Reclaimed pallet wheelbarrow for plants or veggies
Following on from the article on working with pallets, we used a reclaimed pallet to make a rustic wheelbarrow that can be planted up with colourful annuals, or filled with herbs and veggies for a small kitchen garden.
In a recent article we offered tips on working safely with reclaimed wood pallets, and the best tools to use when working with pallets. Use these handy tips for making this reclaimed pallet wood wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow can be planted up with colourful annuals, or filled with herbs and veggies for a small kitchen garden. It even has a working wheel on the front so that you can move it around.
To make the front wheel overlap and glue together scraps of pallet wood so that you can cut out a wheel of around 30cm in diameter. Use a spade bit to drill a hole through the centre. The size of the hole will be determined by the size of pine dowel you will insert through the centre, in our case a 25mm dowel.
Make the frame for the wheelbarrow by joining together vertical planks with horizontal crossbeams. These can be nailed or screwed in place. Nails are better, as there is less chance of the dry wood splitting.
Our sides are 3 planks high all the way around and 60cm in length.
To cut the dry wood you can use a hacksaw, or make the job easier by using a Dremel MultiMax. The reciprocating blade cuts easily through the wood.
We cut out slots for mounting the axle rail to the base of our box. The slot allows the rail to slip over the crossbeams that hold the base together.
Holes [25mm] were drilled through the front of the handle / axle rail to allow for fitting a dowel through the side rails and centre wheel.
The handle / axle rail was secured to the base using steel angle braces and 16mm screws - at the front and back.
To hold the wheel in place the simplest method is to drill 2mm holes in the dowel, squeeze in Ponal wood glue and then pop in a toothpick. Let the glue dry overnight and then trim the toothpicks.
At the back on each side a handle shape was cut out, as well as a couple of scrap pieces as a stand to support the wheelbarrow. Both pieces were screwed to the inside of the axle rail at the back.
Now your wheelbarrow is ready to be filled up with soil and planted with colourful annuals or herbs and veggies. You will find assorted annuals, herbs and veggie seedlings and seeds at your local Builders Warehouse.
