Planter Box

You’re joints are looking better and better all the time, MsDebbie.

-- JP, Shelbyville, KY

Thanks JP. I figured out a system with this one that really worked well.
Before I was tracing a template and then cutting.
This time, I lightly traced the template and then laid the joining edges together and drew the lines like that so that they matched—what a concept.. “brilliant but slow” that’s me!!

Now all I have to do is figure out what to do when the ol’ scrollsaw blade decides to go AWOL.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Isn’t that cedar wood great. I don’t know know how many BD ft I’ve gone thru making puzzles of peoples names.

I’ve got a standing order for some of this wood at the sawmill.

Good looking planter box

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Thanks Karson.

Never thought of this for name/puzzles … hmmm

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Nice find on the wood, and good job on the box, Debbie!

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

great looking box!

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

Your rough edge trademark is missing!

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

Debbie,

I like the cedar that you used, it looks very nice. It will look good with plants in it…

-- Max "Desperado", Salt Lake City, UT

The rough edge is still there .. you just cant see it well in these pix.

Tomorrow I should find some time to put a plant in it.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to have a look and to comment

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

very nice wood! believe it or not, but the first time i looked at it i thought cedar… crazy eh?!
great job!

-- "What one can make with good tools is limited only by one's talent" (lucius-hill@comcast.net)

thanks :)
and great thought!!

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Great job Debbie. Kinda cool!

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

Debbie this is a great project. I love things that are just what your looking for. A great box, a great planter and the wood to fit no doubt.

-- ICN, Bill, (http://www.beavercreekfitness.com)

Nice box! When cutting your joints are you cutting the lines that you traced or leaving them? If you leave them your joints will be tighter. Keep up the good work.

-- Jesus is Lord!

Debbie – very nice! Your joinery is really coming along – wonder what the next woodworking challenge is in your future? I like the aromatic cedar – wish I could pick some up at a sawmill rather than going to the local wood dealer. Little bit more exciting at the sawmill! Very nice project.

-- http://foldingrule.blogspot.com

David.. yes exciting but the wood… !! We had to wait for someone else to leave (as he was blocking the laneway) and Rick wouldn’t let me get back out of the truck. He was afraid that I’d keep finding a beautiful piece of wood that I “just had to have”.

Os: I’m cutting on the outside of the line. I’m not too worried about the exact fit. When I first attempted the joints there was a discussion about how the rough cuts added to my desired rustic look. I did make some really good joints on my second box and it just didn’t have the same appeal. So now, although I want the joints to do their job I don’t worry about them not being exact.
However, having said that, with THIS box I think it would have been better with exact joints. The wood just doesn’t have that rustic feel to it. So, Willow: rough cuts; Cedar: exact—and I’lll have to practice before I tackle another box with my remaining cedar.

Thanks for the kind words everyone :)

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

I think that’s just Willow with a beautiful job of hand painting. I stuck my nose on my monitor and couldn’t smell a darn thing, unlike Karson’s sassafras when I smelled rootbeer. ;-)

Seriously Deb. Nice stuff and like everyone else said, your work just keeps getting better and better! And that IS a terrific piece of Cedar.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

Chip, did you “scratch” it first or just sniff?
Oh. wait, the poly hasn’t quite dried on the pine bottom – so it’s probably just overpowering the cedar aroma. Give it a couple more days…

Thanks for the kind words and the cedar: well I still have 1/2 of the board left!! :D

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

While using my scrollsaw today, I had a thought about your issue with the scrollsaw blades going awol. The first is a suggestion which you probably have already heard – go slow. The more you try and rush the cut the more tendency the blade will have to take off in it’s own direction. The other is to add a magnifying light to your scrollsaw setup, if you don’t have one already. It’s much easier to follow a line, whether straight or curved, when it looks like it was drawn with crayon.

Nice looking box. Can’t wait to see what the other 1/2 of the board becomes.

-- Chelle http://artsgranddaughter.blogspot.com

Doh! I forgot to scratch first Deb!

Scratch, scratch, scratch…. ahhhhhh, now THAT’s cedar. (Darn, now I’m gonna have to sand down my monitor screen. Yikes!)

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

I don’t have a mag light yet; it’s on the list!
.... I’ve tried adjusting the speed. I’m wondering if it’s tension.

Thanks re: the box…. I can’t wait to see what the other half of the board becomes either!!

Chip – sorry about the monitor.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

You should be able to pick a magnifying light up for not too much money at a craft store. Well worth the investment.

I hadn’t considered tension, but that could definitely cause problems. It’s really easy to set the tension on my current saw so I don’t think about that a whole lot.

-- Chelle http://artsgranddaughter.blogspot.com

it’s all easy on my machine as well—it’s just that I’m so new to this and no prior experience (not even watching someone).. it’s all about experimenting. Sometimes I get the tension too tight and the blade breaks easily (or maybe that was just what I was doing with it)... ....

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Hey Deb…Great choice in wood. It looks beautiful. Did you make the bottom of the box replaceable? If you plan flowers directly in the box, the bottom made of pine will not last nearly as long as the sides. I would leave them in the pots if the bottom is fixed. It looks like you should have room for two pots.

Your Joints are getting better. The next step is keeping track of which side of the line you should be cutting on. That will tighten them up another notch. I always put an x on the part to be removed and cut to that side of the line. If the joint is too tight, you can use a chisel, rasp, file or sand paper to work your way into a tight fit. You are a much better student than my brother, God bless him. He is a paramedic and is not know to take his time when he does things. Works fast, eats fast, drives fast….we are hoping his new wife will teach him to slow down a bit. :) Keep up the good work! You are an inspiration of determination.

-- Greg - Charles Town, WV

Thanks Greg :) I’m practicing on the “slow it down”, so there’s hope for your brother ;)

I made the box to fit around a disposable food container so it can hold the plants. I also put a poly finish on the pine to help preserve the bottom.

The Joints: I do ‘x” the cutout part and am cutting on the outside/inside of the line… hoping to make the fits “snug”. I sometimes have to go back in and sand a little to get them to fit. The perfection part, I’m working on. When I make another box from this cedar I’ll be more careful with the fit because this wood “needs” precision as opposed to my willow which looked better with the rustic rough cuts.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Atta girl, MsDebbie! Very nice little box planter!

-- Jimmy

Thank you Jimmy.
I’m getting there!

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)