Pallets/Work Benches!
02-02-19 | 08:57 PM
#1
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,963
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From: St Cloud Fl.
Bikes: Only my riders left...
Pallets/Work Benches!
Traded in my bike tools for my demo tools.
Started the tear down rebuild...stopped! Too d——m cold! Forty mph breeze!
I found these three 8’3” pallets outside of a commercial building here in town.
I went in to assure that these pallets were actually for nada!
Yup!
These are going to be my outside work benches!
I have 4 + bench stands with different angles that are going on the benches!
There will weathertight storage areas underneath.
That is where the bicycle excess and my under utilized wood working tool will reside.
24’9” of work benches!
Boom!
02-03-19 | 08:50 AM
#5
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From: St Cloud Fl.
Bikes: Only my riders left...
I have 3 pieces of 3/4”, 37”x8’, plywood that I have been using to replace a blown out garage door.
They should be able to take any punishment that I will be dishing out...
Already painted to match the shutters and some trim, too.
Easier to convince my wife to accept a project of this scale...
I will be using the benches for wood working, bicycle work, etc.
I’ll be building the table saw and the router into the benches as time goes on...and the weather is more conducive to working outside.
Bench placement will take advantage of the sun and dealing with the persistent Cape Cod “breeze”.
My wife will be able to start refinishing furniture again... my hobby kinda took over the garage...
They should be able to take any punishment that I will be dishing out...
Already painted to match the shutters and some trim, too.
Easier to convince my wife to accept a project of this scale...
I will be using the benches for wood working, bicycle work, etc.
I’ll be building the table saw and the router into the benches as time goes on...and the weather is more conducive to working outside.
Bench placement will take advantage of the sun and dealing with the persistent Cape Cod “breeze”.
My wife will be able to start refinishing furniture again... my hobby kinda took over the garage...
02-03-19 | 10:10 AM
#6
Sr Member on Sr bikes
Joined: Jul 2015
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From: Rhode Island (sometimes in SE Florida)
Bikes: Several...from old junk to new all-carbon.
If for no other reason...I like the 3R mentality...or as I like to say 4R mentality...'reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle'. Post pics of finished product.
Dan
02-03-19 | 10:47 AM
#7
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Alternatively, Home Depot (and probably other big box building supply stores, too) sells pre-made workbenches: 6' long, with a lower shelf, and they set up in about 30 seconds. The price is not much more than the materials cost, and the only work involved is opening the box.
02-03-19 | 05:06 PM
#8
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From: St Cloud Fl.
Bikes: Only my riders left...
These benches are gonna be used for everything from lawn mower service to wheel truing...there may be as many as two MTB bikes hanging at once, may one or two tandems, seperatly.
The Misses and I will be doing furniture rebuilding/refinishing on these benches, too.
Overbuilt...may just add legs...big ass legs!
The Misses and I will be doing furniture rebuilding/refinishing on these benches, too.
Overbuilt...may just add legs...big ass legs!
02-06-19 | 10:12 AM
#9
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Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Soviet of Oregon or Pensacola FL
Bikes: Still have a few left!
30 years ago, I was building our home in Olympia, WA and my wife wanted a hardwood countertop between the fridge and gas cooktop. I used some Jatoba "Brazilian Cherry" leftovers from a local flooring business that was working on a nearby home. They offered me, for free, all the pallets the wood came on. Same stuff, but rough cut & was frame was thicker dimension. This wood was about twice as hard as oak, but beautiful dark red/brown and takes a nice finish. You might check locally to see if Jatoba flooring still comes on Jatoba pallets that are free or low cost. Don
02-06-19 | 06:27 PM
#10
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Joined: Mar 2009
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From: Oregon
I have a Douglas-fir workbench top that measures 5' long, 25 1/2" wide , and 5" thick. I lived near a company that made laminated beams, and this was a "scrap" produced during trimming. I am a woodworker/woodcarver, and this bench is rock solid.
02-12-19 | 08:16 PM
#12
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From: St Cloud Fl.
Bikes: Only my riders left...
Well, weather not cooperating.
Doing an exploratory pallet tear down.
Started stripping down, streamling one of the pallets.
These pallets were built to not be taken apart...too many nails cause the boards to break at them.
One pallet reduced to kindling, wood chips and minimal useful, remaining boards.
