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Materials:
- Cedar, redwood or any variety that has good durability outdoors
- it's best to avoid pressure-treated wood, especially if you
like working without gloves.
- 1 x 2, 1 x 6, 2 x 4, 2 x 6
- Wire mesh
- Castors
- Screws - exterior grade zinc, galvanized or deck screws - 1
½", 3"
- Sixteen - 3/8" x 4" carriage bolts, each with one washer and
one nut
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Tools
- Saw
- Square
- Drill and driver
- Drill bits
- Driver bits
- Wrenches or tongue and groove pliers
- Eye protection
- Jigsaw
- Wire cutters
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Cut List:
- Cedar 2 x 6; 2 - 46", 2 - 24½"
- Cedar 2 x 4; 2 - 46", 2 - 24½", 2 - 24", 4 - 32"
- Cedar 1 x 6; 10 - 48"
- Cedar 1 x 2; 2 - 24", 4 - 43", 2 - 30"
- Wire mesh 1- 24" x 46"
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Steps:
Pre-drill and screw the frame together |
Add a 2x4 deck support in the center of the frame |
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Building the frame
Cut the frame for the top section. From 2x6 lumber you'll
need two 46" pieces and two 24 ½" pieces. From 2x4 lumber,
cut one 24½" piece to act as a support in the middle of the
frame.
Pre-drill and screw the corners together with 3" exterior
zinc or galvanized screws. Use a framing square to be sure
the frame is square as you attach the pieces together. The
finished frame size should be 24½" x 48".
Add the 2 x 4 x 24½" decking support in the center of the
frame and attach it with four 3" screws - two on either end.
Be sure it is flush on the top side so that the decking will
rest against it.
Repeat for the bottom frame using 2 x 4 lumber instead of
2 x 6.
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Attach the legs with carriage bolts |
Determine the drill bit size by testing the carriage bolt in
the drill index |
Offset the bolts to prevent the legs from splitting |
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Add the legs
Attach the 32" 2x4 legs to the 2x6 top frame. Each leg will
be attached to the inside of the 2 x 6 frame using two 4"
x 3/8" carriage bolts (with a washer and a nut on the inside
to lock the bolt in place).
Choose the right size drill bit to make the holes for the
bolts snug. To find the proper size drill bit, insert the
bolt into different holes in the drill index until you find
the one that just slips in.
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Make a jig for the holes out of a scrap piece of plywood |
Reverse the jig for the opposite leg |
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Make a jig for drilling the bolt holes. A jig prevents errors
and speeds the whole process up. To make the jig, cut a piece
of scrap plywood 6" x 3½". Mark and drill out the holes with
the spacing required. Be sure to offset the holes for the
bolts so that they won't split the legs along the grain. Set
one hole just to the right of center and the other just to
the left of center in the bottom and top third of the 2x6
frame.
Screw a ½" piece of scrap wood along both sides of the top
edge of the jig so that it can hang on the edge of the frame
without you having to hold it in place. As you mark and drill
the holes, having a reversible jig allows you to mirror the
layout at each corner so the carriage bolts match.
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Clamp the leg in place before drilling |
Finished top section upside-down on the workbench |
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Clamp the leg on the inside of the frame so that the wide
side of the 2 x 4 lies along the long side of the frame. Make
sure the end of the 2 x 4 is flush with the top (we're working
upside down at the moment, so the top is actually on the bottom).
Square the leg to the frame, mark and drill the holes. Insert
the carriage bolts; you may have to tap them in with a hammer.
Put a washer and nut on the end of the bolt and snug it down.
Repeat for all four legs and set aside.
TIP: Don't tighten any of the bolts irrevocably until
you have both frames bolted together with the legs squared
to the lower and upper frame.
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Lay out the deck boards on the bottom frame |
Even them up using your fingers to measure an equal overhang
on each side |
Use a straight edge to mark for the deck screws; two screws
an inch from either edge of the board |
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Add bottom decking
Place the bottom frame on your work surface. Lay out five
of the 48" 1x6 decking boards across the top of the frame.
Space them evenly so that they overhang the edges of the frame
equally on all sides. Also, leave about ¼" between the boards
for soil and water to drop through.
Remove the two outside decking boards, being careful not
to disturb the remaining three boards. Use a straight edge
to locate the center of the framing boards beneath the deck
boards and mark the decking boards for screws.
Pre drill and drive in 1½" exterior grade screws - usually
called deck screws.
