Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[gtaus]

This is the sifter I made from 1/4" hardware cloth and lumber scraps. The outer flanges around the bottom fit down over the top edge of the trashcan and secure its position. I fill it with whatever I'm sifting, shake the can back and forth in all directions and the sifted material drops into the can.

The 1/4-inch hardware cloth seems to be about the perfect sized screen for seed starting soil. My mini sifter is a bit smaller because I sift the potting soil into a plastic dish pan in the house. But I like the idea of making a frame to fit over a 5-gallon bucket if you are sifting outside and don't mind a little bit of sifted soil from a square frame over a round bucket.

Of course, I invested money in my cement mixer compost sifter for sifting out my chicken run compost outside. I have different sized wire inserts for sifting out compost. I do have a 1/4-inch hardware cloth insert for fine compost for seed starting. I just had a bad bug problem using my chicken run compost inside the house. Too much natural life in my outdoor compost, I imagine.

That cement mixer compost sifter is a great investment if you need to fill lots of raised beds with fresh compost. It takes little time and almost no labor compared to sifting with a wooden frame and mesh.

I do a lot more gardening now than I did years before. I actually work less due to the cement mixer compost sifter making the ready to use compost and growing everything in pallet wood raised beds where I don't have to bend over all day.

That pallet wood base was a great addition to my setup. I got the drum barrel high enough to put my garden wagons underneath it. Also, I used some reclaimed large lag bolts and washers that I took off some industrial pallets to secure the feet of the cement mixer to the pallets. Now it does not bounce or walk all over the place when running. Very nice for me.

 

[Smokerbill]

I saw a steel cement mixer for sale on OfferUp a while back, $50 I think. Should've got it.

 

[gtaus]

I got a deal on cull lumber at Homedepot yesterday. ... The six boards cost me $42. New price would've been around $140.

I always drop into Home Depot when I go to town and check out their culled lumber carts. I picked up full sheets of OSB boards that were in perfect condition, but had been used as shelving, so they were selling them for ~80% off the retail price. I have use those culled OSB boards to make the tops of my modular workbenches. Saved a lot of money.

Sounds like you got a really good deal on the cull lumber. Sometimes the flaw in the lumber might be in a place that you can cut off, or cut out, and use the rest of the board like new. You just save a lot of money.

 

[gtaus]

I saw a steel cement mixer for sale on OfferUp a while back, $50 I think. Should've got it.

I looked for a used cement mixer for almost 2 years before I gave up and bought a new one, on sale, for a little less than $200.00. But I would really have been happy with a used cement mixer.

FWIW, I calculated that I was able to sift out $60 worth of chicken run compost per hour with my cement mixer compost sifter. My investment in my setup paid for itself in the first 4 hours of use! I don't regret buying a new cement mixer, but I would have been just as happy with a used mixer that worked.

Maybe you will see another cement mixer come up for sale. If you manually sift compost right now, and if you spend a lot of time or energy on sifting, a cement mixer compost sifter will take you to another level.

Be warned, since sifting compost is so easy for me now, I have more than doubled my raised bed gardens! And I will probably add another raised bed, or two, this year as well.

 

[fuzzi]

Thanks for the support. At least I can still buy most of what I did not grow. I will have saved some money by starting my own seeds, but my starts did not have the germination rate I expected this year. I think the seeds were too old. I'm tossing out my old seeds after my experience this year.

I am definitely better at building pallet wood raised beds and planters. And my 6-pack veggie packs still save us lots of money on fresh food.

I saw some friends at Menards this past weekend. They have an unheated greenhouse for their plant starts. But they told me that they really had a bad year this year and were in the store buying veggie 6-packs to cover their shortages. Seems like it was too cold too long in the springtime and the seeds just did not take off for them this year.

I wonder...could we feed our expired seeds to our chickens?

 

[Molpet]

I wonder...could we feed our expired seeds to our chickens?

