Outdoor Planter Box

Cut List:

4 - 4x4's - 17" long (legs)

8 - 1x4's - 11.5" long (side rails)

4 - 1x4's - 18" on the long edge, 11" on the shorter edge (top rails, mitered at 45 degrees)

2 - 1x2's - approx 11.5" long. (bottom rails. You can use scrap if you don't have 1x2's)

4 - 11.5x14x.25" panels (1/4" plywood, or anything similar.)

Other stuff:

1.25" Kreg Exterior Screws, the blues ones

Wood Glue - Exterior

Kreg Jig

Circular Saw

Jig Saw (Only if you want the top to be wonky like mine.)

Furniture Feet - 4

Paint

Clear Sealer

Step 1:

I started with the side rails, and added the pocked holes. 4 of them have 4 pocket holes (2 on each end), and the other 4 have 6 pocket holes. (2 on each end, and 2 more along the top edge.

Step 2:

Attach the legs to the side rails, as shown in the image below. Make sure the side rail with the 6 pocket holes is on top and pointed up (this will be to attached the top on later). Make two of these, exactly the same.

Step 3:

Add 4 more of the side rails following the same layout as the last one, making sure the rails with the 6 pocket holes are pointed up.

Step 4:

Attach the other side.

Step 5:

For the rails on the bottom, I measured first before cutting these. I didn't use clamps when I attached the side rails, so I know they were going to shift a little when I screwed everything together. But since everything but the legs, so far, are going to be covered up later, I wasn't too worried about the side rails being perfect. If you don't have 1x2's, just use scrap. On one of mine, I sliced left over 1x4 length wise. Put two pocket holes on each end of these and attach like shown in the image below.

Step 6:

Assemble the top from the 4 mitered 1x4's with pocket holes. 2 on each corner. For mine, I know I was going to trim the top to be more cartoony, so I made sure to put my pocket holes closer to the center of the planter box so that I wouldn't risk hitting the screws with the jigsaw. Then attach the top to the base.

Step 7:

I wanted my panels to be removable, so I only used a couple of screws at the top of each panel under the overhang to be less noticable. Time will tell if I need to add a couple more screws on the panel into the bottom rail.

You don't need to use plywood on this part. You can use fence boards, pallet wood, whatever you feel like. These panels are just to hide the pot anyway, nothing structural.

I've also thought of layering up shapes of thin plywood to create a different effect, but I will save that for a different day.

Step 8:

(Optional)

Using a jigsaw I cut the top to be more cartoony and fun. Also, I have a small front porch and that top corner looked painful if you caught your leg on it.

Step 9:

Paint and seal it. I painted the main part in black, knowing the panels would be in just about every color eventually, and I wanted the base to show off those colors. Also, I already had black, so that narrowed it down too. Don't tell anyone, but I just used cheap acrylic black craft paint. But I put a coat of clear water based sealer on it. I haven't had a problem with my method, but I am not an expert. If you've got a tried and true method for outdoor painted projects, add it to the comments below.