Table top ready for sanding

  Or is it going to be  an large interesting wooden serving platter?

  

never too many clamps 

  The top is glued together and been cut on the band saw to rough shape.  I laid out the circle with a pencil and a string. I plan to refine the shape once the glued edging dries.

  The edges of those boards were not very strong and prone to splintering too and so I opted to glue a re-enforcing section around the edge.  Once the glue is dry I will begin the process of making those old pallet boards look cool.  There is going to be lots of sanding and a bit of knot filling before I stain the wood to bring out the grain and then give it a weather/food resistant top coat.

 As a wood working exercise this has been interesting and challenging and I would do many of the stages differently a second time. Would I do it a second time, maybe but on a smaller scale, it will definitely be a small serving tray.

  Just a seasonal foot note.  All the snow is finally gone and we are living through a day of heavy rain. Some of the local lawns are beginning to look a little more green and a little less dead. I guess spring is finally coming, finally.

cheers, ianw

F.Y.I re: reclaimed pallet wood.

  I finished pulling all the nails out of the pallet boards today. I figure that I got 15 3/4 board feet of usable wood.  There are of course nail holes and if I want smooth wood it will be probably only 1/2 inch think by the time the boards are planed.  Rough storage or out side flower boxes seem like a good use for the wood.  I want to make something  quick and easy.  I may not even fill the nail holes.

  Now that I have worked out a method for reclaiming wood I may do it more often. My first efforts, trying to pry the skids/pallets apart meant too much of the wood was wasted to make the effort worth while.

two and a third layers of reclaimed wood.

   There are lots of things that can be made with rough lumber.  There are even more things that can be made with lumber that has been filled and sanded.

  I think I'll make something quick this weekend.

  cheers, ianw