# Used pallets.



## Abandoned Barns (Dec 25, 2012)

Got a deal with the fella from the Methodist Church in town that has a big pumpkin sale fund raiser each year. When he's done he has no use for the pallets he sets them out on so he let's me take them away for him and even throws in all of the leftover pumpkins. 

What pumpkins DW doesn't bake or can with go to the livestock and I end up taking away 80 - 100 pallets each year. I have about 250 - 300 stacked up in an unused field next to the house. 

To date we've used them to build chicken coop, woodshed, garden fencing, dog pen fencing, pig pen fencing (epic failure - think hogs under the house busting water pipes), canning shelves & a pot hanging rack as well as small tables for this or that. 

Anyone else use pallets as a building material? Any good projects? 

I've heard about some concerns about sanitation (bird poop and Salmonella, treatment chemicals, insect infestation etc.) so I'm cautious about using it indoors but it's hard to turn your nose up at free building material like that.


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## Narshalla (Sep 11, 2008)

I think you've covered just about everything that I've ever heard of.

Maybe use them to build shelves, if you need them? Especially out in the shed.


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## theemon (Jan 14, 2013)

i allmost built a fence 2 pallets high, out of them once, had the plans and everything, just found a better fence


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## Abandoned Barns (Dec 25, 2012)

theemon said:


> i allmost built a fence 2 pallets high, out of them once, had the plans and everything, just found a better fence


There's one like that in Barnwell (few towns over) I'm sure your plans were better, but this one definitely did not stand the test of time and now just looks like a big heave mess to clean up.


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## cindilu (Jan 27, 2008)

Can you show us pictures of the projects you have made with them. Pallets have always been a love of mine and it is cool people are starting to use them to actually build. I know I plan to use them for my fence as well as build my chicken coop with them. I would love to see what you have done.


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## Abandoned Barns (Dec 25, 2012)

cindilu said:


> Can you show us pictures of the projects you have made with them. Pallets have always been a love of mine and it is cool people are starting to use them to actually build. I know I plan to use them for my fence as well as build my chicken coop with them. I would love to see what you have done.


Oh sure. Just give me a while to walk around and take some pictures. Just Rembert its january; some of them might need some maintenance that has been differed until warmer weather.


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## cindilu (Jan 27, 2008)

I understand, it is cold cold cold outside. No worries about how cool they look, I am just wanting the general idea. I think it is a cool project.


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## Abandoned Barns (Dec 25, 2012)

cindilu said:


> I understand, it is cold cold cold outside. No worries about how cool they look, I am just wanting the general idea. I think it is a cool project.


Ok its not that cold, we live in SC after all, but that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! 

Remember; I never said I was a master carpenter! 

Our first project was a wood shed, because, well, we really needed a wood shed. I really had no idea what I was doing, but hey its been standing for almost five years: 








except for the roof it was made entirely of pallets and some old posts we had lying around. The shelf inside for stacking wood were also made of some long skinny pallets that we found: 








and has a sharpening table made out of pallets as well, but it was piled up with too much junk to take a picture. 

Here's a garbage bin we made out of pallets to keep the dogs out the garbage cans: 









Our garden fence: 









and gate: 








were also made out of pallets. (it says "the Garden of Weedin" if you're straining to see it) 

Most families have dog pens to keep the dogs from jumping up on the little ones; we decided to build a pen for the kids and let the dogs run loose, to protect the dogs from them. The Playhouse and fence for both made out of pallets: 









DW wanted one of those iron pot hangers, but they're so dang expensive:









And I was told that if I didn't find a place organize DW's canning that she was going to start using my workshop:








I don't know if you can see in this picture but the lips to each of the shelves were made out of 1 inch lattice board that we painted with that blackboard paint , so now she can label the shelves with chalk. 
I'm sure there's other stuff here and there that we've done with pallets, but that's all what I thought to take pictures of.

