DIY Cedar Planter Box

Intro: DIY Cedar Planter Box

Want to build an easy planter box? Check out this plan. All you need to build this is a saw (miter saw, circular saw, hand saw) and a drill! Easy breezy, and you'll have a beautiful cedar planter box in only a few hours.

STEP 1: Purchase Materials & Break Down Pieces

Materials Needed For DIY Cedar Planter Box: QuantityItemPrice 4 1-in x 4-in x 8-ft, Cedar $7.98 2 1-in x 2-in x 8-ft, Cedar $3.95 16 2" Exterior Screws $5.98 ~50 1 ¼" Exterior Screws $9.37 Total $55.17

Note: you will have screws left over, so this is actually slightly cheaper than $50. You could probably build two of these boxes for $90.

DIY Planter Box Cut List DescriptionQuantityLengthWidthThickness Bottom Slats812"3 1/2"1" Short Side Rails413 1/2"1 1/2"1" Side Rails428"1 1/2"1" Side Slats2211"3 1/2"1"

Cut these on the miter saw with a stop block to speed up the process.

STEP 2: Assemble Sides of Planter Box

This planter box consists of four separate panels and the bottom slats. To build your panels, follow the steps below.

To assemble the short side panels, attach three slats and two rails to each other using 1 ¼" screws from the inside. Make sure to pre-drill your holes, as this thin cedar is very prone to splitting. The slats are flush with the top of the rail, set in 1 ½" from the sides of the rails, and ¾" from the bottom rail.

To assemble the long side panels, make sure the slats are flush on the top, left, and right. Set in the bottom of the rails ¾". Again, use 1 ¼" screws.

STEP 3: Assemble Planter Box Frame

Once your two long sides and two short sides are done, attach them at the corners using 2" exterior screws. I used two screws per corner, for a total of 8 screws at each end.

STEP 4: Attach Bottom of Planter Box

To attach the bottom, place the slats in the recess created by insetting the slats and attach them with 1 ¼" screws. Once they are attached, drill a few holes for drainage using a large drill bit or Forstner bit.

STEP 5: Enjoy Your DIY Planter Box!

Fill with some good quality soil and plant your fruits, vegetables, or whatever you happen to be growing. Hope you enjoyed this build! To make sure you don't miss any future Crafted Workshop videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel! If you really enjoyed this video, consider supporting us on Patreon! And last, follow us on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat at @craftedmagazine! Thanks for your support.

Comments

[kirku]

easy and great little project. One issue with required material.
You will need a quantity of 120 - 1 1/4" screws.
long sides = 32 screws per side, short sides =12 screws per side, bottom slats = 32 total

[mrwild8]

Great 'ible! I wanted to replace the old 8 foot box I had made from some terrible wood a while back (it was free...). I thought to do 2 - 4 foot boxes and these were really easy to do using some pine (free again! But better wood this time).. Took me maybe 4 hours with figuring a new cut list as I made it taller and wider and longer too... The second one will go easier today, I'm sure... Now, do I stain or leave and just protect?

[rhansard]

If you want to be cheap, look for Cedar Dog Eared fence replacements. 1" x 6" x 6' for about $2.50 each.

[craftedworkshop]

That would definitely work! Weirdly enough, my local Lowes doesn't carry cedar fencing. Annoying.

[rhansard]

Our Menards does, but our Home Depot and Lowes (couldnt find it anyways) does not... I guess I'm lucky enough to have 3 choices!

[wold630]

Nicely done! Welcome to Instructables! :)

[Swansong]

This looks really nice!

[craftedworkshop]

Thanks so much!