- 3 days ago
Three free pallet wood projects turn a pile of salvaged lumber into useful farm and home pieces with nothing but hand tools and patient work. From a simple herb garden wall box to a potting bench and a sliding shelf side table, this Amish-style build shows how old Pennsylvania Dutch methods can still save money and produce clean, lasting results.
The video walks through how to find good pallets, disassemble them without splitting the boards, and reuse every nail and board carefully. Elias Yoder explains the wedge-and-hammer method, then builds each project step by step using a hand saw, claw hammer, nail puller, hand plane, brace and bit, chisel, and sandpaper. The pace is slow, practical, and beginner-friendly, with clear measurements and real workshop know-how from Lancaster County.
It is a hands-on pallet wood DIY tutorial for anyone interested in salvaged wood projects, Amish woodworking, hand tool carpentry, rustic furniture, garden projects, and low-cost home improvement. The focus is not speed but quality, quiet work, and useful results that fit the kitchen, porch, garden, or greenhouse.
Created for viewers searching for pallet wood projects, hand tool woodworking, salvaged lumber ideas, Amish woodworking, rustic DIY furniture, garden bench builds, and beginner woodworking tutorials. It also suits fans of frugal homestead skills, old-fashioned carpentry, and practical build videos that show how to make something useful from free materials.
The video walks through how to find good pallets, disassemble them without splitting the boards, and reuse every nail and board carefully. Elias Yoder explains the wedge-and-hammer method, then builds each project step by step using a hand saw, claw hammer, nail puller, hand plane, brace and bit, chisel, and sandpaper. The pace is slow, practical, and beginner-friendly, with clear measurements and real workshop know-how from Lancaster County.
It is a hands-on pallet wood DIY tutorial for anyone interested in salvaged wood projects, Amish woodworking, hand tool carpentry, rustic furniture, garden projects, and low-cost home improvement. The focus is not speed but quality, quiet work, and useful results that fit the kitchen, porch, garden, or greenhouse.
Created for viewers searching for pallet wood projects, hand tool woodworking, salvaged lumber ideas, Amish woodworking, rustic DIY furniture, garden bench builds, and beginner woodworking tutorials. It also suits fans of frugal homestead skills, old-fashioned carpentry, and practical build videos that show how to make something useful from free materials.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00It is a Saturday morning at the edge of town.
00:02You drive past a construction site near the new housing development.
00:06A pile of wooden pallets sits next to the dumpster.
00:10The contractor has thrown them out.
00:12The lumber that originally came on those pallets has been used.
00:16The pallets themselves are now waste, headed for the landfill.
00:21You pull over to the side of the road.
00:23You ask the foreman if you can take three of the pallets.
00:26He laughs and says, take all twelve if you want them.
00:30They are free for the taking.
00:31You load three pallets into the back of your pickup truck and drive home.
00:36By Sunday afternoon, you have spent four hours in the garage with a reciprocating saw,
00:42a palm sander, a brad nail gun, and a power drill.
00:46You built a herb garden wall hanger.
00:49Total cost in tools, supplies, batteries, and electricity, about $80.
00:56The herb box looks acceptable.
00:58You have a sore back from leaning over the workbench.
01:01A nail gun ricochet bruised your thumb.
01:04The reciprocating saw blade is worn down.
01:07You will need to buy a replacement before the next project.
01:10Now imagine a different Saturday.
01:14The same construction site.
01:16The same free pallets.
01:18Loaded into the back of my buggy on a Tuesday afternoon instead of a pickup truck.
01:24By Friday evening, the same three pallets have become three completely different useful items for our farm.
01:32A herb garden box for the kitchen window.
01:35A potting bench for the spring seedlings.
01:38A sliding shelf side table for the front porch.
01:42Total cost in tools, supplies, electricity, $0.
01:48Total hours of work, about 10, spread across three days at a relaxed pace.
01:54Tools used, a handsaw, a claw hammer, a nail puller, a hand plane, a brace and bit hand drill,
02:04a hand chisel, a folding rule, and a carpenter's pencil.
02:09The same hand tools my great-grandfather used in his workshop in the 1880s.
02:16This is what Pennsylvania Dutch farmers have been doing with free and salvaged wood since 1750.
02:23Take what other folks throw away.
02:26Turn it into useful items for the farm, garden, and home.
