# What's the fascination with making things from old pallets?



## Graham Orm (3 Jan 2016)

The Americans seem fascinated by it at the moment.


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## marcros (3 Jan 2016)

i don't get it either. some people spend 100 hours on a project, but then use the shittiest wood possible.


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## finneyb (3 Jan 2016)

I assume it satisfies their creative side. 

Brian


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## John15 (3 Jan 2016)

Is it because of the better quality of wood compared with the inferior stuff our pallets are made from? I can recall when working in The Middle East that much of the machinery from the far east came on hardwood pallets - sadly they were either burnt or dumped in the desert.

John


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## porker (3 Jan 2016)

I think its probably because it's free. I got a truck load delivered for 99p (15 mile delivery) and intend making a log store out of it. I was lucky in that there are several pallets used for car wind screens so some large lengths in handy sizes. Means I can build my logstore for nearly free. I priced up the timber to do this locally and I was looking at £200 worth, so I'm happy to use it. Bit of work breaking the pallets down and removing some of the nails but I don't mind that. Won't be as good as Steve's log store on the other thread but it will do me and look OK. 
I will say one thing, once planed up the timber is straighter than the softwood rubbish I just bought from Wickes to do some framing!


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## JSW (3 Jan 2016)

> What's the fascination with making things from old pallets?


 It satisfies my creative side. 

I'm no high-end Bespoke Craftsman Carpenter, I'm a humble Joiner by trade, and although I consider myself talented enough in that respect, I bow my head in reverence to some of the truly gifted individuals pursuing their trades. I mean, I DO make decent projects from time to time, but lack of money means a Jay Bates workshop, and hardwoods in particular, are not on the agenda. I make what I can, with materials I can source cheaply, and machinery/tooling that I consider worth the investment, with the little disposable income I have.

So, pallet wood = creative satisfaction.

Plus. It's free :wink:


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## n0legs (3 Jan 2016)

Careful boys, I'm sure there'll be someone else along soon to give you hell about this :lol: :lol:


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## Woody2Shoes (3 Jan 2016)

1) I think a lot of people get satisfaction out the idea they're getting something for nothing - the pleasures of getting "free stuff".

2) Sad as it may seem, in the far east and in the US they often seem to use perfectly nice-looking hardwood for making pallets.

Cheers, W2S


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## NazNomad (3 Jan 2016)

I use pallets and/or recycled wood pretty much 100% of the time. We're not all Millionaires, Rodney. :-D


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## Phil Pascoe (3 Jan 2016)

Heat. That's what I make from pallets. And soon, hot water.


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## sitefive (3 Jan 2016)

Not sure who actually likes them... they are used only because of the price factor, in other countries where timber is cheap you would get laughed at if you made stuff from them.


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## Doris (3 Jan 2016)

I make our compost bins out of them. You do get lucky sometimes and come across some made of cedar. But its 1 in 1000

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk


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## davin (3 Jan 2016)

People like it and buy it.
Brighton is full of the stuff. Went there over Christmas, had a meal in a Mexican style café/ restaurant. The whole place was made of pallets or scaffold boards.
Not to my taste but I wouldn't have minded getting the contract to fit the place out.


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## Nelsun (3 Jan 2016)

I think some are missing the point that sometimes, but not always, some knackered old wood fits the bill better than a perfectly planed piece of mahogany. That, and American pallets > UK ones.


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## AJB Temple (3 Jan 2016)

I have made the following from pallets:

12 foot bench and shelves for wife's potting shed
outdoor prep bench (not quite sure what she calls it but it is used for putting soil in trays and pots)
about 5 cubic metres of compost bins 
2 raised beds (though they rotted quickly) at our old house
storage boxes for the ginormous number of plant pots she has

All free apart from the labour. My labour force (aka wife and offspring) did most of the tearing down. You lose about 25% in wastage from nail splits.


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## No skills (3 Jan 2016)

Well I thought it was funny.


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## 8squared (4 Jan 2016)

I started with pallets because it was cheap and free... and if anyone wanted garden furniture making they always wanted something old looking... which pallet wood naturally has.