We got a hold of some excess bay windows and have plans to frame them on top of a short wall made of pallets to make a greenhouse and last spring I found some nice old 10x10 timbers so I think I want to attempt a larger monitor style shed for the tractor with pallets, but I just had surgery last week so I'm still milking that for all the sympathy I can get before starting anything new.


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## cindilu (Jan 27, 2008)

Oh my goodness, I am very very impressed. I wish I could share that last picture with a good friend of mine who LOVES to can. Better yet I will send her this direction so she could see the picture for herself. Very good job of building, and I love the kids play yard as well as the shed and fence.


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## Abandoned Barns (Dec 25, 2012)

Yeah the shelves really came out good didn't they? We're getting pretty good at using pallets and thinking of ways to use them. I have to say though that it is truly a blessing to have a homesteading minded wife who's not afraid to pick up a hammer or a screw gun. So much easier to have two people (eg. one to level a board & one you screw it to the stud) to do stuff like that.


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## Shawn (Apr 2, 2008)

Wow, thanks for the photos. I have been saving some odd sized pallets at the office which have some nice long oak baords on them. I plan on pulling them apart to make something. I liked the tables I saw Norm Abrahm make on the New Yankee Workshop years ago.


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## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

Good looking projects there. Keep up the nice work.


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## lamina1982 (Jan 14, 2013)

Definitely a great source for free building materials. My kitchen sink cabinet is made mostly from pallets..
I just wish they didn't use those twisty nails putting them together cause they are such a pain. Never thought about using for a fence!
Box springs are a pretty good source of would to make small shelves as well


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## Jokarva (Jan 17, 2010)

All your projects are great, I love those canning shelves! I posted these pics in the Homesteading forum a few weeks ago, I have a bit of an obsession for pallets  

a few of our projects....


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## HuskyBoris (Feb 14, 2013)

cool!!,lots of ideas for xtra pallets that I have as well,I have put them on the floor in the barn as a buffer to keep the hay from making direct contact with the cement,plus with round bales it gives me a helping hand in standing them up. I even had some that outlived their usefulness and ended up in the woodstove,recycled full circle.


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## Doc (Jun 5, 2003)

How about details on putting them together? and in building the roof?

I'd like to try a pallet stall off the side of our barn for our mini horse who won't use the barn but may use the stall.


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## sam03 (Apr 26, 2012)

The uses are endless. Goggle image is your friend!


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## cindilu (Jan 27, 2008)

Jokarva said:


> All your projects are great, I love those canning shelves! I posted these pics in the Homesteading forum a few weeks ago, I have a bit of an obsession for pallets
> 
> a few of our projects....


I LOVE all of your projects. I NEED to learn to get over my fear of running a saw. You have convinced me.


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## primal1 (Aug 22, 2003)

try a sawzall, easy and way less stressful











cindilu said:


> I LOVE all of your projects. I NEED to learn to get over my fear of running a saw. You have convinced me.


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## lovinthislife (Aug 28, 2009)

My husband uses them to stack wood on and then some of them when he first got them were a pretty pine color, he cut them and make the prettiest window moldings. I love them


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## ralph perrello (Mar 8, 2013)

Some years ago I was doing plumbing at a factory. They received the heavy coils of sheet steel on oak pallets. They had no use for them and they were just stacked up outside the factory building. For two weeks I took a truck load home every night. That was most of my winter wood and it was real dry.


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## our5acredream (Mar 14, 2013)

Anyone got any pics on how they built a chicken coop using pallets? I just scored a TON of them from a local garage for free and want to give it a go, but I'm a newbie and need some ideas on how it _*should *_look when I'm done...lol


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## Riverdale (Jan 20, 2008)

http://cdn.homesteadingtoday.com/at...ion/4538d1360892873-used-pallets-imag0288.jpg

This could be a nice backyard summer kitchen!


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## Conhntr (Aug 7, 2010)

I would be careful on pallets used for produce. Id be worried about bugs! Pallets vary alot. Some barely make make it a single trip. I get some from a print shop that get paper and those pallets are built really strong


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