Pallet Wood Table/Seat and Upcycled Pillow

I wanted to make a piece of furniture that could function as an accent table and a seat if need be. I settled on the dimensions of 18 inches for the sides and top, essentially making it a cube profile.

Materials:

A little less than 1 pallet of wood (I ended up using other scrap pieces of wood to fill in spots)

Wood Glue or Super Glue (I used Tight Bond and Gorilla Glue)

Minwax Natural Stain

Minwax Polyurethane

5/8 Inch Bolts (These can be any length)

5/8 Inch Washers

Black Spray Paint

Fabric

Thread

Plastic Bags

Tools:

Power Drill

Saw (I used a Compound Miter Saw)

Disposable Paintbrush

Sanding Tools/Paper

Clamps (The more the better)

Sewing Machine/Pins

Scissors

Hot Glue Gun/Glue

Step 1: Cutting the Pieces

I used the pallet's inside planks to make the legs, one plank for each pair of legs, minus a little from the middle so they would be 18 inches tall. Then I cut a side piece to fit between the legs making them 18 inches across (I did this twice, one for each pair of legs). Next I gathered up scraps of wood to use for the surface of the table.

Step 2: Gluing the Pieces Together

I began by gluing an 18 inch piece of wood to each set of legs to offer a sort of platform to add all the other pieces to. After this I simply found pieces that would fit with each other or came close and would require only a little bit of trimming. I fit pieces together on each side until I had 9 inches worth on each side (essentially creating two un-joined halves of the table). Make sure to dry fit the pieces before gluing and clamping.

Once I made sure the table was nice and level, I joined the two halves together with glue and clamped them tightly.

Step 3: Adding Some Accents

In a previous instructable (https://www.instructables.com/id/Reclined-Pallet-Wood-Chair/) I used a threaded rod and bolts to give structure to the piece but in this build I opted for just bolts and washers as decorations, putting form a little above function. I spray painted the bolts and washers matte black and drilled one hole in four top corners of the table. I glued them in and clamped them until the glue dried.

Step 4: Sanding and Staining

I sanded the entire table but took care not to sand off any of the pallet wood logos or stamps to keep the used wood look. I hand sanded around the bolts to remove any excess glue and to ensure no paint would be sanded off (instead of using an electric sander).

After the table was smooth enough I stained it with Minwax Natural Stain and followed that up with a couple of coats of polyurethane.

At this point the table/seat is finished and its on to the pillow!

Step 5: Making the Pillowcase

For the pillow I used some scrap black fabric. I cut one square 19"x19" and one rectangle 19"x22". Then I cut the rectangle in half to make two pieces of fabric, each 9.5"x11".

I folded the edges over about a half an inch on the long sides of the two pieces and sewed them down. Next I placed the two pieces onto the remaining square of fabric and sewed around the edges. Because I had only one color of fabric it didn't matter which side of the fabric faced in or out but if there is a pattern, make sure that it is on the inside when sewing this step.

With all the edges sewn, the pillow case can be turned inside out and is ready for stuffing.

Step 6: Stuffing the Pillow Case

I found a plastic bag about the same size as the pillow case and stuffed it with used plastic bags from grocery stores and other places. The amount of bags is a matter preference, I'd say I stuffed it to about medium stiffness.

After hot gluing the stuffed bag shut, I slid it into the pillowcase and placed it atop the table/seat.

One thing I thought of after I sewed the pillow was that I could have added in some elastic straps on each corner to place around the wooden legs, this would have kept the pillow in place. Other than that I am pretty pleased with the results.

Good luck and happy building!