Work Table from a Shipping Pallet

pallet stand with nothing on it (and somewhat unstable as it's missing a bottom support)

I recently bought a miter saw made by Rigid.  Although it wasn’t the cheapest one (or the most expensive), I think the quality of the build was worth it.  I’ve been very happy with it, as in addition to being well built, it includes a laser to help you align where the blade will cut.  The only problem is that with this tool and a mill on my workbench, I had no room to actually work on any projects.  Fortunately, I had saved the pallet than my mill came on – a Grizzly model # G0619, as it just seemed too useful to throw away.  After $4 worth of 2 x 4s and some nails, I had some extra space for my saw.

Middle support added. Still a little unstable.

There really wasn’t much to this.  I cut four 2 x 4s to 34″ in length and nailed them to the already-existing supports on the bottom (the three horizontal pieces of wood below the plywood).  I also put a nail through the plywood “table” vertically into the new 2 x 4s to try to keep it from rocking too much.  This didn’t work too well, so I took one of the extra pieces and nailed it across the beams as shown to the right.

Table with shelf and bottom supports

It seemed somewhat unstable without any other supports, so I put another support across the bottom on the two front legs.  Even this seemed like it could be better so I put another support across the back legs and put a 1/2 inch piece of plywood across it making a nice shelf to keep tools or extra wood or whatever. (thanks Olly for the suggestion!)

Apparently our dog Evie thought this project was a good idea.

I do find it interesting that I was using my miter saw to make a permanent place for itself.  Kind of hints at “self-replication.”

As always, try anything you see here at your own risk!  Saws are pretty dangerous so always use your best judgment and read the manual when using them.

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