No, this is not an article about pallets to load televisions on, but rather a simple project to keep the hands busy while watching the tube, and keeping the family company.

Photo #1 shows all that is necessary - a jig, two different sizes of scale lumber: 2″ x 4″ and 1″ x 6″ (plus a little glue) - and a partially built pallet.

I won’t go into great detail on building the jig, as I believe photo #2 will show pretty well how it’’s done. Three slots for the 2 x 4 runners to sit in, and markings on the top to correctly space the boards. Five boards go on the top, and three on the bottom. You will note that I put small strips of wood at the left and right edges. This is to allow for the overhang of the boards when glueing.

Not all pallets are built this way however, many have flush ends. I also have a higher “fence” on the left and top edges, this is to butt the boards up against keeping things square.

Construction is simple and quick once you have the jig made up and a supply of lumber cut. I cut all my lumber 48″ long using a NWSL Chopper II. This makes the work fast and foolproof. I can turn out 50 finished pallets in a sitting with ease.

Step #1: Put a 2 x 4 in each of the 3 slots.
Step #2: Glue 5 1 x 6 boards on top of these, spaced equally.
Step #3: When the glue has set, lift the assembly out, turn it over, lay it back on top of the jig, and glue the 3 bottom boards on.

That’s It! … Simple!

A word on pallets: These come in many sizes and shapes. This jig is for what is referred to as a “4-square” pallet, meaning all sides are of equal length. 4-square pallets are however, seldom four foot square. Rather they are either 42″ sq. or 44″ sq. This is so that when loaded (with usually overhanging loads) they will fit two abreast in a standard truck trailer (van).

Lastly, have fun!