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How to Build a Simple Potting Bench
You are welcome to use this article on your website or in your
newsletter as long as you reprint it as is, including the
contact information at the end. Website URLs must be active
links. You are welcome to use this article with an affiliate
link, http://www.freeplants.com/resellers.htm
The potting bench that you are about to read about is not
fancy, but very functional. It is also very easy to build and
use. Except it doesn't have any legs! Don't panic, having a
legless potting bench is actually a benefit. I'll get to that a
little later.
The potting bench described in this article is actually
identical to the potting bench that we have been using for years
in our backyard nursery, and it has served us well, potting up
tens of thousands of plants. I like it because it is large
enough to pot up around ten small plants at a time, and it holds
a significant amount of soil.
However, since I originally wrote this article, I designed and
built a potting bench for home gardeners that you may like
better. There are lots of photos and step by step plans for
building it on this page:
http://www.freeplants.com/free-potting-bench-plans.htm
On the above page you will also find a photo of one of my other
potting bench designs, an outhouse with a flip out potting
bench! It's unique, that's for sure.
Okay, back to my legless potting bench.
Here's a short list of what you'll need to build Mike's rugged,
but functional potting bench.
Tools: A screwdriver, a small box wrench or crescent wrench, or
if you have a 1/4" drive socket set that's even better. A tape
measure, a small square, a drill, and a power saw.
Materials: One full sheet (4' by 8') of 3/4" treated plywood.
Make sure it is treated so it will last a long time. Untreated
plywood does not hold up well at all outdoors.
15 dohickeys (you know, those little metal angle brackets, or
corner brackets used to connect two boards together at a right
angle.) These metal brackets are bent in a 90 degree angle and
have two holes drilled in them.
30 bolts with nuts 1-¼" long, and the correct size to fit the
angle brackets you buy.
60 flat washers that fit the bolts.
To see the potting bench you are going to build, go to
http://gardening-articles.com/28-potting%20bench.htm
"Mike's Legless Potting Bench" If you use this article you can
use the photos that accompany the article, as long as you leave
the reference to http://www.freeplants.com on the photos.
Notice in the above referenced photo that one end of the bench
is resting on the potting soil pile, and the other on concrete
blocks. Not having legs is really an advantage because you can
get the potting bench much closer to your potting soil pile.
Before you start, draw this out on paper so you know exactly
what each piece of wood is supposed to look like before make any
cuts. This way you won't make a mistake that will ruin your
piece of plywood.
Lay the plywood on a flat surface, like your garage floor. From
one end measure in 16" and draw a line across the sheet of
plywood. With your saw, cut along this line. The piece that you
are cutting off is 16" by 48".
Now draw a diagonal line across the smaller piece of plywood.
(The one you just removed from the sheet.) Cut along this line.
You should now have
two triangular pieces that measure 48" on
one side and 16" on one side.
These pieces should be in the shape of a right triangle. Now
you are going to remove a small piece from the pointed end of
the triangular pieces. To do this, measure 24" from the right
angle, along the 48" side and make a mark. Using a small square
draw a line from this mark across the pointed end of the
plywood. This line should be at a right angle to the 48" side of
the board. This line should only be about 4" long. Cut along
this line, removing the small piece from the pointed end.
Discard the small piece you cut off. The piece you have left
should be 16" on one end, 24" on one side, and about 4" where
you made the cut to remove the pointed end.
The two smaller boards you have left should be identical.
These are the sides for your potting bench.
Now back to the larger piece of wood. This piece should now
measure 80" by 48". From the long side measure over 16" and draw
a line from one end to the other. Cut along this line. The piece
you are removing should be 16" by 80", leaving a piece 32" by
80".
These two pieces will serve as the bottom and the back of your
potting bench. Take the back piece and stand it on edge, on top
of the piece that will serve as the bottom of the bench to get
an idea of how your potting bench is going to fit together. Make
five marks where you will mount the angle brackets that will
hold these two pieces together. Just space the five brackets
along the two boards, making sure not to put any too close to
the end so they don't interfere when you install the two end
pieces. Just keep the brackets about 1-½" from each end.
Note: Once you have the brackets installed and the bolts all
tight you might want to cut off the ends of the bolts and file
them smooth if they are sticking out so far as to be a hazard
when you are handling the potting bench.
Once you have all five brackets installed and the back of the
potting bench mounted to the bottom, you can then install the
two side pieces. With the two side pieces installed you are now
the proud owner of a legless potting bench. You can install legs
if you'd like to, but I like mine without legs because I can get
it much closer to my pile of potting soil.
What I do is rest one end of the bench right on the pile of
potting soil, and then support the other end with a saw horse,
concrete blocks, or milk crates. By placing one end right on the
soil pile, it is very easy to shovel the soil onto the bench.
Not having legs also makes the bench easier to store and move
around.
When I want to use it as a table for making cuttings, I just
put a saw horse under each end.
There you have it. Mike's famous legless potting bench. It
ain't pretty, but it's very functional.
Michael J. McGroarty is the author of this article. Visit his
most interesting website, http://www.freeplants.com and sign up
for his excellent gardening newsletter. Article provided by
http://gardening-articles.com
About the author:
Michael J. McGroarty has more than 30 years experience in the
landscape gardening/nursery industry. He's spent the better part
of his life on his hands and knees in the dirt working with
plants and his hands-on experience allows Mike to write in a
manner than many gardeners find to be helpful and beneficial.
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