New plan...just add legs and whack tops on the remaining two.
Done!
Boom! (Sound of a 16mm cone wrench hitting the floor!)
Doing an exploratory pallet tear down.
Started stripping down, streamling one of the pallets.
These pallets were built to not be taken apart...too many nails cause the boards to break at them.
One pallet reduced to kindling, wood chips and minimal useful, remaining boards.
New plan...just add legs and whack tops on the remaining two.
Done!
Boom! (Sound of a 16mm cone wrench hitting the floor!)
02-16-19 | 03:34 PM
#13
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From: St Cloud Fl.
Bikes: Only my riders left...
Built!
Framed! Next will be the top, then the floors, then the front and back walls. There will be doors for sercurity. Hope to make it as weather and pest proof as possible. I’m also thinking that the pre-built situation actually made it more difficult than it had to be! I’ll use the last pallet as another bench using my experience from this one...then build one from scratch. Made it up as I went today. My wife likes the smell of wood better than my bikes greases and lubes!
05-25-19 | 07:06 PM
#14
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From: St Cloud Fl.
Bikes: Only my riders left...
Finally got to start and finish my second bench...in one day!
Rebuilding the pallets into a bench not as easy as I thought it was going to be...2x4s were 3.5” longer than the normal 8 footers. Threw everything off!
Just gotta do the sides and front doors.
Gonna throw in a surprise with the top!
05-25-19 | 07:25 PM
#15
With a mighty wind
Joined: May 2015
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I built a really large compost bin out of pallets a couple years ago. It’s a great thing and I will have it for many years. It was a total pain to tear a bunch of pallets apart. For the time and effort, if i ever do something like that again, i’m just going to Lowe’s.
05-26-19 | 04:52 AM
#17
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From: Colorado Springs, CO
Bikes: 2015 Charge Plug, 2007 Dahon Boardwalk, 1997 Specialized Rockhopper, 1984 Nishiki International, 2006 Felt F65, 1989 Dahon Getaway V
Finally got to start and finish my second bench...in one day!
Rebuilding the pallets into a bench not as easy as I thought it was going to be...2x4s were 3.5” longer than the normal 8 footers. Threw everything off!
Just gotta do the sides and front doors.
Gonna throw in a surprise with the top!
05-27-19 | 10:51 AM
#19
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From: St Cloud Fl.
Bikes: Only my riders left...
Promised surprise!
As I was making sure that the top fit, I was surprised to feel how much wasted space there was going to be under the top...So I made another floor for under what will be a hinged/ sliding top.
I was going to make a sliding/hinged the top anyway.
That was a lot of dead space!
Ta da!
Our bathroom vanity has a drawer where there use to just be a kick plate...just a great ah hah moment!
So much reclaimed space!
I was going to make a sliding/hinged the top anyway.
That was a lot of dead space!
Ta da!
Our bathroom vanity has a drawer where there use to just be a kick plate...just a great ah hah moment!
So much reclaimed space!
05-28-19 | 05:31 PM
#20
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From: St Cloud Fl.
Bikes: Only my riders left...
Yay!
I’m going to lower the floor of my new found space even lower next time!
I can either slide open or lift the lid to access this hiding spot!
Last edited by billnuke1; 05-29-19 at 04:31 AM.
05-28-19 | 08:38 PM
#22
SE Wis
Joined: Apr 2005
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From: Milwaukee, WI
Bikes: '68 Raleigh Sprite, '02 Raleigh C500, '84 Raleigh Gran Prix, '91 Trek 400, 2013 Novara Randonee, 1990 Trek 970
06-09-19 | 02:40 PM
#23
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From: St Cloud Fl.
Bikes: Only my riders left...
Done-ish!
Just need the missus to paint them...after I finalize the front door design and add the face boards on one of them.
Already using this substantial horizontal surface!
Should disappear as soon as they are painted.
Side bench for the trailer stuff and wood working tools...
Back bench for bikes, wood working, and mechanical jobs, lawn mowers, and other gas powered equipment.
Just need the missus to paint them...after I finalize the front door design and add the face boards on one of them.
Already using this substantial horizontal surface!
Should disappear as soon as they are painted.
Side bench for the trailer stuff and wood working tools...
Back bench for bikes, wood working, and mechanical jobs, lawn mowers, and other gas powered equipment.
