Pallet Wood Segmented Candles
Introduction: Pallet Wood Segmented Candles
Approximately 40 candles, made up of 600 rings, made from 7,000 pieces of pallet wood. Sounds like a blast of a project that I'll never do again!
Supplies
Candle Making Materials
- Scale https://amzn.to/3w6BGjP
- Thermometer https://amzn.to/3zaiaEV
- Double boiler https://amzn.to/3fZeZsm
- Hot Plate https://amzn.to/3gf6rws
- Soy Wax https://amzn.to/3iDTcZ5
- Wood Wicks https://amzn.to/2RzbdfL
- Wick Holders https://amzn.to/3xjCEJZ
- Wick Stickers https://amzn.to/3pJh5zX
- Port Orford Cedar Oil (my source for this has disappeared, I'll link it if I ever find it again)
- Candle Dye https://amzn.to/3x7sBHK
Other Notable Tools/Materials
- TotalBoat Wood Sealer (code "Jackman15" gets you 15% off) - https://bit.ly/3pJC8SZ
- ISOtunes bluetooth hearing protection (code "Jackman10" gets you $10 off) - https://bit.ly/3ze5OeY
- Respirator (code "Jackman" gets you 5% off) - https://bit.ly/2zOvwwn
- MiterSet - https://bit.ly/3g8dg49
- MagSwitch switchable magnets (code "Jackman" gets you 10% off) - https://bit.ly/3x5OtTH
- AirLocker Denailer - https://amzn.to/3irqk6e
- Metal Detector - https://amzn.to/351jjAR
Step 1: Pallet Processing
It all starts with a building material that is simultaneously my most and least favorite material to work with, pallet wood. It's my least favorite because of this process right here, but my most favorite because of the transformation between this stack of junk and the final piece. The pallet disassembly process isn't the most fun, but it has to be done, I start by cutting the end pieces off of each pallet and then pry the slats off of the center support piece. I didn't use all of the pallets to make the candles, I've just learned to do the painful process once instead of spreading it out across multiple projects.
With the pallets divided up into their individual pieces, all of the bits of metal are removed. I use my denailer/anti-nail-gun/whatever-you-want-to-call-it to remove the nails that remain in the center of the slat, it works like a nail gun except for the fact that it fits over the pointy end of the nails and shoots it out of the board. 401
I also use a metal detector to check for any small bits of metal left over like staples or partial nails and then dig those out of the wood too.
Step 2: Milling Pallet Slats
First step to make usable lumber out of the pallet slats is to send them through the planer, this takes off a layer of the top surface of the material. I do this, flipping the slat over every time, until both faces of every piece is smooth.
Next, to clean up the edges, I first have to joint one edge of the board to make it straight and square. I don't have a jointer, so I use this jig from Rockler in my table saw to do the same thing.
To clean up the other edge, and last remaining side, I rip the slats down to width on the table saw. For this I whip out my power feeder, one of the few tools around the shop that lets me embrace the lazy millennial that I am. The power feeder has rollers that push the boards through while I feed them into the saw.
Step 3: Cutting the Segments
With that, the raw material is finally ready. I stack all of the pieces, keeping them organized by thickness, that way I will get the maximum yield of material later. More than anything, this pallet process is just a matter of organizing and re-organizing ever smaller pieces of wood...
Now to make the segments that will make up the candles, I need to cut all of these pallet sticks into pieces that have an angle that will make a perfect ring. 599