Planter..WIP

[PeteG]

No doubt many of you will have seen these on the "Ten Minute Workshop" with Peter Millard, so I did decided to make a couple for my folks.
Neither of them are able to do any gardening now which was my dads main passion, besides my mum of course and they've helped out so
much over the past few years, I reckon their going to love'em. As long as I pick the right colour paint!

A few weeks back a cousin told me of a company that has a large bin full of fire wood, I couldn't find the place but stopping for directions at another warehouse,
one of the forklift drivers pointed to a pile of timber and said you'll be doing me a favour if you take that. Nearly a dozen 2.4 metre lengths of Redwood. What a star.
These wouldn't be going on the fire, but at that time I hadn't come across Peter's channel and the Planter he made, but they would definitely be used for something.

A couple of days back I ordered a sheet of 12 mm exterior ply to be cut 470 mm in, at least then I'd be able to get in the car. The timber yard don't have a cutting service
so send it off to a local joiner, £1.00 per cut. I collected the ply this morning, then headed home to start cutting and planing.

Roughly cut to size, with a few extra pieces to cover any mistakes!

The timber was 47 x 73 ish, and I needed a finished measurement of 44 x 44 going off the plans.

I planed three sides and then cut it down from 73 to 45 mm on the table saw, making one cut either side to keep the blade below
the thickness of timber.

I couldn't square it to 44 mm as there were too many pieces that were coming out untouched at 45.5, and some were just too unfinished
at 44, but thankfully, at 43 mm everything went through OK. Tomorrow I'll cut everything to the correct length, and start cutting the ply
down. The first project for the track saw now I've finished the jig.

 

[PeteG]

What a morning that was, 4.5 hours to finish getting all the timber prepared.
From the cutting list, and for two Planters I needed 32 lengths of 12 mm square beading cut to 428 mm.
If you haven't seen the video, Peter shows a quick and easy way of dealing with the beading. Instead of cutting
two long ones for the top and bottom and then two shorter ones for the sides, cut them all the same length and
they'll butt up to each other...

To make the beading I was using the off cuts from the legs and frame. I put everything through the P/T and then cut
them in half on the table saw, and then ran the sawn side through the P/T.

The finished beading 12 x 12 mm ready to be cut to length.

Mitre saw set all ready for cutting the legs to size.

And then ready for the bevel.

After all that, everything had a good sanding, top of the legs were centred for the wood to wood screws, which arrived this afternoon,
just waiting on the wooden balls.

It's very time consuming planing all your own timber, but there is something about it which gives you a good feeling

I'll need to drop this lot off at the tip on the way to pick our lass up. The space under the car port is where our lass has her potting bench
and chill out area, so I try not to let the rubbish build up

 

[PeteG]

I got a bit more tonight, and made my first couple of cuts, although something has gone wrong somewhere as they weren't very accurate,
certainly not as accurate as when I first set it up a few days back.

First thing was to make a temporary bench extension, the plan being, measure 440 mm from and to the left of the saw line, clamp a block
in place and make the cuts with the sheet of ply coming from the right. At the last minute I decide to cut the boards at 450, just in case,
turned out to be a wise decision. I'll see if I can get it to cut accurately in the morning, if not, I'll square the boards off on the table saw.

 

[rafezetter]

So far so good

 

[PeteG]

So far so good

So far refezetter Still not sure what colour to paint them, I've been thinking of purple as I haven't found a dark red out door furniture paint. I know my mum didn't like the colour of the planter I made for our lass!

 

[PeteG]

Everything might have been going well up to yesterday, but today, I lost the will to live!

First thing morning was to make sure the jig was cutting square, so I trimmed the end of a piece of Contiplas,
checked it was square and with a second longer piece I re-set the blocks that the track lean against. With a
piece of 18 mm MDF around 470 x 500 it was time to make another test cut. I checked it, double checked it,
and checked again, all seem perfect...Time to cut the other piece of eight foot ply.

Rightly or wrongly, this is how I did it. I turned the jig over, and as luck would have it, the wooden rails on the jig
which are 610 mm apart, were a perfect snug fit for the width of my bench. You'll see in the image what looks like
a fence, I put this underneath the jig to stop it being pushed off the table if I leaned across it...I cut two pieces of
Contiplas for the tracks to lean against, made the first cut, moved the plywood sheet down, checked the tracks,
and made the second cut. Easy enough. Turned the jig back over and started to cut the ply every 450 mm, giving
me a 10 mm safety margin. I was also using two pieces of sacrificial 6 mm ply underneath the 12 mm.

