Drag an orange dot to resize; a dashed line shows when it snaps to a common size. Click a dot, then use the arrow keys to nudge 1/8″ (hold Shift for 1″). Every size can also be typed in the panel.
Checks
- The well bottom (wet soil) passes the sag check.
- The well supports passes the sag check.
- Cedar: use stainless screws. Plain steel reacts with cedar and leaves black streaks around every screw.
- The well is 9″ × 9″ inside and about 8 3/4″ deep. Buy a liner that fits inside.
- Full of wet soil the well holds about 41 lb. Use a liner with drain holes; the slatted bottom lets the water out.
Shopping list
| Qty | Item | Est. |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2×2 cedar, 8′ (board) | $14.40 |
| 1 | 1×4 cedar board, 8′ (board) | $8.00 |
| 1 | 1×4 cedar board, 6′ (board) | $6.00 |
| 1 | 2×4 cedar, 8′ (board) | $12.80 |
| 2 | 1×6 cedar board, 6′ (board) | $18.00 |
| 1 | 1 1/4″ exterior-coated pocket-hole screws (box of 100) | $9.00 |
| 1 | #10 × 2 1/2″ stainless steel deck screws (box of 100) | $19.00 |
| 1 | #8 × 1 1/4″ stainless steel deck screws (box of 100) | $13.00 |
| 1 | #8 × 1 5/8″ stainless steel deck screws (box of 100) | $13.00 |
| 1 | Waterproof wood glue (Type I, e.g. Titebond III) (bottle) | $10.00 |
| 1 | Screw-on nylon furniture glides, outdoor (pack of 8) | $8.00 |
| 1 | Plastic planter liner with drain holes, sized to the well (each) | $12.00 |
| 1 | Exterior penetrating oil or semi-transparent stain (quart) | $24.00 |
About $167 · rough estimates, check the store
Parts
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Material | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Leg | 4 | 21 1/4″ | 1 1/2″ | 2×2 cedar |
| B | Apron | 4 | 16″ | 3 1/2″ | 1×4 cedar board |
| C | Lower stretcher | 4 | 16″ | 3 1/2″ | 1×4 cedar board |
| D | Well support | 2 | 17″ | 3 1/2″ | 2×4 cedar |
| E | Well front/back wall | 4 | 10 1/2″ | 5 1/2″ | 1×6 cedar board |
| F | Well side wall | 4 | 9″ | 5 1/2″ | 1×6 cedar board |
| G | Well bottom cleat | 2 | 9″ | 1 1/2″ | 2×2 cedar |
| H | Well bottom slat | 2 | 9″ | 3 1/2″ | 1×4 cedar board |
| I | Top band, front/back | 2 | 20″ | 5 1/2″ | 1×6 cedar board |
| J | Top band, side | 2 | 9″ | 5 1/2″ | 1×6 cedar board |
Cut list
2×2 cedar, 96″ → A 21 1/4″ · A 21 1/4″ · A 21 1/4″ · A 21 1/4″ · G 9″
2×2 cedar, 96″ → G 9″
1×4 cedar board, 96″ → B 16″ · B 16″ · B 16″ · B 16″ · C 16″ · H 9″
1×4 cedar board, 72″ → C 16″ · C 16″ · C 16″ · H 9″
2×4 cedar, 96″ → D 17″ · D 17″
1×6 cedar board, 72″ → I 20″ · I 20″ · E 10 1/2″ · E 10 1/2″ · E 10 1/2″
1×6 cedar board, 72″ → E 10 1/2″ · F 9″ · F 9″ · F 9″ · F 9″ · J 9″ · J 9″
Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.
Steps
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Pencil
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Dust mask
- Circular saw or miter saw
- Pocket-hole jig
- Clamps, 2 at least 24″
- Sander, 120 and 180 grit
1Before you start
Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.
Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.
Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.
- Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
- Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.
2Cut and label the parts
Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.
To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.
Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part.
Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.
Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.
✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.
STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.3Build two leg frames
Drill 2 pocket holes at each end of all 8 aprons and stretchers (B, C), on the inside face, jig set for 3/4″ stock.
