Need Help...How Would You Build This?

[Derek Arita]

Looks pretty straight forward, and maybe it is, but I can think of quite a few ways to do it. That said, take into consideration that I will be using old, used and weathered pallet wood. There's not a truly straight board in the pile. There can also be variances in thicknesses of the boards, so if you're thinking dados, consider that.
For me, using straight, machined lumber would be challenge enough, but the pallet wood thing has thrown me. What do you think?
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h151/derekarita1/CubbyPotteryBarn_zps1816d2dc.jpg (http://s63.photobucket.com/user/derekarita1/media/CubbyPotteryBarn_zps1816d2dc.jpg.html)
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h151/derekarita1/PotteryBarnCubby2_zps5b4c256c.jpg (http://s63.photobucket.com/user/derekarita1/media/PotteryBarnCubby2_zps5b4c256c.jpg.html)

[Jon Nuckles]

If you are trying to keep the weathered surfaces and so don't want to run the boards through a planer, that will make dados tough. If you have a biscuit joiner or dowel jig, that might be substantial enough for this application.

[Lee Schierer]

I would cut all the boards to the final length to make the verticals and horizontals. Then arrange them as I would plan to assemble them and cut slots in the front of the verticals and in the backs of the horizontals to match the width of the corresponding board to build the egg crate center. Then build a frame around the egg crate with a rabbet in the back to hold the plywood back. You can adjust the width of individual slots with a wood rasp to fit any thickness variations at the point where boards are joined.

[Derek Arita]

Biscuits would be good, but the boards I'm using are only about 1/2" max. Will biscuits work or are they too thick?

[keith micinski]

My first three suggestions would be to not use pallet wood for a furniture product. It ended up at the pallet factory in the first place, because it was junk wood. If you wanted a weathered distressed wood and don't want to spend the ridiculous prices of reclaimed wood just using rough sawn oak works really well, is kiln dried and usually a lot closer to an even thickness. Biscuits in half inch pallet material sounds like trouble but I don't have experience to say that for sure.

What ever material you use I would definitely do it like a milk crate and cut kerfs halfway up each board after ripping all of them to the same width, facing the freshly ripped face backwards so you can't see it. This allows you to work around each board being a different width because you can cut each half kerf to fit. Lot of work for a pallet board bookcase in my opinion.

[Derek Arita]

Believe me, I know all the "why nots" of using pallet wood, but I've made a few tables and other items for the wife and daughters and they really like the look. Personally, I like the thought of reusing wood and I like not having to pay for it. Machining lumber into nicely fitting parts is fun and challenging, however working with pallet wood has it's own challenges and produces a unique look.
This particular project has a not of parts that have to fit together, so I'm looking for help.

[John Goodin]

Would reclaimed fence pickets be an option? I have used them before, usually cedar, and have made some pretty neat things. They are milled to similar enough that lee's method would be easy to pull off.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Consider making all the dados the same width and trimming the inserted portions of the shelves and dividers to a standard width to fit in the dados. That could easily be done as a batch by using a short auxiliary fence for the second cut.

[Peter Quinn]

Problem with pallet wood is...its mostly junk. Seriously, they cull all the worst material that gets sawn, the tension wood, limbs, etc. Then it all gets nailed, stapled, forced into submission. Hard to work with. I guess you know that already though. I don't see an easy way to finesses that into cabinetry. My call would be first to be selective. Choose the straight (in relative terms) material, if that means using 10 pallets....thats what it means. Also, try to get stuff in a tight thickness range. I'd use half laps, will probably help to lay out the grid and associate all parts before starting as each will require some fitting. Good news is the grid will take a little bow out of stock that thin. I'd reserve the best pieces for sides and top/bottom. Or get some #1 common white oak, flatten it, joint it, wire brush it, slightly distress it, then use a reactive stain to give it a patina......

[Mark Bolton]

Problem with pallet wood is...its mostly junk. Seriously, they cull all the worst material that gets sawn, the tension wood, limbs, etc. Then it all gets nailed, stapled, forced into submission. Hard to work with. I guess you know that already though. I don't see an easy way to finesses that into cabinetry. My call would be first to be selective. Choose the straight (in relative terms) material, if that means using 10 pallets....thats what it means. Also, try to get stuff in a tight thickness range. I'd use half laps, will probably help to lay out the grid and associate all parts before starting as each will require some fitting. Good news is the grid will take a little bow out of stock that thin. I'd reserve the best pieces for sides and top/bottom. Or get some #1 common white oak, flatten it, joint it, wire brush it, slightly distress it, then use a reactive stain to give it a patina......