Some seeds are treated

 

[Smokerbill]

My compost is still at 105°. I was thinking about attaching a small section of tubing or pipe to my compressor trigger nozzle and injecting air into the center of the pile instead of turning it. Think that'd work to introduce air?

 

[gtaus]

My compost is still at 105°. I was thinking about attaching a small section of tubing or pipe to my compressor trigger nozzle and injecting air into the center of the pile instead of turning it. Think that'd work to introduce air?

I found some info online that might help...

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That method is commonly referred to as aerated composting or forced-air composting. It involves inserting perforated PVC pipes into the compost pile to improve airflow, which helps speed up decomposition and prevents anaerobic conditions that can lead to unpleasant odors.

Some variations include:

• Passive aeration – Simply placing perforated PVC pipes vertically or horizontally in the pile to allow natural airflow.
• Forced-air systems – Using a blower or fan to push air through the pipes, significantly accelerating the composting process.

***************************
Some pictures from an article called Building a Forced Air Composting System...

As for me, I currently have two composting systems that I use.

My main composting is my chicken run composting system where the entire chicken run is used to make compost in place. I dump all my leaves, grass clippings, wood chips, weeds from the garden, used coop litter, and just about anything else organic into the run. The chickens do almost all the turning work, scratching and pecking through the litter, looking for bugs and worms to eat, while at the same time they break the compost down into smaller bits. Since I have been mainly using paper shreds for coop litter, those shreds break down into finished compost out in the run in as little as two months.

I also have a 5-bin pallet wood composting system that I can dump in excess materials and/or stuff that is not good for the chickens. I just dump stuff in a bin until it is full, then move on to the next bin. I only fill up about one bin per year, and I never turn it. By the time I fill up that fifth bin, the first bin is already naturally composted down and ready to harvest. It's a very slow process, but it's only meant for my excess material and stuff that the chickens should not eat.

 

[gtaus]

Euro Pallets...

The other day, I took my old Ford Explorer into town and stopped by Harbor Freight to see if they had any free pallets to pick up. They did. Two tall stacks of pallets. But they were all the Euro pallets...

I loaded up 5 or 6 pallets into the back of my Explorer and that was all I could fit in. The wood was pretty good, but not as good as in that Google photo. But you know, good enough.

Well, that, and half the pallets outside were painted red or blue. I don't want to take those colored/painted/dyed pallets because I use most of my pallet wood for garden related projects. So, I only took the natural-colored wood pallets.

I admit, I don't get as excited about the Euro pallets because they don't have the 2X4 stretchers that I need, and use, in my pallet wood raised bed v2.0 builds.

Picture of my pallet wood raised bed v2.0 design using those notched 2X4's from the pallets...

With the Euro pallets, I end up with some good plank boards, but I have yet to find a use for all those wood block spacers. If it's real wood blocks, I keep them. But lots of time it is some kind of compressed wood fiber blocks and those fall apart pretty easily. So far, the best use I find for those compressed wood blocks is to toss them in my fire barrel that I use when I burn out stumps.

I considered using those compressed wood blocks in the base of my hügelkultur raised beds, but I read that the glue might be bad for that use in gardening.

********************
Compressed wood blocks from Euro pallets are typically made from wood chips and sawdust that are bonded together using high-pressure compression and adhesives. While these blocks are durable and resistant to moisture, their suitability for hügelkultur depends on the type of glue used in their production.

Potential Concerns:

1. Adhesives & Chemicals – Many compressed wood blocks use synthetic resins or formaldehyde-based adhesives, which can leach chemicals into the soil over time.
2. Treated Wood – Some pallet blocks are heat-treated for durability, but others may contain chemical preservatives that could affect plant health.
3. Breakdown Rate – Unlike natural wood, compressed blocks don’t decompose as easily, which may limit their effectiveness in a hügelkultur bed.

Safer Alternatives:

• If you’re unsure about the glue composition, consider using natural untreated wood instead.
• Look for certified eco-friendly pallet blocks that use non-toxic adhesives.
• If you still want to use them, place them at the bottom of the bed, away from direct root contact.

