Turn Old Wood Pallets Into A Folding Table That Saves Space

If DIY had a hall of fame, old wood pallets would be among the first inductees. Often found for free in unexpected places, these humble boards can be repurposed into almost any home or garden item imaginable. With the right tools to make the wood safe, plus a little woodworking know-how, even pallets that have seen some wear and tear can be turned into chic homemade furniture. For this project, YouTuber BK Woodworking transformed the planks from a pallet into a space-saving folding table. The wall-mounted table opens and locks in place, and while folded down, it serves as a small shelf for decor or plants.

Before filming, he broke down the pallet into its individual boards. Handle the pallet with thick gloves during this step to prevent being injured by protruding nails or splinters. At the beginning of the video, we see the DIYer take important steps to make the boards safe to work with. He takes out the nails and runs the planks through a jointer to clean up the ragged edges. It's a good idea to wear hearing protection as well as a respirator and eye protection during a project like this. If you try this DIY and like the results, maybe your next build can be convertible furniture or an easy-to-build pergola for your garden.

When you're sourcing a pallet for this project, check the wood for a two-letter stamp. This is a code to indicate whether it was treated with chemical pesticides, or kiln-dried or similarly treated to eliminate pests in the wood. Always use pallets marked "HT" or "DH." If the pallet is marked MB or SF, skip it: it contains toxic chemicals.

Once you've obtained a pallet and broken it down into planks, trim the planks to the size and shape you want for your table. For this build, the DIYer cut eight boards for the tabletop. Plane the trimmed planks so they're level and uniform, then sand them for a smooth finish. Lay out the tabletop planks on your workspace and level the sides. Then, attach them to the table cleats with a brad nailer, using a shim to space out the planks as you work.

The table is mounted to the wall with two perpendicular planks cut to form a half-lap flat joint. Half-lap joints can be made with a tablesaw using a dado blade, as BK Woodworking does in the video, or with a router table. After building the wall mount, he creates the upright locking mechanism by building a triangular arm from smaller boards. This gets mounted on a hinged arm perpendicular to the tabletop. When the tabletop is raised, the arm can swing out and support the tabletop. Finally, after the table is built, use wood filler in any holes left over from the pallet nails and go over the entire table with a sander. Now it's ready to install and enjoy.