Salvaged Wood Planter

I showed you my newly made planter yesterday.

This planter box is totally made from salvaged wood.

Now for the step by step.

My not-to-scale sketch of the plans.

First we laid out some old fence wood that had been rotting in the wood pile.

I even used some old stakes Charlie had cut from a salvaged fence.

Generally following Ana White’s plans for a cedar planter I cut 1 by 6s (actually 5.5 inches wide) into 18 inch long pieces.  Cut 12 (3 each for 4 sides).

1 by 6s cut to 18 inches. (3 are pictured here side by side.)

Then I attached these pieces from the back with screws to 18-inch-long 1 by 3s top and bottom making 4 panels.

The top and bottom rails are screwed from behind.

To each panel I attached 22-inch-long 1 by 3 stiles with 1-1/4 inch pocket screws (2 screws at the top rail and 2 at the bottom). (This is where the plan deviates from Ana’s.  She uses 2 by 2s as stiles/legs.) Be sure to make 4 left side legs and 4 right side legs.  I unfortunately forgot this detail so needed to redrill one of the legs.  The funny thing is I should have needed to redrill FOUR legs. Hmmmm!

Make 8 legs — 4 left side and 4 right side.

I screwed the four panels along the edges to make a box.

I used a utility stool to support the sides until they were attached together.

Once the sides were secure I added a piece of wood 12 inches from the top to the inside of 2 opposite panels to hold the bottom of the planter.  This measurement is totally dependent upon what you decide to use the planter for.  I’m putting in a large pot but it can also be shorter if you are actually adding dirt and planting something or if you’re using smaller pots.

The cleat is screwed inside 2 opposite sides of the planter.

I laid 2 by 4s across the bottom of the planter on the cleats.

Any scrap wood can create the bottom of the planter.

The most difficult part was putting a mitered sill on the top edge of the planter which was only difficult because the lumber was not in standard widths. I screwed the sill down which makes carrying it a little easier even though it’s heavy. (This, too, is a deviation from the original plan.)

Ooooooh, mitered corners.

Then I tried a variety of plants and pot sizes.

After I tried a boxwood (which was waaay toooo small) I tried an olive tree which looked pretty good.

Finally liked the gardenia by the front door best.

The gardenia is a good size for this planter which is ultimately 22 inches by 22 inches.

Charlie really likes this planter.  It’s rustic and masculine.

A rustic planter made from salvaged wood. FREE!

I’ve decided to make 2 more in a 2/3 size version with purchased wood (since the salvage is mostly used up)  for the boxwood at the front of the potager.

Have you built anything? Did you change the plans?
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