Pallet projects are incredibly popular because the wood is easy to work with, and apparently, even easier to find for free.
In fact, before I started at LittleThings, I never knew there was such a wide availability of unwanted pallets. I would stumble upon an endless amount of cool projects like patio furniture, pool side wet bars, and wine racks made out of pallets online but would never happen upon an unwanted pallet in real life.
That’s because I just wasn’t looking.
Now, when I walk down the street, I always spot a pallet or two, just sitting there, waiting to be flipped into something gorgeous like, a glowing headboard.
This project by U.S. Army officer and Instructables user crreed is quite the showstopper — and to think he started with some splintering, throwaway wood he found when he was on deployment in the Middle East.
“Anyone with basic carpentry skills can do this,” he said giving the project a “three” in difficulty on a scale of one to ten. “Even if you have never used a power tool before, this is an easy and impressive first project that is sure to wow your friends.”
He takes two different colored pallets and combines them into one beautiful item that would be a stunning centerpiece in anyone’s living room. Yet, what makes it truly unique is the patriotic flair on its surface. It’s tasteful yet exquisite and brimming with pride, just like a true American…
Crreed, whose real name is Christian Reed, is a 2014 Mechanical Engineering Graduate from MIT and is currently serving as an officer in the U.S. Army in the Engineer Corp.
He originally constructed it when he was on deployment in the Middle East. “If I can build this in a desert with a few old power tools full of sand and 110 degree plus weather, you can too!” he said.
These are the wood pallets he happened upon.
First he tore apart the pallets, then “before you do anything else, is figuring out what size you want a table,” he said. “Every other step is based on this. From this, you can calculate the size of everything else.”
He cut 18 boards evenly, there were seven 1" x 2 1/2" x 38 1/2", six 1" x 2 1/2" x 61 1/2", and five 1" x 3" 1/2" x 22 5/8" in total.
Next, he created a frame consisting of a rectangular support with two crossbeams.
He then laid out the evenly cut boards for the first time on the frame. Once all the boards were placed, he removed and sanded them.
Once all the boards sanded, they were placed back in the frame and secured.
Legs were then attached. Christian advises that you pre-drill all the holes and make sure the legs are straight. This will allow the table to sit level.
Stencils of stars were made.
They were then traced onto the wood to serve as a guide for engraving later on.
Finally the stars were engraved with a Dremel.
The end result is a beautiful and rustic pallet coffee table brimming with American pride.
In his post, Christian quotes Henry Ford, who once said: “What’s right about America is that although we have a mess of problems, we have great capacity — intellect and resources — to do something about them.” He feels like he did just that in this projec
To see more of Christian Reed’s cool projects, check out his personal webpage, here.
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