Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[Sammster]

I was thinking of exactly the same thing. I'm not too good with flowering plants, but I was thinking of planting some climbing bean vine plants. Both to climb up the legs and also provide some food!

A word of caution: vining plants (even if they climb off their intended home and onto your swing) can be very beautiful! But... they also hold moisture, and can damage your wood. Ask me how I know.

This is now a beautiful yard ornament

 

[ChicksnMore]

No, I have not heard of wood hardener. I spent about 30 minutes yesterday talking to the guys at the "Pro Desk" about options to recondition that cedar swing. Nobody mentioned anything about wood hardener. Do you have a particular brand name, product name, or link to what you are talking about? The best idea anyone came up with yesterday was the really thick deck restore paint that closes gaps up to 1/4 inch. But that does not sound the same as the wood hardener you are talking about.

Also, I don't know if the leg bottoms will rot as much sitting in those risers I made. Certainly, those leg bottoms rotted out with direct contact with the ground over a period of 35 years. Since I never used any other protection on that cedar wood, it really lasted a long time. Can't complain about the longevity of the swing. Just trying to get a few more years out of it.

I've used the Minwax wood hardener and love the stuff. I've only used it in furniture restoration but it does make a difference. A contractor friend of mine uses siloxane? I think it's called. He gave me a little he had leftover from a job to try but I haven't even read up on it yet. If I understand correctly, that's a great sealer that can substitute as a hardener. Here's a video reviewing different hardeners that kinda gives you gist of how it's used.

Tar and asphalt are just to stop wet and insect damage.

Think your right that your risers will probably slow or even stop more damage from happening though.

 

[ChicksnMore]

A word of caution: vining plants (even if they climb off their intended home and onto your swing) can be very beautiful! But... they also hold moisture, and can damage your wood. Ask me how I know.

View attachment 3575560
This is now a beautiful yard ornament

It is soooo beautiful though!

 

[gtaus]

A word of caution: vining plants (even if they climb off their intended home and onto your swing) can be very beautiful! But... they also hold moisture, and can damage your wood. Ask me how I know.

View attachment 3575560


This is now a beautiful yard ornament

YIkes! That is not what I imagined. I first and foremost want a functioning swing. As you said, you have a beautiful yard ornament that used to be a working swing. Thanks for sharing your picture.

 

[gtaus]

I've used the Minwax wood hardener and love the stuff. I've only used it in furniture restoration but it does make a difference. A contractor friend of mine uses siloxane? I think it's called. He gave me a little he had leftover from a job to try but I haven't even read up on it yet. If I understand correctly, that's a great sealer that can substitute as a hardener. Here's a video reviewing different hardeners that kinda gives you gist of how it's used.

Tar and asphalt are just to stop wet and insect damage.

Think your right that your risers will probably slow or even stop more damage from happening though.

Thanks for the link.

I watched the video which I found very instructional. I have never used wood hardener before. I've always replaced rotted wood. I can think of these products coming in handy for some furniture restorations. Especially the putty/filler products. But I don't think I'll use it on the timber swing. I'm leaning more towards a restore paint type product for the swing, if needed, and I don't think the bottom of the legs will rot anymore now that they are up and off contact with the ground.

 

[Sammster]

It is soooo beautiful though!

It kind of is, huh? ::sigh:: Only reason we haven't burned it

 

[gtaus]

My first ever 100% salvaged materials project

Yesterday I mentioned that I had found and pulled a bunch of 2X8's from my salvaged wood pile and was planning on making another outdoor bench with the lumber. Well, I built it today and here is a picture of the end result...

Here is the YouTube link for how to build this bench, for anybody interested. I think it's worth another link in case you missed the earlier post.

Not only was the salvaged wood free, but I used 3-inch wood screws I took out of some pallets last year and reused those pallet screws on this bench. So, this was truly a 100% salvaged build at zero cost to me.

The wood looks OK in this picture next to all those flowers, but I am thinking about getting some wood putty stuff to fill in a few holes and cracks in the wood, sand it down real good, and paint it the same color as the cedar timber swing I am working on. The idea is that I will be putting this bench out by the fire ring.

For those who are interested, again, this bench is pretty darn easy to make and is about as solid as you can imagine. At 4 feet long, you can easily put on 3 adults or about half a dozen little kids.

Well, that's what I was doing today. Later...

 

[Smokerbill]

My first ever 100% salvaged materials project

Yesterday I mentioned that I had found and pulled a bunch of 2X8's from my salvaged wood pile and was planning on making another outdoor bench with the lumber. Well, I built it today and here is a picture of the end result...

View attachment 3576036

Here is the YouTube link for how to build this bench, for anybody interested. I think it's worth another link in case you missed the earlier post.

Not only was the salvaged wood free, but I used 3-inch wood screws I took out of some pallets last year and reused those pallet screws on this bench. So, this was truly a 100% salvaged build at zero cost to me.

The wood looks OK in this picture next to all those flowers, but I am thinking about getting some wood putty stuff to fill in a few holes and cracks in the wood, sand it down real good, and paint it the same color as the cedar timber swing I am working on. The idea is that I will be putting this bench out by the fire ring.

For those who are interested, again, this bench is pretty darn easy to make and is about as solid as you can imagine. At 4 feet long, you can easily put on 3 adults or about half a dozen little kids.

Well, that's what I was doing today. Later...

That looks great! You're always talking about painting your projects, but I think I'd go with the weathered wood look if it was on my lawn.

 

[gtaus]

That looks great! You're always talking about painting your projects, but I think I'd go with the weathered wood look if it was on my lawn.

Well, I had to use mixed lumber to fix my cedar timber swing, so the wood looks different with some old wood and some newer wood. That's why I am thinking about painting the swing.

The bench I made looks good enough with the weather wood look, but I plan on putting it right beside the swing - which I think I'll end up painting. So, I am leaning towards painting both things to make it more like a set.

I will say that I took a picture of the bench I just built from salvaged wood all by itself. I mean it was OK, but then I decided to move the bench next to Dear Wife's flower bed with the natural tree trunk stands and all the flowers. Then it looked a whole lot better. No surprise there, I guess.

But, thank you for the comment. I can certainly live with not painting it as well.

 

[chickengr]

Well, it's a cedar timber swing, and I would not call it a small thing. It can hold 3-4 adults on the swing. Those type of new timber swings, if they are painted or stained, are usually a reddish color. I'll confer with Dear Wife about the suggestion to paint it white, but I suspect she prefers red, as I do.

you do what you like. btw compared to a barn your swing is still small.