Building workbench with pallets

[soldar]

Over the years I have built many workbenches based on this idea. I use wood from dismantled pallets and even reuse the nails. These benches are very sturdy. I use them for wood and mechanical work in which case they are extra reinforced and I usually add a lower shelf or tray to keep tools.  For wood and mechanical work you are standing and the lower shelf is not in the way. It makes a good place to store tools and adds reinforcement.

I also make them for electronics work in which case I install outlet strips along the front skirt or rail. I find having a strip of outlets there is very convenient. Also for electronics I build a couple shelves in the back so I can put instruments, components etc.

The frame is made with scrap wood from pallets and plenty of glue and nails. generally no tenons or other complicated work.  The top is just a piece of plywood or particle board which is cheaper. These things are made with the raw wood and are meant for the workshop or garage, not the living room. They are extremely strong but cannot be disassembled.

The solid top rails make it very strong but you cannot fit a drawer unless you place it below the rail. I have occasionally fitted a hidden drawer under the top and between the rails. It is not convenient for constant use but it is hidden from view and might make a reasonably good hiding place from burglars. You can hide some small, expensive tools there.

The measurements in the attached diagram are generic and meant to make good use of a 4' x 8' board as the top is exactly one third of that. In reality I adapt the dimensions to each project.

One thing about pallet wood is it may have some twist or warp and you have to work with this and correct where necessary.

I have made many different kinds. Generally I make the top with some overhang all around but have made some with no overhang on one side so wood work pieces could be clamped vertically to the side.

I guess it would be easy to make the top with a recessed tray like traditional wood working benches have but I have never done this.

Anyway, this is the general idea which you can adapt to your own needs. The cost is just your own time to build it.

[CJay]

One tip I was given which has served quite well for me was to use a blowtorch to remove the splinters, you wave it over the surface and all the 'hairy' rough bits go up in smoke leaving a smooth surface that's easier to work further or even just ready to use.

I've seen the technique used when pallets are 'upcycled' into furniture and it produces quite a pleasing effect if you're into that sort of industrial look for your furniture.

[BradC]

One tip I was given which has served quite well for me was to use a blowtorch to remove the splinters.

What an awesome tip. Just tried it. Brilliant!

[soldar]

Yes, sometimes pallet wood has splinters and sometimes it has "fuzz" because the saw was not great. I have dealt with these imperfections in different ways. Sometimes a rasp or file. Sometimes a coarse grinding stone. Sometimes I just leave it.

On thing to take into account though is that pallet wood can be dirty with particles which can damage your tools so I will also only take a plane to a piece which I know to be clean. Also beware of hidden nails. I am very careful to take out all nails and anything left I will mark very visibly. The last thing I need is to ruin my circular saw with a hidden nail.

Note in the last photo the sides of the bottom shelf are just scraps of particle board and the back board goes all the way up. I just happened to have that piece but it adds much rigidity and it would stop anything from falling behind the table. next to the wall, where you cannot find it until next time you move it.

[Electro Detective]

Great tips, but wear a dust particle mask if you're going to blowtorch the fuzz, who knows what chemicals are in those deliver and toss woods 

A used nail stash can be gold, especially on a late Sunday afternoon at the finishing line, when the shiny new packet has run out
or left you a few short to finish the job    

If hidden nails are a concern, get a demolition type circular blade, they are designed for wood with the occassional nail.
The sparks and screech will let you know there was a nail there, and just keep sawing. Diablo makes them IIRC, maybe the other players too DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee etc   

Or if you need a new or second circular saw, Evolution make a slower rev speed circular saw that can plough through hell apparently, including metals, and the price is very fair for what you get.

I park tools on foam or cardboard/newspapers, not on fuzzy unknown wood.

I reckon if you're going to blowtorch the fuzz, may as well give a quickie coat or two of cheap paint to seal in any nasties
(enter the heavily discounted 15 litre bucket of returned mis-tint, from a paint retailer that wants it GONE) 
   
...and don't forget the cheap castors with brakes, for that mobile workstation vibe that doesn't break the bank 

[GreyWoolfe]

You have me thinking about maybe building a unit to hold all my printers.  I have a stack of pallets in the shed.  I have to figure placement first.  I like your construction techniques.

