The Lazy Man's Ingenuity

 Also known as "Work smarter, not harder."  Lazy people all around the world from time immemorial have sought and discovered ways to do common, difficult, heavy, and undesirable tasks easier. 

Yes, sometimes these end up being shortcuts that reduce quality or even safety and those ultimately end up in the scrap heap of wasted effort.  But, there are times when you end up with something truly brilliant.  Something that seems so simple and effective that every one else slaps their forehead and say, "Why didn't I think of that?!"

Then there's the majority of things that end up somewhere in between.  Hopefully closer to the "brilliant" end than the scrapheap end.  Most D.I.Yers work in that space and are usually fine with the results.

Of course, this leads us then to the next most important phrase to a D.I.Yer which is, "If it's stupid but it works, it's not stupid."  It's kind of like saying something is "good enough" but actually is more personal.  Because what works for one person to meet their needs that they can tolerate, they can call it good.  Someone else might see it and think it's not good, but they don't have to deal with it so it doesn't really matter.

I'm working on a project in that category right now.  I'm setting up an outdoor work area with a workbench made up of, well, stuff I have doing nothing useful at the moment.  Most of it's not pretty, but then again, it doesn't need to be.  What it does need to do is get the job done.  By the time I'm finished, it will be useful but not attractive.  Kinda like me.

I collect pallets from various local businesses to use as wood to make things.  The things I make usually turn out looking and working very they are for other people so I always make them the best I can.  Pallets in a stack aren't, by definition, pretty.  They can still be useful as they are, but they aren't living up to the potential I can see in them as other things.

I get all kinds of pallets.  Normal square pallets, heavy duty, extra long, and so on.  I happen to have a couple of long, heavy duty pallets on hand doing nothing useful at the time.  Why, they can be turned into a very useful workbench top.

I also have a couple of plastic sawhorses.  They're rated to hold like three hundred pounds each.  I have many more, much sturdier sawhorses now so these guys will make good legs for that work bench.  Add some sturdy pieces of dunnage used to transport heavy cast iron sewer pipe to stabilize the bench top on the sawhorses and Presto Walla!  A perfectly useful outside workbench!

Here's the layout, obviously nothings actually put together yet.

I'll use top boards from another, identical pallet I have to fill in and make a solid top for the workbench.  As you can see, it ain't pretty but it darn sure get the job done.  Again, like me.

So, with a little lazy man's ingenuity, some spare stuff, and some creativity, I won't have to buy expensive lumber and build a beast of a bench.