Pallet drink coasters
Little Pallets
What better project to make with free pallet wood than little pallets! This drink coasters are super easy to make using any scrap wood you happen to have. The only trick is to use thin wood so that the scale is fairly accurate. The slats on most pallets are about a quarter inch thick.
I suggest planing them down to 1/16″; I shaved mine down to about 1/8″ and they look a bit too thick. In the measured plans, I indicate 1/16″. If you don’t have a planer, you might look around in a craft store. Many carry small, thin pieces of wood.
The other issue is the width of the slats. In the plans, I have them ripped to 3/8″ wide, which will yield nine for the top. I cut mine a little wider, allowing for only eight slats. I experimented with narrower strips in order to fit eleven on top, like an actual pallet, but it was too difficult and the slats just looked odd. Probably due to their thickness. If you are ambitious, you might use a couple different widths as is often the case on real pallets.
I used my router to make curved notches in the bottom two runners. If you don’t have a router, or just don’t want to bother, they would look fine without that detail.
You could assemble these using hot glue. In my experience though, hot glue is somewhat difficult and messy to use. These could also be glued together with regular white school glue.
May 24, 2013 @ 11:06 am
Brilliant! When I steal this idea and make million bucks selling these on Etsy I’ll cut you in for a percentage.
May 24, 2013 @ 11:10 am
What a clever idea! I never would have thought of this..
May 24, 2013 @ 2:30 pm
That is so cool. I think if I made them though, I would do the curved cut outs BEFORE cutting the lengths, as it seems safer that way.
May 24, 2013 @ 3:27 pm
Steve, Don’t be surprised to wake up to truck loads of old beat up pallets in your front yard. Lots of folks out there want to what you come up with next………Another fine job Steve……Steve from Newbury Park, Ca
May 24, 2013 @ 5:48 pm
Pretty cool Steve. Very much inline with your “pallet phase” that you are going through. Looks like it has run full circle now. Unless you make a gigantic pallet and use it for an outside “deck” hey now? That sounds like an idea.
May 24, 2013 @ 10:02 pm
Maybe medium-sized ones as trivets?
May 25, 2013 @ 12:48 am
Need to size the pallets appropriately so that they will fit on the forks of a radio controlled forklift toy.
That way you can use the RC Forklift as the bartender’s drink delivery vehicle.
Or you can use it to scare the cat when delivering the can of Tuna.
May 25, 2013 @ 12:52 am
Hi Steve from HHHHHHHerbland, great little project, going to look great with your little table and bench on my deck, thanks, Mike
May 25, 2013 @ 1:51 am
OOps, forgot the wheelbarrow.
May 26, 2013 @ 6:33 am
nice!!!!
i do it, but in Alsace, France, we drink beer, not whisky 🙂
see: http://www.linuxnico.fr/divers/photo.JPG
May 26, 2013 @ 12:08 pm
I did a rough up at 1/16 thick, and I honestly think your original at 1/8 looks better, just chunky I guess is the word.
May 30, 2013 @ 6:37 am
Cool. I think you actually sent them through the Willy Wonka TV Camera. I noticed in your video your table was missing the umbrella insert. I made one a few months back. You can see it at: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/82619
May 31, 2013 @ 10:37 am
I like this..! It reminds of the Seinfeld episode where the coffee table book turns into a coffee table.
June 1, 2013 @ 12:33 pm
very sleek, I will make some, but 1/16″ for the thickness??? looks thicker
June 26, 2013 @ 6:45 pm
I would call it re-dundant-cycle
July 9, 2013 @ 4:55 pm
I made a dozen this weekend. It worked well to rip the boards into thirds, then split the thickness with the table saw (ripping the narrow way, with boards on edge). This yielded two useful boards to plane down to thickness. I used hot glue augmented with 23ga pin nails.
July 14, 2013 @ 3:07 pm
Entertain myself counting your fingers each time I view a different episode.
July 21, 2013 @ 4:48 pm
Steve, what is the music you used on this project?
I find myself coming back here again and again just to hear the track….oh, and to watch your inimitable televisual skills, naturally!
Simon
December 6, 2013 @ 6:58 pm
My new CEO wanted me to get something unique and special to present to the employees for all their hard work and dedication. One of my colleagues told me about Unique Custom Products in Colorado. I called and they had a host of one of a kind customizable corporate gifts. I chose the wooden coaster set and had it engraved with the names each employee with a ‘Thank You’ and the company logo. The artwork looks great, everyone was really impressed! I would easily recommend them to anyone. They’re awesome! http://www.customwoodencoaster.com
August 1, 2016 @ 3:08 am
I wouldn’t use white school glue for this project as it is water soluble, and will probably come apart.