Pallet Farm Table Desk ~ Part 1, gathering the goods

Much like these cedar planks all lined up in a group, I've been swarmed with good wishes and kudos over the last little while. And yeah, I'm totally overwhelmed. Thank YOU and to many personal friends that have shared in the joy I've experienced over the last few days.

When amazing news comes one's way, you're first caught up in the excitement of it all. I was on a pretty jittery high for a few days with the book promise. Now that a bit of time has passed, I'm back on earth, trying to figure out what peg goes in which hole. Meaning, I'm just mulling things over on what's to come and how to do it should the contract arrive.

If you're new here, you can get caught up on 'the book' news HERE. Scroll down for the first story.

I'm a bit of a thinker, and do better when I mentally prepare. So while I sort it all out, I decided to get going on my downstairs office desk. It's pretty much now or never to tie up a few loose ends!

I've been gathering up wood again from my favorite pallet shopping mall HERE. I found a few 4x4 posts one day, however they weren't enough, so I couldn't start yet.

And then on this fine rainy day, I see these sitting behind my truck after another day working at the same location. Oh how it PAYS to natter to others around you what you're up to! Matt who works there knew I was looking for more posts so he removed these off the palettes for me! You rock, Matt.

 The coolest part? They're OAK. Isn't that the craziest thing you've ever heard?!?

 Yes friends, this will be a real deal pallet farm table desk in no time! You just wait and see. :)

 new vs. used... which would you use?

The most fun is finding all kinds of odds and sods and making them work. I had the choice of purchasing new 2x4's and I nearly did, until I had a better look through the stash I had. I loved the odds and ends look and decided to make them work instead. I mean, look at that rusty beauty on the right.  :)

Next up, these lovely cedar planks are from when my next door neighbor was moving.  I simply chucked these guys over the fence and called it done.

Did you read about the dumpster that parked next door? You have to read it. One of the best days of my entire life is HERE. :)

The planks are apparently very old although they look new. I was thrilled to take them off their hands and knew I'd eventually figure out what to do with them.

And I indeed did. These will be the planks for the desktop of course!

They needed a good scrubbing. And a tip? Don't leave them out on the grass like I did while they dry out.  I lost some stock from them seeping up the moisture from the grass and a few now look like cute little smiling boards.

 And yes, our grass is really this green. I had to LOL when I posted this picture on Facebook. I had more comments on the grass than on the wood!

I live on the west coast of British Columbia which is the banana belt of Canada so we don't get real winters nor real summers. Just pleasant year around. But our trade for all our rain is the green grass, so trust me, we've earned it. :)

By the way, it also snowed the same day. But I call it white rain in these parts.

 Aren't they gorgeous?!? Wet wood gives you an awesome visual of what a stained or shiny finish can turn them into.

 I love how I can enjoy this desk for many years to come and think of the generosity of my neighbors. And be grateful for my firetruck place stash.

So... wanna see what I'm building? I'll show you my high tech plans to mull over.

Could you build a desk around this plan? :)

Gotta tell ya, this is my first build entirely from scratch. My other builds incorporated some prefinished helps.  After this, I'm officially deeming myself a real builder. :)

And know what? It's working!! :)

Sometimes you can't just find what you desire to have, so then you move to plan B and find what you need to build it. More to come!

Dear pallet yards all over the land, once this build is revealed, you're about to get MAULED.

Well rust mah bucket... 

The Junk In My Trunk radio show just announced me as their junk blog of the day!

The Pallet Farm Table Desk

All 3 parts are HERE.

Part 1 - gathering the goods

Part 2 - the build

Part 3 - the reveal

A boat load of questions answered on the farm table desk