Now I have all 8 sides and two bases that I can cut to the finish size, I check one for square, totally out! Time for
a fag and a brew while I have a think...Now I've tried to live with the anti kickback thingamabob, but after a few
hours it seriously does your head in. I didn't mind it at first but the last couple of days it's making the saw harder
to push, even after spraying Silicone on the track. Time to remove it, one way or another! The screw was made from
such soft steel or tin, the drive seem to melt using a Phillips screwdriver, out with the drill and a steel drill bit, sorted.
So just for fun, I do quick test cut one of the sides taking just a few millimetres off, the saw flies along the track, and
low and behold, it's cut square again...Back to work.

I get all eight sides ready for the final trim, make a fence stop, set that up at 440 mm and clamp it down. With the first
board I make a cut, check it's still square, :shock: a few expletives followed by a few deep breaths. Made another brew,
cleaned up, and then cut the whole lot square using the mitre and table saw...

At least the wooden balls arrived today, and very nice they are too

 

[rafezetter]

So far so good

So far refezetter Still not sure what colour to paint them, I've been thinking of purple as I haven't found a dark red out door furniture paint. I know my mum didn't like the colour of the planter I made for our lass!

You've got some balls, Pete.

From what I've seen both dark red and purple paint sometimes don't do so well outdoors - the dark red can fade to mostly purple, and the purple to almost dark pink.

It can depend on the brand and the type bought ofc - but just a heads up.

 

[PeteG]

You've got some balls, Pete.

Sadly they're not where they used to be nowadays, they keep being garroted by my pajamas

From what I've seen both dark red and purple paint sometimes don't do so well outdoors - the dark red can fade to mostly purple, and the purple to almost dark pink.

It can depend on the brand and the type bought ofc - but just a heads up.

Much appreciated rafezetter I've used a few outdoor paints from Wilko, own brand, mainly on items for our lass which are kept
under the carport. I made a picket fence last year and painted that in a mid grey and it still looks pretty good, saying that the fascia
never sees any direct sunlight. I think on you've said I might go with the wives suggestion of dark grey. I want to spray the balls
an antique gold colour you see, I reckon that might look quite nice!

 

[PeteG]

On Thursday I genuinely believed that I'd be planter painting today, how wrong I was.
I had an idea on Thursday the reddish veneer would cause problems, but it was the only external ply
the timber yard had. Surely there must be something better than this! Whilst cutting the boards to
size it was very hard to get a clean or acceptable cut across the grain. I tried sanding one last night using
a random orbital sander with 120 grit, but I soon realised there was only going to be one thing for it,
and that was to remove the top veneer...

I needed a few things from Screwfix, so last night I went on line and made a list, and had another luck
at the belt sanders. I have a few projects coming up involving some nasty old planks and a belt sander
would be very welcome, and there's a lovely 4 inch Makita that I've had my eye on but at £100.00, I've
no chance.
So, this morning I do the weekly shop in Aldi, have a quick look to see if the reciprocating saws have been
reduced yet, which they haven't, and then pop across the road to Screwfix. I'm waiting for my order and
glance over at the reduced shelf, lo and behold, there's a 3 inch belt sander on offer for £25.00.
I knew the brand, "Energer" from a hot air gun I bought last year. I paid £30.00 for a well known brand
that lasted all of two hours, so replaced it with one that cost a tenner by Energer. And what a cracker
it's been...Well, this was meant to be. I grabbed the belt sander and ordered a pack of five 60 grit belts.
All I could think of on the way home was how that reddish veneer was going to get it