*******************************

Yeah, I don't think I will use those compressed blocks of wood from the Euro pallets in my gardens. But they do burn good in the barrel for stump removal.

I am still working on different ways to take apart the Euro pallets. I have not yet found a way that works best for me. Having said that, it's only recently that I started picking up Euro pallets because there were no standard pallets available. I like to load up my Explorer on the way home because I pay the same for gas whether or not the back is filled with wood.

Maybe some of our European friends that use those Euro pallets can help with best methods to take them apart?

Although I don't get the 2X4's from standard pallets that I like to use in my projects, the Euro pallets I have picked up have been newer and the wood planks seem to be better, in general. Lots of full sized 1X6's on the Euro pallets instead of the typical 1X4's on the standard pallets. That is nice. Definitely worth the effort to salvage them just for the wood planks.

 

[chickengr]

Euro Pallets...

The other day, I took my old Ford Explorer into town and stopped by Harbor Freight to see if they had any free pallets to pick up. They did. Two tall stacks of pallets. But they were all the Euro pallets...

View attachment 4126109
I loaded up 5 or 6 pallets into the back of my Explorer and that was all I could fit in. The wood was pretty good, but not as good as in that Google photo. But you know, good enough.

Well, that, and half the pallets outside were painted red or blue. I don't want to take those colored/painted/dyed pallets because I use most of my pallet wood for garden related projects. So, I only took the natural-colored wood pallets.

I admit, I don't get as excited about the Euro pallets because they don't have the 2X4 stretchers that I need, and use, in my pallet wood raised bed v2.0 builds.

Picture of my pallet wood raised bed v2.0 design using those notched 2X4's from the pallets...

View attachment 4126120

With the Euro pallets, I end up with some good plank boards, but I have yet to find a use for all those wood block spacers. If it's real wood blocks, I keep them. But lots of time it is some kind of compressed wood fiber blocks and those fall apart pretty easily. So far, the best use I find for those compressed wood blocks is to toss them in my fire barrel that I use when I burn out stumps.

I considered using those compressed wood blocks in the base of my hügelkultur raised beds, but I read that the glue might be bad for that use in gardening.

********************
Compressed wood blocks from Euro pallets are typically made from wood chips and sawdust that are bonded together using high-pressure compression and adhesives. While these blocks are durable and resistant to moisture, their suitability for hügelkultur depends on the type of glue used in their production.

Potential Concerns:

1. Adhesives & Chemicals – Many compressed wood blocks use synthetic resins or formaldehyde-based adhesives, which can leach chemicals into the soil over time.
2. Treated Wood – Some pallet blocks are heat-treated for durability, but others may contain chemical preservatives that could affect plant health.
3. Breakdown Rate – Unlike natural wood, compressed blocks don’t decompose as easily, which may limit their effectiveness in a hügelkultur bed.

Safer Alternatives:

• If you’re unsure about the glue composition, consider using natural untreated wood instead.
• Look for certified eco-friendly pallet blocks that use non-toxic adhesives.
• If you still want to use them, place them at the bottom of the bed, away from direct root contact.

*******************************

Yeah, I don't think I will use those compressed blocks of wood from the Euro pallets in my gardens. But they do burn good in the barrel for stump removal.

I am still working on different ways to take apart the Euro pallets. I have not yet found a way that works best for me. Having said that, it's only recently that I started picking up Euro pallets because there were no standard pallets available. I like to load up my Explorer on the way home because I pay the same for gas whether or not the back is filled with wood.

Maybe some of our European friends that use those Euro pallets can help with best methods to take them apart?

Although I don't get the 2X4's from standard pallets that I like to use in my projects, the Euro pallets I have picked up have been newer and the wood planks seem to be better, in general. Lots of full sized 1X6's on the Euro pallets instead of the typical 1X4's on the standard pallets. That is nice. Definitely worth the effort to salvage them just for the wood planks.

I like euro pallets as I use them whole. wood blocks are for fire stove only.

I hit planks with a heavy hummer then use crowbar to take them apart.