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## rafezetter (4 Jan 2016)

I'm guessing Graham has not googled 1001 things to do with pallets and seen some of the quite remarkable things done with otherwise discarded wood, and I've made my feelings quite clear about this before, but to reiterate; I echo all the positive sentiments made already and I'd counter with "what's the fascination with mocking those who make things from anything other than premium AAA grade super special, grain so amazing you'll weep, wood?" because that has happened more than a few times, in just the few years I've been a member of the forum, and I'll say bluntly it's not exactly "new to the hobby" friendly.

Whether you "get it" or not is irrelevant, the only fact that is relevant is that someone made (or had a go at making) something, and had that chance because the wood was free so it really didn't matter a jot if they borked it once or twice or a dozen times. Whatever they did, however they did it and whatever the level of finished result, the person got something from basically nothing, learned a few things about themselves, and got with that a free side helping of satisfaction and happiness thrown in to boot.

Maybe the dissenters should speak to the forum members who have talked about spending time in their shed with their unskilled children banging scraps of wood together with nails; because age aside, the results are the same.


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## Phil Pascoe (4 Jan 2016)

I understand why people make things from pallets ... I don't understand why people buy things made from pallets ... :?


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## mind_the_goat (4 Jan 2016)

Cheap, or free is a good reason but more importantly reusing material is likely to be far more efficient than growing and processing a new tree, same goes for many raw materials. I would ask the question a different way: Why process new stuff when something that already exists would do the job perfectly well? 
Don't get me wrong, I don't expect makers of fine furniture to start raiding the local tip but many projects could use old wood instead of new. 
My dog has a pallet based kennel, roofed with larch from my old fence, I did however build my new fence with new wood (tempted to try a few pallet based panels though). I also have a chest of drawers in a built-in wardrobe made with building ply offcuts, not something I'd want on display but it does the job it was designed for just as well as if I'd used quality birch ply or new solid wood.


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## henton49er (4 Jan 2016)

As a smallholder, I use pallets for everything from compost bins and hay racks to blocking holes in hedgerows until new plants take hold, storage bins for anything that rats and birds won't eat (e.g. firewood, plant pots), racks for drying out washed sheep fleeces, creep gates so that sheep cannot get at food intended for their lambs. This list is only limited by one's imagination and woodworking skills - mine are sadly deficient!


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## Wildman (4 Jan 2016)

I have salvaged a lot of iroko and mahogany type of wood from pallets. Save the planet and recycle everything burning should be a last resort. I have just salvaged 500ft od 3 x 2 planed fence rails plus numerous 4ft lengths of 6 x 4 used for posts. That will all resaw and plane to keep me in timber for a year or two. It will provide the timber needed to finish my new mower shed plus substantial racking for the timber store, a new tool cabinet or three, the list is endless. We cannot all justify the cost of bought in hardwood for hobby projects. Pallets also make excellent fencing and compost bins.


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## ChrisR (4 Jan 2016)

Many years ago, I worked for a company who imported machinery from Canada, it was all heavily crated with a very hard wood of high quality, no idea what species it was, and at that time I was not at all interested in woodwork. I do know the company had to make a rota for them that wanted it, in order that all had their fair share.

I don’t think the wood used for packing goods in Britain is to that standard or even close.

Chris.


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## graduate_owner (4 Jan 2016)

I suppose people with limited woodworking skills (like me for instance) could use pallet wood to build up their expertise by making garden stuff such as planters and raised beds, or garden furniture perhaps. I used some pallet wood to make picket fencing. Better than butchering quality timber I think, but there is obviously a limit to what you can expect to make.

K


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## NazNomad (4 Jan 2016)

I have more respect for someone that has taken a heap of pallets and transformed them into something else, be it useful, decorative, whatever.

I have little respect for someone who shows off a table that only took them 5 years to complete and the wood only cost 3 Grand. hashtag-boring.


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## lanemaux (4 Jan 2016)

Hello ChrisR, and I might just know the wood the Canadian pallets were using. You can't swing a pancake in our woods without smacking a maple of some sort. It's enough to bring a tear to a glass eye sometimes, maple in stacks next to farmhouses waiting to be brought in to be burnt. Not the highest quality stuff , yet adequate to my needs for scrolling. My mother-in-law thinks I'm malfunctioning when she sees me dig through the pile looking for something for playing at wood-butchery with. :lol:


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## Alder (4 Jan 2016)

Henton49er mentions using pallets on his small holding and I do not share his enthusiasm. We get delivers regularly on pallets and these are classed almost universally as single use. I too use pallets with pallet fork on a skid steer loader to handle materials but their useful life is limited. If unused they rot very quickly. Perhaps others are more fortunate than me as the only ones that I find With any useful material are charged for and must be returned to get a return charge..
Russell


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## JakeS (5 Jan 2016)

porker":1f7x914c said:


> I will say one thing, once planed up the timber is straighter than the softwood rubbish I just bought from Wickes to do some framing!



