One of the most popular things on the internet these days is a DIY project, more specifically, DIY pallet projects. People are obsessed with being able to make something out of trash or upcycling items as to not be so wasteful. Summertime always reminds me the Fourth of July. I must admit than as soon as the weather warms up, I feel a little more patriotic. What does it all mean? It means that I’m going to be showing you a DIY patriotic pallet table that would be the pride of any red-blooded American’s collection.
Christian Reed is a soldier with the US ARMY who recently graduated as a Mechanical Engineer from MIT. While deployed in Afghanistan, he happened upon some used pallets and decided to make something special with the wood that would otherwise just be wasted. This wasn’t a difficult project, by any means, but this patriotic pallet will most definitely make your chest swell with pride and make you want to pull a salute to the great red, white and blue. Christian Reed ranks this as a 3 out of 10 on his difficulty scale and says, “If I can build this in a desert with a few old power tools full of sand and 110 degree plus weather, you can too!”
Recent MIT graduate and ARMY officer, Christian Reed.
Christian Reed happened upon some discarded pallets and decided he was going to upcycle them into something productive. The idea of the DIY patriotic pallet table was born.
The pallets were disassembled and worked into usable pieces of wood. This included being sanded down and removing damaged portions that would not function well once transformed into a table.
The size of the table needed to be decided to figure out what size the pieces would need to be to complete the project.
A simple frame is constructed for support and stability of the table top, as well as a place to attach the legs.
The pieces are cut to length. Notice the different colored pieces of wood that will end up being the stripes of the American flag.
With the table top boards in place, you can see that this is going to be a suitable home for the stars and stripes.
Once the top is in place, 4×4’s are cut and attached that will serve as the legs. These will provide a sturdy base for the table.
A stencil of the stars has been plotted out to assist with the uniformity and precision, which is very important to the ARMY officer.
The image is carefully transferred to the wood, then gone over with a ruler and razor knife to get them ready for engraving.
One of the more time-consuming portions of this project is the tedious task of using a Dremel to grind out all 50 stars.
After that, Christian Reed has created an upcycled table that would be the pride of any patriotic persons home.
Applying some finish or flaxseed oil protects the project and ensures that this project will withstand the years of use that it deserves.
There is a wide world of DIY projects that can keep you busy for the rest of your life, if you want them to. The only problem I can see with this table is that it can’t carry a stamp that says ‘made in USA.’ Maybe Christian can make a little stamp that says something like ‘Made by an American hero, while serving his country, with reclaimed materials.’ That may be a little long, but there’s no denying that this little slice of Americana and the story behind the DIY patriotic pallet table have made my chest swell with pride. Everyday that passes seems to leave behind the gift of a little more of the patriotic spirit and respect for the flag of this great country of ours.