Outdoor Wood Projects

210 Pages·2014·31.766 MB·English

by  Steve Cory

Outdoor
24
Projects

Wood
You Can
Build in a
Projects
Weekend
Steve Cory
Outdoor 24
Projects
Wood
You Can
Build in a
Projects
Weekend

Outdoor 24
Projects
Wood
You Can
Build in a
Projects
Weekend
Steve Cory
t
Text © 2014 The Taunton Press, Inc.
Photographs © 2014 The Taunton Press, Inc.
Illustrations © 2014 The Taunton Press, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Pp
The Taunton Press, Inc., 63 South Main Street,
PO Box 5506, Newtown, CT 06470-5506
e-mail: [email protected]
Editor: Christina Glennon
Copy editor: Seth Reichgott
Indexer: Jay Kreider
Jacket/Cover design: Jean-Marc Troadec
Interior design and layout: Tinsley Morrison
Illustrator: Mike Wanke
Photographer: Steve Cory
The following names/manufacturers appearing in Outdoor Wood Projects are trademarks:
IKEA®, Pau Lope®, Velcro®

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cory, Steve.
Outdoor wood projects : 24 projects you can build in a weekend / Steve
Cory.
pages cm
E-Book ISBN 978-1-62710-600-9
1. Woodworking--Amateurs’ manuals. 2. Garden ornaments and furniture.
3. Plant containers. I. Title.
TT185.C74 2014
684’.08--dc23
2013050910
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About Your Safety: Homebuilding is inherently dangerous. From accidents with power tools to falls from
ladders, scaffolds, and roofs, builders risk serious injury and even death. We try to promote safe work habits
through our books. But what is safe for one person under certain circumstances may not be safe for you
under different circumstances. So don’t try anything you learn about here (or elsewhere) unless you’re
certain that it is safe for you. Please be careful.
Acknowledgments
I THANK Bill West for his great ideas and unflagging energy in bringing many of these projects to reality.
Diane Slavik, my lovely wife, provided much-needed photo and text assistance. Rosalie Ross Sennett,
Leslie Tom, and David Ross gave greatly appreciated advice on working with bamboo. Rosalie’s wonderful
San Francisco patio is the setting for most of the bamboo photos. The IKEA® company provided parquet
decking (the Platta series) that serves as the floor for some of the beauty shots. The Kreg company
(www.kregtool.com) supplied tools for making pocket-screw joints. Christine Vollmer and Conrad Wennerberg,
as well as Loren Santow, supplied yard spaces seen in many of the shots, not to mention liquid refreshments
after long hot days of shooting. Next-door neighbors Arcilla and George Stahl graciously put up with all
that noise and mess. And let’s not forget Eleanor Cory, Alex Cory, and Dr. Nzube Okonkwo, hand models
extraordinaire.
And many thanks to the staff members at The Taunton Press, Peter Chapman, Christina Glennon, and Erin
Giunta, for patient and skillful editing and organizing.
contents
IntroductIon 2
ChaPter 1: Materials, tools & techniques 4
ChaPter 2: Planters 46
Tall Fluted Planter 48
Short Planter with Legs 55
Stacked 2x2 Planter 61
Octagonal Planter 66
Wall Planter 71
Window Box with Trim 78
Window Box with Corbels 82
ChaPter 3: trellises 86
Trellis with Cutouts 88
Variable-Spaced Trellis with Lap Joints 93
Fan Trellis 101
ChaPter 4: Outdoor Furniture 104
Adirondack Chair 106
Adirondack Ottoman 117
Adirondack Table 122
Dining Table 128
Tree Bench 138
ChaPter 5: Bamboo Projects 144
Simple Bamboo Trellis 149
Bamboo Tripod 152
Bamboo Fan Trellis 156
Bamboo Arbor 158
Bamboo Planter 165
ChaPter 6: Garden Projects 168
Raised Bed 170
Compost Bin 176
Potting Table 182
Strawberry Pyramid 191
Index 200
1
introduction
NOTHING qUITE EqUALS the satisfaction of your surroundings and won’t need to worry about
building a project that adds charm and personality the dust. We’ll help you select tools and materials
to your yard. If it is a memorable design and built that make it easy to cut straight lines, create tight
well, even a small planter, trellis, or other feature joints, and drive long-lasting fasteners.
will be a nice touch that makes your outdoor space We’ll also help you choose the right wood—wood
more of a pleasure to use. Special details that that will last for a long time and will have the look
complement the house or landscape can help to you want. This sometimes means spending more for
unify your outdoor space. A home-made project high-quality cedar, redwood, ipé, or even top-rated
tailored to your space can tie it all together, adding treated wood. Or, if you are after a more rustic look,
your personal signature in a satisfying way. Who more inexpensive options such as pallet wood have
knows? Maybe one day your project may become the worn and weathered appeal of reclaimed or
a treasured heirloom. recycled materials.
Natural wood (and bamboo, though it is tech- The projects in this book are within the reach of
nically a grass) is the ideal material for a modest a homeowner with modest skills and some basic
do-it-yourself project. Whether stained or left alone tools. Still, we’ve chosen sophisticated designs that
to turn a weathered gray, your new structure will add flair, rather than boxy objects that shout “begin-
effortlessly harmonize with leafy plants, colorful ner.” Most can be accomplished in less than a day,
flowers, and nearby stone or brick surfaces. You but are stylish enough to keep for a lifetime.
also have the option of painting it a muted tone At a home center, landscape supply store, or gar-
that barely asserts itself, or with bright colors that den center you may find wood products similar to
proudly announce its presence and make your yard those shown in this book, such as planters, trellises,
a more whimsical place. and furniture. You may be tempted to outfit your
Working with wood is a pleasure with timeless yard with ready-made products. But take a closer
appeal, as long as you approach it in the right way. look: Many of these planters, trellises, and furniture
Reserve ample space for construction, and do most pieces are made with thin, flimsy wood and are
of the work on a flat patio or deck surface, on a joined with less-than-secure staples; if you grab the
board-and-sawhorse table, or on a shop table. Most pieces and wiggle, you may find yourself less than
of these projects can be built indoors, though you confident in their durability. Many of these products
may prefer working outdoors, where you can enjoy have a cookie-cutter design that will give your patio
2
or yard a ho-hum seen-that-before feel. And given tools you will need, and we’ll also demonstrate
the limited number of options, you may not be able basic techniques. The remaining chapters feature
to find a feature that neatly fits your space, or that specific projects organized by category: planters,
feels at home with other parts of your landscape. trellises, furniture, bamboo, and garden structures.
Building yourself lets you craft features that are In each chapter there are between three and seven
more elegant looking, better tailored to your needs, projects with complete step-by-step instructions.
and more interesting and original. We’ve also added a few project variations with gen-
The first chapter of this book will prepare you eral instructions. Using the information in this book
for the projects that follow. We’ll show you how to together with just a little ingenuity, you will be able
choose wood and fasteners, we’ll talk about the to build them all.
Introduction 3