Log-Cabin Stacked Timber Planter (45 cm square)
by Nikos Papadopoulos
Build a square garden planter from horizontal planks that interlock at the corners log-cabin style, pinned together with hardwood dowels and finished in a warm oak stain. Ideal for someone with basic DIY skills who wants a set of matching pots for a patio or doorway.
Wood
Planed softwood plank
7 lengths of 2.4 m
25
Beech dowel rod
60 pre-cut hardwood dowels — 8 mm diameter × 45 mm long, fluted (all corner and base pins)
8
Hardware
Waterproof wood glue
500 ml bottle, exterior grade D4 (glues every dowel joint)
9
Dowel centre points
Set of 4 — 8 mm size (transfers hole positions from one plank to the next)
6
Planter liner
1 sheet of heavy-duty pond/planter liner, 80 × 80 cm, 0.5 mm thick (protects the timber from wet soil)
8
Galvanised clout nails
20 nails, 20 mm long with wide heads (tack the liner to the inside walls)
3
Landscape fabric
1 piece 40 × 40 cm (stops soil washing through the drainage holes)
3
Finishing
Exterior wood stain
750 ml, warm oak shade, water-based with UV filter (colours and protects all outside faces)
17
Sandpaper
Sheets in 120 grit and 180 grit, about 6 of each (smooths cut ends and faces before staining)
6
Step 1 of 8
Cut list — every piece before assembly
MATERIALS
TOOLS
Mitre saw→ 90° crosscut
Tape measure and pencil
Combination square
CUT ALL PLANKS FIRST
- ✓Cut 24 wall planks at 45 cm
- ✓Cut 3 base slats at 41 cm
- ✓Verify all ends square at 90°
Instructions
• Wall courses: 24× planks at 45 cm long, 90 mm wide, 25 mm thick (12 courses of 2 planks). • Base slats: 3× planks at 27 cm long — the internal dimension of the box (45 cm less two 90 mm plank widths) — so they drop in and rest on course 1. • Feet: 2× planks at 45 cm long (lift the box off the ground). • Cut every piece square at 90° and stack the 24 wall planks in one pile — they are all identical. • Wear safety glasses and hearing protection at the saw; support long offcuts so they cannot pinch the blade.
Time & Waiting
Active work
45 minutes
People
1 person
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