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Cut a hole in the deck to accept the leg |
Put the board in place and mark the corner from underneath |
Put a scrap piece of 2x4 in the marked corner and trace the
shape for cutting |
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Cutting leg holes in bottom decking
Place the remaining two deck boards back on the frame in
the place where they will be attached. Slide the frame across
your work surface so one corner hangs out in mid air. Use
a pencil to reach up under the frame and mark the corner of
the frame on the underside of the decking board. Repeat on
all four corners. Next, turn the deck boards over and locate
the corners that you've marked. Using a scrap block of 2x4
lumber, trace its shape onto the deck boards in each corner.
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Jig saw used to cut out the holes for the legs |
Drill a hole in each corner for the jig saw blade |
Cut out the hole for the leg.... |
| Use a jig saw to cut out the holes you've just marked. On
the inside of each rectangle, drill a hole large enough for
the jig saw blade to pass through. Insert the jigsaw blade in
the drilled hole and then cut on the line. A drilled hole in
each corner helps turn the blade more easily when you reach
the corners. |
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.....and test it with the scrap piece of 2 x 4 |
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Once you've cut out the holes, test each one with a scrap
of 2x4 lumber to be sure the hole is large enough. Having
it a little larger than the 2 x 4 will make it easier for
the legs to pass through when it comes time for assembly.
Attach the last two deck boards being careful that the corner
of the frame matches the holes you've cut.
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Set the top section in place over the bottom section |
Line the legs up over the holes and drop into position |
Use a hammer and block of wood to tap it into place if necessary
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Assembling the frame
Lift the top frame up and drop it into the bottom frame.
Move the legs around as necessary to get them started in the
holes and then drop them down until they are flush with the
bottom of the lower frame. Use a hammer or sheer brute force
if necessary to tap the upper frame down and into place.
TIP: Careful not to drop one end too deeply or the other
end just gets jammed.
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Make a smaller jig to locate the holes for the carriage bolts
on the lower deck |
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Attach the legs at the bottom with carriage bolts in a similar
manner as the ones on the upper level. Make a jig that fits
the 2 x 4 frame, mark, then drill and bolt the legs to the
frame. Be sure that the bottom edge of the legs is flush with
the bottom edge of the 2x4 frame.
Check the legs for square to the bottom deck and tighten
the nuts down. Check the upper deck for square and tighten
those nuts down. Be careful not to suck the head of the carriage
bolt too deeply into the soft wood.
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Attach the castors to the bottom of the bench |
Take care not to hit the existing bolts and screws with the
castor's screws! |
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Installing the castors
Install castors on the bottom frame of the potting bench.
Two of them should be the kind that swivel and lock, and the
other two should be fixed. This will facilitate steering.
Also, choose castors with a fastening plate not larger than
5" x 3".
Turn the potting bench on its side on your workbench. Place
the castor's fastening plate against the wooden frame. Mark
the holes for the screws, pre drill and drive in the screws.
Be careful not to drill into the carriage bolts or the screws
used to attach the frame together. You may have to angle the
screws a bit to miss the other fasteners.
Note: Alternatively, the legs can be made 2" longer
and the castors eliminated.
Decking the top
The bench weighs a lot by now, so with the help of a friend,
lift the potting bench down to the floor. Install the decking
on the top just as you did on the bottom with one exception;
leave the back edge flush to the side of the frame so you'll
have the option of attaching a tool storage rack.
Cut, mark, pre-drill and attach the deck boards just as you
did on the bottom deck.
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Staple the wire to the back frame |
The second half of the frame is attached over the wire and front
is screwed to the back |
Finished Potting Bench |
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Optional framed wire tool rack
Cut a frame out of 1x2 cedar or redwood. Cut two pieces at
24", 4 at 43" and two at 30". Cut a piece of wire 24" wide
by 46" long. Choose a wire that is fairly stiff because it
will add strength and rigidity to the frame. Lay out the two
24" pieces and two 43" pieces in a rectangle. Lay the wire
over it and staple the wire to the frame with a staple gun.
Next, lay the two 43" pieces over the 43" ones and the two
30" pieces over the shorter side pieces. Use 1¼" or 1½" screws
to attach the two sides of the frame together. Three per side
and four per top and bottom will do the trick
Attach the wire frame to the potting bench on the back edge
where the decking is flush. Place it so that the frame sits
on top of the bench and the two longer 30" legs drop down
the back. Center it and use two 2" screws per side driven
into the 2 x 6 frame. Don't forget to pre drill.
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Finished Potting Bench without the back |
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| Now you're ready to pot, baby! |
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