Hi Im joe! Looking to make a balcony plant table. Help?

#1

Got a pretty good idea on how I would make it, just no knowledge on what wood to use etc.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Joe :slight_smile:

#2

Depends on what you can get.
And how long you want it to last and look like

#3

Yes, many ways to do this depending what you want to achieve.

We use a lot of tanalised softwood timber for outdoor construction, but it’s often OTT, as untreated wood lasts a long time if it’s not constantly sitting in water.

For something finer: Sapele is a very good timber for use outside: needs no treatment (unless you want to oil it with Osmo) and has good stability through the seasons, so you can do nice joinery with it and it won’t deform.

#4

Would you recommend it for garden furniture in general such as table and chairs?

#5

Yes, But every type of wood has its quirks!

It’s a nice mahogany-ish wood that lasts and works well outside, looks lovely when oiled, and doesn’t seem to flex or move much at all when used outside. IIRC it’s also relatively cheap.

#6

Thanks for the replies! Not looking to do anything fancy or expensive… on a budget. Would want the wood to last at least a couple of years. And be able to house soil and plants.

#7

Just about any wood will last for a couple of years! Discarded pallets are very useful for free raw materials.

#8

Would you recommend joining with wood glue or drill and screws?

#9

Both :slight_smile:

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#10

Hi Joe,

I would say you have two options. Both equally valid but dependent on how you want to work on this project.

You can work design lead or material lead. Or somewhere in between.

Design lead would be coming up with a design and finding the material that works with that. Designing isn’t always easy with a blank canvas. Especially if your new. But you can always get design ideas from Pinterest.

Material lead design would be where you find some material. Like an old table. Or some wood planks. Or whatever. And use that as the start of your design and work round it.

How are you going to do your design? Have you got pics of what you want. If you don’t I would say find some. The more ideas you get at this stage the better.

Drawing stuff out really helps. Honest. And it’s fun. But designs are designs even if they are only in your head.

Good luck

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