Vertical Herb Garden Ladder Shelf From a Wood Pallet

David McIntosh
by David McIntosh
4 Materials
30 Minutes
Easy
Make this simple Vertical Ladder Shelf out of an old wood pallet.
Breaking down the wood pallet
The simplest way is to use a Reciprocating saw with a METAL cutting saw blades. You want to simply cut all the nails, freeing up all the pieces.


The nail heads remain, but that gives us that rustic reclaimed look we were going for!
Just get behind there and cut all those nails... The vibration will make your arms feel tingly after the 5th board or so... but hang in there.


Remember Metal cutting blade can still cut into the wood... so be careful of your angle. Also... use a black blade and not one of those fancy YELLOW blades... or you will have yellow marks all over your nice old wood.
Cut an angle on the top and bottom... this determines your height and depth... so do whatever works for you and your space.
From some of the 2x4 material from the pallet, I ripped them down to a smaller width... just so I had enough material for all the shelves.
Put some Glue on ...
Then with your brad nailer... put in some 18G brad nails just long enough to hold it down.


DON't try to use too long a nail... This wood can be hard and it will often spit your nail right back out if you are not careful.
The 1/2 inch boards cut to width... and the middle ripped down to fit between.
Leave a little gap between your boards for drainage.
Now.... repeat the above steps for as many shelves as you need.
For the TOP shelf... it is close to the wall... so make a smaller shelf... it is all up to you.
Now... just mount the shelf at the correct angle on both side boards. I put mine forward a bit so there is room to add the pots.
Yes.. I know... those pots are way too big. My son's first garden so we used what we had around the shed. We will replant them into smaller ones in a few weeks.
Final Result...
Overall... for a free pallet... this was a nice transformation! Good luck with your creation. Make them wider... or taller... Have fun!
Suggested materials:
  • Wood Pallet   (Screws)
  • Reciprocating saw
  • Chop Saw
See all materials
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2 of 15 comments
  • Helen Helen on May 13, 2017

    my own kids are 20+ years too old for me to do this; would've been great as 'their' garden--one of these per child. Will definitely consider once grandchildren come along...great idea!!

  • Ethel Kirkpatrick Ethel Kirkpatrick on May 14, 2017

    How wonderful it looks there! This little pallet redo is just perfect!

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