02:31Build with hand tools the way our great-great-grandfathers did.
02:35The methods last for generations because they were built carefully by hand.
02:41The methods cost nothing because the materials were free.
02:46I am Elias Yoder.
02:48I am Amish and I farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
02:52My great-grandfather built our family's barn workshop in 1879 from salvaged lumber,
03:00hand-cut beams, and patient, careful work.
03:03The workshop still stands today.
03:06The hand tools he used are still in the cabinets where he kept them.
03:11My grandfather used the same tools.
03:14My father used the same tools.
03:17I use the same tools today.
03:20Today I am going to walk you through three pallet wood projects
03:24every Pennsylvania Dutch farmhouse uses regularly.
03:28Built by hand, no power tools, no electricity, no dependence on the grid.
03:36Just patient, careful work with the same hand tools that have built every Amish farm structure
03:42in Lancaster County for 250 years.
03:46Quick word before I go further.
03:49The old methods my family uses.
03:51There is more of it than fits in any one video.
03:55I gathered the whole of it into a book at EliasYoder.com.
04:00The book is the long version.
04:02If you want it, it is there.
04:04I will not mention it again.
04:06Before I walk through the three projects, I want to be plain about what hand tool DIY delivers
04:13and what it does not.
04:16What hand tool work delivers?
04:19Better quality finished work.
04:22Hand tools force you to slow down.
04:25Slow work produces fewer mistakes.
04:28Fewer mistakes produce better joints, cleaner cuts, smoother surfaces.
04:34The herb box you build by hand in three hours will outlast the herb box you build with power tools
04:42in 30 minutes
04:43by a factor of three or four.
04:46No noise.
04:48No vinyl smell from cutting plastics.
04:51No dust clouds requiring respirators.
04:55No batteries to charge.
04:57No electricity bill.
04:59No replacement blades to buy.
05:02No tool storage problem.
05:05No safety risk from rotating blades and triggered fasteners.
05:09Just steel cutting wood the way it has been done for thousands of years.
05:15What hand tool work does not deliver?
05:18Speed.
05:19A hand tool project takes two to four times longer than the same project with power tools.
05:25If you need a herb box by tomorrow morning, hand tools are the wrong approach.
05:30If you have a week, hand tools are the right approach.
05:35Volume.
05:35A hand tool workshop produces one or two finished items per day.
05:40A power tool workshop produces five to ten.
05:44For high volume production, power tools win.
05:48For one or two careful items at a time, hand tools win.
05:53Identical reproductions.
05:55Hand tool work has slight variations between pieces.
06:00Power tool work produces identical units.
06:03If you want exactly identical chairs, power tools deliver better.
06:08If you want unique, characterful pieces, hand tools deliver better.
06:14Now.
06:15The three projects, plainly.
06:18Before I describe the projects, here is how to disassemble a pallet by hand.
06:23The wedge and hammer method.
06:27Pennsylvania Dutch carpenters have used this method for 200 years.
06:32Take a wooden wedge about six inches long, tapered from one inch thick at one end to one
06:38quarter inch thick at the other.
06:40You can cut these wedges from scrap lumber with a handsaw in about five minutes per wedge.
06:47Make a half dozen wedges to keep in your workshop.
06:51To disassemble a pallet.
06:52Place the pallet flat on a work surface.
06:56Find a gap between a top board and the support stringer underneath it.
07:02Insert the thick end of the wedge into this gap.
07:05Tap the wedge gently with a hammer to drive it deeper.
07:09As the wedge goes in, it spreads the board away from the stringer.
07:14The nails holding the board to the stringer begin to pull out cleanly.
07:20Continue tapping the wedge until the board separates from the stringer by about a quarter inch.
07:26Move the wedge to the next stringer along the same board.
07:30Repeat.
07:31Once the board has separated from all stringers, lift it off the pallet.
07:36The nails will remain partially embedded in the board you removed.
07:41Place the board upside down on the work surface so the nail points stick upward.
07:47Tap each nail downward with a hammer until the head sticks out of the bottom of the board enough to
07:53grip with a nail puller.
07:55Then, flip the board right side up.
07:58Grip the protruding nail head with the claw of the nail puller.
08:02Pull steadily until the nail comes free.
08:06Repeat for every board on the pallet.
08:09A standard wooden pallet contains about 10 to 12 boards plus 3 stringers.
