This Beautiful Pallet Box went through a few morphs before it became the final project. My wife wanted a box “about the size of a laptop” and I came up with an approximate 1′ square for the dimensions. However, you can do this project into any size you need.
How I made this Pallet Box:
First, I had to make the sides. I made them from some very rough oak boards that I ripped down to size, then glued and clamped together. I hand planed and sanded them when they were dry. Two of the sides were a little shorter; the same dimension as the thickness of the lid. I used this design to make the lid sit evenly with the sides. I wanted it to be a uniform, flush surface.
Then I built the box frame. I made it from 1″x 1″ square oak strips cut from oak stringers. I carved the handle from a 4″ x 4″ oak pallet block. I attached it to the lid with two #8 1 1/2″ screws. I glued the sides on and let them dry. I gave the project a final sanding after gluing the sides to the box to remove any excess glue and to smooth out any edges that splinter during the process.
My wife prefers the natural look of the wood without any treatment, but I experimented a bit. I applied a bit of olive oil to a sample piece and loved the look. But I did try a sample of olive oil and it looked great. My next project will be treated with boiled linseed oil.
This project is very adaptable. You could cut in handle holes, or you could install handles externally for portability. You don’t have to carve the handle; you can repurpose something or buy a commercially-available handle to suit your needs and style. I liked the organic feel of this project, including the hand-carved handle, but it is a fun, flexible design!