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Here's a fun way to reuse wood. Make this Adirondack chair from shipping pallets or other reclaimed lumber.
Pallets come in many shapes and styles. They're made from lots of different types of wood. They are readily available for free. In fact, most comp...
I get my pallets from my employer. They throw them away, into a dumpster if I don't get to them first. They pay to have the dumpster emptied, of co...
Pallets are everywhere. As I mentioned, I get mine from my workplace, but thousands of other businesses are constantly looking for someone to take t...
Working with power tools is dangerous, doubly so when working with pallets. There are hidden nails, knots, warped boards, etc. Use proper safety eq...
Tools/material you need, at minimum: 1) Hammer 2) Crowbar/prybar 3) Drill (cordless is best, but even a hand drill will work) 4) Small bit for pilot ...
I experimented with different methods, but I finally settled on this particular method of disassembling the pallets. This is how I do it: I start b...
Use a hammer to knock the stinger off if it's stubborn.
You'll be left with a bunch of 1X4's and 1X6's attached to the 2x4 in the center. By rocking the 1x4's and the 1x6's back and forth, you can get the...
I usually get about (6) good 1x4's and (3) good 1x6's per pallet. I also get a (3) 4' lengths of 2x4. .
Using a 35" 1x6, draw a grid of one inch blocks like the picture below. Keep in mind that the lumber is only 5.5" wide. you''ll end up with a cours...
Using a 32" 1x6, draw a grid of one inch blocks like the picture below. Keep in mind that the lumber is only 5.5" wide. you''ll end up with a cours...
Using a 21.5" 1x4, draw a grid of one inch blocks like the picture below. Keep in mind that the lumber is only 3.5" wide. you''ll end up with a cou...
Using a 22" 1x4, draw a grid of one inch blocks like the picture below. Keep in mind that the lumber is only 3.5" wide. you''ll end up with a cours...
Cut out (2) armrest brackets. Use the measurements below.
Using your jigsaw (or a bandsaw if you have one), cut out each of the pieces. You'll want to make sure you clamp them down securely. For the rear...
You'll need (4) 20" x 3.5" boards for (2) front legs, (1) front crosspiece, and (1) front seat slat. You can cut these with a handsaw, a table saw, ...
Cut (1) 18.5" x 3.5" rear crosspiece.
You'll need (2) rear back supports. Get a 1x4 and measure 26" on one side, 23" on the other. Draw a line between the two and cut.
Rip a 3.5" inch board down the middle to get (2) 1.75" seat slats. Cut the length to 20". Drill pilot holes and countersink on each end of the slat....
You'll need (7) chair back slats. These are tapered cuts. I made a simple (yet dangerous) taper jig out a sheet of masonite and a few smaller pieces...
To cut the fan tail, lay the back slats together like in the picture shown. Use a board to line up the bottom edge.
Tie a pencil to a couple of feet of string (or use a ring at the end of the string like I did.) Use your thumb to hold one end of the string in the m...
Use your jigsaw to trim off the end of the boards.
You should end up with something like this.
The moment you've been waiting for. Let's put it together.
On a flat surface, arrange the front leg, rear back support, and seat stringer as shown. Remember, if your boards are smooth on one side and rough o...
Drill two staggered pilot holes through the top piece and halfway through the lower board. Use the 3/8" bit to countersink the holes. Spread a gener...
Don't forget the glue. Make sure that the back support is evenly spaced (about 21") from both the top of the front leg and the bottom. I've seen sim...
Place your finished seat stringer/frontleg/backrest support flat on your workspace. Use it to line up the opposite assembly. Remember, these should ...
Take your (1) 18.5" x 3.5" rear crosspiece and attach it to the seat stringer/rear back support as shown in the photo. Measure one inch from the top ...
Mark and measure your other front leg, seat stringer, and back support to attach the rear crosspiece. Try to connect it in precisely the same spot as...
Connecting the front crosspiece is easier thean the rear one. Mark and measure the center of each front leg beneath the seat stringer. Hold the cros...
You cut two backrest rails earlier. One is square the other is rounded. The bottom backrest rail is squarish. Take the bottom backrest rail and lay ...
Take the rounded, top back rest rail and mark it 2.5" from either side. The distance from each of your sides should be 18.5". Drill and countersink t...
Measure and mark the center line of the top of the front leg. Drill pilot holes, countersink, and attack the armrest brackets. Make sure the top ed...
Glue and screw on the front seat slat. Drill pilot holes and countersink.
Find and mark the center of the top and bottom back rail. Drill and countersink a hole on the bottom of the slat, then attach to the bottom back rail...
Attach the first and seventh back slats to the bottom back rail. You'll want to dry-fit the two armrests before you attach the back slats so you know...
Attach the remaining slats in the same manner, spacing as evenly as possible.
You'll want to dry fit all the slats first so you have an idea of how to space them. This is a time consuming part. You'll want to be really careful...
The end is in sight! If you've got the means, I definitely recommend routing the edges of the armrests. If not, you can skip to the next step.
Measure and mark 20" from the bottom of the rear back support.
Move the armrest into position. The 20" mark should line up with the bottom edge of the armrest. Use a screw to tack the armrest in place, or prop i...
Drill three pilot holes through the armrest and into the front leg and armrest bracket. See the second picture for the pattern. Countersink the pilo...
To attach the rear part of the armrest, drill two pilot holes and countersink. Attach with two 1.25" screws. I've seen similar designs that incorpo...
Grab your wood putty and get to work. Fill all the holes you can. I like to wipe off the residual putty with a wet cloth while it's fresh. Sanding ...
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