08:15Total disassembly time using hand tools, about 90 minutes for one pallet.
08:22Add 15 minutes for hand sanding the rough surfaces if you want a finished look.
08:28Project 1.
08:29The Herb Garden Wall Box.
08:32This is the simplest project and the one that goes up on the kitchen window inside the house.
08:38About 16 inches wide, 10 inches tall, 3 inches deep.
08:43Holds about a dozen small herb plants.
08:47Ready in about 90 minutes of hand tool work after the pallet is disassembled.
08:53Materials needed.
08:556 pallet boards, each about 16 inches long.
08:594 shorter pallet boards, each about 4 inches long, for the end pieces.
09:04About a dozen small nails, 3 quarters of an inch long, salvaged from the pallet disassembly.
09:12Tool list.
09:14Hand saw for cutting the boards to length.
09:17Claw hammer for driving the nails.
09:20Folding rule for measuring.
09:22Carpenter's pencil for marking.
09:25Hand plane and sandpaper for finishing.
09:29Construction steps.
09:30Cut three of the longest boards to 16 inches each.
09:35These form the front, back, and bottom of the herb box.
09:40Cut the four shorter pieces to 4 inches each.
09:44These form the two end walls.
09:47Lay the three 16 inch boards in a U shape.
09:51The bottom board on the work surface.
09:53The front board standing vertically along the front edge.
09:57The back board standing vertically along the back edge.
10:01Position the 4 inch end pieces between the front and back boards at each end.
10:07Two pieces stacked at each end to create the 4 inch wall height.
10:12Nail the front and back boards to the bottom board first.
10:16Three nails along each long edge.
10:19Drive the nails through the front board into the edge of the bottom board.
10:23Repeat for the back.
10:25Then nail the end pieces in place.
10:27Two nails through the front board into each end piece.
10:31Two nails through the back board into each end piece.
10:34The box is now constructed.
10:37Hand sand the outside surfaces smooth using sandpaper wrapped around a wooden block.
10:43About 15 minutes of careful sanding produces a finish that takes paint or stain well.
10:49Attach two iron hangers to the back of the box for mounting on the kitchen wall.
10:55Fill with potting soil.
10:56Plant the herbs.
10:57The herb box hangs on the kitchen wall holding fresh basil, oregano, thyme, sage, parsley and chives within arm's reach
11:07of the cook stove.
11:09Project 2.
11:11The Potting Bench.
11:12This is a medium sized project for the garden.
11:15Stands about 36 inches tall, 24 inches wide, 18 inches deep.
11:21Working surface for potting up spring seedlings, transplanting nursery plants, mixing soil amendments.
11:29Has a small lower shelf for storing pots, soil bags and tools.
11:34Ready in about three to four hours of hand tool work after pallet disassembly.
11:40Materials needed.
11:42About 15 pallet boards of varying lengths.
11:45Four longer pallet boards or salvaged one by two lumber for the legs, each about 36 inches long.
11:53About 30 nails of various sizes salvaged from the pallet disassembly.
11:58Tool list.
12:00Hand saw.
12:01Claw hammer.
12:02Nail puller.
12:03Hand plane.
12:04Folding rule.
12:05Pencil.
12:06Brace and bit hand drill.
12:08Hand chisel.
12:10Sand paper.
12:11Construction steps.
12:13Build the four legs first.
12:14Cut four pieces to 36 inches each.
12:18These are the corner posts of the potting bench.
12:21Build the top frame.
12:23Cut two boards to 24 inches and two boards to 18 inches.
12:27Assemble these into a rectangle with the 18 inch boards inset between the 24 inch boards.
12:34Nail the corners together using two nails per corner.
12:37Build the lower shelf frame using the same method but 6 inches shorter on each dimension.
12:43This is the lower storage shelf, positioned about 15 inches above the ground.
12:49Attach the four legs to the corners of the top frame.
12:52Stand the top frame upside down on the work surface.
12:56Position each leg at a corner.
12:58Nail through the top frame boards into the top of each leg, two nails per connection.
13:12Add the working surface.
13:25Cut six to eight pallet boards to 24 inches each.
13:29Lay them across the top frame side by side, creating the working surface.
13:34Nail each board down at both ends using two nails per end.
13:39Add the lower shelf surface.
13:41Cut four to six pallet boards to about 18 inches each.
