Extra Pallet Wood Laser Engraved Map

If you are like me and love to use pallets in your projects, but always have just a few pieces of pallet wood left over from each project, the Extra Pallet Wood Laser Engraved Map is for you! It will allow you to reclaim your old wood you never used instead of just making a bonfire out of it!

In this project I used five extra pallet slats and, with the help and use of a laser cutter from some friends of mine at a local store called SalukiCraft, I created this awesome laser cut world map!

The first step that you will need to do is compile all of your left over pallet wood or go out and find new pallets! No one says that you need to have all left over wood, but it is recommended to so that you reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Arrange your pallet wood into the size and shape you would like your image to go on. In the featured example, I used four pieces of wood and arranged them in a rectangle shape. If you would like a more rustic look, arrange your wood in a more random shape. If you would like a more clean cut look, like the one featured, figure out the amount of rows of wood that you would like and saw the edges off.

Now we need to stabilize our pieces by connecting them with pieces of wood on their backside. I cut an extra piece of pallet wood into thirds that measured the same length as the four pieces of wood that are acting as my canvas.

FUN TIP! You can use the existing screw holes to your advantage of you line them up with where the stabilizing piece needs to go. This way you do not have a hole in your project from the existing screw hole and you do not have to take the extra time to drill more holes.

I chose to use a world map for my design to fit with the motif of my home. With the local supply shop that owns a laser cutter, Saluki Craft, I was able to give them my exact image that I wanted and they laser cut the image on my wood pallets! I loved what they did and would recommend them.

ALTERNATIVE OUTCOME: If you do not want the rustic look of burnt wood from the laser cutter or do not have a craft shop near you with a laser cutter, you could stencil and spray paint your design. I would recommend doing this by printing out your image to the size you want and then cutting it out with a sharp knife. From here you can spray paint your design onto the wood.