Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[StinkyAcres]

Wonderful tutorial! I tried to comment on your page but it wanted more computer skills than I have

Thank you so much for sharing

Thank you for checking it out!

Miter saw I have but no table saw. Could it be built without that 30° on the slats and still be stable?

The 30° bevel on the slats is not necessary for stability - it only makes the corners fit together and look nicer. If you don't bevel the edges on the slats the slats will have to be slightly narrower and you'll probably have to cover the corners with some kind of molding/trim. As @gtaus said, the bevel can be cut with a sliding miter saw or circular saw, not easily, but it can be done.

 

[StinkyAcres]

If you have a sliding miter saw, you might be able to cut half of the 21-inch-long plank on one side, then flip it over and cut it on the other side.

I don't have the exact length that I decided on, but I actually made the planks shorter than 21 inches to save on pallet wood. I think it worked out better than if I had made them the height of the base and an added bonus is the planks aren't in contact with the ground.

 

[gtaus]

As @gtaus said, the bevel can be cut with a sliding miter saw or circular saw, not easily, but it can be done.

Well, there is a reason why a table saw costs so much money. It does make some jobs easier. Ripping boards with an angle cut like for this project is a good example. But table saws are expensive, so I was just offering alternative options that I thought might work with tools on hand or could be purchased without much investment.

IMHO, it would not be that difficult to set a 30-degree angle on the circular saw base, lay the board to be cut on top of a sacrificial piece of wood, foam, or fiberboard, maybe use a straight edge as a guide, and then cut it with the circular saw. Not that difficult for most people.

I think using a sliding miter saw, cutting half the board halfway and then flipping it over to the other side to cut the remainder of the board would be more challenging. But I have done it before so I know it can be done - with my sliding miter saw anyway.

As with most woodworking projects, there is probably a number of ways to accomplish any given task. Some tools make the job easier or faster. But usually, you can do the same thing with other tools.

I just don't want people to think they need to buy an expensive table saw to put together the old-fashioned well planter.

 

[Molpet]

old-fashioned well .

So now I am wondering how they made these wells for real use. I know a lot were stone but there were wood ones also....which seem to be square.

 

[gtaus]

So now I am wondering how they made these wells for real use. I know a lot were stone but there were wood ones also....which seem to be square.

I imagine the real water wells were all shapes and made from wood or stone, or a combination thereof.

Pretty much sure the holes were round. After that, I don't know.

 

[chickengr]

So now I am wondering how they made these wells for real use. I know a lot were stone but there were wood ones also....which seem to be square.

my grandparents had square wooden well above the ground and stone down. I wish I could find someone to make a well on my property. unfortunately people who know how to build it are too old to do the job and the young ones sit in the bars and play with their cell phones.

 

[gtaus]

unfortunately people who know how to build it are too old to do the job and the young ones sit in the bars and play with their cell phones.

Sounds like something I might say on a bad day. I am not a big fan of cell phones.

I resisted getting a cell phone until just a couple of years ago. My (non-local) bank required my deposits via their phone app instead of scanning them in on my computer and submitting them which I had done for many years.

In all honesty, using the phone app is easier, and, as it turns out, it is cheaper for me and Dear Wife each to have a cell phone than what we paid for the old landline phone that had no other advantages.

But I hate seeing all these young people going to a party, sitting on a couch, and texting to others instead of engaging real live people at the gathering.

And I don't enjoy going out to eat at a restaurant where some people spend more time on their phone sharing their conversation with me and everyone else in the room because they have to shout into their phone, instead of paying attention to their date, spouse, or whoever else they have at their table.

Maybe that's why I enjoy making pallet projects with my own hands. Even if it is not a perfect project, I know I did it myself and can take some pride in my work. Well, that, and most of my working life I had desk jobs moving paper with nothing else to show for my labor. There is some therapeutic value in working with your hands and creating something of lasting value. Even if it is just a hobby project.

 

[UrbanHomesteadTX]

Sounds like something I might say on a bad day. I am not a big fan of cell phones.

I resisted getting a cell phone until just a couple of years ago. My (non-local) bank required my deposits via their phone app instead of scanning them in on my computer and submitting them which I had done for many years.

In all honesty, using the phone app is easier, and, as it turns out, it is cheaper for me and Dear Wife each to have a cell phone than what we paid for the old landline phone that had no other advantages.

But I hate seeing all these young people going to a party, sitting on a couch, and texting to others instead of engaging real live people at the gathering.

And I don't enjoy going out to eat at a restaurant where some people spend more time on their phone sharing their conversation with me and everyone else in the room because they have to shout into their phone, instead of paying attention to their date, spouse, or whoever else they have at their table.

