This table was produced in my product design class. This is a sustainable idea as pallets are made from renewable materials and can be found and gathered from nearly every industrial estate which would reduce waste going into landfill. Pallets can also be recycled which makes the product extremely environmentally friendly.

You will need:

2-3 pallets

A tenon or other saw for wood

pliers/pincers

Nails

A file

A hammer

PVA glue

sandpaper

sash clamps

Step 1: Prepare the Materials

First off you'll need to dismantle 2-3 pallets depending on size, and remove all nails. You do not need to sand the wood until after the table is put together, as this will be quicker, however more splintery.

The cutting list shows the dimensions and amount of material you will need. These dimensions can be altered depending on the sizes of pallets as i know there are many types of pallets and not all have the same measurements

Step 2: The Legs and Frame

using a try square, mark out the joints on the legs for the support planks to go into, assuming you're making this table with three shelves, each leg should have 3 joints (12 joints in total). For the top of each leg I used a rebate/Rabbet joint. The bottom two joints are closed housing joints.

Next i drilled the bottom two joints using a mortising machine to cut rectangles holes 16.5mm deep (half way) into the thickness of the legs.

I then Cut the rebate joints with a panel saw being careful that I am sawing along lines and that I don’t cut too deep.

Finally glue the The frame of the table together using sash clamps and plenty pva glue to ensure strength, i also used nails for the rebate joints.

Step 3: The Shelves

Make sure your 28 shelf planks are all the same length, then line your two frames up next to each other and start nailing in the planks for the shelves along the support planks. I started from the ends going inwards to make sure the shelve would be as straight as possible. Once all planks are nailed in there may be small gap in the middle, I solved this by making 3 shelve filler planks (shown in the cutting list) by measuring the gap on each shelf, and cutting a pallet plank to the same width as the gaps.

Step 4: Finishing Up

Sand the entire bench with sandpaper or a belt sander to reduce the amount of splinters. You can sand it as much as you want depending on how clean you want it. I didn't sand it so much as i wanted to keep the rustic look. I then varnished it with clear varnish to prevent it from further splintering.