A custom coffee table, another pallet wood project. I was asked to make a replica of an image found online, but also wanted storage so I added the bottom shelf. 

After some very frustrating trial and error on how to reclaim longer pieces of wood. If you have ever taken apart a pallet you know my pains. I ended up using a reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade and ran the blade behind the wood slats cutting the nails. Success!!

This is also a great way of preserving the nail holes which add so much character. 

All of the joints for the structure have been put together with counter sunk screws, and are out of sight.

I used mainly all pallet wood, except the center support which won’t be visible. I used nails where I could, but mainly the slats are fixed with bradnails.  

The nails that had been cut with the reciprocating saw will come in handy later as decoration.  

The client had provided me with a fabric swatch of the sofa, and paint chips for the wall color.

I knew I didn’t want the piece to look too brown, so I used a solid grey stain and made sure it was fully covered, then used a dry brush with white pickling to very lightly pick up on the wood grain, and to highlight the saw marks, nail holes and the other beautiful flaws. 

It’s great being able say flaws are beautiful?

The different thicknesses of the slats give it a nice dimensional look too. And highlighted the pertruding edges with white pickling.