Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[Smokerbill]

I know I would find those arbor nut wrenches a week or two after I made a non-refundable $50.00 purchase to replace them! No doubt in my mind. Those wrenches are somewhere in the garage because I would have never thrown them away. When I finally find them, I'll say to myself "that sure was a safe place to put them!"

I'm sure you know this, but just in case you don't...

There's a slot in one side of the saw's housing that the wrenches drop into for storage. Maybe they're there???

 

[gtaus]

I'm sure you know this, but just in case you don't...

There's a slot in one side of the saw's housing that the wrenches drop into for storage. Maybe they're there???

Yes, that is where they should have been. They were not. But thanks for mentioning it just the same. If/when I find those arbor nut wrenches, that is where they will be stored from now on. After downloading an owner's manual, I also discovered that the table saw has built in places to also store the rip fence and the miter gauge.

My only excuse is that I did not always take the best care of my tools when I was younger. I don't think I even have the original owner's manual for that table saw. Now that I am in my later years, I keep all my owner's manuals, my warranties, and do a much better job of keeping all the tool accessories with the tools. But that has been only for maybe the past 20 years, and like I said, I purchased that table saw over 30 years ago.

 

[gtaus]

Pallet Wood Universal Clamp Rack Project Finished

I mentioned that I was going to be looking at building a clamp rack for my clamps. I watched a number of YouTube videos on the subject, and, frankly, most of the clamp racks that people were building were just a bit "too pretty" for what I wanted.

I understand that a true woodworker might want to spend all the time and energy to make a custom rack for the clamps, sand everything down to 400 grit sandpaper, stain and varnish the rack before putting it on display in their shop. Good for them.

My goal was to build a quick clamp rack out of pallet wood, screw it together with some cheap drywall screws, and attach it to an empty wall spot in my garage. And, it had to be a universal clamp rack that would hold my various brand clamps - mostly Harbor Freight and Menards specials.

I found 3 pieces of pallet wood in my rolling cart, cut them to size, and put together this clamp rack you see here on my new Ryobi 18v 10-inch HP Sliding Miter Saw...

Took me maybe 10 minutes to assemble. It's a very basic build.

Next step was to mount it on the wall. I had a blank spot that was not being used for anything, so that is where I mounted the rack...

Although I don't sand, stain, or varnish my clamp rack, I did make sure it was level! Even in my pallet projects, I still want to build things that are square and level. It's not always necessary, but in this case I plan on using that top board as a shelf to maybe hold some clamps that are odd sized and/or don't fit on the rack per se.

Well, here is my rack filled with most of my clamps that previously were stored in a number of places in the garage. Now they are all hanging on my pallet wood universal clamp rack in one place. For me, I consider this a big success even though it was not much of a project.

You can see that I still have some space left for more clamps. I have some C-Clamps that I will have to dig out and see if they fit on this rack. If not, that's what the shelf on top is for.

Most of the YouTube videos on clamp racks use boards with slots cut in them, so you can only get one bar clamp in a single slot. But that takes up a lot of wasted space. I found one video where the guy just used this front rail system and you can squish the clamps together and have no wasted space between them. That's what I wanted. Plus, I don't have all the same brand clamps, so I needed a rack system that was more universal and not custom built for the clamps.

On the left side of the rack, you can see I have my spring clamps and ratcheting clamps clamped on to a piece of board. All I did for that was to drill a 3/4-inch hole in the top of the board, drove a screw into the side of the rack, and just hung the board and clamps on that screw. IF I want, I can take down the entire board with all the clamps all at once. Perfect for me. When I use those spring type clamps, I usually use a lot of them at the same time.

Well, no YouTube video link to share on this project. Pretty much made this pallet wood project up on my own after considering what I needed. Total cost to me maybe 25 cents in screws. Having all my clamps organized and in one place - invaluable!

 

[gtaus]

I mentioned that I retired a pair of 2-year-old leather gloves a few days ago.

Well, my new pair, after only a few days of light use, already has the left-hand ring finger ripped and needing repair. I can't hardly believe it. Hope that does not mean the other 4 pair will be the same.

Maybe somebody can help an old guy who does not know much about sewing can offer me some advice on mending that new glove. Right now, I am thinking maybe just a heavy needle and thread to sew up the rip. But if there is a better way to mend or patch that glove, please let me know. I still have my old gloves and would be able to cut out some leather patches from it if it would work to mend the new gloves. Any help appreciated.

 

[gtaus]

Low Price Alert on Menard's 27-Gallon Industrial Totes thru 17 March 2024

This is the lowest price I have seen on these totes in years.

