Pallet Bench Part 2

I revisited the pallet bench build of summer 2012.  I decided to sand off last years stain and try to create a less gold, more natural look.

Here is how it looked after a winter and my accidental gold stain.

Most of the bench sanded (by hand) and working my way up the back rest.  

Here the front is almost all sanded. It looks much better already.  

Notice 1994 Nokia at the ready

One more shot, completely sanded (or as sanded as it will ever be).

I decided to go with a Plyurethane varnish.  I am hoping this will give a clear, but not shiny finish.  I want to see the natural pallet wood.  

Here is a close shot, the varnish is still wet.  

The varnish is still wet, but the bench is looking less gold and a little more rustic.  

Here is an overall shot the varnish is still wet, but the natural colors are showing better.

$10 Church Pew Repair

After sixteen years of Catholic School, I am qualified to repair a split church pew.

PHASE 1: Initial tools of the church pew repair trade: every C clamp I can find and some gorilla wood glue.

Here is what I began with, a pew with a great schism down the middle.  I wonder who was sitting there when God struck them down?

In addition to the big schism down the middle, the sides had "mini schisms."

This picture is a tad unclear, but this is the front half of the bench seat.  The white stain on the left of the bench is indeed bird poop.  Evidently someone's sister stored this bench outside for a few Chicago winters and summers. 

A view of the backrest...

First repair to mini schism, right armrest.  The white stuff is my gorilla wood glue, which was lavishly applied to all schisms.  

 Here is how the bench sat overnight on day one of the repair:

PHASE 2:

Time to use some 2 1/2" nails to pin some of my glue work together.  

Some more clamp work on the big schism.  Here the pew is tipped over on its front side in order for the clamps and the gift of gravity to hold the pieces together.  

Added some 90 degree and flat brackets to the bottom.  (I know this is not what a professional woodworker would do - but this is how you keep a pew repair under $10.01.)

A little more upright gluing and clamping...

Denouement:

Pallet bench build

In keeping with the hipster spirit of my bike trailer build and my coffee table build, I decide to fashion/ "re-purpose" two old pallets into a bench.

This bench is 100% recycled material.  The only tools used were a hammer and a saw.

The bench almost never came to be.  I was attempting to throw out the pallets for a company who did some siding work on one of my jobs.  Neither the garbage men nor the scrappers took the pallets.  After a week I decided to make something out of nothing.

Here is what I began with.  Two larger pallets, originally filled with house siding and delivered to a job site.

Being cheap and/ or "green," I removed and straightened every nail from pieces I took off the pallets.  I then reused every single nail.  

A few that I diligently made like new

Here is the beginnings.  One pallet was used for parts.  The other pallet is beginning to take shape as the seat of a bench and the back rest.

Here is a shot of my rough idea coming to shape.  At this point, the back is just balancing and not yet secured to the bench seat.  

Here is a side shot.  The short 2 x 4 on the back is the only piece of material that was not from the original two pallets.  But that piece of wood was heading for the garbage or the fire pit, so I threw it on for a little extra support to the back rest.  

A closer shot of the back of the bench. 

Here we are getting closer to the finished product.  A couple of notes.

1) I literally ran out of material so I did not fashion any arm rests.  Hopefully I come across another pallet and use that material.

2) The base of the bench is supposed to look like pallets.  I tore down, cut and built this base out of the "parts" pallet with the intent on it looking like two original pallets. 

Pre stain, but close to finished product.  

Side shot.  Notice the split piece is in a non load bearing location.  

Pointed eared friend was no help

Similar shot

Good look down the bench.  Notice the alternating yet natural colors of the back rest.  

This is all that remains from the original two pallets in the top picture.  A couple cut offs and splinters that will become fire wood.  Return to earth.  

Update 9/12/12***

Here is the stained up and sealed product.  Still missing armrests - need to dumpster dive some more pallets.  

Went with Cabot Australian Timber Oil "Natural" finish. I thought of painting the bench...possibly doing a white wash or some sort of distressed thing.  In the end I think the pallet wood is cool and this best displays that.  

Do they also make cottage cheese?

Here is the back stained up, but not the bench seat:

Another shot of the back all stained up:

Here the bench seat is half way done and not yet dry.  The color is slightly darker when dry.  

Pretty close to finished here, not quite dry yet.  

Somehow a cool grain appeared in spots when I applied the stain.  Who knew pallet wood was so exotic?

Coffee Table Build

Here is a photo and video log of a coffee table project that I tackled with the help of master craftsman Al and my brother in law Bill. Final walkaround video is at the end if you want to skip all the steps.  

Here is a video showing the parts I started with and some of my initial ideas.  The surface area of the table is some sort of heavy duty pallet compliments of Crate & Barrel.  The steel wheels and bracket were acquired at a flea market.  I initially planned to drill a hold through the metal wheels and fashion a pin (shown in this video).  As you will see in the later videos Al decided we would be better to drill and tap a hole, allowing us to use a set screw.



The steel wheels and brackets came from Sir Richard (yes that is his name) and Monalbano Furniture in Northlake, IL.  I met him at the Randolph Street Flea Market where he was selling some of his wares.

Here are the brackets he had.  Originally i planned to use the screw shown as a pin to hold the stem of the steel wheels in place.  

Sorting through various drill bits. 

These are the nuts and bolts that Sir Richard gave me with the brackets.  Bill and I came up with a better solution, so we did not use Sir Richard's bolts.  

Drilling the bracket and preparing for the tap.

Metal filings, so manly.  

Gratuitous shot of Dewalt drill used to drill holes in table top.  

Marking and drilling holes for the brackets on the surface of the coffee table. 

Digging through Bill's garage we found these bolts, which are usually used in a concrete foundation.  We decided to use a grinder and cut them to our specifications and attached a nut both on the surface and underneath the coffee table to secure the brackets.

Cutting Bill's bolts to use...

Sanding off the metal "tits" left over from the grinder. 

Socket set to attach our newly made brackets and bolts.  

On my way around the greater Chicago area looking for parts I stopped at Zimmer Hardware in Palatine, IL.  It is one of the few family run hardware stores remaining.  I believe it has been open for 127 years.  I bought some bolts that I ended up not using.  

                            

Final Walkaround...