Coffee Table Out of Pallets and Cardboard Tubes

I have received this industrial pallet from the Meteorological Institute of the town that I live, and I just couldn't spend the writing that came on it. I had to do something with it, and it was the perect size for a coffee table.

Portuguese version available at www.foradoescritorio.com.br

What you'll need:

1 Industrial pallet

Scraps of wood

2 cardboard tubes

Nails

Screws

Wood glue

White glue

Varnish

80, 220 and 280 sandpaper

Circular saw

Jigsaw

Hammer

Pliers

Step 1: Dismantle the Pallet

With the pliers, a screwdriver and a hammer start pulling out the staples.

Don't worry about dismantling the whole pallet, just clear the area that you're going to use for the table top.

Use the circular saw to cut the wood under the top of the pallet, so it can come out easily.

And also to cut the top out. Remember to cut it larger than the real dimension that you want for the table.

I decided to saw the nails instead of hammering it out. I thought it would look a little bit more rustic.

Step 2: Cut Out the Excess and Sand

Trace a line on the right dimensions and use the jigsaw to saw it.

Sand it all with the 80 grit sand paper, going through the 220 and finishing it with the 280.

Clean the dust with a wet rag.

Step 3: Varnish

Apply the varnish on the top.

Use atleast 2 coats on this step, with 2 or 3 hours of drying time between coats.

Step 4: Legs

For the legs I followed this instructable Cardboard tube legs and added a few things.

The most important was the coat of white glue mixed with water (1x3). Let it dry for a few minutes.

Step 5: Borders

I added some borders to my table top. This was not in the original project design, otherwise I woudn't have varnished everything. But a few scratches on the varnish will help the glue to sit.