I've found this too. I recently built some storage shelves for the garage out of pallets and skirting board we took off the walls of our hall, and the pallet wood was straighter than the pine skirting boards!

I wouldn't bother putting much effort into pallets or projects made from pallets, but it's not much effort to pull off the boards that are easily pulled, cut off the ones that aren't, whiz what you get through the P/T just before the blades get changed and burn the corner blocks and other scraps. And for the sake of storing a small pile of waiting-to-be-processed boards in the corner of the garage, I've had a couple of little utility projects out of them and don't feel so bad about it as I would just cutting them up into tiny pieces and using them to light the barbecue.



ChrisR":1f7x914c said:


> I don’t think the wood used for packing goods in Britain is to that standard or even close.



For what it's worth, I've had several crappy softwood and one random really new-looking hardwood one that I still haven't used the wood from... And one - that came from a timber yard - that's made of 30mm-thick rough boards of some description nailed to 50mm-square bearers. I initially gave up on it and left it outside 'cause it had a couple of nails in random places and I didn't want to risk it, but it's been out in the rain for about nine months now without the faintest sign of rot setting in, so I'm starting to think I should take the time to de-nail it, dry it out and recover it properly after all!


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## Random Orbital Bob (5 Jan 2016)

I've found them excellent for providing a solid base upon which to stack goods for shipping with a special design feature that allows the forks of a fork lift truck to slide beneath the base.


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## paulm (5 Jan 2016)

Random Orbital Bob":1fx05svb said:


> I've found them excellent for providing a solid base upon which to stack goods for shipping with a special design feature that allows the forks of a fork lift truck to slide beneath the base.



Can't see that catching on Rob, they're much too useful for building compost bins and log stores and the like (hammer) :lol: 

Cheers, Paul


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## Random Orbital Bob (5 Jan 2016)

You're probably right Paul  Happy New Year by the way.


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## Jelly (5 Jan 2016)

Why all the hate for British pallets?

The yard at work collects them at a phenomenal rate, and when we started looking seriously at them to recover the value realised that something like 65% are good hardwood ones, the blue painted food industry ones are particularly good, but technically are on loan and remain the property of the producer.

As far as hardwoods being wasted on pallets, that's kinda missing the point as the pallet is crucial to load security on both wagons and forklifts, so if you're putting a ton or more of weight on one, low quality fast grown softwood wouldn't do.


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## mickthetree (5 Jan 2016)

What is it the buyer wants? A bespoke piece of furniture, preferably made from recycled wood to give that warm eco feeling and ideally at a reasonable price. Enter Pallet wood furniture.

I have been told by numerous people "you could make a fortune knocking out those from pallet wood". I have spent ages getting my machines and tools fettled and working just as I want them for quality work. Sticking something engrained with dirt, metal and goodness knows what else near my workshop just isn't an option for me.

If theres a demand, someone will supply it and good luck to them.


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## Graham Orm (5 Jan 2016)

mickthetree":3mjcdy9m said:


> What is it the buyer wants? A bespoke piece of furniture, preferably made from recycled wood to give that warm eco feeling and ideally at a reasonable price. Enter Pallet wood furniture.
> 
> I have been told by numerous people "you could make a fortune knocking out those from pallet wood". I have spent ages getting my machines and tools fettled and working just as I want them for quality work. Sticking something engrained with dirt, metal and goodness knows what else near my workshop just isn't an option for me.
> 
> If theres a demand, someone will supply it and good luck to them.



That pretty much covers it I think Mick. Maybe it's because we program ourselves to admire fine furniture and recognise the skill and hours that have gone into a piece that this type of furniture making seems odd. When I see a picture of something roughly knocked together and coated with varnish, being proudly shown off, that has sold and been admired I scratch my head and wonder did I miss something in the books and articles that I've read?