Although not a pallet wood project, per se, I use these heavy-duty industrial totes all the time in my shop. They are great for holding pieces of pallet wood that I precut for projects. I cut a lot of 16-inch and 18-inch planks for my raised beds and planters. Instead of having them laying around the garage taking up room, I will put those pre-cut pieces into my 5-gallon buckets or into these totes.

I also use a number of these totes for storing tools and supplies that I don't use very often. It's best to label the tote for those things or you will never find them later. You can't see through the tote or the lid.

I like how these totes are stackable, taking much less floor space in the garage as you take advantage of vertical spacing.

I also like to put all my paints, stains and varnishes in totes in case anything spills. Better to clean out a tote than to have to wipe up a spill on the garage floor.

Lots of gardeners are using these totes to make DIY Earthboxes, sub-irrigated planters, compost bins, worm bins, etc... Recently I finished a pallet project that I built which was an elevated planter stand to hold one of these industrial totes that I converted to a sub-irrigated planter. Anyways, sometimes it is nice to have a watertight container from the start. Here are some uses for these totes that might interest you...

Some of you may remember the discussions on building a garden rack for 5-gallon bucket planters. Well, you could make a planter rack for the garden but built for these totes as larger planters.

I like the fact that these watertight plastic totes make excellent ready-to-use planters, but I prefer the look of the wood racks to hold them.

Well, I hope some of these pictures and video links inspire you to make something useful. Just 6 months ago, those totes were selling for $13.00 at the local big box stores. I don't know why they have come down in price so much, but if you are in the market for them, now seems like a great time to buy some.

 

[Sally PB]

Right now, I am thinking maybe just a heavy needle and thread to sew up the rip.

If you don't have any heavy duty thread handy, dental floss works well in its place.

 

[gtaus]

If you don't have any heavy duty thread handy, dental floss works well in its place.

I think I have some carpet(?) thread and a heavy duty needle. If not, I guess I'll be using some dental floss to mend that glove. Thanks.

I still cannot believe that glove has a rip in the finger already after only minimal use over the past 2 days. I hope it was just one defective glove and not the whole 5-pack.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Pallet Wood Universal Clamp Rack Project Finished

I mentioned that I was going to be looking at building a clamp rack for my clamps. I watched a number of YouTube videos on the subject, and, frankly, most of the clamp racks that people were building were just a bit "too pretty" for what I wanted.

I understand that a true woodworker might want to spend all the time and energy to make a custom rack for the clamps, sand everything down to 400 grit sandpaper, stain and varnish the rack before putting it on display in their shop. Good for them.

My goal was to build a quick clamp rack out of pallet wood, screw it together with some cheap drywall screws, and attach it to an empty wall spot in my garage. And, it had to be a universal clamp rack that would hold my various brand clamps - mostly Harbor Freight and Menards specials.

I found 3 pieces of pallet wood in my rolling cart, cut them to size, and put together this clamp rack you see here on my new Ryobi 18v 10-inch HP Sliding Miter Saw...

View attachment 3766390

Took me maybe 10 minutes to assemble. It's a very basic build.

Next step was to mount it on the wall. I had a blank spot that was not being used for anything, so that is where I mounted the rack...

View attachment 3766391

Although I don't sand, stain, or varnish my clamp rack, I did make sure it was level! Even in my pallet projects, I still want to build things that are square and level. It's not always necessary, but in this case I plan on using that top board as a shelf to maybe hold some clamps that are odd sized and/or don't fit on the rack per se.

Well, here is my rack filled with most of my clamps that previously were stored in a number of places in the garage. Now they are all hanging on my pallet wood universal clamp rack in one place. For me, I consider this a big success even though it was not much of a project.

View attachment 3766393

You can see that I still have some space left for more clamps. I have some C-Clamps that I will have to dig out and see if they fit on this rack. If not, that's what the shelf on top is for.

Most of the YouTube videos on clamp racks use boards with slots cut in them, so you can only get one bar clamp in a single slot. But that takes up a lot of wasted space. I found one video where the guy just used this front rail system and you can squish the clamps together and have no wasted space between them. That's what I wanted. Plus, I don't have all the same brand clamps, so I needed a rack system that was more universal and not custom built for the clamps.

On the left side of the rack, you can see I have my spring clamps and ratcheting clamps clamped on to a piece of board. All I did for that was to drill a 3/4-inch hole in the top of the board, drove a screw into the side of the rack, and just hung the board and clamps on that screw. IF I want, I can take down the entire board with all the clamps all at once. Perfect for me. When I use those spring type clamps, I usually use a lot of them at the same time.

Well, no YouTube video link to share on this project. Pretty much made this pallet wood project up on my own after considering what I needed. Total cost to me maybe 25 cents in screws. Having all my clamps organized and in one place - invaluable!

