Diy: Wood Pallet Lantern

If you have some scrap pallet wood available, this little project is a great way to reuse some of it! In this project, we are going to build a simple wood pallet lantern for a living room.

Materials needed

For this project you will need:

Pallet Wood
Protective equipment like gloves
Face mask
Glasses
Handsaw or Chop-saw
Hammer
Pliers
Pencil
Measuring Tape
Sanding Tool
Nails
and Paint of your choice

Dismantle the pallet

To dismantle the pallet, you can use two hammers like I do and collect all the wood needed for this project. You can also keep all the nails to reuse them later. So, save them and keep them aside.

Tip: Learn different ways of dismantling a wooden pallet.

The word "lantern" comes through French from Latin "Lanterna", possibly itself derived from Greek. Today, English-speaking world use the term lantern to describe many types of portable lighting, but lanterns originated as a protective enclosure for a light source - usually a candle or a wick in oil - to make it easier to carry and hang up, and more reliable for outdoors.

Cut the wood

Let's start by cutting all the wood pieces needed for this project. What you need:

4 x 50cm uprights
6 x 28cm blocks for the base & top
4 x 20cm side blocks, 2 for the top and 2 for the bottom
4 x 24cm side blocks again 2 for the top and 2 for the bottom.

As you begin putting all the pieces together I will explain why we need 4 x 20cm and 4 x 24cm side-block and not side blocks of the same width.

Assembling

First, you are going to assemble the frame by joining the 4 uprights, 2 at a time using the 2 x 20cm blocks. Then using the 4 x 24cm blocks, you will join them all together. The pallets have a 2cm thickness so you'll keep the extra 4cm to cover the sides.

Once the frame is ready its time to assemble the top and the bottom of the unit.

Though lanterns are primarily used to prevent a burning candle or wick being extinguished from wind, rain or other causes, another important function is to reduce the risk of fire; Should a spark leap from the flame or the light be dropped.

In the past, this was especially important below the deck of a ship: a fire on a wooden ship was a major catastrophe.

Now, this is how it looks like.

Sanding and Painting

Just before applying the stain or paint, it's recommended to sand the lantern to give it a nice and smooth finish. Once sanded, its time then to apply the paint or stain on it.

Tip: Helpful tips before painting pallet wood