strat
Established Member
Hi. I had dimensional plans for turning fprmers to make seed pots from newspaper. Unfortunately I have lost the plans. Does anybody have a copy of the plans or website where I can source them from please? Many thanks.
Paper plant pot maker plans?
- Thread starter strat
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bobblezard
1 step forward, 2 back, 2 forward - rest - repeat
No but I do have a bought wooden 'paper pot maker', if you don't get plans let me know and I'll take some measurements
My sister sent me a photo a few years back and asked me to make one. I just guessed the dimensions from the photograph.
Tris
What am I doing here?
Base 3" wide, central boss 1 1/4", outer ring 2 1/4", ring is 3/8ths deep.
Former is 2" dia, hole is 1 1/2" wide, 1/4" deep. Cylinder is 3" long but I should have made it 4 as I use the pots for sweet peas and they like a long root run.
Hth
Do the dimensions matter? Measure your seed trays and decide how many rows and columns of pots you want.
Remember that a round paper pot will squash into a roughly square shape. - so work out a diameter.
Decide how tall. Yes. Sweet Peas want a taller one
Make it. Look at the shape of the base and do remember to make the former slightly (very slightly) tapered. That makes the finished pot easier to get off. You have your hand around the base a lot. Make sure that the edges are all rounded comfortably.
I've made loads of these - ranging from too small (c. 30mm diameter - a novelty product) to too large (c. 125mm diameter - newspaper isn't long enough to go round enough times. Brown wrapping paper works, but kinda defeats the object. The pots are pretty floppy too.)
Tear up your newspaper using a steel rule. Scissors are a pain.
Remember that a round paper pot will squash into a roughly square shape. - so work out a diameter.
Decide how tall. Yes. Sweet Peas want a taller one
Make it. Look at the shape of the base and do remember to make the former slightly (very slightly) tapered. That makes the finished pot easier to get off. You have your hand around the base a lot. Make sure that the edges are all rounded comfortably.
I've made loads of these - ranging from too small (c. 30mm diameter - a novelty product) to too large (c. 125mm diameter - newspaper isn't long enough to go round enough times. Brown wrapping paper works, but kinda defeats the object. The pots are pretty floppy too.)
Tear up your newspaper using a steel rule. Scissors are a pain.
Although tearing it with a rule is what I would do. Much neater. I was just reminded of something I learned many years ago. If you try tearing a newspaper freehand and in a straight line but the tear doesn't follow a straight line, turn the page over and try again. It should be straighter. We have not had newspapers for many years so I don't know if it still works with modern production papers.
Gary
Indeed. All paper has a "grain". I rather think that, instead of "turn the page over and try again", that might read better, "turn the page around and try again". It will tear better along the grain than across it.
Paper also does have a top and a bottom. If you balance a stack of (say) 100 sheets across your hand, you'll see that it droops more one way up than it does the other. The tighter (better) surface is on top in its "less droopy" orientation. That's sometimes significant in a duplex printer. Fewer jams one way. (Many reams of paper have an arrow printed that points to this surface.)
That's it. I remembered it wrong. I knew about the arrow and the printer paper too.