13:45Lay them across the lower shelf frame.
13:47Nail down.
13:49Hand sand the entire surface using sandpaper.
13:52About 45 minutes of careful sanding produces a smooth working surface.
13:57The potting bench is now complete and ready for use.
14:01Project three.
14:03The sliding shelf side table.
14:05This is the most complex project, requiring patient, careful work and basic hand cut joinery.
14:12Stands about 24 inches tall, 18 inches wide, 16 inches deep.
14:18Includes a small sliding shelf underneath the top for storing books, magazines or beverages.
14:23Ready in about four to six hours of hand tool work after pallet disassembly.
14:30Materials needed.
14:31About 20 pallet boards of varying lengths.
14:35Four longer pieces for the legs, each about 24 inches long.
14:39About 40 nails salvaged from pallet disassembly.
14:43Some additional nails or wooden dowels for the sliding shelf rails.
14:47Tool list.
14:48Hand saw.
14:49Claw hammer.
14:50Nail puller.
14:51Hand plane.
14:52Folding rule.
14:53Pencil.
14:54Brace and bit hand drill.
14:56Hand chisel.
14:57Sand paper.
14:59Optionally a hacksaw for stubborn nails.
15:02Construction steps.
15:03Cut four legs to 24 inches each.
15:07Build the top frame.
15:10Cut two boards to 16 inches and two boards to 18 inches.
15:15Assemble into a rectangle, the 16 inch boards inset between the 18 inch boards.
15:21Attach the legs to the corners of the top frame using the same method as the potting bench.
15:27Two nails per connection.
15:30Build the sliding shelf rails.
15:32Cut two pieces of pallet board to about 16 inches each.
15:37These will be the rails that hold the sliding shelf underneath the top.
15:41Position the rails about 3 inches below the top frame on the inside of the front and back legs.
15:48Hand drill two holes through each rail and corresponding leg using the brace and bit drill.
15:56Insert wooden dowels through the holes to secure the rails.
15:59Or nail through the rails into the legs using two nails per connection.
16:06Build the sliding shelf itself.
16:09Cut three pallet boards to about 16 inches each.
16:13Lay them side by side.
16:15Cut two shorter boards to about 3 inches each.
16:19Nail these across the underside of the three longer boards near each end to hold them together.
16:25The sliding shelf is now constructed as a small platform that can slide in and out of the rails.
16:33Add the top surface.
16:35Cut four to six pallet boards to about 18 inches each.
16:40Lay them across the top frame side by side.
16:43Nail down at both ends using two nails per end.
16:48Build the back panel.
16:50Cut two to three pallet boards to about 24 inches each.
16:54Nail vertically to the back of the side table, attached to the back legs and back of the top frame.
17:01This creates the rustic upright backdrop.
17:04Hand sand all surfaces using sandpaper.
17:08About 60 minutes of careful sanding produces a finish smooth enough for indoor or outdoor use.
17:15The sliding shelf side table is now complete.
17:19The shelf slides in and out for storing or accessing items.
17:23The table works for the front porch, the living room, the bedroom, or anywhere a small accent piece is needed.
17:31The honest cost math, plainly.
17:33The total cost of all three projects, using free salvaged pallets and hand tools you already own, is exactly zero
17:42dollars.
17:43Zero dollars for materials.
17:46Zero dollars for electricity.
17:49Zero dollars for replacement blades.
17:52Zero dollars for batteries.
17:54Zero dollars for safety equipment beyond simple work gloves.
17:58If you bought equivalent items at the store, the herb garden wall box costs about $25 to $40 at a
18:06craft store or garden center.
18:08The potting bench costs about $60 to $150 at a home improvement store.
18:14The sliding shelf side table costs about $80 to $150 at a furniture store.
18:21Total retail cost for the three items, about $165 to $340.
18:29Total time invested using hand tools, about 10 hours spread across three days.
18:34The herb box takes 90 minutes after pallet disassembly.
18:38The potting bench takes three to four hours.
18:41The side table takes four to six hours.
18:44Total annual savings if you build three to five small projects per year from salvaged pallet wood.
18:51About $300 to $1,000.
18:54Over a 30 year home ownership, total savings approach $9,000 to $30,000 on furniture, garden infrastructure, and small
19:03home accents.
19:05The hand tools you need are the same ones my great grandfather used.
19:09A good handsaw lasts a lifetime if cared for.