[soldar]

I design everything first in Sketchup because it gives me a better visual idea and helps with the building.

The problem with pallet pieces is you don't get long ones for taller shelves, bed rails, etc. Just for the heck of it I have joined pieces to make longer ones but it is better if you can avoid it. I always keep longer pieces of lumber I can get my hands on.

With glue, nails and few screws you can make really strong structures. I have made a few bed frames because you can't see them anyway so looks don't matter.

When gluing and clamping braces at 45º I use a triangular piece of wood with a nail (in red) and that allows me to clamp the two pieces together until the glue sets.

[tsman]

Check the codes on the pallets before reusing them. Some of them are treated with nasty chemicals.

[soldar]

Check the codes on the pallets before reusing them. Some of them are treated with nasty chemicals.

Not the ones I find and use. Any pallets treated with "nasty chemicals" are probably pretty expensive and not abandoned. The ones I get are just cheap, one use, disposables. And always softwood.

If the wood was pressure treated you would notice it.

[ebastler]

Great tips, but wear a dust particle mask if you're going to blowtorch the fuzz, who knows what chemicals are in those deliver and toss woods 

If you are concerned about chemicals, a dust particle mask will not help much at all. (It will protect the workpiece in case you have to throw up... ) 

As Soldar said, I think the large majority of pallets are just raw wood; but it may be difficult to identify ones which are not.

[Electro Detective]

You can't be too safe with this stuff    you don't know where the wood came from and or what it may have been treated with, or exposed to,
or whether there's any embedded foreign insect infestation you're about to release   

a dust mask, eyewear, earplugs, thin tight fit leather gloves, boots, a clean and checked circular saw,

and a set of leathers

never fails to impress the ladies   


oops. and helps gets the job done quick n safer too 

[soldar]

With a solid front rail the structure is very solid but cannot have drawers right below the top although you could place drawers a little lower.  As a workbench I usually do without drawers but sometimes I have built a shelf or box by putting a board at he bottom of the rail and then you can access the space by raising the top, like an old school desk. This is not for continuous access, obviously, but allows some storage space with the added benefit of being hidden.

Another thing I have done is build some drawers accessible from underneath which also have the benefit of being hidden. You can put some spring or stop so they don't slide back and out by themselves with vibration.

[cdev]

I have a workbench table almost exactly like yours which was built before I was born by my mother. At several points I've disassembled it to move it, though, although I've forgotten exactly what I did.

Actually, it is made with very very sturdy wood. Because it can hold a lot of weight. I don't think its made with pallet type wood. It was made in the 1950s in NYC probably. It also has a solid steel top which has seen better days but it likely could be cleaned off. Its a serious maker table that I should put to use better.

My mom was an artist and this table was part of her studio.

 

[coppercone2]

fast grown weak wood. It won't be very stable compared to something meant for long term construction.

For those not familiar with wood, cut a piece and look at the growth rings. More = stronger/denser, was growing longer, etc. Apparently since the 50's the quality of wood on average decreased due to fast harvesting. 

https://ag.tennessee.edu/fwf/Documents/ATaylor/Are-Fast-Grown-Trees-Low-Quality_W253.pdf

[TheNewLab]

Such a great idea! actually fantastic!

I have noticed it has become kind of popular in re-using pallets for items from furniture, to wall treatments.  The work bench Idea is great
some notes:
re chemicals in wood. A VOC gas cartridge might help, however, the chemicals used in wood have become are not gases, a HEPA filter will be fine
-question of sturdiness, laying the material. sand semi smooth, and right glue, clamp entire length.
Plus use many strips vertically under worktop will be plenty strong.

I like the tip of blow torching the fuzz and gaps. Really much easier and quicker than so much more sanding.
Finding pallets means free wood, so over building is not a big deal. for portability just design for disassembly at key points, no problem

Thanks for this thread!

[nctnico]

When I was a kid my father built me a 'small' (2 story) shed from pallet wood. I still like to pick up a pallet if I see an abandoned one near my home and take it apart. It is nice wood for general purpose use.