Lay two legs (A) flat, 16″ apart. Glue and pocket-screw an apron (B) between them, tops flush, its outside face 1/4″ in from the legs' faces. Add a lower stretcher (C) the same way, its bottom 4″ up.
Build a second frame the same way.
- Tip Use 1 1/4″ exterior pocket screws for 3/4″ boards. Longer ones break through the leg.
✓ Each frame is square: the diagonals match within 1/16″.
4Join the frames
Stand the two frames up and join them with the remaining aprons and stretchers, the same heights and setback, glue and pocket screws.
✓ The base stands flat on a level floor and does not rock. Measure across the top corners both ways: the diagonals match.
5Fit the well supports
Fit the two well supports (D) on edge between the front and back aprons, tops flush, their inside faces 10 1/2″ apart and centred side to side.
Drive 2 2 1/2″ stainless screws through each apron into each support end, predrilled.
✓ Measure between the supports at both ends: exactly 10 1/2″, so the well box will slide between them.
6Build and hang the well
Make the well box: the side walls (F) fit between the front and back walls (E), 2 rows high. 2 1 1/4″ stainless screws at each corner of each row, predrilled. It is 10 1/2″ square outside and 9″ inside.
Screw the bottom cleats (G) inside the front and back walls, flush with the bottom edge. Lay the bottom slats (H) on them 2″ apart and screw each end down.
Slide the box between the well supports, its top edge flush with the support tops, and drive 1 5/8″ stainless screws through the side walls into the supports every 4″.
✓ Pour a cup of water into the well: it runs out through the bottom gaps.
STOP. The bottom gaps are the drainage. Never close them up; standing water rots the well from the inside.7Fit the top bands
Lay the front and back bands (I) across the full width, flush with the outside edges. Lay the side bands (J) between them. The square hole left in the middle (9″) lines up with the inside of the well.
Predrill and fasten every band down into the legs, aprons and well walls with 1 1/4″ stainless screws (2 at each crossing). Set the screws in two neat rows.
Sand the edge of the opening round so pots and tubs drop in without catching.
✓ The band joints are tight and flush. Run a hand across them: no step.
8Finish it for outdoors
Cedar can stay bare. It weathers to silver-grey in a season or two and still resists rot. To keep the warm colour, use an exterior penetrating oil or a semi-transparent stain with UV blockers.
Outdoors, choose a finish that soaks in rather than one that forms a skin. Oil and stain fade gently and you just clean and recoat every year or two. Indoor polyurethane cracks in the sun, water gets under it, and it peels. If you want a hard clear coat anyway, use spar urethane and expect to sand and recoat it.
Brush two coats on every cut end. End grain drinks water like a straw and is where outdoor furniture rots first.
Do not finish the inside of the well: the plants sit in their own liner, and stain on the well walls does nothing but trap moisture.
- Tip Finish the bottoms of the legs and the undersides too; they stay damp the longest.
- Tip Oily rags can catch fire on their own as they dry. Lay them flat outside to dry, or keep them in a closed metal can of water.
✓ Sprinkle a little water on a finished surface: it should bead up. When it soaks in again (usually next spring), it is time for another coat.
9Finish
Ease every sharp edge and corner with 120-grit sandpaper so nobody gets a splinter.
Sand all over with 180 grit, always along the grain (the direction the wood fibres run). Scratches across the grain show through stain.
Wipe off the dust with a barely damp rag and let it dry.
Outdoors, use an exterior finish: a penetrating deck oil or exterior stain, or primer and exterior paint. Leave cedar bare to weather silver if you like. If it holds soil for food plants, leave the inside unfinished.
Let it dry for the time on the can before using it.
- Tip Try your finish on a scrap of the same wood first: stain looks different on every board.
Conceptual layout, material estimate and assembly guide from the sizes you entered. Not engineering, not a building plan, not stamped or approved. Confirm measurements on site; follow local codes and product instructions; anchor tall pieces before use. Using this plan means you accept the Terms of Use.