Planter Scrap (Version 2)

From same scrap material with a twist.  

This planter will drain. But it will need a drainage "pan" (in this case a discarded jar for some unknown food or condiment...

..like so .. below.  End of story; but wait.  No woodworking involved?

This project will have made a straight forward fully functioning planter idea into a more elaborate project that started with a sketch.  Again, back to my favorite geometric shape - the hexagon.  

Drilling the circle within the hexagon

Three legs

Cutting the slots at three corners of the hexagon to match with the slots on the legs

One other way to make a hexagon is to cut six equilateral triangles ..

Then glue them up together, like so. 

Drill a shallow 1.0 inch hole into the base but not all the way through

Cut a 1.0 inch rod ...

Glue it to the bottom of the jar ..

Special adhesives

Many ways I could think of to insure the jar will not move around, yet removable to throw the drained water.  I settled on attaching a section of a 1.0 inch rod to the bottom of the jar that will fit into a 1.0 inch hole at the base.

From this slow-growing plant (in a non-draining planter) I made cuttings two weeks ago ...

..and let them root in water

This small planter will drain into the jar below.

As always with woodworking, it is the small projects that are more challenging but excellent at drawing the imagination and lots of patience.

Experimental Planter from Scrap

Below are the remains of what used to be solar powered LED yard lights at the end of their useful lives.  They were going to the trash heap which  I almost did after we had a new backyard fence put up.  Upon closer inspection, these were from almost indestructible glass and stainless steel posts.  Run away imagination and downtime at the workshop took over.  By the way, you can use any old glass jars, even old drinking glasses, if you're inspired to do this project (limited only by your imagination). 

But first, the other part of the project.  This is about a planter, after all, so here comes the spider plant ("Chlorophytum comosum") - dubbed one of  NASA's pick for a plant suitable for long space voyages - efficient air recycler and air cleaner of indoor pollutants.  See photo below of the easiest plant to maintain and care for.  Almost twenty years ago when we bought the house, the previous owner left this one plant lying in one corner at the back of the house, in a broken pot lying on its side.  I put it in a good pot, watered it and left it there.  Days later, it came back to life vibrantly.  Soon I had it and its many "babies" in different pots and on the ground.  They will spread out underground or when matured, they sprout long stalks with baby plants at the tips.  Once the stalks bend down enough and reach the ground the baby plants will take root and just simply become another plant.  They will grow on regular or non-draining pots, and will even grow in meager amount of soil; very water tolerant too (too much or too little).

Outside, in the ground, spider plants "die" in winter but they come back the following spring.  By summer, they'll fill up the are just like the indoor version above.  They can tolerate heat like grass.

The other part of the experiment is a piece of mesquite (a very hardy, slow growing tree common in Texas hill country) that was a fence post in its previous incarnation.

I drilled a 3/8 inch hole to accommodate a stainless steel threaded rod. I used a CA glue to attach it.  I also drilled holes on the side and you'll see what for later.

The other piece (left of photo below) is from an old pear tree. 

The two glasses attached with a nut and CA glue to the threaded bolt

Tip: I used saw dust mixed with CA glue as leveler/spacer to level the glass. 

I put a handful of small pebbles at the bottom of the glass before adding the soil.

Below is where I got the idea of growing the spider plant in as little as a thimble of soil.  Spider plant will survive on a thimble of dirt, not robustly, of course, but it will somehow live.

The base of the planter was a project from long ago.

Below is where tiny baby plants I hope will take hold.

Holes drilled on the side will be home for small baby spider plants.

Non-draining planters have a place in indoor planting: minimal amount of watering and zero run-offs to ruin furniture or floor.

A sampling of some of my non-draining planters (below). These plants are not just surviving, they're thriving.

The Orchid Tree (Completed at Last)

Lumber, wood, all woodworking materials were and continue to be affected by inflation (what consumer goods are not?).  So, I had to go to my stash of rough lumber I have accumulated over the years.  Below are pieces I salvaged from a palette that one store threw away as trash.  I dismantled it and kept the good pieces.

The old fashion way was to use hand tools to smooth-finish the material.

After a few minutes of it and thinking it would take me the whole day, I quickly abandoned the idea.  I realized there was a better way.

First, the jointer made quick work of flattening one face first and both the edges.  All pieces done in ten minutes.

Another ten minutes at the thickness planer were all it took for all pieces to have uniform thicknesses.  It actually took longer to set up the machine because I had to get it out of the corner of the shop, connect the dust collection system and refamiliarize myself with the tool (last I used this power tool was at least two years ago). 

At the table saw  I tapered the edges to the hexagonal angle of 60/(30) degrees.  

Cut to final length

Cut dadoes at each end of the pieces before final glue up (below)

Below I taped the outside six pieces before gluing up the edges

Flipped the faces for glue application

The hexagon column glue up using band clamps

Below, I cut two hexagon end pieces.

The bottom end piece will receive the "Lazy-Susan" hardware to the base. This allows for the tower to turn smoothly on ball bearings.  This will not only allow for even exposure to indirect light through the windows, this will also allow for showing the blooming orchids which are likely to be at different times in the future.

Below: glue up of the two end caps.

Tip: Drill four 3/4 inch holes on the base to access the screws that will connect it to the bottom of the hexagon column.

Below: These pieces will become receptacles for the small orchid pots while staying with the hexagon theme.

Attaching the holders

I bought three small orchids to complete the ensemble (below)

The orchid tree is now complete

I am more than fairly confident I finally cracked the secret to watering and caring for orchids.  But I will also be the first to admit, like some million others, that for a long time my string of failures resulted in several orchids going to flower heaven or plant compost, until about two months ago.  The larger orchids below had their blooms but are now showing new buds and new leaves coming out.