Window Box Planters?

Vaughn McMillan

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LOML has a friend who wants three window boxes similar to this, in various sizes:

http://www.planterixchange.com/36-Inch-Window-Box-Black-p-3004.html

The one shown in that link are made of plastic. I'm looking at making them out of wood, assuming it can be done at a competitive price. My questions:

What type of wood would you use for something like this? I'm thinking cedar or redwood, for rot resistance, but don't know how well they handle being painted. Plywood would be handy for the panels, but I'm not sure if it'd hold up in this application. (Marine ply, maybe, but it's real pricey.)

Would you line it with galvanized sheet metal? If so, soldered seams or silicone caulk?

Offhand, and without crunching any numbers, I suspect the cost of making them out of wood would be nearly what the plastic ones cost, especially if I include a few bucks in there for my time. Am I all wet? (I'm talking about the window boxes, not me in general.) :p
 
Vaughn do they have to be painted? I would think Cedar best but not with paint.

BTW you could always look at making a plastic liner rather than metal. That flower box you show is vacuum formed or blow moulded. You can vacuum form a sheet at home with a shop vac and jig and some sheets of plastic.

I can see what you mean it gets tough to make it worthwhile and meet their expectations at that sort of price. Given you only going to make a few. Would be different if you could be thinking in terms of gearing up and making jigs and putting out many. But then heck it still would not beat having the wood cut on a cnc router.

Sounds like a minefield to me. I would find out what she expects the deliverables to be. BTW just thinking about it plastic inside the wood would add to the trapping of moisture and inevitable rot.:(
 
Not for that price and you also get paid. Now if you're doing it for a friend and you're donating your time basically, OK.

But I don't that any more. As Rob says, its a minefield.

Clarify the customer's expectations. Wood is not cheaper, nor may it be better in this application.
 
Not for that price and you also get paid. Now if you're doing it for a friend and you're donating your time basically, OK.

But I don't that any more. As Rob says, its a minefield.

Clarify the customer's expectations. Wood is not cheaper, nor may it be better in this application.

I agree. I suspect LOML's friend thinks I can make something for less. I'm pretty sure I can, but it wouldn't be as good (or serviceable) as the plastic ones. I'm guessing I'd spend nearly that price on materials alone if I were to build something better than the plastic model. (Plus a number of "free" hours of labor.) I would maybe be willing to do it with no labor charge just to help a friend and to have a shop project, but I'm betting she'll balk at the cost of materials alone. (And it's not like I'm hurting for shop projects.) ;)

Thanks for the feedback and the sanity check.
 
If you decide to make them, consider using cypress. It's rot resistant, and takes paint well. Do consider, though, that wet wood doesn't hold paint well, and thay'll likely need frequent repainting.
 
Really what you should be making is covers for platic window boxes. Remember the plants are going to get watered and having moist dirt next to wood means the wont last very long. All you need to do is design a frame and panel box around a cheap plastic window planter. Then add moulding on the top and bottom.For wood I'd used white oak, redwood, cedar or heck even pine since its gonna be painted.

I think it could be profitable if you make 3 of the same size so all the parts are the same, just think about it. 3 planters so you need 3 plasitc window boxes(~10 each), ~10 bd ft pine each box(~$2 bd ft x30 bd ft total), glue, a gallon of paint(~30-40). Now the platics ones you showed were $110 and just think what shipping is for something that size :eek:

So say you charge $110 for each box and you build 3 of the same size. And say your cost for materials and time spent getting materialis is half of 330. Just emstiate how long it should take and see if its profitable
 
Really what you should be making is covers for platic window boxes...

I had that same thought, but she had three specific sizes she wanted, and I'm not sure if they match what's available at the gardening store. It's something I intend to check out a bit more, though. Thanks for the suggestion, Eric.

And Jim, thanks for the suggestion about cypress. I was trying to remember what rot-resistant wood takes paint well, and couldn't think of cypress. :thumb:
 
Being a fellow west coaster (as if that matters? :huh:) I'd use western red cedar. Painting isn't a problem as long as you prime it first with an oil based primer. Keep in mind, it's an outdoor project so over time the joints will move.
The suggestion about building them around a plastic tray is a good one.

No way can you make them for that amount and make more than $.50 per hour.
 
Cypress would be my first choice.

then redwood.

then cedar.

Back in the old days, I used to rebuild some of greenhouse benches out of these three woods. Cypress held up the best.

Old wood greenhouses used to be made out of Cypress and Redwood.... mostly cypress. It mills up beautifully and will take paint just fine.

joe
 
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