Hello!

Got another planter project finished, and now that they’re planted, I have pictures to share.

So this continues my concept(s) of planter containers that are sealed, finger jointed, with clear acrylic fronts. Like the ‘Wall Hanging Succulent Planters’ I created here.

Actually, this was the first project in this series that I had designs for. It took me a bit longer to complete because I used some older ‘unfinished’ cherry hardwood, that I had to finish over time. Details below…

Ok, so here’s my first try… Testing the design, joints, kerf, etc.

As a thin piece, the long horizontal part of the front was weak and snapped in multiple places when I was press fitting it together, as you can see below… maybe a bit too tight on the finger joints for the amount of pressure needed for me to snap them in.

But, other than that, the design was solid, joints were tight, and I liked the dimensions all in all.

The pieces are sized and nested/arranged to be cut from one piece of 6'x12' hardwood, in order to be efficient with material, (be created from one sheet of hardwood.

Also the 2 sides are cut so the wood grain is the same on each side for continuity in appearance. It’s tight, but it fits… barely.

So, I polished off the design (created in Illustrator as vector cut pattern with an embedded engraved image saved as an .svg) with rounded corners, added curves to the design, and a pattern texture to be engraved. I think it turned out great!

This is pre-finished still with no sealant applied to the inside.

So, I made 3, and finished them with Danish oil. I did 3 coats and it took a long time to dry, hence the delay in finishing off the project. Probably shouldn’t have put Danish oil on the inside of the container, as it was quite oily still after 1.5 weeks or so, and I even wiped it down as best I could before applying the sealant to coat it. I was worried that it wouldn’t adhere very well, but in the end it seemed to work out ok. The finish really darkened the wood, and made the cherry really pop!

Sorry, bad pun…

Cut 3 pieces of clear acrylic for the front panels, added a bit of wood glue in a few spots at the joints where there was slight warpage, then painted on the rubber/silicone sealant, slid in the perfect fit acrylic, and let them dry overnight

Went out and bought some black jewelry chain, black jump rings, some screw in hooks, and used 2 raw brass jump rings at the top. Put it all together (carefully), and here it is.