Quetions about Pallets

[GGNInNScale]

Hi   I have a bunch of "Scale" 4x4 foot and 6x6 foot pallet stacks.  Let me know if you are interested.  About 12 of the little ones, 23 big ones.  Resin printed.  Send me a PM if you wish.

[LIRR]

Its not that difficult or as tedious as you might think to make them. These photos are HO, but I’ve used the same method in N years back. Scale stripwood, stain beforehand for old pallets, unstained for new. Painters tape, sticky side up. Lay the first 1x4 with a straight-edge. Then put a spacer down next to it. I think I used .020x.020 styrene. Then another board, another spacer, etc. Glue a 4x4 down, I square it up by eye. I made a styrene spacer equal to the distance from the inside edge of the 2 outside 4x4s. Use this to space the outer 4x4s. Then place and glue the center 4x4 by eye. Cut the individual pallets off. Lines on the tape is so I cut in the right place. Trim the boards. Flip it over and glue 1x4s on the other side. I made about a dozen in less than an hour.

 

[Angus Shops]

Good discussion! Looking closely the Northern Pacific photo there appears to be a nearly empty pallet in the door of the car and it looks to me like, while the bagged sugar may have been delivered to the loading dock on pallets, they may be hand bombing the bags into the car. There’s definitely a guy bent over with a bag in his hands.
I’m going to have a go at using strip wood to make up a few pallets, which I’ll use more sparingly than in a more modern setting. I’m still not sure my little farm supply dealer would have a forklift - were talking small town BC where a proper paved road connection to the rest of the world didn’t arrive until 1962.

[eja]

Its not that difficult or as tedious as you might think to make them. These photos are HO, but I’ve used the same method in N years back. Scale stripwood, stain beforehand for old pallets, unstained for new. Painters tape, sticky side up.

LIRR, thank you for your most informative.  It looks like you have developed a process that produces good results and is not too time consuming.

I may eventually try after I have figured out what commercial available N scale wood strips match up with standard directional lumber.  Not about to cut that on my table saw.


Thanks much...


Ed Anderson

[nkalanaga]

Even if they don't have a forklift, a pallet jack will work just as well, especially for a small business.

Years ago I made some N scale pallets similar to LIRR's, but with smaller material.  Working in a computer room, we had an unlimited supply of keypunch cards.  Remember those?  I still have a case of them...

I taped a card to the cutting board, drew the top slats on it, then cut out the paper between the slats.  The spacers were HO 1x2 (N 2x4) glued on edge.  The bottom slats were strips of card, usually those removed from between the slats.  Since most pallet slats are, at most, 1-inch lumber, the card was closer than an HO 1-inch board.  And, our uncolored cards, about the color of a manila envelope, looked fine for fresh pallets.

Did I ever tell you that I'm cheap?

[eja]

Years ago I made some N scale pallets similar to LIRR's, but with smaller material.  Working in a computer room, we had an unlimited supply of keypunch cars.  Remember those?  I still have a case of them...

Did I ever tell you that I'm cheap?

Frugal, not cheap !