Great video there, thank you, I remember back in the '80s starting out, no money, young family building an entire kitchen out of 2x1 only because I had an endless free, supply of used. Took sooooo long!!! So you are right, just 'cos it's free don't make it good. Thanks again and stay lucky
I’d like to add the Mathias Wandel technique: Pick up old furniture off the side of the road. People throw away a lot of decent furniture, and lots of it has good wood in it, which can be cut up and made into new things.
I gave up trying to reclaim all the wood from pallets because the nail removal is a pain and there’s almost always a small bit of copper wire left, no matter how particular you are, and that puts a chip in your planer blades. Now I still use pallet wood (can’t seem to give up the habit of using ‘free’ wood) but I just cut the boards and use the shorter boards for smaller projects or for making rustic stools etc. I store the rest for use in our woodburner in the winter and sift the nails from the ashes. The ashhes go on the compost heap in the garden and the burnt nails go in an old paint tin which I give to one of our neighbours who collects metal scrap. Best (and probably the only) use for British pallets. DISCLAIMER: I do occasionally (very occasionally) find a nice or unusual board in a pallet and I separate those and save them.
Other downsides to pallet wood can be that it can contain insecticides which can be toxic and also if it has been kicking around a while can contain grit which is hard on edge tools.
I recently moved up from pallet wood to hard woods, what a difference. Pallets are great as they are free but the wood is crap, it chips, splits and splinters so easily. The hardwood was so much better and everything seemed that bit easier to do and had a cleaner result. I’m not knocking pallets as they have there place but hard woods are are much easier all round Great video Pete. 👍
i think when starting out yes get the wood that has already been prepared - but in my experience as you get into this “hobby” you start becoming interested in the milling side of things. which i did and now i buy from local dealers who saw the trees into rough sawn timber. far cheaper and fun to mill 😊
Literally did the same thing when I was getting into woodworking. Uk store bought pine is utter shite. I’ve had some luck with hardwood pallets but with a small chainsaw and a circular saw or even better a bandsaw you can make your own planks for smaller projects. Don’t be put off because it seems daunting. It’s easier than you think.
As someone just getting into woodworking, cheap wood is really attractive. But I want to hold the expectation that it won't look or feel good. I don't want to spend a lot on good wood that I'll probably just ruin since I don't know what I'm doing.
Actually, I'm just starting out in woodworking and I have to use pallets because I don't have the money to buy wood or tools. I'm also starting out with a drill, skill saw, jigsaw and a trim router. Also a few hand tools like a speed square, tape measure and a few other things. I plan to get on UA-cam with my own videos but I still have a way to go before I get there. Plain and simple, I'm working with what I have and doing the best I can. Looking forward to more videos and thank you for the information, it does help a lot.😁
As i work in architect firm, after a while i got few old roof and structural beams (usually spruce, sweet chesnut if you're really lucky, at least were i live) from the houses in reconstruction. Got it for free and the wood is different than today's spruce. More heavier and with tighter grain patters. Oh, and it has been dry for 100 years or so. Cheap wood is good for learning joinery or better how to use tools but if you want to make an oak table buy oak. Practice techniques on scraps and cheap wood but get the real wood. You will make mistakes. Don't overthink it. Just take them as a given, try to learn from them and move on.
It's so sad to watch this video... now... I needed it back when i started! - I think you did a very good job on making a woodwork entry video here. Good job :)
I started with pallets and I kind of agree. It's no good, long term, for fine furniture making. Especially here in the UK, as 90% of pallets are pine. These are good for garden stuff, like planters and simple side tables. I said at the start that I kind of agree, and that is because I've been quite fortunate with my pallet finds, well, some were crates but they all do the same thing. Over tv e years of working with "free" wood, I've built up a contact lidt of companies that has had some good pallets and I've made a few things that I've been quite proud of, at least at the time. But there is a lot of work involved in using this so called free wood. Finding it, transporting it, dismantling it, de-nailing it, planing it and streightening it. All this just to get to a point where you can start planning a project with these planks. And time is money, so, no, pallet wood is far from free. Therefore, I found hardwood offcut shops, saw mills and furniture workshops that sell offcuts. From there I started small and I'm still working my way up to the bigger things, but I'll get there. Pallet wood makes good UA-cam though... Anyway, this is my opinion. Sorry it was a bit lengthy. Looking forward to seeing your oak project.
