Pallet Trunk Chest-part 1

Here's a piece I started, walked away from, and kept coming back for more. But it was worth it in the end. (Finished photos coming soon, this is just a teaser)


This is not the first pallet trunk I have made but I think this attemp will be different than previous incarnations. I tried a different structure and I also learned from previous mistakes. Aside from the time it takes to build, there is no real loss when it comes to botched pallet projects.   Materials are free, and the more I do, the better I get.

I found found a nice pallet with wide boards, and figure it would make a good face for a trunk. Something to go at the foot of the bed. You know, a place to hold extra blankets and throw pillows.

If you cruise through Pinterest boards or YouTube, you'll be bombarded with pallet trunks chests. Some are good. A lot are pretty bad.

The biggest problem I was seeing was that they were just slapped together. And for something
 I wanted to last, I really felt that the building process deserved a little more TLC.

I used those beautiful wide boards for the face of the box. It gave me that great look I wanted. But that wasn't enough.

Once the boards were in place, sanding just didn't do the trick. So I sharpened up my bench plane and ran it over the surface. It really brought out some nice surfaces under the weathered boards.

Just because the wood is old, does not mean the project needs to look like it's falling apart.

Plus, the seams where the pallet boards butt up to each other are now flush. You might notice when you set a pallet board, those edges can be warped or curved in a way that just won't lay flat. You can't blame the wood. It spent the first part of its life carrying a freight load of cornflakes to the supermarket.

It's my job to give it new life as something beautiful. So take note, a cheap plane will do womders for your project.

I filled some of the gaps and cracks with wood filler. One that I bought, and a homemade version that I made with sawdust and wood glue. I liked the result. After running the sander over it, it was like one smooth solid piece.

If you look inside you see I inlaid the box with boards running opposite to the direction of the outside face. Partly for the look, but it definitely gave the structure some strength. This thing is solid. .