Cheap and Classy!

The Pallet Wood Loungeset!

Get ready to chill!

Step 1: Materials, Tools & Planning!

Before we start it's good to make some planning. I drew these building plans, so I had an idea of what I wanted to make. Of course, it's pallet wood, so it can be a little different, but to have a drawing does really help! The measurements in the drawing are in mm and cm. You can convert those simply online to inches with this calculator.

Materials:

pallets (a lot!) try to search for the ones that still have neat planks. I used about 15 pallets in total.
wood glue
stain
screws and nails

The Tools I used:

circular saw
handsaw
drill-driver
hammer
brushes
band-sander
sanding machine
tape measure
pencil

Step 2: Disassembling the Pallets

After collecting all the pallets (I used around 15 pallets for the whole set) we will have to disassemble them. I could write a whole instructable on disassembling pallets, because there are multiple ways to do so. If you want to know more about harvesting wood from pallets, then I found this instructable very useful!

Step 3: Making the Arm-rest Panels

On the working table I took the planks and sawed them on the right length. The planks in the middle we kept a little shorter. Then I used another plank which I glued on one side with wood glue and screw them to to other planks. (The pictures will speak for itself). After I made a panel, I used the band-sander to sand the panel until the planks are kind of equal. Now the planks are connected, but because it's screwed from the inside you will not see the screws. I like it that way, because the wood has already it characteristic "wounds" from his former pallet-life.

In total I made 12 of these panels.

Step 4: Finishing the Arm Rests

To finish one arm rest I used to use two panels.
I held the "ugly" side to the inside of the of the to be arm rest. Then I put some "wider" planks over the top of the panel with wood glue. After that I screwed the planks to the panel. Once there are two planks connected to the panel, I took another panel and connected these the same way as the first panel with wood glue and screws. I tried to use as less screws as possible, because I don't really like the sight of them. But they are useful to keep the planks together with the wood glue. You probably also could use nails or clamp them together and use no screws at all. But since I have not such a big clamp this was the way to go for me.

At the end you have one arm rest ready. It is already big enough to stand on it's own and it feels really sturdy.
For the lounge set, I made 6 of these: Two armrests per chair (2) and two for the couch.

Step 5: Making the Seating

In this part I will describe making the seating for the couch. It works the same for the chairs, but the panels are shorter. Again we are going to make panels. For the chairs we are going to make panels of 50 cm x 50 cm and for the couch we will make panels of 150 cm x 50 cm.

For the couch we will need to extend the "runners". We are going to make a frame with these runners on which we will glue and nail the planks. The runner is that beam in the pallet that holds the upper planks and the lower planks together. Since I wanted to use as much of the pallets as possible I used these runners as the beams for the seating.

To extend the runner I drew with a protractor a line of 40 degrees. There I made the cut. To make sure the other beam would fit precisely, I used the fresh cut runner to make the other line on the other beam. After you have now two beams cut, it's time to connect them together with wood glue and secure it with screws. The extended beam is now strong enough to hold the seating. I tested it out, to put the extended beam in between two tables and I sat on it. It kept me with ease.

When the two beams are made we use these to make a frame. (see picture) The parts of the frame are connected by screws. On this frame we glue the planks. (which we cut at the right length of-course). I nailed them down to the frame to secure them.

Wil will make for the couch 2 of those frames. One will be de seating, the other will be for the back. The one panel for the back we will attach planks on both sides of the frame, but leave the last planks at the far end out. We need the space in between later to screw it to the armrests. (see next step)

After the panels are made, we used the band sander to smoothen it all out.

Step 6: Putting It All Together.

At this point, we have the armrests done and the panels for the seating. It's time to put it all together. I made a drawing on how we are going to do it.

The seating will be placed at the height of 38 cm at the front and 36 at the back. This slightly slanted seating will add a little more comfort to sit in later. You could also choose to do it straight, but I thought this would work for me since I like to sit a little deeper into the chair.

The back panel will be a little slanted backwards. I didn't do any calculations for it. I just held it and when I thought it was right I attached it to the armrest panels. In the end it turned out perfect. You don't want the backseat panel to straight, because that will not sit comfortable. A little lean back does all.

The panels are attached to the armrests with screws (longer ones) and of course wood glue. (see drawing and photo) Once your done connecting everything, it's time to sit and enjoy before we start painting.

Step 7: Last Step: Stain!

The wood we used is old. It has been all over the world and it's dry. To add the last touch to it, we are going to stain it. I used "dark oak stain" and painted the stain over de wood. I used two layer of stain and a finishing varnish to make it all shiny. You can choose not to stain it, or use another color. That's totally up to you. Stain comes in many colors and I'm pretty sure the local builders market can mix them in any color for you.

To give the lounge set a more personal flair I also used white paint for some planks, just to give an extra aspect to it. You can do that too, or not, that's up to you.

I had some restwood over and I made a table too. Unfortunately I didn't make pictures of it so it's not included in the instructable. However, if you made it this far: you probably can make a table yourself too!

When everything is dry, put your lounge set in the garden. Get some pillows, invite some friends for the necessary compliments and get a beer! Sit back and enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed this instructable. Please leave me a comment if you have any tips. Or send me a picture if you made one yourself! I'm looking forward to it!

Thanks!