Finished product first

This project begins over at the miter saw where I begin by cutting to final length the 8 front and back pieces from 16 foot long cedar decking boards. In my plans I show using 8 foot long boards but my local stores only had 16 footers which turned out being a good thing as they are cheaper to buy this way.

Then at the table saw I can rip of a small amount from the top board on the back to make up the difference from the front panel being set at 10 degrees.

Then the 10 degree bevel gets cut on the top and bottom boards of the front panel.

Next over at my homemade pocket hole machine I drill several pocket holes about every 1 foot along 6 of the 8 long front and back boards.

To assemble the front and back panels I lay everything upside down and apply a small amount of glue along the back edge of the board to avoid squeeze out on the show side.

Then the pockets holes are screwed in and act as clamps while the glue dries.

Because the edges were never jointed they are slightly off 90 and as a result the panel has a slight cup to it. This is mitigated by placing heavy objects in the center of the panel as the glue dries.

Next I can begin working on the 2 edge panels. First at the table saw I rip off a small amount for the top board and then cut all 8 pieces to final size at the miter saw with a 10 degree miter on one end of the boards.

After they are all cut to length I again go over to my homemade pocket hole machine and drill 3 holes in 6 of the 8 boards.

Then to assemble these short panels it’s the same thing as the long ones applying glue along the back edges and driving in pocket screws.

Again the panel is slightly bowed and weight is added to the top as it dries.

Now it’s on to making the 2 front corner pieces starting at the miter saw adding a 10 degree miter to the top and bottom and then ripping 1 inch off the 2 side pieces. This is in effort to have a more uniform look from the front and side.

I then cut to length the front and back corner pieces at the miter saw and add a 10 degree bevel to both ends at the table saw.

To assemble the corner piece I lay the 2 thin pieces on the table and run glue along the edge, place the front portion along the edge and drive in some 2” brad nails to hold everything in place.

I then complete the assembly by drilling pilot holes and driving in three 3” screws.

For the second corner I take an off-cut and temporarily nail it to my table to act as a support while I complete assembly.

To begin assembly of the main portion of the box I stand up the back and side pieces at 90 degrees to each other and apply glue to the joint. I then drill 8 pilot holes along the edge and drive in 8 3” screws to clamp the joint shut.

With both ends held in place I can bring over the front panel and attach it in the same method with glue along each edge and 8 3 inch screws in each end.

You can now clearly see why the 10 degree bevel was added to the top and bottom of the front panel to make everything sit flush.

To attach the corner pieces I first lay it in place and trace out the shape with a pencil. This allows me to see where I can put glue without fear of squeeze-out.

I hold the corner in place with a single brad nail while I drill 2 holes at an inward angle and drive two 2” screws in to draw the corner piece flush with the 2 edges of the box.

I then drill the rest of the pilot holes and drive in a whole whack of 2” screws to finish the corners.

Since this box will sit flush against my house the back corners only get the side portions which are also glued and screwed on with 2” screws.

I then mark the center of the box and trace out where I can apply glue to attach the center support. I first drive in two 2” brad nails with more 2” screws.

Next at the table saw I can rip a strip off a 2x6 board as well as another strip off the same board with a 10 degree bevel to be used as cleats to attach the false bottom of the box later.

To attach these cleats I first lay down way too much glue then hold the cleat in place with some 2” brad nails while I come back and drill pilot holes for several 2” screws.

I can now flip the box over on the front side and attach the front cleat the same way but making sure I have the 10 degree bevel in the correct orientation.

I then decided to cut some small strips to act as gussets in the 4 corners in the bottom portion of the box for added strength.

I then setup a stop block at the miter saw station with the saw set to a 10 degree bevel to cut out the bottom boards. In the plans I call for using 2x6 material but I wanted to use my scraps for this part so they are all random width dimensions.

To attach the bottom slats I used a spacer I made up from a piece of 1/4” heard board and a piece of 2x4 and drive in 3” screws then move the spacer and repeat.

Next I roll out a strip of landscaping fabric over the whole box and cut it to length. This then gets stapled in place with a staple gun.

I miter the corners and cut off the extra with scissors when it’s all fully attached.

Next over at the table saw I can rip down pieces to 2 and half inches in width and over at the miter saw cut a 45 degree miter into one end of the boards. These will be used as the top edge of the box.

The best option is bring the boards to the box itself to mark the length instead of using the plans as the dimensions can very slightly. I then cut the other side of the miter and lay down glue along the back edge to avoid squeeze-out.

2” brad nails are used to keep the strip in place while I drill pilot holes and drive in several 2” screws to finish off the top edge.

And with the back edge fully attached the planter box is complete and can be brought outside to its final destination.

Finished!

The new curb appeal.

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