Playing With Power Tools


I'm the type of person that needs to keep busy. Down time such as in Winter causes me to be in a sad and depressive deposition. I've been thinking that picking up a hobby such as carpentry would help me break the monotony and make me use that time to be more productive. In April I went to Home Depot and got myself a whole whack of tools. Miter saws are the bizzneesssss. They're amazing to use (Compound Miter saw that is).


Drills, sanders, circular and jig saws, brad nailer: I went kinda nuts. Got the rest of what I needed and pushed on.

Rough sketching

First things I wanted to do is to maximize the use of my brother's side yard. The area is small, but with a few strategically places planters, we could make use of the empty space. They were my first projects so I didn't really want to spend some dough on material (besides the power tools) if I would somehow have the tendency to f@#$ up. So by using wood from wood pallets, I would be recycling wood and repurposing it for other more practical things, such as planters and raised gardens.

Recycled wood from pallets

First thing on the list was a 3' x 6' raised bed to go along the South/West facing fence. This would be used to plant cucumbers, carrots, and a whole bunch of goodies. The second, smaller planter would be 2' x 2' and would accommodate my tomatoes and some onions.

Side walls for the 3x6 planter

Added the other sides

When I built the first planter, I designed it so that 3 1/2 inches would stick out and anchor down in the ground. That way the weight of the dirt inside the box wouldn't shift the whole thing.


Mom supervising. No pressure!

Stapled the weed barrier and tipped the planter on top of the prepped area. Fitted and aligned the box to the holes and tapped the corners with my hammer to get them leveled.



The second, smaller planter took me less to build. It got easier after the first one. Both were finished sometime last week.



Yesterday was a rainy day and I usually struggle with rainy weather, especially when the barometric pressure is super high. I wanted to keep busy so I went to the shed and spent the day building this little fella.


This 3 tier planter is 30 inches wide and each planter is a little over 6 inches in height (each). I built the whole thing yesterday from scratch. Precut, predrilled, good set of plans. Boom, awesomeness made of recycled wood. I drilled some holes in each planter for drainage and set all three on a frame. Miter saw made angle cuts kids play. So far everything measured up and were perfectly leveled. I found building and constructing things therapeutic.

Brace in the back for added strength


I have a whole lot of things to cross off my to-do list. I'll keep you posted on my new project(s).

Cheers!

- Keenan

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