Home, brew, shed, unbox new toy, and lets get cracking with these planters.
I was quite surprised at the features on this sander, no idea how much it was before being reduced, but it came
with a metal plate for using up side down clamped to a bench, plus two clamp holes although clamps weren't
included, a dust bag, which I forgot to put in the picture, a pair of spare bushes, a sanding belt already attached,
plus variable speed. I checked the tracking which needed a little adjustment, and it was noticeable that the
front wheel was some what smaller than the three belt. I had a large floor standing belt/disc sander from
Machine Mart several years back and I was pretty sure the wheels have to be wider than the belt!
I grab the first board and wow, this is brilliant, within a few minutes the reddish veneer is history, and with the
workshop vac connected there was so little dust I find it hard to believe. All excited I grab a piece of Oak that I
saved from a local timber yard, they going to throw it on the fire :shock:, and again it soon made short work of
that too...Back to the job in hand, I turn the board over and half way through, the belt gets shredded!
This is a bit disappointing, but not to worry, new belt on, check the tracking and let it run for a while. The belt
is constantly drifting inwards, and although with a small turn of the adjustment knob it's back on track, it soon
drifts off again. I can see the problem, because the wheel isn't as wide as the belt, the area of the belt that isn't
on the wheel is collapsing so to speak pulling the belt off track. Soon after it shreds.
I persevere, the second belt shreds, then the dust extraction stops working and what a mess that created.
I cleaned the filter in the workshop vac which improved suction, but made no difference. So I switch the compressor
on and blast air in to the extraction port of the sander, job done and all is well. Except, not long after the third belt
calls it a day. I wasn't giving the sander any heavy arm tactics, quite the opposite. I was only stripping half of one side
before switching it off whilst I turned the board around and reclamped. After a couple of hours, including tea breaks,
I've stripped eight out of the ten boards and I have one out of the six belts left. I give it a good clean, box it up and take it
back. A member of staff takes it from the box, removes the belt, tells me the front wheel is bent and gives me a full refund
including a fiver for the pack belts, which I didn't ask for but was much appreciated.

Back home, another brew, and back to the shed. A give all the boards a sanding with 120 grit on the orbital, and then a gentle
sanding of the edges with the palm sander. I still have the bases to sand but that can wait for a day or two. I have jig to make
so I can router the grooves in the boards, that'll be a job for tomorrow, along with a simple plant stand for our lass. I called in
to B&Q late Friday night for some Cacti and Succulents compost that she needed, and whilst I was there picked up a large
plant pot that I knew she wanted. And now that plant pot needs a plant stand

 

[PeteG]

Just a little update...Things didn't go according to plan on Monday. I had a couple of other things to make which I was hoping to have had finished for our lass getting home. Instead, I lost my ring finger in the table saw. Thankfully however, I did find my wedding ring this morning which I'm now wearing round my neck until it's repaired. My finger couldn't be reattached, but I'm back in tomorrow for surgery. Not sure what the plan is at the moment, hopefully it'll just be the one operation and I can crack on...

I ordered some Bosch Self Centring bits last week on Amazon UK, but being sent by Amazon US. £27.00 including delivery. Can't wait to try these out, and hopefully it won't be too long before I do .

My folks called in today to see how I was getting on and to drop some freebies off they had found advertised on Face Book. A six foot pine beam from above a fire place, it was advertised as being Oak, but it'll still be put to good use. And someone else advertised a pile of MDF they wanted shut of, all 18 mm. I already know what I'll be using this for along with a few pieces of 25 mm MDF from the off cuts bin at B&Q.

A few piccies...

25 mm MDF courtesy of B&Q

18 mm MDF. What one person thinks is rubbish, someone else thinks it's Gold...May be not Gold, but you know what I mean...

 

[marcros]

Ouch, what happened Pete?

 

[PeteG]

Ouch, what happened Pete?

I've just mentioned it in another thread fella. Sorry, didn't mean for it to happen that way. Catching up on replies in the other post post1291428.html#p1291428

 

[rafezetter]

I've avoided that thread as it says "gory" and I don't do gory, are the pics hidden under "spoiler" (if you can do that on this new forum format). Really sorry hear that happened though.

That plate on the belt sander isn't for when you use it upside down - it's a "reference plate" that you attach to reduce the chance of making a divot, which belt sanders are prone to do if you linger too long.

I've seem some that have wider borders to give you a larger reference area to "sit" on - yours might be modified?

Grey, classic and timeless - my front room is a mid grey (done YEARS before farrow and ball made it popular), chosen to highlight the bold colours of my canvas paintings (purple and cobalt blue look SPECTACULAR against it) - I would say the same will apply for the planter, the grey won't "fight" with the colours of whatever is planted in it, it's also safer from being bleached out with the sun.

