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Difficulty: Intermediate
Put your plants on display with these stylish planter stands. Add greenery to your living space, create a feature at your front entrance or dot the stands around your outdoor entertaining area.
This project is inspired by the fabulous D.I.Y. plant stand by @joineryjo, which prompted the creation of my own planter stands and outdoor planter stands.
Before building your planter stand, choose a pot that fits your plant. For this project, a pot with a 21cm diameter was used.
Steps
Step 1
Cut four pieces of Merbau timber to 415mm lengths.
Mark the tapers on each end of the legs. The top leg’s taper measurements are 45mm x 180mm, and the bottom leg taper 53mm x 165mm. Cut the tapers on the table saw using a taper jig or with a jigsaw, and sand smooth.
Step 2
Mark a location 205mm down from the top of a leg on the 19mm side. Use an 8mm drill bit to drill a hole to a depth of 40mm. Next, use a 5mm drill bit to complete the hole through to the other side. This method allows your screws to be countersunk into the leg. Repeat this process for the other three legs.
Step 3
Cut two pieces of Merbau timber to 45mm wide and 180mm long on the table saw, or you can use a jigsaw. Round off the long edges with a sander or file after you have completed the cuts.
Step 4
Depending on the size of your pot, mark the slots in the crossovers where the pot plant will be placed on. For a 21cm pot, we marked a depth of 22.5mm, but this can be adjusted to suit any pot size. Cut the timber using a powered mitre saw.
Step 5
For an alternative way to make the crossover sections, cut two pieces of Merbau timber to 180mm x 22.5mm and four lengths to 80.5mm. Glue and clamp the two 80.5mm pieces to the 180mm piece of timber with a gap of 19mm in the middle. Allow the glue to dry, and then sand smooth.
Step 6
Place two of the legs on your workbench or a flat surface. Put the cross-section timber between the legs, 180mm from the top of the leg to the top of the cross-section. Check that the uprights are square to the cross-sections.
Spread a small amount of glue on each end of the cross-section timber, and then clamp the legs and cross-section together, wiping away any excess glue with a cloth.
Remove clamp when dry, and repeat this step for the other two legs, placing the cross-section on the opposite side of the timber. When the adhesive has dried, sand all surfaces.
Step 7
Drill through the 8mm hole using the 3mm long series drill bit, 20mm into the cross-sections. Install the 8 gauge x 50 mm Tufcote screws.
Make four dowels to fit the screw holes by cutting four pieces of Merbau timber approximately 70mm long x 12mm wide, and shaping each piece of wood using a chisel, knife and sandpaper to fit the 8mm hole.
Put glue on the end of the dowel and tap it into the hole lightly with a hammer. When the glue has dried, cut off the excess timber of the dowel and sand flush to the side of the planter leg.
Step 8
Coat all surfaces with a water-based varnish or a finish of your choice. To achieve the best finish, sand all surfaces and apply two coats of water-based varnish using a small 25mm paintbrush, allowing the varnish to completely dry between coats.
Add your chosen pot plant and appreciate your creation.
Materials
- 3 pieces of 70mm x 19mm x 0.9m Merbau picket blanks
- 4 countersunk rib head treated pine screws 8 gauge x 50mm
- Sikabond 125g Techgrip Multi Purpose Polyurethane Adhesive
- Water-based decking oil
Tools
- Pedestal drill or power drill
- 1 drill bit 5mm
- 1 drill bit 8mm
- 1 long series drill bit 3.5mm, 150-200mm
- Irwin Impact Pro Performance 57mm SQ1 drill bit
- 2 clamps that open to a minimum width of 350mm
- 300mm steel rule
- Chisel and knife
- Combination square
- Electric sander or 120 grit sandpaper
- Jigsaw, planer or taper jig
- Mitre saw
- Small hammer
- Small square
- Table saw
- Tape measure
- 25mm paintbrush
- Cloth
- Pencil or marker
- (Optional) 2 clamps that open to a minimum width of 150mm (see Step 5)
- Personal protective equipment such as safety glasses, dust mask and hearing protection
