Introduction: Lathe Stand / Drawer Cabinet Made From Pallets

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This Summer i bought a mini wood lathe, but i had nowhere to put it. I have lot of pallets so it was obvious to build something from them! It's a pretty easy solution to make a sturdy workbench, a Cabinet or even a cupboard!

Things you Need:

  1. Pallets (obviously)
  2. Drill
  3. Any-kind of saw
  4. Screws
  5. Sandpaper
  6. Paint or what you like
  7. (not needed but good to have) Some kind of Planer to make the sanding process quicker.

Step 1: Choosing Your Pallets, and Determining the Hight

Your first and most important step is to pick your height, keep in mind the individual height of each pallet type.

Try to pick uniform and preferably "good" looking pallets. The better they look the easier it is work with them.

stack your pallets to ensure that they "fit" and the slats are not cracked. stack them so that you can see witch side you cut.

Grab any kind of saw (handsaw,Jigsaw,Sawzall). Cut the pallets close to the woodblock in the middle, so that you have the blocks still attached to the pallet that you want to keep!

Step 2: The Basic Structure of Your Project!

In this step you can decide where you want your shelf's and drawers.

Take the parts that you cut off earlier and remove some slats from them so you can fill the gaps on the pallets that you are use for the cabinet, so you get a uniform shelf.

If you have chosen the placement of your shelf, just turn the pallet upside down so the underside of the pallet becomes a shelf.

Drill a Pilot Hole in an angle from the upper slat to all the blocks, and fasten them together with some screws.

Step 3: Repeat the 2nd Step Untill You Got Your Height. and Cut Out the Slats.

To get a larger shelf or to put in a higher drawer you need to cut out some slats. But remember to leave the wooden block in the middle.

Just for an example this is how i done it:

The first Pallet is the feet for the whole Cabinet therefor i haven't done anything on it. The second pallet i screwed upside down,the third is topside up,and i cut out the 8 slats in the middle to have a higher shelf. The fourth upside down and the fifth topside up.And Yes i cut the 8 slats from the middle again :) .

The Last (or Top) Pallet is Topside up again and i cut the 4 bottom slats because this gets the drawers. You can see the piece where the drawers will slide later on the last picture.

Remember to drill a pilot hole and screw each individual pallet together.

Step 4: Cover the Messy Look, and Strengthen the Construction!

I had the luck to find a pallet where the top is a Sheet Plywood (Not a Great one tough) so i screwed it to the top of the cabinet to prevent the wood shavings and other stuff to fall in the drawers. You can glue and screw together some straight slats if you want to have a more uniform pallet look.

I braced the whole construction with wider boards after i Planed & Sanded them down. The overall length of dose are determined by the hight of your Creation. To make the cabinet stronger cover all the messy looking pallet blocks on all sides. Remember to drill pilot holes, and to screw preferably into every block.

I Glued on some wood pieces by the shelf, where the pallets meet, to make it look nicer.

Step 5: Sanding, Finishing Aaaaaannnnnnnd Done!

After the sanding part that you all love (yes, that was sarcastic) it's ready for Painting,Staining,Burning?

The choice is yours!

I choose some Water Based Polyurethane to seal the outside faces an the top to make it more durable.

I don't explain how to make the Drawers because there are Lot of ways to make them, But if you are interested just write a comment down below and i make an instructabe about it!

Please watch the video so you can see the process of making this Cabinet.

And if you have any questions feel free to contact me here or on any of my Social Media!


Keep on Creating!


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Step 6: Lathe Stand / Drawer Cabinet Made From Pallets

Epilog Contest 8

Participated in the
Epilog Contest 8

Tables and Desks Contest 2016

Participated in the
Tables and Desks Contest 2016