Pallet recycling

Well my “crafters” business name is Refined Pallet because that is how I got started. I would build all sorts of stuff out of recycled pallet wood. If you take the time you CAN get some really good lumber out of it. I have built some really nice oak, pine and teak furniture pieces from pallet wood.(Most of it you would never know unless I told you) Not to mention, lots of small projects like boxes, magazine racks, cookbook stands etc. I even have one of my first pieces, a blanket chest, on the New Yankee website.

Some treasures that I have come across ripping apart pallets:
Teak, teak and more teak – Pallets from overseas shipments, used because it’s cheap in some parts of the world and it resists rot while making the cross sea journey.
Spalted woods – Mainly maple.
Came across a piece of birdseye maple once.
Figured woods like “curly” oak and even some highly figured cherry.

It’s there if you have the time… and a really big burn barrel for the junk.

-- Jef Spencer - Refined Pallet - http://www.etsy.com/shop/RefinedPallet

“Cheap” wood is only cheap until it eats your jointer or planer blades.

That said I wish I had access to more pallets, lots of character.

I use them sometimes…..... and crates. But I do run a metal detector over them first. The wood takes a little extra work, but well worth it (for free).

I’ve used them myself in the past, mostly for outdoor stuff that I don’t care about that much. Now that I think about it I have some shelves on the railings on my back porch for plants that have been there for 10+ years, wow, they’re holding up good. Plants have come and gone but they’re still there, subjected to the rain and snow and temperature fluctuations, and I only stained them once when I put them out there. They’re doing better then my pressure treated fences now that I think about it.

-- -Curt, Milwaukee, WI

I worked on a depression era house that didn’t have an 8’ stud in the walls. Not sure if it was framed with pallet salvage, but all teeh studs were at least 3 pieces scabbed together.

-- "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence Wake Up America!! Please read; http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/26-0

Ok, ok, I get it. There are some pluses to recycling pallets. But the point of this post was to bring attention to the playhouse. :-)

Well excuse us. It is nice there’s no doubt about that and each post brings this thread back to the top for more people to see rather then fade into oblivion.

-- -Curt, Milwaukee, WI

this is right up there with my projects and all of mine are pallet wood i use two hammers and pry real hard in the middle then at the ends this works for me then if nails do get stuck i pull those with a pair of nippers but it all works for me look at the stuff i posted so far and u will see.

-- Ike, Big Daddies Woodshop, http://www.icombadaniels@yahoo.com

My wife’s grandfather did the same thing, only he found some lumber from construction sites and some vinly siding that was being thrown out. I will say that is a great playhouse and I would bet the kids that get to play in it will never worry about it being from pallets. For them its all about the fun. I like to think of it that way too.

-- Steve-o

That really is an awfully nice playhouse!

-- http://barbsid.blogspot.com/

A great playhouse and amazing use of pallets

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

Since I work at Home Depot and handle freight, I get access to just about every pallet our store handles. Regular size pallets get sent back and re-used but larger pallets, like 8 and 10 feet long, we cut up with a chainsaw and throw away. There are also smaller pallets, usually hold tile and grout get thrown away to. A lot of these are made of red oak and I’ve been getting quite a lot of them. Its a lot of work tearing them apart but after I run them through the planer a lot of them are quarter sawn.

Free dosen’t mean bad, wery nice playhouse. I think that this guy with to much time did a great job. I bet it made the kids really happy too.

-- Bob Kenosha Wi.

I’m too lazy to use pallets instead I have access to blocking used with transporting machinery,usually in 4×4 x 4ft. lengths. No nails & very little dirt & grit & best of all many different species IE: both red & white oak, cherry, aspen, birch but have not come across walnut yet. Have not bought hardwood for quite some time.

Lee

-- Lee