Maybe that's why I enjoy making pallet projects with my own hands. Even if it is not a perfect project, I know I did it myself and can take some pride in my work. Well, that, and most of my working life I had desk jobs moving paper with nothing else to show for my labor. There is some therapeutic value in working with your hands and creating something of lasting value. Even if it is just a hobby project.

Being someone in that younger generation that's all about cell phones and bar hopping, I can agree with each and every one of your statements

I enjoy doing stuff with my hands. Theres a reason I chose a job field in which we literally had zero access to technology for long periods of time. People spend way too much time with their cell phones. I have a friend I grew up with that cant go ten minutes without looking at tictok. Any time theres a place with service, most folks will spend more time with their face glued to a screen than with the people around them. It doesnt help when parents these days just shove an I-phone or tablet in their kids face to keep them quiet instead of actually spending any time with them. I find myself being the only one in a group actually interested in wanting to interact with one another.

But theres also a reason I have so few friends in my own age group Never fails, every crew I work with thinks that there has to be alcohol involved in order for there to be a good time. As soon as we get out of the woods, everybody would get dressed up and waste themselves at every single bar in town. Not my scene. Much rather stay home and watch a movie or play some board games. Hard to want to spend time with anybody when they're drunk or face first into a screen.

I'd much rather be outside getting my hands in the dirt. Way more fun to have something real to show for your time spent.

 

[gtaus]

But theres also a reason I have so few friends in my own age group Never fails, every crew I work with thinks that there has to be alcohol involved in order for there to be a good time.

I'm an old guy now, but when I was younger, I never got into drinking or smoking. Never really got into the party scene. Things were better in college where I was able to meet more people like myself who had other priorities.

I can't say I had a lot of friends, either, but I was lucky in that I did not need others to feel good about myself. I met a great woman and we have been married for 36 years now. Probably my only "true" friend. But we have been good together. I was lucky in that respect.

Not my scene. Much rather stay home and watch a movie or play some board games. Hard to want to spend time with anybody when they're drunk or face first into a screen.

I can understand that.

I'd much rather be outside getting my hands in the dirt. Way more fun to have something real to show for your time spent.

Yep. I'm just taking a short break from planting seeds in my seed starting trays. I am not much of a gardener, but every year I learn something new. I am probably better at building pallet wood raised beds than growing food in them!

But that's OK. I enjoy making stuff like those raised beds and trying to grow some food at home. It's just a hobby, but a healthy one.

Not to underestimate the value of the food I actually get to grow.

We just finished the last of my beans from last year this past week. We still have a number of baggies full of cherry tomatoes that we use for spaghetti sauce. We had fresh (frozen) zucchini bread until about a month ago. And I still have a number of containers filled with frozen chili I made with tomatoes from the garden last year.

That's pretty good for us and makes me feel that all my efforts in making pallet wood raised beds and growing food has positive benefits for us. Plus, I enjoy both making the raised beds and attempting to grow food.

 

[ChicksnMore]

That's a good question. I have both sliding miter saws and a table saw, so those details did not pose any questions for me.

If you have a sliding miter saw, you might be able to cut half of the 21-inch-long plank on one side, then flip it over and cut it on the other side. But I know not all miter saws are built the same and some have more capabilities than others. Still, I imagine there is a way if you get creative.

I "rip" slats less than 2 feet long all the time on my sliding miter saw that way using a standard 90-degree cut. Not the best method, but I currently have my table saw in winter storage in another garage. So, I make do. It works for me.

Another easier thought comes to mind. Do you have a small circular saw that you can dial in an angle cut? Even my oldest and least expensive Ryobi 18v circular saw can cut at an angle.

Here is good Google picture of a circular saw cutting off a board at an angle...

View attachment 3805004

You will not need a table saw if you have a circular saw to cut that 30-degree angle. All of my circular saws have that angle cutting feature, but to be honest, I don't think I've ever used that feature but maybe once or twice in my lifetime! I forgot about until thinking about your question!

If you don't have a circular saw, you might want to invest in one. I use my circular saws all the time. Even an inexpensive circular saw would be a good investment. I prefer my battery circular saws for portability, but a corded circular saw will cost less in most cases.

For example, Harbor Freight has this 7-1/4-inch electric circular saw currently on clearance...

View attachment 3805009

That particular saw has the ability to make a bevel cut from 0-45 degrees. You only need a 30-degree cut for this project.

At any rate, a circular saw is a lot less expensive than a table saw. It's also much easier to store a circular saw in a small space. Like I said, I have to put my table saw in winter storage in another garage because it takes up too much room in my main garage where I need to park my cars in the winter.

We've got 2 circular saws so I bet at least the newest one can do that. I'm off to go examine our saws next. Thanks for the good information!