Anyone build blinds from pallets

gjs4

Member
I have access to a bunch of pallets. Anyone have a system to make blinds using these? Best I can think is to tear them all the way down and reassemble something ...


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I have access to a bunch of pallets. Anyone have a system to make blinds using these? Best I can think is to tear them all the way down and reassemble something ...


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You are thinking, and very innovative. Pallets will work very well if your goal is to make a lowcost hunting blind that gives you some cover to sit behind, since I'm a carpenter by trade maybe sometime I will make one just for the fun of it. You are thinking correctly, I'd take the pallets apart down to the last piece, then laminate the heavier skids together by laying them side by side offset halfway, and nailing them together in a continuous pattern until you have the length you need for studs and floor joists, and use the slats to for flooring and siding. If the slats seem weak you can do a double layer for the flooring, running them in two different directions.
There's two problems with using pallets to build a blind, the first is that it's going to be very time consuming, taking them apart and assembling all of those little pieces, so it only makes sense if someone has a lot of free pallets and a lot of spare time, if your time is valuable it'd make more sense to buy studs and smartside sheathing. The second problem is that using all those little boards means that the blind will leak a lot of air, so the deer will smell you, bees and insects will get in and it will be cold in there in the winter. One way to offset this is to install a wrap like double bubble insulation on the outside of the studs before putting on the board siding and flooring.
I'd definitely recommend using a nail gun and a miter saw, there's going to be a lot of cutting and nailing, and if there's leftover shingles available I'd use those for the roof.
Welcome to the forum, and good luck with your blind build.
 
I haven't used typical pallets. I have used heavier machine pallets and the like before. Or machine shipping crates. The main thing is that most of the thin stuff won't hold up to the tear down process. The larger structural stuff will for the most part. It's a lot of work. I am in the process of tearing down some wooden shipping containers now. I'm able to salvage the larger stuff.....ranging from 2 x 4 type things up to some 4 X 6 runners. Then you have to get all the nails out.....that's not fun either. I typically buy my sheeting for floors, and walls. A lot of it all depends on how fancy of a build you want. I know some folks just spray paint a few and stand them up use them simply to break-up your outline. They use the openings in the slats to wire in trimmed brush from cutting shooting lanes. Other will try to build a full enclosed building. You are only limited by your imagination. At some point you will question what your time is worth...especially if you are intending on a larger project. Its much faster and easier to start with a fresh pile of lumber....but that comes at a cost.

This is a shooting house I built out of nothing more than some smaller machine pallets and a few scraps I had around the farm. It's not pretty, but it worked. Biggest thing I ran into was the limited lengths I had to work with.

Stand was old scaffolding I had, the floor is the biggest machine pallet I had....I just ran long 4x4's thru it to hold it on the scaffolding and to serve as the support for the landing. The walls are solid 2 x 8 construction....it's what I had, it's what I used. The window covers and door are simply some plywood I had laying around and the roof is some old barn siding I had as well. You may not wish to take your project to this level.....but it's what I have done with some re-purposed lumber. It used a lot of expanding foam to try to seal it as best I could but the door and windows didn't seal real well and the bees/wasps loved to nest in it. It also didn't hold the heat well. But it beat sitting out in the blowing wind and rain!
shooting house elevated.JPG
 
I haven't used typical pallets. I have used heavier machine pallets and the like before. Or machine shipping crates. The main thing is that most of the thin stuff won't hold up to the tear down process. The larger structural stuff will for the most part. It's a lot of work. I am in the process of tearing down some wooden shipping containers now. I'm able to salvage the larger stuff.....ranging from 2 x 4 type things up to some 4 X 6 runners. Then you have to get all the nails out.....that's not fun either. I typically buy my sheeting for floors, and walls. A lot of it all depends on how fancy of a build you want. I know some folks just spray paint a few and stand them up use them simply to break-up your outline. They use the openings in the slats to wire in trimmed brush from cutting shooting lanes. Other will try to build a full enclosed building. You are only limited by your imagination. At some point you will question what your time is worth...especially if you are intending on a larger project. Its much faster and easier to start with a fresh pile of lumber....but that comes at a cost.

This is a shooting house I built out of nothing more than some smaller machine pallets and a few scraps I had around the farm. It's not pretty, but it worked. Biggest thing I ran into was the limited lengths I had to work with.

Stand was old scaffolding I had, the floor is the biggest machine pallet I had....I just ran long 4x4's thru it to hold it on the scaffolding and to serve as the support for the landing. The walls are solid 2 x 8 construction....it's what I had, it's what I used. The window covers and door are simply some plywood I had laying around and the roof is some old barn siding I had as well. You may not wish to take your project to this level.....but it's what I have done with some re-purposed lumber. It used a lot of expanding foam to try to seal it as best I could but the door and windows didn't seal real well and the bees/wasps loved to nest in it. It also didn't hold the heat well. But it beat sitting out in the blowing wind and rain!
View attachment 18862
Nice build J-bird
 
Thanks for your your replies and support guys. The more I thought about it- and my simple pallet wood compost bin that still took an hour’s effort, the less sense this makes.

My end goal was to have a few year round blinds in observation and rifle spots as my hub style blinds get the chit kicked out of them with our winter snow and winds. I can buy Amish made 6x6 blinds for $375-400. If I was part of the quarantine lay-off that would be one thing... but we’re still stupid busy at work.

Thanks again for your input and the great forum




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Thanks for your your replies and support guys. The more I thought about it- and my simple pallet wood compost bin that still took an hour’s effort, the less sense this makes.

My end goal was to have a few year round blinds in observation and rifle spots as my hub style blinds get the chit kicked out of them with our winter snow and winds. I can buy Amish made 6x6 blinds for $375-400. If I was part of the quarantine lay-off that would be one thing... but we’re still stupid busy at work.

Thanks again for your input and the great forum




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If you can buy Amish made blinds for that price you'd be wasting your time messing with pallets. If the Amish can sell minibarns delivered to my back yard for the same price as the materials cost me at a lumberyard and make money doing it, I'm going to buy from the Amish even though I'm a carpenter. Why fight a good thing.
 
Thanks for your your replies and support guys. The more I thought about it- and my simple pallet wood compost bin that still took an hour’s effort, the less sense this makes.

My end goal was to have a few year round blinds in observation and rifle spots as my hub style blinds get the chit kicked out of them with our winter snow and winds. I can buy Amish made 6x6 blinds for $375-400. If I was part of the quarantine lay-off that would be one thing... but we’re still stupid busy at work.

Thanks again for your input and the great forum




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That's pretty inexpensive.....depending on what you want/need vs what you are getting. Heck I drop $250 just in windows - but they are actual sliding windows..... it's all a matter of your needs.
 
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