Thanks Pete. Good perspective. But I'm sticking with my pallet wood for now. Until I get the skills to do the better wood projects. Chucking a ruined pallet panel is easier than trying to rescue an expensive hardwood item. I do agree the Interweb does shorten the learning curve immensely! Take care & stay safe.
Love it m8 cracking video whirl wind of knowledge there. Must say ave never seen live edge boards in my DIY shop. For construction grade stuff or rough sawn boards from a merchant up here we've mkn and Rembrand timber although Rembrand have become allot cheaper and some good stuff if you've one near u they'll certainly be cheaper than say wickes or b&q. I've seen me use pallets for shop furniture especially the big 25mm thick slat ones. Pallet wood is good to get going but your right needs allot work done. 👍🏴
Idk if it's worth it in all cases as you actually want to make furniture. Not spend 80% of your free time on preparation to make furniture. ( There really is something to simply buying what you need & try to avoid milling as much as possible.) However, long term solution. Look at marketplaces in the summer to early fall. People literally give away felled trees for the labor of coming to get them. - You need a car, - A way to saw the logs to length. - A sledgehammer & metal/wooden wedges. ( Metal wedges are nice but rather unnecessary. You can source wedges from a thick branch or part of the felled tree.) - Hatchet/folding saw. Just to cut off any stubborn fibers between the split. - Schellac or some other sealer for the end-grain. Prevents the ends splitting while drying. Arborists also sometimes take care of lumber milling as a side buissness. Google around & If you're lucky it's not too expensive. Edit: Eng & Hope it inspires someone at least.
" and then you've got MDF. . . . Moving on . . ."
epic!
Great video there, thank you, I remember back in the '80s starting out, no money, young family building an entire kitchen out of 2x1 only because I had an endless free, supply of used. Took sooooo long!!! So you are right, just 'cos it's free don't make it good. Thanks again and stay lucky
My advise: Don't overthink it. Just get started with the tools at hand and wood you can easily get.
I’d like to add the Mathias Wandel technique:
Pick up old furniture off the side of the road. People throw away a lot of decent furniture, and lots of it has good wood in it, which can be cut up and made into new things.
I gave up trying to reclaim all the wood from pallets because the nail removal is a pain and there’s almost always a small bit of copper wire left, no matter how particular you are, and that puts a chip in your planer blades. Now I still use pallet wood (can’t seem to give up the habit of using ‘free’ wood) but I just cut the boards and use the shorter boards for smaller projects or for making rustic stools etc. I store the rest for use in our woodburner in the winter and sift the nails from the ashes. The ashhes go on the compost heap in the garden and the burnt nails go in an old paint tin which I give to one of our neighbours who collects metal scrap. Best (and probably the only) use for British pallets.
DISCLAIMER: I do occasionally (very occasionally) find a nice or unusual board in a pallet and I separate those and save them.
Other downsides to pallet wood can be that it can contain insecticides which can be toxic and also if it has been kicking around a while can contain grit which is hard on edge tools.
I recently moved up from pallet wood to hard woods, what a difference. Pallets are great as they are free but the wood is crap, it chips, splits and splinters so easily. The hardwood was so much better and everything seemed that bit easier to do and had a cleaner result.
I’m not knocking pallets as they have there place but hard woods are are much easier all round
Great video Pete. 👍
i think when starting out yes get the wood that has already been prepared - but in my experience as you get into this “hobby” you start becoming interested in the milling side of things. which i did and now i buy from local dealers who saw the trees into rough sawn timber. far cheaper and fun to mill 😊
Literally did the same thing when I was getting into woodworking.
Uk store bought pine is utter shite.
I’ve had some luck with hardwood pallets but with a small chainsaw and a circular saw or even better a bandsaw you can make your own planks for smaller projects.
Don’t be put off because it seems daunting. It’s easier than you think.
As someone just getting into woodworking, cheap wood is really attractive. But I want to hold the expectation that it won't look or feel good. I don't want to spend a lot on good wood that I'll probably just ruin since I don't know what I'm doing.
