This is a nice and substantial garden planter that you could use to plant anything (flowers, bushes, strawberries for example). Utilizing cedar fence boards, ipe and metal strapping, this planter is quite handsome and relatively easy to put together. Even though I used ipe, you could use any wood you have on hand, for a contrasting look. The metal straps give it a nice industrial touch, and you could easily put straps on any existing planter too if you want to add a personal touch without doing any building.

Step 1: What You'll Need:

Materials:

8 pieces of 15 7/16 x 6 3/4 inch cedar (fence boards)
8 pieces of 1x2 wood cut at 13 7/8 inch length (I used ipe but any wood would work)
2 boards of cedar measuring 12 7/8 x 6 3/8 " for the bottom (fence boards)
4 pieces of 1x2 wood (I used ipe) cut in 3 inches (for the feet)
4 pieces of 1x2 wood (I used ipe) cut in 3 1/2 inches (for the feet)
8 corner metal brackets, 6 x 1 1/2 inches
64 1/2 inch galvanized or stainless steel screws for the brackets
32 1 1/4 inch galvanized or stainless steel screws for the top and bottom
Nails for nail gun
Glue

Tools:

Table saw
Miter saw
Nail Gun
Drill

Step 2:

Method:

Cut all your wood down to size.

Prepare the sides for the box, by combining two and two together with pocket screws and glue.

Once your four sides are completed, stack them in a box. Use glue and a nailgun to secure the sides together. Once the box is in one piece, attach the brackets to the sides (3 inches from the top, and 3 inches from the bottom), screw the brackets in.

Mark out the center on your ipe (or other contrasting wood), and mark down four screw holes at reasonable intervals. Countersink the holes. Starting at the bottom of the box, stack the contrasting wood and secure with glue and nails. Once one side is completed, turn over the box, and cap the other side with the rest of the wood.

Glue and nail in the feet at the bottom of the box in the corners. Turn the box right side up and put down the bottom boards, and simply let them rest on the lip on the inside of the box.

Step 3: Complete the Box

If you want to keep the color of the cedar intact, be sure to apply some spar urethane, else let it'll weather over time. If you didn't use cedar, you could always paint the wood on both sides to prevent rot and decay, especially if you're planning on planting something ornamental such as flowers or bushes.

Now, all that's left to do is fill the box with dirt and your plant of choice. This is a pretty deep planter, so you could use it to plant something that requires a lot of room for roots, or whatever you want.