Is the "antique gold" colour you want the balls similar to brass? Just wondering :lol:

 

[PeteG]

I've avoided that thread as it says "gory" and I don't do gory, are the pics hidden under "spoiler" (if you can do that on this new forum format). Really sorry hear that happened though.

Definitely no gory images, I wouldn't put anything like that up, but I did take one as a reminder. I put a piccy up of my wedding ring and a brief update on the first operation I had this afternoon...After the conversation I had with one of the nurses, our lass doesn't want me to wear my ring again in the shed (Once it's repaired) and said if I want to, she'll get me one of the rubber ones the nurse was wearing.

That plate on the belt sander isn't for when you use it upside down - it's a "reference plate" that you attach to reduce the chance of making a divot, which belt sanders are prone to do if you linger too long.

I've seem some that have wider borders to give you a larger reference area to "sit" on - yours might be modified?

Now that makes sense Sadly it was returned but I'm hoping to get another one soon.

Grey, classic and timeless - my front room is a mid grey (done YEARS before farrow and ball made it popular), chosen to highlight the bold colours of my canvas paintings (purple and cobalt blue look SPECTACULAR against it) - I would say the same will apply for the planter, the grey won't "fight" with the colours of whatever is planted in it, it's also safer from being bleached out with the sun.

Is the "antique gold" colour you want the balls similar to brass? Just wondering :lol:

It is more of a brass colour, I thought against a dark grey it'd be a nice touch. I'll paint everything separate before screwing the parts
together, it'll take a little longer but I think it'll improve the finish. I'll just have to wait a while.

 

[PeteG]

Back to the planters I had a couple of hours in the shed yesterday making a jig to help add grooves to the panels.
It takes me a while to do anything at the moment but I'm getting there...Another couple of hours today and I had all
all the grooves cut...Tomorrow I'm hoping to make a start putting the 12 mm square batons on the back of the panels.

 

[PeteG]

A little bit done After thinking I had 15/20 mm brad nails in the draw the smallest I found were 30 mm, so Monday I had to order Click
and Collect from Screwfix. Brad nails collected Tuesday morning, and all the batons were glued and nailed in place. I had a box of screws
that I'd ordered a few weeks ago, but I only realised this morning that they were 30 mm, so another Click and Collect order for a box of
20 mm, collection tomorrow. So today, I ran the router around all the panels to check none of the batons were out of line so to speak,
and I made a little jig for drilling pilot holes in the wooden balls. Then drilled pilot holes in the legs...

 

[marcros]

Where did you get the wooden balls Pete? I ordered some from eBay, but they must be coming from China, with the associated delivery time.

 

[PeteG]

Where did you get the wooden balls Pete? I ordered some from eBay, but they must be coming from China, with the associated delivery time.

Hello Marcos From a chap in Wrexham, and very nice they are too

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10x-Wood-bal ... 2749.l2649

 

[PeteG]

A little update. I'm doing it the hard way should we say, instead of painting the planters after they've been assembled, I'm painting
all the parts separately, at least two coats. This should add more protection as well as improve the finish. Space being a problem I'm
painting in batches so it'll take a few days...In between painting the first four side panels I made a start in the balls, two under coats,
and one top coat so far. It's an external spray finish but I think I'll give them a coat of clear lacquer for protection.

 

[PeteG]

Slowly slowly catchy monkey I had the stitches out on Thursday, took a while getting use to not having my hand bandaged up, and
I've already lost count how many times I've knocked the stump, but it needs toughening up I suppose. The little finger took a bigger hit
than I realised and with the amount of swelling it's difficult to grip anything. I keep forgetting I've lost a finger and I've dropped a few
things, or should I say, a few things have fallen through the gap like batteries and monkey nuts. A couple of times I've made a bowl with
my hands when washing my face, only to see the water empty before I've had chance to get my hands out of the sink. Still, it's made
me smile

Anyhow, after shopping this morning it was back in the shed armed with a lovely hot cuppa and a few biscuits. I gave the wooden balls a
second coat. In day light they're more Goldy Gold than Antique Gold, but our lass reckons they're lovely so everything's OK there.
I got the first and second coat of paint on four of the panels and also the top and bottom parts they'll be attached to. Any imperfections
were given a little wood filler and in between painting/sanding I coated the top and bottom of the legs with wood hardener. More of
the same for the next couple of days, hopefully they'll be all finished by weekend