Actually, I'm just starting out in woodworking and I have to use pallets because I don't have the money to buy wood or tools. I'm also starting out with a drill, skill saw, jigsaw and a trim router. Also a few hand tools like a speed square, tape measure and a few other things. I plan to get on UA-cam with my own videos but I still have a way to go before I get there. Plain and simple, I'm working with what I have and doing the best I can. Looking forward to more videos and thank you for the information, it does help a lot.😁
I have found palettes made out of ash wood in the uk, there pip up here and there:)
As i work in architect firm, after a while i got few old roof and structural beams (usually spruce, sweet chesnut if you're really lucky, at least were i live) from the houses in reconstruction. Got it for free and the wood is different than today's spruce. More heavier and with tighter grain patters. Oh, and it has been dry for 100 years or so.
Cheap wood is good for learning joinery or better how to use tools but if you want to make an oak table buy oak. Practice techniques on scraps and cheap wood but get the real wood.
You will make mistakes. Don't overthink it. Just take them as a given, try to learn from them and move on.
It's so sad to watch this video... now... I needed it back when i started! - I think you did a very good job on making a woodwork entry video here. Good job :)
I started with pallets and I kind of agree. It's no good, long term, for fine furniture making. Especially here in the UK, as 90% of pallets are pine. These are good for garden stuff, like planters and simple side tables.
I said at the start that I kind of agree, and that is because I've been quite fortunate with my pallet finds, well, some were crates but they all do the same thing.
Over tv e years of working with "free" wood, I've built up a contact lidt of companies that has had some good pallets and I've made a few things that I've been quite proud of, at least at the time.
But there is a lot of work involved in using this so called free wood.
Finding it, transporting it, dismantling it, de-nailing it, planing it and streightening it. All this just to get to a point where you can start planning a project with these planks.
And time is money, so, no, pallet wood is far from free. Therefore, I found hardwood offcut shops, saw mills and furniture workshops that sell offcuts.
From there I started small and I'm still working my way up to the bigger things, but I'll get there.
Pallet wood makes good UA-cam though...
Anyway, this is my opinion. Sorry it was a bit lengthy.
Looking forward to seeing your oak project.
great watch
Thanks Pete. Good perspective. But I'm sticking with my pallet wood for now. Until I get the skills to do the better wood projects. Chucking a ruined pallet panel is easier than trying to rescue an expensive hardwood item. I do agree the Interweb does shorten the learning curve immensely! Take care & stay safe.
Love it m8 cracking video whirl wind of knowledge there. Must say ave never seen live edge boards in my DIY shop. For construction grade stuff or rough sawn boards from a merchant up here we've mkn and Rembrand timber although Rembrand have become allot cheaper and some good stuff if you've one near u they'll certainly be cheaper than say wickes or b&q. I've seen me use pallets for shop furniture especially the big 25mm thick slat ones. Pallet wood is good to get going but your right needs allot work done. 👍🏴
A great discussion
Great video dude!
👍👍👍.Thanks Pete
nice and sensible!
great video!!! thanks!
Idk if it's worth it in all cases as you actually want to make furniture. Not spend 80% of your free time on preparation to make furniture. ( There really is something to simply buying what you need & try to avoid milling as much as possible.)
However, long term solution. Look at marketplaces in the summer to early fall. People literally give away felled trees for the labor of coming to get them.
- You need a car,
- A way to saw the logs to length.
- A sledgehammer & metal/wooden wedges. ( Metal wedges are nice but rather unnecessary. You can source wedges from a thick branch or part of the felled tree.)
- Hatchet/folding saw. Just to cut off any stubborn fibers between the split.
- Schellac or some other sealer for the end-grain. Prevents the ends splitting while drying.
Arborists also sometimes take care of lumber milling as a side buissness. Google around & If you're lucky it's not too expensive.
Edit: Eng & Hope it inspires someone at least.
@2:28 the pine is so white it looks fake in the shot
Which merchants do you use for red pine?
My local yard is Howarth here in Manchester. I use them for sheet goods too.
You showed very worst and ugliest pallets. You can find really nice and hardwood pallets
I don’t doubt it! I’ve never been so lucky, sadly - most of what I see around here is cheap, knackered soft pine.