Making cool furniture from old wood pallets is hard work, but relatively easy and very rewarding.
The first thing to do is dismantle the pallet, and this is where the hard work comes in. Boards are fastened with threaded nails that are shot into the frame. These nails cannot be pulled out, so you have to decide to either wrestle the boards from the frame, or cut them, which is what I do. I cut the boards on the outside and that makes removing it from the middle stud easier.
After the boards have been removed, check for nails that broke off and are embedded in the wood, often too deep to be easily seen. Once this is done the boards can be planed or sanded. This is where beautiful hardwoods are often discovered. I use the boards for table tops and the frame for the frame and legs of the table.
When the boards and studs have been planed or sanded, they are cut to size and the holes are filled with wood filler. An easy and very durable filler can be made from the dust of the sander mixed with wood glue into a paste. Once dry it becomes very hard and has the color of the boards.
Some of the scars and nail holes I fill with resin mixed with a glow in the dark powder, which makes for a very unique and beautiful piece.
The picture shows a pallet and the table made from it.
