Pallet Cabinets

• Hello everyone.

I was bored one day and was looking for a wood working project.

I did not have much in way of materials on hand ( quality wood ) , so I searched around my neighborhood for pallets to use for my project.

It should be mentioned that this original project was built over a decade ago , and at the time I did not have a digital camera , and had no intention of documenting the build.

The first photo ( taken recently ) is of the original sideboard made from discarded pallets.

I am building a small houseboat and needed two small cabinets to fit into the rear cabin.

The sideboard was cut in half , then disassembled to re size the pieces.

Once the panels were re - cut to size , I needed four additional legs to make two cabinets from the one .

The panel on the left shows how the pallet wood was glued together , edge to edge.

I used epoxy glue , but any good wood working glue will work fine.

The additional legs required were cut from " new " pallet stock , sanded and attached using dowels.

The bottom of the legs were given a taper for appearance.

The original pallet doors were just a simple solid panel .

I cut out a " window " and added glazing .

The hinges are just simple 2 inch butt hinges .

I cut the black plates you can see from scrap steel and screwed them on using round head screws.

They give the impression of a much sturdier heavy hinge .

I also added a single vertical glazing bar to make the cabinet doors appear taller.

The top was cut in half , and all the panels re - assembled.

I then got the sander out and gave the entire thing a good going over .

Depending on personal taste , you could leave it as shown for a distressed look.

I wanted a color change for use on the boat , so I re painted the cabinet.

The photo shows masking tape on the glazing.

The " glass " is actually scrap perspex , inserted from the back .

I used a router to cut the rebate in the back to accommodate the glazing.

A bead of sealant keeps it in place.

The first of the two pallet cabinets installed in the boat.

I guess the whole point is that it`s possible to build quite serviceable furniture , even an entire kitchen for instance , using little more than very basic wood working tools , ( pencil , tape measure , square , a circular , or hand saw , drill ,and chisels , and a screw driver ) using pallets as the main material.

I hope you have some fun building something out of pallets , as I did.

Good luck with your projects , there are many talented people here doing great things . I have learned quite a bit from many of you , a big thank you to you all.