So, it varies. But as a rule, if I can incorporate used pallet wood to add to recovered core pieces; and maybe some cement/epoxy resin/metal; that produces a desirable end result; that's success.

Specifically regarding pallet wood, I try to find the old, grey, weathered pallets that are nearing the end of their functional life cycle - newer ones can hopefully still be used for a few years before being scrapped or upcycled.

And sometimes it's just a matter of some spit and polish (cleaning, painting) to bring something back to life. Something that isn't ready to be tossed in the landfill.

I started out making clocks and lamps out of old bicycle parts, so some of those show up on this site as well.

If I can, I put 'before' pics beside each new project so you can see how things started and what was used.