In my last post, I showed some topiary I made for my friend Mark, for his Social media company. He had also asked me for some planters to go along with it.
I wasn't happy about making these as I knew they would not last very long. Let me explain.
When I told Mark I could make them I had said that wooden planters outside in Irish/English weather would require exotic hardwoods if they were to last anytime at all. I may have mentioned before but any approach to working with wood outside needs the thought process of a boat builder. Mark didn't seem to mind.
Marks people insisted that I use a special type of iconic plywood they use in all the offices. On doing some research I discovered that it is some sort of Syca spruce Plywood which is made from trees from a particular forest in California and because it had become so popular the whole forest was gone. The chances of getting this wood in the Americas would be difficult but getting it here in Ireland ni on impossible. After some back and forth they wanted European white oak plywood. I looked around and could not get that either. So I looked into getting normal hardwood plywood with a veneer of Oak specially made. This was going to be expensive and Mark just couldn't afford it, poor thing.
To try and keep within his budget I suggest Baltic birch plywood which I would finish with a high-quality varnish but even then I let him know I could not guarantee it lasting in our harsh climate. This ain't Silicon Valley.
Wood that could
I like working with Birch Ply. It is strong and stable. To give it any chance of lasting I bevelled all edges so I could hide the lamination lines at the sides and the boxes would finish with no obvious joint. The main structure I made from pressure-treated 2x4 timber.
Bevelling the sides was done with an electric planer to remove most of the material and then finished with a 45 degree router bit with a guide bearing. This made the angles perfect.
There were eight planters in all which took up most of my workshop. There were lots of parts but simple construction. I did have to resort to putting screws in the corners which I drove below the surface and filled.
The largest square box would be for the topiary. I wasn't sure how how this would be finished so I painted the inside black to hide the raw wood. The other planters would have pond liners to help protect the wood from the soil.
Finish
Time was moving on and I had a truck coming in two days to bring everything to London so I spent the rest of my time varnishing to get as many coats on as possible. This was made quite difficult by the sub-zero temperature in my studio.
Finally, I was finished and I was happy with how clean they all looked. I still had major concerns over how they would last in the elements. Luckily I had a paper trail to prove I could I've no guarantee. When they left my workshop they looked good that was the best I could do.
Living the dream
It was so nice to have a workshop big enough to take on a job like this. Unfortunately, it was short-lived but now that I got a taste I am, every day thinking of building a nice new one in my garden.
Everything was shipped to London and I followed the next day by plane.
I am still looking for a final image of how everything turned out but I think it was a success.
After several months I did get reports that the plywood was slitting at the edges but I got someone to put angle aluminium around all the corners to give it a bit of extra life.