Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[Smokerbill]

I have a blade balancer, so I'm set I think.

 

[gtaus]

New Tool - Ryobi 18v Inflator

Home Depot is clearing out last year's model of the 18v Inflator P738. Yesterday, I picked up one for only $8.83! Here is the new packaging with the new price...

It's the exact same inflator as last year except this year they added those 3 attachments and a drawstring bag in the deal. IMHO, those extra attachments are not worth the difference in cost over the clearance unit from last year.

I have had my eye on this unit for a number of years but was unwilling to spend the regular price of about $29.00 for the unit. There was a guy on YouTube that used this same blower to clean off his workbench all the time and he said he loved his blower.

I, too, bought it for is to use as a workbench sweeper. I cut a lot of pallet wood in my garage and the sawdust gets everywhere. This small blower is great for blowing off working surfaces and keeping them clean.

I now have this blower hanging on my sliding miter saw to blow off the sawdust when I am cutting wood. If you don't keep the miter saw clean, that sawdust can build up and throw off your measured cuts.

Previously, I was huffing and puffing blowing off the sawdust on my miter saw like blowing candles out on a cake. This blower is so much better. It was worth that $9.00 for me.

And, of course, you can use it as an inflator/deflator for your other blow-up stuff like water toys or sleeping mattresses.

Here is a nice review on the inflator that is now on clearance at Home Depot...

I don't know if other brands have this small inflator available, but if you are in the Ryobi lineup, this is a no-brainer purchase at this price. Well, I really like it.

 

[gtaus]

How to Glue-Up Boards of Different Thicknesses

I mentioned that I was looking for small projects to use up some of my pallet wood off-cuts from other projects. One idea I had was to use some of those off-cuts to make bird houses.

Problem is, most of my off-cuts are planks that are maybe only 3 or 4 inches wide. What do I do if I need boards that are 6 inches wide? Well, I guess I could make some glue-up panels using several 3 or 4 inch wide boards to make boards that can be cut down to 6 inches wide. But I still have to address the issue with pallet wood planks not being the same thickness.

Normal glue-up techniques assume you are using all the same thickness boards. After a glue-up, your panel would be more or less flush on both sides. But we all know that pallet wood planks even on the same pallet might be different thicknesses. Sometimes, I would want at least the presentation side of a panel to be flush. So, how would you do that with pallet wood planks of different thicknesses?

I found an answer to that question last night on YouTube. Check out this video on how to make glue-up panels for different thicknesses of boards. I am thinking I could us some of my off-cut boards that are almost the same thickness, use this glue-up modified technique, and get one side (the front side) of the panel flush and the back side close enough not to worry about it!

Full disclosure, I also have a thickness planer. Using that modified glue-up technique to get the front side flush would mean that I only have to plane down the backside, saving half the work on the thickness planer. However, I am suggesting that most of my pallet wood projects do not need to have perfectly flush backsides. If I can pick out planks that are within 1/8 or 1/4 inch of thickness, I probably don't need to plane them down flush on the backside.

I am also looking at ways to align one face flush with different thicknesses of boards using wood dowels. I think that might be possible. I have a dowel set but have only used it to drill the dowel holes in the center of the boards, which obviously would not work to give you one side flush if the boards are not all the same thickness. But there may be a method to drill those dowel holes to align one face flush. If I figure that out, or find a YouTube video on that subject, I will update that thought with a new post.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Pallet Wood Birdhouse Plan and Instructions

After making all those pallet wood raised beds in my garage this winter, I have a couple storage bins full of smaller off-cuts that I was looking to use someday. One idea I have had for some time is using some of that scrap wood to make bird houses. Who doesn't want to have more birds around the yard?

I spent a couple evenings looking at many YouTube videos on the subject. Most of the bird house builds are very simple to make. Most of them didn't have anyway to clean out the birdhouse after you build it. I guess if you want to build a new bird house every spring, that is OK. But I think it makes more sense to build the bird house so it can be cleaned out if/when needed.

There were some bird houses that were really fancy and would require more skill in building. They looked pretty, but, again, none of the videos I watched had the ability to clean out the house after you put it together.

Anyways, this evening I came across what I consider to be the best pallet wood bird house design so far. Not only does he make the front capable of opening so you can clean out the bird house, but he also shows you how the inside of the front panel has a series of cuts in the wood which will allow the baby birds to climb up the wall to the opening in the front.

Some bird house designs do not consider that the baby birds need to climb up that front wall to reach the opening to get out of the birdhouse. If you used a smooth board for the front, you would essentially trap the baby birds inside to die! Making a series of horizontal cuts as a ladder into the inside front wood panel is one solution. Another option is to tack something like hardware cloth on to the inside front panel. Those baby birds need something to grab on to when they climb out.

Yeah, I just learned that last night. But it makes total sense because the inside of a hollow tree would not have a smooth surface. The baby birds could climb out easily in natural wood.

This 6-minute video link shows how to assemble the pallet wood bird house kit this guy sells, so he does not go into dimensions of the birdhouse. But you can probably come up with measurements close enough on your own just by watching the video.

The only addition I was thinking about was maybe drilling a small hole under the opening to put a dowel/branch for a perch. Lots of bird house designs have a perch under the main hole opening, but, at the same time, many don't.