No hi jack but Peter, did you ever wind up brushing on the shaper?

[Derek Arita]

Thanks...all good points, some I've considered and experienced and others not. I don't think it will be difficult to make the frame and I figure I'll dado the inside of the frame for the shelves. Problem is, how to attach the dividers. I would use dados in the shelves, however the shelves may be pretty thin...say, 1/2" max. Would 1/8" dados do it? Other than that, I could do glue and brads, but I can't figure what the procedure would be to get brads on tops and bottoms of each shelf.
Any ideas on the dividers?

[Kevin McCluney]

Since the vertical pieces are mostly decorative I'd be tempted to forego the egg crate and instead design it as if it didn't have the verticals, then simply glue them in separately (during build-up or afterwards). Yes, it lacks a certain finesse, but it avoids the issues you'll have with the odd width pieces.

[Yonak Hawkins]

If you can change the design so the dividers are staggered, that would likely leave enough thickness for one dado rather than dados on opposing sides. If not, and if you don't mind a slight lack of consistency in construction, you could still cut a dado only on one side of the shelf and, before setting the divider into the dado, run pins or nails through the dado to secure the opposing divider on the other side in place.

[keith micinski]

I wouldn't say the verticals are purely astetic in that design when he is using thin garbage pallet wood for shelving.

[Yonak Hawkins]

... he is using thin garbage pallet wood for shelving.

I wouldn't be so harsh about Derek's choice of materials. Not everyone can afford high priced lumber. ..Plus, he will be using pallets that may otherwise be taking up landfill space, and his family likes the look.

[keith micinski]

I'm not disagreeing with anything you just said. That doesn't make pallet wood any less junky. It's also thin and not as strong and predictable as 3/4 hardwoods. The vertical pieces half lapped in would make the cabinet more structurally sound.

[rudy de haas]

I made one of these some time ago but it didn't turn out as well as I had hoped because I didn't then have an 8" jointer. Doing it now, I'd pick the best boards
and use the jointer to flatten one side for the outside frame, thus leaving the rough look on the outside and producing a clean "soft" look on the inside. For the inside bits I'd joint and plane to get that same finished look throughout. Dados work well for the vertical pieces at 1/8th if (and only if) your cuts are straight and precise and you cut close enough that you need the glue in the groove as a lubricant when you slide them into place. I threw as many away as went in..

Note that you are not limited to the starting thickness of the wood. Given that it's rough and crooked to start with you can joint one side of one, two sides of another, and laminate them to produce whatever thickness you need with one side finished and one rough. The tirck is not to plane or saw the edge that ends up facing outward.

[scott vroom]

Here's a scaled down prototype and the final larger wall unit I built awhile back....I believe this is the approach Lee described in his post.

[Wakahisa Shinta]

Since the vertical pieces are mostly decorative I'd be tempted to forego the egg crate and instead design it as if it didn't have the verticals, then simply glue them in separately (during build-up or afterwards). Yes, it lacks a certain finesse, but it avoids the issues you'll have with the odd width pieces.

This is what I would do. I'd also brad nail the shelves to the plywood back, which is dadoed into the frame. All the decorative items don't weigh so much. 1/4" plywood back, dadoed into the frame offers plenty of support for the shelves. I'd keep it simple, but it's just me.

[Derek Arita]

I think building with pallet wood and getting that real weathered, used wood look is like building a rat-rod...soooo junky and soooo cool. I used to stick my nose up in the air every time the wife and I would go to swap meets and antique stores that had these kinds of repurposed, ratty wood pieces. Once I made one myself, my opinion changed 180*
Yes, I've always tried to machine my lumber to exacting dimensioned so that everything fit together as close to seamless as I could get it and that's a real challenge, as you all know. Working with pallet wood however, has its own challenges and rewards. The challenge is always to make things fit like the pieces were machined, while doing as little machining as possible. At the same time, you want the piece to look as though it was put together decades ago and aged all in one piece. When you get close to that, the finished product is a lot of fun to look at...like a good rat-rod.
I've tried making traditionally machined pieces and then aging them, via finishing techniques, but it's just not the same look at all. Maybe if I were a master finisher, I could get that look, but I'm not and I can't. The next best thing to me is to use actual old, beat up wood.

