So I take it you're here because you like to make things that are easy and subtle additions to your house. Well if you want something rustic and unique you found the right place! I'm teaching you how to make your own pallet coasters! I'll be using balsa wood for this run of coasters, but you can use whatever wood you want*.

*I would recommend starting with balsa for this project because it's cost-effective (in case you mess it up a few times) and it's super simple to cut and handle.

Step 1: Material Gathering

So to start things off you will need a few materials that if you are crafty you might already have, but not all of these are common house hold materials.

1. Balsa wood craft pack, I picked mine up at the local Michaels.

2. Wood glue, you can use regular white school glue, but it will not have the strength of the wood glue.

3. Small 1 inch finish nails, these will be used during the glue up to hold things together.

Step 2: Cutting the Material

Here I used a scrap piece of 1/4" ply for two things here, first I used it for my measurement reference (doing it this way make it so you don't have to mark each piece.) Second, it was my sacrificial cutting base (I did this so I would not cut into the table and messing up both the table and saw blade.) To cut the balsa I used a 6" hacksaw because it has fine teeth as well as is nice and small for easy control. You could also use an Exacto knife as well, however, it won't give you as nice of a cut.

Step 3: First Glue Up

For the bottom half of the pallet, I used small 1" nails poked not all the way through to hold the pieces together till the glue dried.

Step 4: Second and Final Glue Up

For the final glue up I used a paintbrush to apply the glue to the balsa, I then placed the top pieces of the pallet on top and pressed them firmly till the glue grabbed (this will depend on your glue, for me, I heald the pieces for about 5 to 10 seconds)

After getting all the top pieces on the pallets I used more scrap pieces of 1/4" ply and sandwiched the pallets with clamps till the glue dried.

Step 5: The Final

Once the glue is set, you're done! You can leave them as is, or coat them in a wood varnish to protect them for even longer. I recommend doing this because of the balsa wood not being able to hold us for very long when it gets wet.