Well, it's something I am going to look into because I have bins full of cut-offs that might be good for small projects like bird houses.

This is a good use of smaller pallet pieces! But the design needs some modifications.

1. There is not enough ventilation. Vent holes drilled at the top of the sides work okay, but a gap left at the top of the sides is even better.

2. It could use drainage. This can be achieved by drilling holes in the bottom or cutting off the corners of the bottom piece.

3. The entrance hole needs to be protected from chewing by rodents. There are metal hole protector plates you can buy, but you can also make them out of wood and they're very effective.

Something I like to do is make a loose wooden "floor" to insert on top of the original floor. The removable floor makes it easier to remove the nest and clean and it can be easily replaced if it gets nasty.

Also, a perch is an invitation for other animals to grab on and invade the nest, so it is not recommended. The birds don't need it anyway.

 

[Smokerbill]

I am also looking at ways to align one face flush with different thicknesses of boards using wood dowels. I think that might be possible. I have a dowel set but have only used it to drill the dowel holes in the center of the boards, which obviously would not work to give you one side flush if the boards are not all the same thickness. But there may be a method to drill those dowel holes to align one face flush. If I figure that out, or find a YouTube video on that subject, I will update that thought with a new post.

Sounds like you need a biscuit joiner and some biscuits. LOL

 

[Smokerbill]

I got the potatoes planted today. I'll backfill around the vines as they grow.

 

[gtaus]

his is a good use of smaller pallet pieces! But the design needs some modifications.

1. There is not enough ventilation. Vent holes drilled at the top of the sides work okay, but a gap left at the top of the sides is even better.

Thanks for all that great feedback. I won't pretend to be an expert on bird houses, having only watched a number of videos on YouTube for the past few evenings, so I really appreciate your comments and feedback.

As to ventilation, I did not think a bird house would need any. I have not seen this mentioned in any of the videos I watched. Assuming you are correct, I think the best plan for me would be to leave a small gap under the roof on the sides. Eaiser than going back later and drilling in holes.

2. It could use drainage. This can be achieved by drilling holes in the bottom or cutting off the corners of the bottom piece.

Again, something I had not seen mentioned in any videos I watched. I think the better option for me would be to cut off a bit off the corners of the bottom piece before assembling the bird house.

3. The entrance hole needs to be protected from chewing by rodents. There are metal hole protector plates you can buy, but you can also make them out of wood and they're very effective.

I have never seen those metal hole protector plates. I'll have to look that up. In any case, if I can make it out of wood, can I simply take a pallet wood cut-off piece, drill a hole in it the same size as the hole in the bird house, and tack it on to the front of the bird house?

Something I like to do is make a loose wooden "floor" to insert on top of the original floor. The removable floor makes it easier to remove the nest and clean and it can be easily replaced if it gets nasty.

That would be easy with any leftover piece of scrap wood. I found it interesting that most bird house designs did not even have an option to remove a panel to clean out the bird house - ever. That did not make any sense to me. And here you suggest adding an additional loose false bottom for easier clean out! Sounds like you are speaking from experience. Thanks.

Also, a perch is an invitation for other animals to grab on and invade the nest, so it is not recommended. The birds don't need it anyway.

OK, that idea of adding a perch is definitely out. Thanks.

Again, thanks for all the feedback and suggestions. It is much easier to incorporate those ideas into the design before I put everything together than having to "fix" stuff after the build.

 

[gtaus]

Sounds like you need a biscuit joiner and some biscuits. LOL

I do know what a biscuit joiner and biscuits are. Most of the guys I watch on YouTube don't use them anymore. The biscuit joiner and biscuits cost a lot of money. The biscuits don't add any strength to the joint.

So, most of the guys I watch recommend using dowels, which are cheaper and actually add a little to the strength of the glued joint. I just need to figure out how to make one face flush using dowels. I think it is possible.

In any case, I would not invest a lot of money into something like this DeWalt biscuit joiner kit to build a few bird houses out of pallet wood....

If I cannot figure out how to make things work either by just gluing up the boards with clamps like in the video I linked to previously, or using inexpensive wood dowels with the dowel kit I already have, I might consider something like this Wen Biscuit Joiner kit at Home Depot...

As much as I like buying new tools, I really only buy tools that I expect I will use right now or in the future. I'm not sure a biscuit joiner kit is something I would use very much, if ever, in the projects I build.

Well, all that, and in general I try to use, reuse, and repurpose as much stuff (materials, tools, supplies) I can in my pallet projects before I have to buy anything new. That's part of the fun with pallet wood projects for me. Seeing how little money I have to put into a worthwhile project that has value to me.

 

[Smokerbill]

Do you have a drill press? Clamp a 2x4 on the table, positioned so the drill bit lines up with the center of the edge of a board standing upright against the 2x. Always keep the front-facing sides of the boards against the 2x. Does that make sense?

 

[gtaus]

Do you have a drill press? Clamp a 2x4 on the table, positioned so the drill bit lines up with the center of the edge of a board standing upright against the 2x. Always keep the front-facing sides of the boards against the 2x. Does that make sense?

Yes, I do have a drill press, and yes, that 2X4 clamped on the drill press table makes sense. Thanks.