If you have some scrap pallet wood available, this little project is a great way to reuse some of it! In this project, we are going to build a simple wood pallet lantern for a living room.
Materials needed
For this project you will need:
- Pallet Wood
- Protective equipment like gloves
- Face mask
- Glasses
- Handsaw or Chop-saw
- Hammer
- Pliers
- Pencil
- Measuring Tape
- Sanding Tool
- Nails
- and Paint of your choice
Dismantle the pallet
To dismantle the pallet, you can use two hammers like I do and collect all the wood needed for this project. You can also keep all the nails to reuse them later. So, save them and keep them aside.
Tip: Learn different ways of dismantling a wooden pallet.
The word “lantern” comes through French from Latin “Lanterna”, possibly itself derived from Greek. Today, English-speaking world use the term lantern to describe many types of portable lighting, but lanterns originated as a protective enclosure for a light source – usually a candle or a wick in oil – to make it easier to carry and hang up, and more reliable for outdoors.
Cut the wood
Let’s start by cutting all the wood pieces needed for this project. What you need:
- 4 x 50cm uprights
- 6 x 28cm blocks for the base & top
- 4 x 20cm side blocks, 2 for the top and 2 for the bottom
- 4 x 24cm side blocks again 2 for the top and 2 for the bottom.
As you begin putting all the pieces together I will explain why we need 4 x 20cm and 4 x 24cm side-block and not side blocks of the same width.
Assembling
First, you are going to assemble the frame by
Once the frame is ready its time to assemble the top and the bottom of the unit.
Though lanterns are primarily used to prevent a burning candle or wick being extinguished from wind, rain or other causes, another important function is to reduce the risk of fire; Should a spark leap from the flame or the light be dropped.
In the past, this was especially important below the deck of a ship: a fire on a wooden ship was a major catastrophe.
Now, this is how it looks like.
Sanding and Painting
Just before applying the stain or paint, it’s recommended to sand the lantern to give it a nice and smooth finish. Once sanded, its time then to apply the paint or stain on it.
Tip: Helpful tips before painting pallet wood
This is another interesting use of pallet wood recycled into a nice lantern form your home decoration. Check out below the DIY instructions in video.
Ruth Brown these are way cool show the Dad
Samantha Brown I will tomorrow. If I remember that is. 😊