie pool on the bottom. Did you use extra framing? I'm thinking someone building a deck like yours on flat, level ground might make good use out of a pallet underneath the pool to support it up off the ground for draining, plus that top pallet deck around the rim of the pool.

Installing the drain was very simple. I cut out the hole with tin snips. I bought the kitchen sink drain with a stopper, gaskets, and locking nut on Amazon for $10 and just screwed it on tightly.

I need to work on supporting the kiddie pool a little better. Framing with wood would be best. I just used some rocks and old feed pans.

I know that chicken poo takes some time to cool off before I can apply it to my garden beds, but is duck poo safe to use right away? Or when diluted in pool water, is it safe to use immediately?

I've also wondered if the duck poop will burn the plants. I was thinking it was diluted enough, but I'll have to look that up.

 

[gtaus]

I've also wondered if the duck poop will burn the plants. I was thinking it was diluted enough, but I'll have to look that up.

Dilution could be the solution. I have seen some YouTube videos where they take fresh chicken poo, dilute it with lots of water, and apply it to fruit trees directly. But I know chicken poo is consider "too hot" to use directly under normal circumstances.

I compost all my chicken coop litter and let is sit for about 6 months out in the chicken run as it composts with all the other organic stuff I toss into the run. That works for me.

A quick Google search on "Is duck manure a good fertilizer" found this...

Actually, I just looked at Can Duck Manure Be Used as Fertilizer? and it has a lot of good info on using duck manure as fertilizer.

Another clip on this issue...

 

[Smokerbill]

I've been eyeballing the refuse piles at a couple of new houses being built just down the road. This morning I stopped by and got permission to scavenge some wood. He told me to take all I wanted. The more I take, the less he has to pay for disposal. Win Win!

This haul is from the first pile I sorted through. There's another pile I'll go check out later today. I sure wish now that I had a cordless circular saw. It would have come in handy. LOL

The full size sheet was something I already had. All the other OSB leaning against it was what I scavenged. And several 3 and 4 foot sections of 2x4, 2x6, and a couple lengths of 4x12 beam.

 

[gtaus]

I've been eyeballing the refuse piles at a couple of new houses being built just down the road. This morning I stopped by and got permission to scavenge some wood. He told me to take all I wanted. The more I take, the less he has to pay for disposal. Win Win!

Nice find! That's the way to pick up salvaged wood. Good for them, better for you.

I sure wish now that I had a cordless circular saw. It would have come in handy. LOL

Yep, sometimes when I hit a wood pile that has more than just pallets, I will bring along a cordless circular saw, a reciprocating saw, some hammers and a crow bar. I don't need them very often, but when you don't have them to use, you sometimes lose out on some good salvage wood to the next person with a larger trailer or tools to cut the wood to size.

Oh yeah, I also have extra rope and tie downs in case something needs to be secured to the trailer, like over long wood or over wide stuff that I can find. I picked up some 12 foot long beams one time and had to tie them down in my 8-foot long trailer to safely get them home.

IIRC, I used 2 of those long beams to make a grazing frame for the chickens inside the chicken run. Good use of those salvaged beams as they were not high-quality wood, but perfect for my grazing frame project.

And several 3 and 4 foot sections of 2x4, 2x6, and a couple lengths of 4x12 beam.

Those shorter pieces always come in handy for something. I keep them all and eventually find a good use for them. I have my cut-offs in a bin, stored vertically, so I can quickly pick out a board for the length I need. That works pretty good for me.

I don't think I have ever seen a 4X12 beam. I bet they are pretty heavy. Any idea what you would use them for? I know I'd pick them up and bring them home, even if I did not have a clue at the time what I would do with them. Sometimes having those pieces of wood in the shop will talk to you and suggest a good project.

 

[Smokerbill]

Nice find! That's the way to pick up salvaged wood. Good for them, better for you.



Yep, sometimes when I hit a wood pile that has more than just pallets, I will bring along a cordless circular saw, a reciprocating saw, some hammers and a crow bar. I don't need them very often, but when you don't have them to use, you sometimes lose out on some good salvage wood to the next person with a larger trailer or tools to cut the wood to size.

Oh yeah, I also have extra rope and tie downs in case something needs to be secured to the trailer, like over long wood or over wide stuff that I can find. I picked up some 12 foot long beams one time and had to tie them down in my 8-foot long trailer to safely get them home.

IIRC, I used 2 of those long beams to make a grazing frame for the chickens inside the chicken run. Good use of those salvaged beams as they were not high-quality wood, but perfect for my grazing frame project.



Those shorter pieces always come in handy for something. I keep them all and eventually find a good use for them. I have my cut-offs in a bin, stored vertically, so I can quickly pick out a board for the length I need. That works pretty good for me.

I don't think I have ever seen a 4X12 beam. I bet they are pretty heavy. Any idea what you would use them for? I know I'd pick them up and bring them home, even if I did not have a clue at the time what I would do with them. Sometimes having those pieces of wood in the shop will talk to you and suggest a good project.

Those 4x12 sections are probably 40 inches long. I was thinking they'd make a couple of great ramps to drive my truck's front tires onto when I change the oil.

There are a bunch of section of 1/2 and 3/4 inch pex pipe there too. I didn't get them, but will next time I go. Would be good for something in the future.

There's also a lot of large cutoffs of James Hardie fiber cement siding panels there too. Pricey stuff, goes for $50 for a 4'x8' sheet. Probably should stock up on that too. LOL

Nice thing is all this stuff is about 1/8 of a mile from my house. And it won't be put in a dumpster for another week or so.