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## Phil Pascoe (5 Jan 2016)

Maybe your opening question should have been "What's the fascination with buying things made from old pallets?


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## NazNomad (5 Jan 2016)

Jelly":2a3eujdn said:


> ... but technically are on loan and remain the property of the producer



I love a bit of 'technically'. :wink:


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## Graham Orm (5 Jan 2016)

phil.p":dpuj6ujj said:


> Maybe your opening question should have been "What's the fascination with buying things made from old pallets?



Yes!


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## Graham Orm (8 Jan 2016)

AHA! The root of it all. http://www.alwayshobbies.com/books-$4-d ... and-garden


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## NazNomad (8 Jan 2016)

Why would you pay 13 quid for a book and nothing for the wood? :-D


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## Sean Hellman (9 Jan 2016)

This is one reason that I use recycled pallet wood, if it is suitable for the task in hand. Fan bird made from a single piece of wood, spruce I think in this case



Making stuff from pallets does not mean it is a substandard piece of work. I have come across pallets of the most amazing tropical woods that are as hard as nails with beautiful colours


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## beganasatree (10 Jan 2016)

Nice one Sean,any more??

Peter.


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## Graham Orm (10 Jan 2016)

Beautiful Sean. That's not the usual stuff.


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## heimlaga (11 Jan 2016)

With every new trend there are always people so determined to be trendy and appear crafty that they loose the whole point or that the end result becomes useless due to bad materials.

I have seen a man build furniture and extend his house using very bad quality wood from pallets and recykled half rotten softwood weatherboards. All of his builds are pretty much worthless and useless due to bad materials. All while he paid a premium prize for birch firewood delivered behind his barn. All while he cut dwn his own birch trees and first left the logs to rot and then gave them away for firewood.
A customer once wanted me to replace rotten logs in his all-recykled old loghouse with logs that were so rotten that there was grass growing out of them and I coundn't detect any grain direction. Only the frost held the replacement logs together. For him it was very important that everything was recykled so we had quite a battle over those logs. 

When I get hold of free pallets and useful dumpster wood I usually bring it home. I use the ordinary not so good pallets to keep my locally harvested woodstacks off the ground and to move scrap iron and old machines around using my tractor and front loader and for all kinds of temporary applications where I don't want to waste good wood. Wood of lesser quality is built into the launching ramp for my boat and used for temporary roofs over my woodstacks and all kinds op temporary uses. Everything that isn't good for anything else becomes firewood. 

However there is the occasional pallet with long lenghts of pine one inch boards or full size 2x4s or even 5x5s or big sheets of undamaged plywood and the ocasional piece of good dumpster wood. When I encounter such a bonus pallet among the junk I always take it apart carefully and put the wood in storage in the tractor shed attic for future projects. That recykled wood can be found built into various things and buildings around home and even once in a job for a customer. 

For me the whole thing is about making the best possible use out of every grade of materials.


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## Benchwayze (11 Jan 2016)

JSW":1hpkdboc said:


> > What's the fascination with making things from old pallets?
> 
> 
> It satisfies my creative side.
> ...



JS

Unless the definition of Joiner has changed, you've nothing to be 'umble about!


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## NazNomad (5 Mar 2017)

I just took delivery of these...

I think there's about 60-70 of 'em.


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## graduate_owner (5 Mar 2017)

Well I think we are all missing one important issue here. I think we should congratulate the OP on his superb modern sculpture, surely good enough for display in international exhibitions and a definite contender for Hepworth, Founders or Broomhill. Could easily win £30,000 provided it doesn't rot away in the meantime.

K


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## llangatwgnedd (5 Mar 2017)




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## bourbon (9 Mar 2017)

I'm a FLT driver, Have been for 30 years. In my experience, the hardwood pallets are from Japan, Solid spacer blocks. Euro pallets from, well, Europe surprisingly, These have mostly chipboard spaces and are fast grown softwood. The metre square blue pallets are owned by CHEP who will come after you like a Rottweiler if you try to sell them on and they find out about it.
All pallets coming into this country have to have some form of treatment to kill the bugs in them. Most common is heat treatment (HT) or chemical treated. A brand is applied to show what treatment, who treated it, country of treatment and the date, all in code form. Hope this helps and you haven't fallen asleep yet.


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