Working at a senior citizen's complex, I noticed someone had taken the bench that people had used, when waiting for a local Metro bus to stop. Well, I had to make a new bench to fix this. I've taken ideas from these pallet bench makers to make one.

This one: DIY pallet bench, and this one: pallet bench project.

I always try to give credit where credit is due, and there is nothing more complimentary than gaining inspiration from others' perspiration. :-)

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As always, get your pallets legally. Please wear proper eye-wear protection as well.

Step 1: Gathering Supplies

I wanted to use wood that can withstand the weather and have the strength to hold a lot of weight. Pallets seemed like the logical and cheap way to go. The runners from the longer one came in handy as legs for the other pallet. Various tools to make the job easier. Not pictured is my small Craftsman table saw I used in ripping the deckboards. Hand tools are always an option. Only thing I spent money on was a 50-count box of 3 inch screws from Lowes for about $6.

Step 2: Separate the Boards

I decided on which one of the pallets would become the back and seat and the other pallet was dismantled to be used as the legs and what-not.

Step 3: Adding the Legs

After testing and measuring distances of how the two halves would line up, I set about adding the legs to the seat section. I wanted to be sure the seat was high enough off the ground so getting up and down wouldn't be a difficult task for the elderly. I used the runners from the second pallet for the legs, making sure enough height was added to the back legs to attach the back of the bench to. I also added some small blocks to minimize the side-to-side sway.

Step 4: Adding the Back

After sinking a dozen screws, I was certain the back wasn't going anywhere.

Step 5: Cleaning It Up

After seeing how the front of the seat looked, I decided to add a scrap 1"x6" piece of lumber to the front, cleaning up the look nicely. I also sanded it down and rounded the top edge to make it comfortable to sling your legs over.

Step 6: A Little More Fine-tuning

Using some of the deckboards from the second pallet, I ripped them down to loosely fill in the gaps in the back and the seat. After a thorough sanding to remove any splinters, I was satisfied.