Introduction: American Flag Pallet
This instructable shows you how to make a hanging American flag from a pallet, It doesn't take too long and isn't too difficult, so enjoy!
Tools/Items Required:
- Saw
- Hammer
- Nails
- Sand paper
- box cutter
- Printer
- Ruler
- Masking tape
- Paint - red/white/Blue
- Varnish
Step 1: Setting Up the Pallet
- Strip off all the wood except for the 3 vertical beams and the lowest horizontal beam.
- Sand down all the beams so it has a smooth finish.
- Place the beams one above the other as in figure 2 and hammer into place.
I used 9 vertical slats which gave me a near proportional flag, I used this website as a guide:
http://www.usflag.org/flagspecs.html
It also helps when painting to get dimensions right.
Cut off the excess vertical beams and sand down all the edges.
Step 2: Painting - Red, White and Blue
Mark of the areas to paint with masking tape using the proportions from the website:
http://www.usflag.org/flagspecs.html
I chose to use each beam as the stripes which is not exactly like the flag but it makes for easier painting.
I used spray paint because its quicker and cheaper then wood paint, I also didn't use a primer because I wanted the wood to show through which adds to the weathered look.
First do Blue, Then White stars, Then red.
I decided not to do white stripes and rather use the natural colour of the wood.
Step 3: Stars
Again the stars are not accurate with the correct proportions, but I felt it looked better this way for displaying.
There should be 50 stars, but thats a lot to fit.
Side note..
Originally in 1777. The blue canton contained 13 stars, representing the original 13 colonies, in a circular fashion.
From then on stars were added for each state, so this flag would be from the mid 1800's.
Use Ms Word to make a star template and print it.
Cut out the stars with a ruler and box cutter. Use this as a stencil.
Do touch ups if necessary.
Step 4: Finishes
If you want to make the finish more rustic, then you can sand down the surface a bit. Else just varnish over the paint for a smooth finish. I left the wood untreated which gives a nice contrast.
Finally screw in 2 screws at the back on either side and use hanging wire to hang it on the wall.