Where can I find this piece of hardware

[Zana]

One advantage to using the original set up shown in this thread is that it is dismantable if need be. I used to set up raised beds for the season over the concrete pad in the back behind my Dad's place. At the end of the season, I emptied the soil mix into rubbish bins on wheels and unscrewed everything and stored it for the winter. One advantage for me was if I ever had to replace a board it was easy.

[Doug9345]

Originally Posted by Worth1

If you cut the ends of your boards at a 45 degree angle you could use a piece of angle steel.

Some people are gadget oriented. The other is that some people just have no mechanical skills at all. I grew up in a world where if it needed fixing you fixed it and if it needed building you built it.

[Zana]

Originally Posted by Doug9345

Some people are gadget oriented. The other is that some people just have no mechanical skills at all. I grew up in a world where if it needed fixing you fixed it and if it needed building you built it.

I hear you on that one Doug! Not that I don't have my share of "gadgets"...but they're usually something to make it easier to do the stuff I already do - like repairs or creating something from scratch.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Doug9345

Some people are gadget oriented. The other is that some people just have no mechanical skills at all. I grew up in a world where if it needed fixing you fixed it and if it needed building you built it.

Years ago when I first got into motorcycles if you wanted forward foot controls you had to build them yourself.
Now you can get anything.
It is ridiculous.
I took about $40 worth of steel and turned it into a whole pile of stuff.
I seem to get no reward from ready made things.


Worth

[tnkrer]

Thanks for all the replies
luigiwu - Thanks for finding it.
Hermitian - At some point in future, I plan to make a raised garden bed and plan to use cinder or stone for that. However, this one is for making a long narrow container to hang on a deck (similar to window box).
madddawg - I like KISS principle. If this piece of hardware was cheap and easily available, it would be part of KISS. but its not, so it won't be. I will screw the corners with 2x2 (like I have done on my other containers). I would have liked these corners for the ability to easily dis-assemble (As zana pointed out)

Actually now I am thinking if I should try to find some other lighter material window boxes instead of building wooden containers. I need to figure out how much weight the deck railing can take.

[epsilon]

this might be a nice middle ground solution, minimal tool requirement and should run about 40$ give or take. With power tools you can have it together in under an hour, by hand maybe an hour and forty five with some help.



Of course you'll still have to design brackets to support that but those aren't hard to put together.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by epsilon

this might be a nice middle ground solution, minimal tool requirement and should run about 40$ give or take. With power tools you can have it together in under an hour, by hand maybe an hour and forty five with some help.



Of course you'll still have to design brackets to support that but those aren't hard to put together.

How big is this thing and what is the sheet on the bottom with all of the holes for?

Worth

[epsilon]

Originally Posted by Worth1

How big is this thing and what is the sheet on the bottom with all of the holes for?

Worth

Dimensions are up to tnkrer. The sheet on the bottom is to hold the dirt in, but allow for drainage (I don't really mess with hanging boxes ) since op wanted to hang the box from the side of their deck

The panel dimensions are 5/8" x 5 1/2" x6'

So assuming Tnkrer wants a really long box the max dimensions on one side would be 6'

which means that depending on tnkrers needs it could be

6' x 1 1/2' x 11" to 6' x 6' x 6' but at that point I would lose the bottom panel and just sit it on the ground

Although I could see this as a really sweet way to display certain members of the orchid family seeing as they throw their inflorescence down underneath them.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...-07-01_004.jpg

[Worth1]

Ok it is for a hanging box that explains everything.

The reason I asked about the size was due to the 1/4 panel on the bottom.
It would seem to me a person would want to put at least one more slotted support along the sides of the box to help hold the thin panel.
And maybe something across it to help keep it from bowing out.

I really like the hanging box idea and have a million uses for it here.

Worth

[epsilon]

Worth

Great Ideas. I actually updated the drawing to show a support lip on all sides as well as halving the floor board, as I think finding lumber in that dimension is easier. As a plus you can use the lip to secure a liner to keep soil from contacting the side boards which will extend this planters lifetime even further. also at this point I think that it would be completely feasible to increase the slotting to 5/8 thickness and just use the cedar fence pickets for that as well.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by epsilon

Worth

Great Ideas. I actually updated the drawing to show a support lip on all sides as well as halving the floor board, as I think finding lumber in that dimension is easier. As a plus you can use the lip to secure a liner to keep soil from contacting the side boards which will extend this planters lifetime even further. also at this point I think that it would be completely feasible to increase the slotting to 5/8 thickness and just use the cedar fence pickets for that as well.

What are you using for software to draw this stuff?

Worth

[epsilon]

Adobe Illustrator

Gaston

[kurt]

http://www.strongtie.com/products/co...GA.asp#gallery These I have used.They can be found at Home Depot.Stainless Steel Pan Head screws #3 driver are reusable(No rust)Asphalt coating on interior walls(of 2x8/10/12PT) and a coat on the bottom 1 1/2inch contact to ground and the boards will last a long time.Nice thing are the offset predrilled holes so as not to split the ends of 2 xs

[tnkrer]

kurt, thanks. I have seen those in HD and they are certainly and option.

epsilon, thank you very much for your ideas and spending the time to create those plans. I have not yet understood those completely and I will come back with questions.

In the mean time, let me explain what I am trying to build and its purpose.

I want a self irrigated planter (SIP) window box for growing lettuce, chard, herbs and flowers (current plan marigolds). The inside dimensions of the box will be 5 or 6 ft long, 5 inches wide and 14 inches deep. The bottom 4 inches will be water reservoir. (I use pond liner on the inside to keep it water tight). So I will have 9 inches of grow media on top of that. I will build 4 or 5 such boxes and line up those against the deck railing. Right now I am worried about how much weight that would be and if the deck railing will be able to support those. I am thinking of using 1/2 inch thick boards for the sides to reduce weight. In winter, the boxes will be taken down and kept in the shed. (and If they were easy to disassemble, I could reduce the amount of space they would need for storage)

This would give me enough space to get all the lettuce, chard and herbs we would want. Last year I have grown basil and black simpson lettuce in the standard plastic window box (2.5' long, 4 inches wide and 7 inches deep) and they grew pretty well in that much grow media. I am increasing the grow media in this planter, so I think they will do even better.

OK, I understood most of the diagrams, thanks for those ideas. I don't have mortising tools, However, if its a good enough excuse to get few (and the cost is not outrageous) I will.

Still I do not understand how the slot works to hold the corner together without any screws etc Or do the slots allow for the bottom board to rest in those slots? .. Can you provide some commentary on that?

[luigiwu]

tnkrer, have you heard of Larry Hall and his Rain Gutter Grow System?