[Erik Christensen]

I would go the egg-crate route. prep your slats - rip to width & joint back - clamp the verticals & horizontals in 2 separate stacks - I have a RAS but TS with sliding jig would work - cut with regular saw blade & use multiple passes till you get a width ~ the thinnest dimension of the slats. assemble the crate by filing slots as needed. done

[Jim Rimmer]

I would cut all the boards to the final length to make the verticals and horizontals. Then arrange them as I would plan to assemble them and cut slots in the front of the verticals and in the backs of the horizontals to match the width of the corresponding board to build the egg crate center. Then build a frame around the egg crate with a rabbet in the back to hold the plywood back. You can adjust the width of individual slots with a wood rasp to fit any thickness variations at the point where boards are joined.

I think this is your best bet (and some others folks have described the same process).

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Here's a scaled down prototype and the final larger wall unit I built awhile back....I believe this is the approach Lee described in his post.

Ironically, I was looking for a picture of exactly that! :D

The next question then becomes.... Do you know how to cut those slots so that you have a good fit?

If you have pallet wood, use pallet wood. It is a significant amount of wood. You essentially trade time for money (as in you save money by not having to purchase "good" wood). I have lost significant time doing that. On my current project, I blew time preparing some stuff only to throw it away and use a better piece of wood. I wasted glue (not significant), some wear and tear on some blades milling the material, and I lost time preparing, gluing, and clamping.

I call part of it a learning experience. Sometimes, it can be annoying when you spend the time and then it comes out poorly because of the wood, but, there is some satisfaction in saving the wood and the money.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Thanks...all good points, some I've considered and experienced and others not. I don't think it will be difficult to make the frame and I figure I'll dado the inside of the frame for the shelves. Problem is, how to attach the dividers. I would use dados in the shelves, however the shelves may be pretty thin...say, 1/2" max. Would 1/8" dados do it? Other than that, I could do glue and brads, but I can't figure what the procedure would be to get brads on tops and bottoms of each shelf.
Any ideas on the dividers?

I would use small cleats - 1/2" x 1/2" - make 'em into 45* if you want - with a bit of glue and pins [tiny headless nails].

THe cleats could start a few inches back from the front to hide them a bit from view.

I think trying to dado these thin pieces would just be an exercise in cusswords, quite honestly.

And - guys - c'mon now - "pallet wood" is not "junk" wood. It is not furniture grade by any stretch. Take a tree - any hardwood tree. Cut your furniture-grand stuff out. Whatcha gonna do with the remaining? The sawmills cannot throw it away - too expensive. Plus - whatcha gonna do with the trees/logs that can never yield furniture grade wood?

It is definitely low grade - #3 and/or #4 in most cases, but many pallets require #2 in certain components. There are engineering specs and design software packages to make sure they meet the required loading criteria.

It ain't junk - it is just a different critter. A little respect, eh? :D

[Yonak Hawkins]

... clamp the verticals & horizontals in 2 separate stacks ... cut with regular saw blade & use multiple passes till you get a width ~ the thinnest dimension of the slats.

Since the slats are different thicknesses, if you cut all the slots the same width, there will be gaps. Each slot will have to be custom cut for good looking joints.

[Brian Holcombe]

IMO,

I would change the joinery from half laps to housed half laps. the boards are wide enough that a housed half lap would help to maintain flatness of the sides above that of the plain half lap.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Brian, I'm not familiar with the "housed" half lap joint. Can you show an example ?

[Brian Holcombe]

It simply means that it is dadoed the full depth of the shelves in addition to the half lap. The shelf utilizes this to minimise cupping because it does not have half of the shelf exposed unsupported.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21531/21531-h/21531-h.htm

Figure 55

[Dave Cullen]

Thanks...all good points, some I've considered and experienced and others not. I don't think it will be difficult to make the frame and I figure I'll dado the inside of the frame for the shelves. Problem is, how to attach the dividers. I would use dados in the shelves, however the shelves may be pretty thin...say, 1/2" max. Would 1/8" dados do it? Other than that, I could do glue and brads, but I can't figure what the procedure would be to get brads on tops and bottoms of each shelf.
Any ideas on the dividers?

It looks to me that just gluing them in would be adequate. The cubby has a back, so the verticals will have glue on 3 sides. The back provides the strength and keeps things from racking.

If you're not intending to have a back then I would reconsider using wood that is not dimensioned. You can't make tight fitting joints with wood that's not flat and straight.

[Yonak Hawkins]

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21531/21531-h/21531-h.htm
Figure 55

Thanks, Brian. There are a lot of joints in there I've never heard of. ..And many look like they'd be challenging to make.

[Brian Holcombe]

Anytime. They look hard to make in many cases, but in fact they are just more complicated in the number of steps required.