Home Improvement : Spruce Up Patio, Build a Planter . . . or Two

Display your potted plants in style with an easily constructed planter.

Notched pieces eliminate the need for glue, screws or nails--they simply stack atop one another like Lincoln logs.

This unit is 11-34 inches tall and 18 inches square. To make other sizes, simply alter the lengths of the end and side pieces. If you use equal sides and ends you will have a square planter; sides and ends of different lengths make a rectangular shape.

LUMBER: Choice of lumber is optional. Redwood and cedar are highly resistant to pests and rot and do not need paint or stain. Pine and other softwoods must be protected with a waterproof paint or stain or a wood preservative.

Buy lumber and cut it to size, or have the dealer cut it for you. You need the following pieces of 18-inch long, 1-by-4 lumber:

Four 3-12-inch wide unnotched members (A); four 3-12-inch wide notched members (B); and two 1-34-inch wide base pieces (C).

TOOLS AND MATERIALS: You will need a crosscut saw, mallet, 12-inch chisel, steel tape rule, sandpaper, combination square or try square, mat knife, pencil and a piece of cardboard.

CONSTRUCTION: 1. Use a cardboard template or pattern when laying out the notches. To make the template, cut the cardboard to a width of 3-12 inches. Mark off the width and depth of both notches. They should be 34-inches wide, 1-inch deep and 1-12-inches from the end.

Use the combination or try square to draw the lines through the marked off points. (Because the thickness of the 1-by-4 lumber may not be exactly 34-inches, you may have to alter this measurement on your template.) Cut out the notches with the mat knife.

2. Using the template, mark the notches at both ends of the four side members (B).

3. Put the wood in a vise and saw the sides of the notches. Keep the saw level and make the cuts just inside the line.

4. Lay the wood flat and chisel out the notches. Place the chisel on the line at the bottom of the notch with the bevel facing the waste area. Hold the chisel vertically and strike it with the mallet. Clean out all the waste wood including the corners. Cut out all the notches this way.

5. Finish all the wood members with paint or stain before you assemble them.

6. Lay the two narrow base pieces (C) down on their edges then lay a notched section (B) across them at each end so that the (C) pieces fit into the notches. Put two (B) pieces across the (A) pieces so they fit in the notches. Alternate with notched and unnotched pieces until the stack is gone and the planter is completed.

For information on the source for this article, write Reader’s Digest, P.O. Box 700, Pleasantville, N.Y. 10570.

Part Name Quantity Thickness Width Length B Short piece 4 3/4” 3 1/2” 18” D Short notched piece 4 3/4” 3 1/2” 18” F Half-width short piece 2 3/4” 1 3/4” 18”

Part Material B 1 x 4 pine D 1 x 4 pine F 1 x 4 pine