The P.A.L.L.E.T. (Pallet and Loose Lumber Enclosure Tower)

After taking apart many wooden pallets I found that I was running out of places to store all of the wood.  I decided to built a simple and fast container for pallet wood, made out of pallet wood. What I came up with was the P.A.L.L.E.T. or the Pallet And Loose Lumber Enclosure Tower.

I didn't need any thing pretty for my purposes so I did not sand or paint the P.A.L.L.E.T.. Also it should be noted that most of the cuts are not as precise as they could have been; I had a few hours on a nice day to make something functional so I went for it and while it may not be pretty, it does its job quite well.  As an added bonus I can easily take it apart to use in another project :-)

Tools:
Tape Measure
Pencil
Reciprocating Saw
Jigsaw or Handsaw
Power Drill w/ Bits

Materials:
Two and a Half Medium Sized Pallets
Wood Screws (I used 1-3/4" screws)
Wood Glue (Optional)

Step 1: Gutting the Pallets

To start we will be cutting the bottom planks and inner beams off of two similar sized pallets, this will be done with a reciprocating saw. Once that is done, cut one plank off of what will be the top of the P.A.L.L.E.T.

Next we will remove the bottom planks from another pallet and cut in half. Note we will only be using one of these halves.

Step 2: Cutting the Sides

Our next step is to cut the sides which will secure our gutted pallets to one another.  Remember the middle inner beam we cut from the first two pallets?  We will be using this to make the sides.

I cut each beam into two pieces, making four final pieces, each 14" long.  You can make them as long or short as needed; I wanted my project to fit under an overhang/gutter on the side of my house.

Step 3: Putting It Together

I found it easiest to lay one pallet on the ground and attach the sides there. I matched the sides with the planks of pallet wood for added stability and a somewhat cleaner look. I only used one screw per end this way as the wood did not move when flush against the planks. Wood glue or extra screws could be added for more stability.

Step 4: Finishing Up

To finish up I trimmed the excess sides of the front planks so they would be flush with the side pieces. I also added a crude bottom by screwing extra boards to the bottom of the PALLET. I keep it outside, under a roof outcrop and while it isn't too pretty, it has held several pallets worth of wood through a couple of seasons and has not shown any signs of weakening. I hope some of you feel inspired and build your own bigger and better PALLET!