Nice and simple! I am in need of new and better clamps. Any cheap trigger clamps you can recommend? Mine don't hold well at all.

 

[gtaus]

I am in need of new and better clamps. Any cheap trigger clamps you can recommend? Mine don't hold well at all.

I bought all my trigger clamps at Menards, on sale, playing the rebate game. Every once in a while they had great sales on them and I would buy a few more. Mainly, I have their house brand MasterForce trigger clamps...

They have gone up in price a lot since I purchased my trigger clamps pre-COVID. Still, you might find special sales on them from time to time. I don't have any complaints about those trigger clamps. They hold fine. But for the past couple of years I have been buying the F-Style bar clamps from Harbor Freight....

As you see, the HF F-Style 12-inch clamp costs a whole lot less than the 12-inch MasterForce trigger clamps at Menards.

One of the main reasons I now use the F-Style clamps is that I can tighten them down much better than the trigger clamps. Maybe my hands are not as strong as they used to be. In any case, I almost always reach for the F-Style clamps for general use, and always when I need more holding power.

Having said that, if you intend to do large glue ups and need a strong bar that will not bend, then the Harbor Freight F-Style bar clamps are not the answer. Many woodworkers state that the HF F-Style bar clamps are good up to that 12-inch bar, but after that, they will start to bend under pressure.

FWIW, most of the clamps I use in my pallet projects, and my favorite clamps, are the 6-inch F-Style bar clamps which I picked up on sale at Harbor Freight for less than $3.00 each...

 

[gtaus]

A few days ago I mentioned that I was experimenting with chipping up pallet wood bits and pieces and off cuts from my project using my small electric SunJoe Wood Chipper....

It took me about 45 minutes to chip up a 5-gallon bucket full of pallet wood bits and pieces. It got the job done, but my goodness does it take a long time with this chipper.

One of the problems I have always complained about this chipper is that the blades go dull after 2-3 hours of run time. And by dull, I mean that the blade will no longer self-feed a branch into the chipper. When the blades get dull, you have to force the branch down into the chipper, which takes longer and is a lot more work. If you only had brand new, sharp blades to work with, then this chipper would be much better.

Nobody (locally) will sharpen these blades for a reasonable price. They just can't make any money on them. Here is a screenshot of replacement blades on Amazon...

You might think that $12.00 for a new pair of chipper blades is not very much money, but remember that I told you that I only get 2-3 hours of use out of them before they are dull. Given that you cannot get much work done in that 2-3 hours with this small chipper, that $12.00 per blade pair ends up costing a lot of money.

Our local Acme Tools store has a blade sharpening service. I brought my dull blades into the store a few years ago and asked for a quote on sharpening them. I was told $3.00 each. Which I agreed to at the time. A couple weeks later, the sharpened blades came back from the sharpening service, but they wanted $15.00 for the pair! I was not happy at all and requested to talk to the manager. I told him I was quoted $3.00 per blade, but I would never have sent them in for sharpening at $15.00 per pair when I could buy a new pair for $12.00. Long story short, he agreed that the service should have charged me the quoted price or have returned them if they did not want to sharpen them for that price. The manager just gave me the blades back and told me, "no charge." He would deal with their sharpening service on that issue.

After that, I pretty much gave up on using that SunJoe chipper. But this past winter I purchased a 1X30 Belt Sander at Harbor Freight...

I just happened to be in town one day and found that unit on their open box shelf for half price. So, I bought it then and there hoping to someday figure out how to sharpen my chipper blades.

Today was that day. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos last night on the belt sander setup, and today I got it set out on the workbench. I sharpened 7 pairs of my dull wood chipper blades in about 30 minutes. They might not be brand new sharp, but they are looking good to me. Especially knowing that this was my first blade sharpening attempt.

Bottom line, I was able to sharpen $84.00 worth of blades in about half an hour for the $25.00 investment in that belt sander. Even if they are not quite as sharp as new blades, I think I got my money's worth out of that belt sander already.

You might be wondering how I ended up with 7 pairs of replacement blades when I am complaining about the cost per pair compared to short life of them. Well, SunJoe service was very good to me. I initially had some problems with the woodchipper, and they sent me out some replacement parts and threw in a couple of extra blade sets to show how much they cared. Then, they went through a long period of out of stock on the blades, which I had wanted to order, and they just sent me some more free blades after about a 3-month wait. So, that was nice. Then my original chipper's chute cracked, and they sent me a replacement unit with some more extra blades. I actually never paid for any replacement blades!

Anyways, great customer service from SunJoe but I will not replace that woodchipper if/when it finally dies. It's just too small for my needs. For small jobs, it does a good job. But for large jobs, you really need something a whole lot bigger, stronger, and faster.