I made this “Cowboy Cooler” for my sister and her husband last year. I only had a little tiny table saw at the time and my brother-in-law had a larger old table saw he never used. It needed some work, but he let me have it. When I picked it up, he jokingly said, “Build me something with it!” So it was restored to working condition, this was the first thing I built.
Except for the handles, it was built entirely from recovered pallet wood with some metal accents I picked up at a local fair. I didn’t follow any published plans. I just bought the cooler at a sporting goods store and built around it. The spigot on the side ties in to the drain on the cooler.
It was a surprising hit! Everybody that has seen it wants me to build one for them now, but I haven’t had time to build another one. The pictures were taken last year. It has since grayed a bit and the metal is starting to rust, but that has only added to the “rustic” look of the cooler. It’s not fine furniture, and it uses very simple joinery, but it’s still something I’m proud of!
Looks very nice to me, very intricate, I especially like the design on the front, also.
This is a great project, makes the chilly bin look so stylish. I love upcycling pallets, they make cool furniture & stuff and best of all you can get them for free ;)
I love it!! I would just add caster wheels to it.
That is great. We could use one of those for all of our parties…thanks for sharing.
Where do I get the plans for this? My sister wants one. Good idea
Nice!!!
This is rude, crude and lewd. I like it. I don’t need one now but I might in another year. Nice idea.
Thanks for the compliments, guys!
@Kris… It’s not really designed for travel/camping. It just sits on his porch by the grill.
@Eric… I saw one of those mass produced units at Academy Sporting Goods and thought it was one of the coolest things ever. It was way overpriced, and didn’t seem very insulated as it just used a big tin pan on the inside. But, that is where I got the idea and drew my inspiration.
@Jim… Yes, the spigot is functional. The cooler I bought did not have a drain, but they sell replacement cooler parts (like hinges, handles, and drains) at the same store I bought the cooler, so I bought a drain, drilled a hole, and with some “southern engineering” tied it in to the spigot. The cooler sits on a shelf and can be pulled out and replaced if necessary.
Nice project…sometimes it isn’t how “beautiful” the finish is or how exotic the wood but for whom and what the project is for. This is a great example of a reusing wood to create an idea for something that can be used over and over. The true mark of a nice project is someone other than the owner wanting one. I like the bottle opener and the spigot, nice touch..now where do I put those bottle caps??? Great job!
What a nice cooler…and you don’t have to keep looking at the bright colored plastic, this way it all blends in. Great idea and nice job on it!
Very nicely done. That’d look great right by the grill. Might have to borrow the idea but slap a large Texas star on the front instead.
My son bought me one, twice as long. It looks just like this one, pretty much. And yes, it came with a Texas star on the front too. Opener, bottom drain. It’s not a regular cooler, but it’s lined on the inside of the “box” and insulated. Very rustic.
That is a great idea. Love the look with the black iron accents.
Does the faucet actually drain the cooler? Does it have a bottom or is it open?
Good job. I love the “finish!!”
They sell a model of cooler like this at Kroger in the same section they sell the turkey fryers. I’ve been thinking of building one too because they cost an arm and a leg there. Pallet wood and a donor cooler is much cheaper :-) Great job.
That is really nice! I am sure it is the talk of many BBQs!
Rustic. Recycled. NICE!
Sweet! Neat idea.
Made out of salvaged pallet material. I love it! My king of guy!
That is way cool. Great for around the house. Don’t know how it would travel camping with the legs. Guess you could put it in the back of a pick up. I can see why people would want you to build another one. ;-)
Very Cool!!! I like the style and functionality.
Very clever! It looks very nice, congratulations Heath.
Very cool… and you didn’t forget the opener!