19:12A claw hammer lasts a lifetime.
19:15A nail puller lasts a lifetime.
19:18A hand plane lasts a lifetime.
19:20A brace and bit drill lasts a lifetime.
19:23A hand chisel lasts a lifetime.
19:26Total investment in a complete hand tool set, about $150 to $300, paid once, used for the rest of your
19:35life.
19:36Power tools cost about the same amount each, require replacement every five to ten years, require ongoing electricity costs, require
19:45replacement blades and batteries,
19:47and produce inferior craftsmanship in the hands of beginners.
19:51There is no money in the modern DIY industry in teaching folks that a handsaw, a hammer, and a nail
19:58puller can build everything they ever need for the farm and home.
20:01There is a great deal.
20:03There is a great deal of money in selling Americans power tools, replacement batteries, replacement blades, electricity, and the impression
20:11that hand tool work is somehow obsolete.
20:14So the simple old methods sit quiet in Amish workshops like ours, where the same hand tools have been building
20:21Lancaster County farm structures for 250 years.
20:26Most American households fill their garages with power tools that break in three years and pay for the privilege of
20:34inferior craftsmanship.
20:36You can be the household that builds slowly and builds better.
20:40So here is what I want you to do.
20:42This weekend, drive past a construction site, a furniture store, a hardware store, or any commercial business that uses pallets.
20:52Ask the manager for a pallet or two.
20:55Most businesses give them away for free because they are paid to dispose of them anyway.
21:01Bring three pallets home.
21:03Set them in your garage, basement, or workshop.
21:07Take a Saturday afternoon.
21:08Pick up the handsaw, hammer, and nail puller you already own or can buy for about $50 total.
21:16Disassemble the pallets following the wedge and hammer method described above.
21:21Save every board, every nail, every piece.
21:26The following weekend, build the herb garden wall box.
21:30Ninety minutes of careful hand work.
21:32Hang it on the kitchen wall.
21:35Plant herbs.
21:36The weekend after, build the potting bench.
21:39Three to four hours of careful hand work.
21:42Set it in the garden or greenhouse.
21:45The weekend after that, build the sliding shelf side table.
21:50Four to six hours of careful hand work.
21:53Set it on the porch or in the living room.
21:55By the end of three weekends, you have three pieces of useful furniture.
22:00You have eliminated three pallets from the landfill.
22:04You have learned hand tool carpentry skills your grandfather knew, but your father may not have.
22:10And you have spent zero dollars in materials.
22:13Tell me in the comments below.
22:15Have you ever built anything from pallet wood, and what was the result?
22:20And if your grandfather or father had a workshop with hand tools when you were growing up, share what you
22:26remember about the smell of fresh cut wood, the sound of a handsaw moving through pine, the satisfaction of a
22:34finished piece built by hand.
22:36The little inherited workshop memories are exactly the kind of skill that gets lost when nobody passes the tools down
22:44anymore.
22:45I read every single one.
22:48Next video.
22:49Since today we covered three pallet wood projects built by hand, the next walks you through five more free pallet
22:57wood projects every old order Amish farmstead uses regularly.
23:02The chicken coop nesting boxes.
23:05The garden tool storage rack.
23:08The kitchen utensil organizer.
23:10The mud room boot bench.
23:12The vegetable harvest crate.
23:14All built from salvaged pallet wood using the same hand tools we used today.
23:20All cost zero dollars in materials.
23:24All last for decades when built carefully.
23:28Subscribe so you do not miss it.
23:30Until then, find a pile of free pallets at a construction site, a hardware store, or a commercial business near
23:38you.
23:38Bring them home.
23:40Pick up the handsaw, hammer, and nail puller.
23:43Build something useful with your own hands the way your great grandfather did.
23:48The salvaged tradition that has kept Pennsylvania Dutch farms productive for 250 years is still as alive today as it
23:57was when our ancestors arrived from Germany in 1838.
24:01The same hand tools still work.
24:05The same patient methods still produce better results than the modern, fast alternative.
24:10That is how the careful old farm folks built everything they needed before America convinced itself that DIY required expensive
24:20power tools and a Sunday afternoon at the home improvement store.
24:24That is how it is still done in any workshop that remembers.
24:28I guess I still don't have trouble.
24:29That's the new generation.
24:29Remember…
24:29My josephemy.
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