Saturday Linkages: Crimean Ovens, Ikea Distillery and Pallet Wood

Crtk oven. Image:

Crimean oven. Image: No Tech Magazine.

Crimean Ovens http://bit.ly/1kvPJrr

The brand that dares not speak its name | Garden Rant http://gardenrant.com/2014/03/the-brand-that-dares-not-speak-its-name.html …

Ikea distillery design – IKEA Hackers http://po.st/s3JdPL 

Pallet Wood Kitchen Cabinets http://www.naturalbuildingblog.com/pallet-wood-kitchen-cabinets/ …

Bees in Danger: California DFA Plans Pesticide Application in Carpinteria, Summerland http://www.noozhawk.com/article/bees_in_danger_california_dfa_plans_pesticide_application_20140303#.UxdqUKHYm88.twitter …

How Dangerous Streets Limit People’s Experience of Their Neighborhood http://streetsblog.net/2014/02/28/how-dangerous-streets-limit-peoples-experience-of-their-neighborhood/#.UxNk2ZGXsis.twitter …

Streets and Creeks, Part 1: Why Fish Need Bicycles http://la.streetsblog.org/2014/02/28/streets-and-creeks-part-1-why-fish-need-bicycles/#.UxNkmhN4LZ0.twitter …

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2 Comments

  1. Having built a few small items from pallets some years ago, I offer the following advice:

    * Know what you’re getting – not all pallets are created equal. Wood type, wood quality, and chemical processing (some nasty stuff) varies widely from pallet to pallet.
    * Be realistic about the value of your time. This is not the fastest way to get raw material for building projects. In many cases, it’s not even the fastest way to acquire recycled wood. It *might* be cheaper, but after you redesign your project with short, unfinished sticks of wood in mind and rip apart the large numbers of pallets required for anything significant, you may find it would have been better to look around on craigslist.
    * Be wise about how to ‘harvest’ the raw materials. Pulling nails is slow. Prying apart with a crowbar is faster (but sometimes destructive). Using an electric saw and discarding the 2x4s + the nails is quick, but wastes wood and has some inherent danger. If you don’t know how to deal with circular saw kickback from hidden nails/staples, get a once-over from someone who does.

    Some projects (such as rough fences) can be built from whole pallets – these are in many ways the best/easiest uses of the material.

    zeke

    • Agreed–I think I said it in one of our books–that it’s better to use pallets whole than to try to pry them apart. I’ve also taken a handheld circular saw and cut them apart to use the wood as a kind of tile. Being careful, as you note, not to cut into a nail.

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