LUSITANO RETREAT — P13 BUILD NOTES
Use only with the main pallet guide and material intake checks. Illustrative dimensions are not a structural rating.

MEASUREMENTS
1. Illustrative bench panel: 600 × 600 mm; this is a sample, not a building wall.
2. Measure each board thickness and actual cover width; choose the trial gap deliberately.

CUT LIST / COMPONENTS
1. Backing: one 600 × 600 mm clean panel, supported on the bench.
2. Slats: lengths to cover the sample; number = chosen coverage divided by measured cover width, rounded up.
3. One short corner return and one labelled unfinished comparison coupon.

TOOLS
1. Tape measure, pencil and square; clamps and a stable cutting support
2. Metal detector, suitable saw and drill with timber bits; dust extraction and PPE appropriate to the operation
3. Sanding block, straightedge and the selected connection manufacturer’s installation tools

ASSEMBLY
1. Choose a single accepted timber batch and mark each slat on its reverse. Measure thickness at both ends and the middle, recording variation before deciding which faces can align.
2. Draw the 600 × 600 mm trial panel on paper. Mark the board orientation, actual widths and proposed joints; decide whether the sample represents a flat wall or includes a corner return.
3. Check the small backing for flatness and clamp it securely to the workbench. Mark temporary support lines so every trial board can be attached without unsupported ends or hidden screw tips.
4. Scan the cut lines for metal, cut the chosen slats to the drawing and label them in sequence. Ease exposed edges and remove splinters without sanding away evidence of contamination.
5. Lay the slats loose and use equal removable spacer blocks for the chosen trial gap. Compare both diagonals and mark fixing positions clear of splits, ends and old nail holes.
6. Clamp one slat at a time, pre-drill to the selected fixing guidance and attach it to the backing. Check the actual combined thickness before choosing screw length or drilling depth.
7. Make the corner return as a separate short sample using the proposed trim arrangement. Photograph the meeting edges in daylight and check that no sharp end grain projects into a contact area.
8. Weigh the completed sample and record its covered area, gaps, timber yield and finish. Use those measured quantities for discussion with the enclosure designer; the panel does not validate a weatherproof wall.

FINISH AND CARE
1. Sand hand-contact surfaces and ease exposed edges; retain readable batch identification on a concealed face.
2. Use a finish selected for the actual exposure, following its preparation, coat and cure instructions; treat cut ends as specified.

COMPLETION CHECKS
1. No loose slats, sharp edges or screw points beneath the backing.
2. Keep the sample supported on the bench; record weight and coverage without extrapolating structural capacity.

Guide: https://lusitanoretreat.com/build-guides/building-with-pallets/#project-p13