The blade itself is blah <_< , I really wanted to try Robakyo's suggestion for the scales. If it didn't work the little forged 1080 blade wasn't going to kill me to junk. -_- Those who thought the wood was ash, I think your right. As per his instructions, final sanding was done with steel wool with a little vinigar added. Finished with tung oil and wax. You never know what kind of suprises might be lurking in an unasuming pallet. :o

Well NOT ash but maybe Sycamore? Could be Maple either.

ash is plentiful around here and is often used in pallets here .

Sam

Might still be ash, but now it's polished it looks more like maple.

Well because of the strong ray figure and the remnant color I would bet on sycamore but maple can look much the same... usually harder though. Ash is very different and even in a small sample like that and from these pictures I can say that it is NOT ash for sure!

Pallets are made up of the scraps that can not be used in other better ,finer projects so they make pallets of the less desirable woods however there is no set wood for a pallet other then it has to work .

Sam

The mills that build them around here use a lot of popular as well. I have seen them made of just about anything though. Oak, pine, ash and so on.

Scott

If you go behind stores like Walmart, Kmart, Big Lots, etc, you can get pallets from overseas shipments that are made from tropical woods like teak and mahogany. Whatever is their "cheap" wood equivalent it's usually some rather nice stuff by our standards.

Try a place that sells motorcycles from Japan...

Hey JMC, nice looking ODC! I like what you did with the handles. The stuff I've been using to stain wood is vinegar that has reached the point where it has lost its power. It is extremely dark from all of the oxides dissolved in it. I also added some iron filings to improve the color. It still produces an effect much lighter and redder than I expect.

I'm glad you like this use for vinegar. I'm sure it has been "discovered" before. Just looking at that dark reddish liquid makes you think "what if."

Robert

I did a little trade days, I shared your little trick with several people. You always run into "beginners" as if I'm not one, and they ask lots of questions.

Complete scale prototypes of The Pallet House..The Pallet House is an cost-effective adjusting home that can become long lasting eventually. It can be used as refugee real estate or as cost-effective real estate as well...