Rustic Minibar From Pallet Frames

Intro: Rustic Minibar From Pallet Frames

In our lovely garden we have a nice sunny corner where we barbecue. But there is always too little counter space for both food and beers. So to solve this world problem, I want a piece of furniture that looks nice but also has both storage and counter space.

STEP 1: Plan and Materials

I wanted to use the rustic look of the pallet frames and started by making a sketch of how I wanted my minibar.

Materials:

• 4 pallet frames
• 1 pallet
• 1 tabletop
• Some spare wood (for the inner frame)
• 4 hinges
• 4 wheels
• 1 lock
• Screws

Tools:

• Hammer
• Saw
• Jigsaw
• Circular saw
• Screwdriver
• Grinder
• Orbital sander
• Crowbar

STEP 2: Adjusting Size

I found that the pallet frames were too wide for how big I wanted the minibar to be, but I still wanted to use the hinges. I removed the old nails from the hinges, cut the frames and screw the hinges back on.

STEP 3: Foundation

Of course the bottom had to fit the top, so I adjusted the width of the bottom and used the spare boards to fill out the holes. Then I added some wheels so I can "drink and drive" at the same time :)

STEP 4: Adjusting Heights

I wanted my minibar to fit the normal height of a kitchen table (normal work level from floor to tabletop is 91 cm in Denmark) and cut the upper frame and hinges.

STEP 5: The Inner Frame

In order to stabilize and secure bottom and top to the structure I needed to make an inner frame.

STEP 6: Tabletop

I had an old tabletop, but it looked rather new next to the old pallet frames, so to make it more "rustic" and "alive" I burned the surface. I think the result was rather neat!

STEP 7: Cabinet Hole

I wanted to be able to use the minibar for storage. I measured the width of a fitting size cabinet door. Then I put in a nail at both sides and used a strip of wood veneer to make an arched top. I made a small hole with a power drill in order to cut out the doors with a jigsaw. Afterwards i sanded the edges. Be sure to make an even cut since the wood from the hole will be used for the doors.

STEP 8: Cabinet Doors

I took the wood from the hole and used it for the cabinet doors. I used some spare wood to assemble and stabilize the boards. Then I used the circular saw to cut the boards in half. Afterwards I assembled the doors again with a little space between them so they wouldn't bind later on.

I put the hinges on the doors first and on the cabinet afterwards. To make the final look neat I made sure the space around the doors was even.

STEP 9: Skål = Cheers

When you are working with rustic materials it is more important to "take a step back" and look at it instead of measuring everything out.

Comments

[MattTheMaker]

Awesome use of recycled materials. I haven't seen anyone use an old flip style measuring device in a long time, nowadays all you see is retractable measuring tapes.

[DK-learningbydoing]

In Danish it called a "tommestok" and all Danish craftsman have one in their pocket.
you can not do without it! :)

[DK-learningbydoing]

Thanks for all the good comments. It inspire me to do more projects. :)

[Porda]

Great looking mini bar! I'll have to make one of these once I have a backyard.

[Volthaus Electronics Laboratory]

Nice that the pallet wood has a second life at the parties instead of going to the trash! Well done with english too. Keep woodworking and writing more Instructables.

[Linc2005]

Love This one!!

[seamster]

Your mini bar looks great! Very well done!

Your english is good too. Can't wait to see what you make next!