The Rustic Artistic Snapshot

Hello Readers,

A few weeks ago I shared some pictures (on ShadesofGrain) of a photoshoot of  items I sell on my Etsy Shop. Well if you did or didn't notice I tried to present a rustic look and feel to the photos, and to do this I used some of my pallet work as a backdrop. You can see from the photos below that the backdrop gives a certain character that I think makes the products pop in the photos.

On another note I have a new Pallet project that I just finished with my wife and I will be posting that in the very near future so come back soon! (hint: Bedside tables)

Cat Tower - Reclaimed/Pallet wood, 3 levels

Hello Readers,

Finished this a few weeks ago, it is a cat tower my wife requested that I build. Used all reclaimed wood from the side of the road and pallet wood. Bought some scrap rug from a local clearance store for 5 dollars and 8 inch sono tube from Home Depot for about 8 dollars. The Cat Tower has 3 levels, the 1st and 3rd are half tubes and the 2nd is a whole tube. Check out the project photos below!

Pallet Wood Sled... in 30 minutes!

Hello Readers!

Well a snow storm decided to dump nearly a foot of snow on my home so I got the itch to show my daughter how to make a sled out of wood! Considering the fact that this was for outdoor snow use, I used pallet wood to construct the frame for this sled, we then applied some wax to bottoms of the skis. In the end the sled worked great! Too bad we got a foot of snow though, the sled worked a lot better with 4 inches on the ground. In any case when the snow melts a little we will be able to sled some more. Enjoy the pictures!

Christmas Tree Star

Hello Readers,

My wife asked me last minute to make a star for the tree, so I had a little fun with the request. I used two tones of bare pallet wood and made a traditional kite star. Enjoy!

Christmas Gifts: Pallet Wood Boxes

Hello Readers!

Well I can finally say that the Christmas gift giving is over and I can show you what I was working on as Christmas gifts for the whole family.

What the Waka? Stress Relief

Good Morning All,

Ever run into a piece of wood (pallet wood in this case) and wonder; "How the heck did that warp like that?" Working with pallet wood can be a twisted mess of metal, warp and work. These things lead to a lot of distress trying to make them work for a project, leading you to want to pull your hair straight out.

It is getting cold outside!

Hello Readers!

It's getting cold outside! And with it the year of woodworking is winding down to just a few more projects before I go into winter mode. I don't have a temperature controlled shop so unfortunately once the bitter cold of january comes, I will be only able to work on projects during the warmer days that I find time. But it's been a great year so far and I hope to end the year with a bang!

Take a look at my past projects here on Pallet Craft!

Frustration leads to Rushing which leads to more Frustration

Hello Readers,

That's it! I have had enough for one day!... Well that is what I should have said, but if you know me I can't seem to help myself when it comes to frustration and working on things. I know I should stop, after all, all this frustration is just leading me to rush through critical parts of the project!

Out of the shadows.

Hello Readers,

I have been working on several projects this year and I have made a lot of progress in the way of building things from pallet wood and ultimately showing the worth of the wood contained within the crude pallet structures.


I have had some great successes such as the highchair: http://palletcraft.blogspot.com/2012/10/pallet-highchair.html

As well as the storage bin: http://palletcraft.blogspot.com/2012/10/replacement-storage-shelves.html

The Pallet Gate: http://palletcraft.blogspot.com/2012/10/reclaimed-wood-gate.html







And many others. But I am looking to bring pallet wood out of the shadows and into a more "highlighted" discussion. And I have finally come up with 2 or 3 projects that will really shutdown the "non-believers" and finally prove once and for all the worth of pallet wood.

So what are the projects? Well that is still under wraps. but I promise, to have some  up here by the end of November. Until then, enjoy my recent projects on: Pallet Craft!

Bath Tray!

Hello Readers!

I thought I would take the time to show you what was my first project that I ever used a hand block plane on. I had just bought a block plane from Home Depot (lower end model) the night before, and I was eager to try it out. By the end I was and still am more than satisfied with it's operation. No sooner had I researched how to properly use one, was I practicing on the boards I used for this bath tray. I was happy with the newly planed wood, so I decided to go ahead and practice mortise and tenons for the base board to attach to the tray top. I made the mistake of cutting the tenons before I planed the base board and knocked off one... had to re-do it... Also, when cutting the mortises I stupidly punched through one of them after having done the first one nicely... So I had to fill it on the top. Overall I learned how to block plane boards, to plane the boards before cutting mortise and tenons, and what not to do when drilling and chiseling out mortises. Check out the photos below and see my other pallet projects here on Pallet Craft!