Pallet Wood Bench
This is a small bench I made for my parents out of pallet slats.
Collect Pallets
The apartments up the road from me had several of these half pallets sitting by their dumpster. I guess someone had some appliances delivered.
Process Wood
Once I broke down the pallets, I ran the slats through the thickness planer to clean them up.
Glue-Up
I first glued them up in three sections to make clamping a little easier, then glued those sections together making this butcher-block slab thing.
Plane the Surface
It was heavy and a bit unruly, but I ran the whole slab through the thickness planer until the top and bottom were smooth and even.
Cut to Length
I decided to cut the ends at an angle to make things look a little more modern and funky.
Round-Over and Seal
After sanding it and rounding over the edges with a router, I sealed it with a couple coats of Danish Oil.
Done With the Slab
Before the glue-up, I made sure the two most interesting looking slats were on the outside.
Bending the Legs
The hairpin style legs were bent out of 1/2" round steel rod.
Leg Mounting Bracket
They were welded to a "T" shaped mounting plate made out of flat stock.
Welding the Legs
I clamped the legs to this plywood template to make sure they were angled and spaced correctly.
Attaching the Legs
I wanted the legs to angle out a bit to mirror the angle in the slab.
Finished!
I am very happy with how this turned out! I especially like the contrast between the rustic coloration and texture of the wood with the more modern silhouette.