Wooden Flower Pot

by Robin Lewis

10K15021

Intro: Wooden Flower Pot

This week I made a small flower pot out of a strip of plywood. This one turned out great and the best part is that the 'look' comes mostly from the stripes made by the plywood.

STEP 1:

Cut plywood into 10 squares, roughly 140mm x 140mm. I used 10mm plywood, but you could use any size and as many pieces to create different shapes.

STEP 2:

Mark and punch centre holes.

STEP 3:

Drill holes with a hole saw in to all but one square. I used a 127mm hole saw. This is a standard size hole saw and means that the plywood flower pot will accommodate a 125mm pot, a standard size plant from most stores.

STEP 4:

Take one of the circular offcuts from the hole saw and cut a smaller hole out of the inside of that. This can be any size but the main thing to remember is there will be drainage holes drilled in it's centre. This will make more sense further on.

STEP 5:

Sand all the parts.

STEP 6:

Glue all the pieces together getting them as close to square as possible. I clamped mine together using a heavy paint tin.

STEP 7:

Once the glue dries sand the pot. Here I've turned a belt sander upside down and clamped it to my work bench.

STEP 8:

Drill 3 10mm holes for drainage and attach the circular foot. I drilled 3 holes but you could do more.

STEP 9:

Mix 5 minute epoxy and apply liberally to inside walls.

STEP 10:

Cover the holes underneath with masking tape then apply epoxy to the inside base.

STEP 11:

Once epoxy is cured drill a slightly smaller 5mm hole in the drainage holes. Make sure the holes are centred. This ensures that the drainage holes have an epoxy covering inside.

STEP 12:

Do some final sanding (I went up to 240 grit) then clean off all the saw dust with methylated spirits.

STEP 13:

Mix linseed oil and turpentine at a 50:50 ratio and apply at least 2 coats (I did 4). Because this will be getting wet from time to time when you water it, it's worth doing more coats than you normally would.

STEP 14:

Wait a couple days for the epoxy to cure then add your plant.

And you're done!

21 Comments

Robin Lewis 8 years ago

Ah wow, that looks amazing! Would you mind if I shared this picture on my Facebook wall?

Raven1770 8 years ago

Yeah sure, no issue. I'm working on your pencil holder now also

Robin Lewis 8 years ago

Thanks very much, I'll have a look

Yonatan24 8 years ago

Now that I think of it, You might want to leave water (without the plant) in the pot for a couple of days. This will make most of the poisonous chemicals go into the water, And not into the plant. This is especially important if you (or anyone else) plans on growing food in the pot...

Robin Lewis 8 years ago

That's very true and I was worried about that. The plant that I was putting in was a succulent and they tend to be really hardy, but I don't know if I would put my prize winning flower in without taking steps. I did some research regarding epoxy leeching chemicals but couldn't find anything conclusive. Still, better safe than sorry.

seamster 8 years ago

I love the finished look! And the trick for how you epoxied the bottom holes was great. Very nicely presented project, thank you for sharing!

Yonatan24 8 years ago

I remember making a planter with my dad a couple years ago, We used store bought Tar to seal the inside. If I have to guess, It would be cheaper than Epoxy

Robin Lewis 8 years ago

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment

Robin Lewis 8 years ago

Thanks very much Penolopy, glad you like it

DIY Hacks and How Tos 8 years ago

Great flower pot. Do you have any more pictures of the creation process?

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