When I first started pallet crafting I had no idea what tools were necessary. Thankfully, my husband, Ron, has been doing woodworking for decades. He gave me lots of instruction and tips on which tools would work best for my needs.
Not everyone has a “Ron” that can be your personal guide and tool lender.
For those of you that are just getting started, I have simplified the pallet crafting process and narrowed things down to 26 essential tools and equipment most needed for successful pallet crafting. I even separated them out by category of when you will most likely need them.
Below is the complete list OR you can scroll to the very bottom for my video describing each tool and why you need it.
Safety Equipment (tools 1-4)
The following four pieces of equipment are vital for your safety in the shop.
- Ear protection – I prefer ear muffs, however you may find ear plugs more comfortable.
- Eye protection – Clear safety glasses
- Construction gloves – find some that fit snugly so they don’t get caught on machinery
- Dust mask – especially needed for sanding, you may opt for a full respirator instead.
Pallet Deconstruction Tools (tools 5-8)
5. Milwaukee Sawzall or Reciprocating saw of choice – This is your secret weapon against pallet nails.
6. Thin Kerf, Double Duty, 18 TPI Milwaukee metal blades – You’ll need a package of 5 or more to start as the blades get dull easily.
7. Farrier’s Nippers (15″) – Best tool I’ve found for pulling nails and even snipping them clean off!
8. Flat Wrecking Bar – Great for slipping underneath pallet planks and popping nails without cracking the wood.
9. Rubber-coated steel mallet a.ka. Dead blow hammer –
Delivers optimal force without damaging surfaces, your arm, and your ears!
Measuring Tools (tools 10-13)
10. Contractor’s Pencil(s) – A regular pencil’s lead breaks all the time and rolls off the workbench. This doesn’t!
11. Contractor’s pencil sharpener – You need one of these to easily sharpen a rectangular pencil.
12. Tape Measure (25 ft) – Get a good one that is bright colored, rubber coated and has a belt clip. The inexpensive ones break and won’t roll back up after a while.
13. Combination Square Tool (12″) – This is a great little tool for squaring off edges and measuring for precise cuts.
Building Tools (tools 14-22)
14. Orbital Sander – A great little sander that will work perfectly for most pallet projects or until you can afford a nice upright belt sander.
15. Wireless Electric Drill – A must have as you will use it for so many things!
16. A variety pack of drill bits – You will use the littlest drill bits the most for starter holes for inserting screws. So, get a pack that has lots of tiny drill bits. Then, get 2 or three larger bits for drilling holes large enough to thread rope through. Rope handles for pallet crafts… need I say more?
17. Screw driver bits – get a kit that has flat head, phillips head (cross point), star and square head tips. You’ll use the phillips heads the most, get two sizes… big and small points.
18. Nail gun – once you get one of these you’ll wonder why you ever built anything without it. Seriously. Get one that can hold up to 2.5″ long nails.
19. Air Compressor (not pictured) – You must have at least a small one to run the nail gun.
20. Needle Nosed Pliers – Most useful set up pliers you’ll ever own.
21. Nail Punch OR Nail Setter – I use the 2/32″ one the most.
22. Steel Claw Hammer – You’ll need it for a lot of things, trust me.
Finishing Tools (tools 23-24)
23. Clamps – Get a minimum of 4 in several different sizes.
24. Wood glue – Save those beautiful cracked, rustic pieces with some clamps and glue!
Saws (tools 25 & 26)
25. Miter Saw – During the first year that I started building with pallet wood, this was the ONLY saw I used. It’s a beast and it’s great! A hand saw just doesn’t cut it… haha! Plus, frankly, I was terrified of the table saw. The miter saw we have is fairly large and I’m certain it isn’t budget friendly. However, if you can get a good one, spring for it! You’ll use it ALL THE TIME. You can get by with a smaller miter saw. We also have a less costly, table-top Dewalt miter saw that works well. Only issue is it limits the width of the boards you can cut.
26. Table Saw – Also known as the “beast with teeth.” If you are going to cut wood length wise (ripping wood), you’ve got to get friendly with the beast. I was honestly scared to use this machine by myself for close to a year. Anytime I had to rip wood I’d kindly ask my husband to do it for me as I was fearful that I would cut a finger off or worse… an entire arm. Once my confidence finally got built up, I overcame my fear and can now use it like a pro. I still am extremely cautious though.
Other than a table saw being a great tool for ripping wood down to size, it also serves as an excellent workbench. The metal grid is perfect for pounding nails out of the pallet wood and a perfect flat surface for putting things together.
As promised, here’s the video of all the tools I just mentioned. There is also a little bonus in there for using the Sawzall successfully.
Here are a few other tools and machinery you may want to add to your workshop as you are able.
- A 6-gallon wet/dry shop vaccuum – When you are working with wood you create lots of saw dust or “man glitter” as my husband calls it. Get one with lots of extra hose and attachments. Not only is this good for cleaning up, but you can hook the hose onto the end of most table saws, miter saws and sanders to suck away most of the saw dust ahead of time. Brilliant!
- Woodworking band saw – This machine will give you the ability to cut small pieces of wood, cut curves and other difficult shapes. The machine we have is a top-of-the-line Powermatic 14″ Band Saw. Yes, it is a costly machine. But, it should last us a life time. You can get less costly, table-top band saws for under $200 and it will probably suit your purpose. Just remember, you never want to cut anything less than 8 inches long on your miter saw or you risk a dangerous injury. That’s why you need a band saw.
- Combination 6″ x 48″ Belt and Disc sander – Pallet wood is rough cut wood that must be sanded. Sanding is the hardest part of pallet craft, in my opinion. It is time consuming, the vibration is hard on the hands and the dust is bad for the lungs. But it is necessary to create beautiful pallet projects. The larger sander makes sanding less of a chore.
If you are planning on buying tools and aren’t sure what brand to get or what you really need, feel free to comment below and I’ll be glad to share what has worked best for us. Also, if you are an experienced woodworker who has found a tool that is really useful that I didn’t mention above, feel free to share!
Happy pallet crafting!