WIP Potting bench from found wood

**mattocks** · 17th December 2022, 02:06 PM

My wife has needed a potting bench for a while so I offered to make one.
I thought it doesn't need high quality wood, just sturdy enough.
It may or may not ultimately be painted however she likes.
A 3 doors down neighbour was having his front yard paved in bluestone.
I spotted plenty of wood in the skip out front of his house.
I had a look and I reckoned I could use it to make the top of the bench and a shelf.
Basically it was the pallets and packing for the bluestone.
So I spoke to the head guy doing the work who I reckon thought I was a bit mad wanting the wood but he said go for your life.
This is what I gathered.
wood stash on trolley.jpg wood stash.jpg
The wood had this logo on it
IMG_4307.jpg

I believe IPCC means, International panel for climate change. HT means heat treated.
I think CN is country identifier, in this case maybe China??? which would make sense as we import a lot of bluestone from China.
As an aside, I have bluestone paving at my house that is from western Victoria.
And im not sur what ZPGL means.
If anyone can enlighten me on these I would be grateful.

And this is all the metal I removed from it.
I used a metal detector and closely examined each piece.
metal.jpg

Each piece was cleaned with a wire brush and vacuumed after brushing.
I took the edges off with a suitable blade in my small table saw
then put it through my planner/thicknesser
The thin boards are 12mm thick and the wood is fairly hard.
I glued up some panels from this at 600mm x 300mm

panel.jpg

The larger pieces that I will use to frame the panels are machined to 58mm x 32mm.
Again its fairly hard wood.
And although it is not the prettiest I reckon its pretty strong.
IMG_4318.jpg wood closeup.jpg

I have no idea what the wood is.
If anyone does know I'd appreciate to know, but I guess its not essential.

The bench will be 2 metres long and 500 or 600 deep.
It will have a 1 metre section on the right then a 500mm section with metal grid to allow for potting mix to fall through it into a drawer that will collect any spill for reuse. Then a further 500mm section past that.
There will be a bench on the one metre right hand section only. the other one metre section will allow larger things to bel placed under it.
I will also make a narrow 150mm shelf at 400mm above the length of the bench for whatever items need to be close at hand on a potting bench.

Anyway its a start and may take a little while.
Hopefully finish by end of January.
I must say, making things is my hobby, if trying to do this for a living it wouldn't really make commercial sense.
I do it for the enjoyment and to know the end product will last.

Frank

**reuelt** · 17th December 2022, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by mattocks

And im not sure what ZPGL means.

Frank

ZPGL = Jersey Post Global Logistics
- a shipping company.

**Tonyz** · 17th December 2022, 08:17 PM

my wifes potting shed bench consists of.

2 chep pallets (painted mission brown.
2 recycled Tiptop bread crates
reusable rubbish bin bags.

your too fussy man.

**rod1949** · 17th December 2022, 09:48 PM

Now that's a new type of timber "found wood"

**cava** · 18th December 2022, 08:39 AM

CN is China.
The stylised wheat sign is the symbol for heat treatment to kill the usual bugs and insects.

**mattocks** · 18th December 2022, 04:13 PM

Originally Posted by Tonyz

my wifes potting shed bench consists of.

2 chep pallets (painted mission brown.
2 recycled Tiptop bread crates
reusable rubbish bin bags.

your too fussy man.

Thats fair enough.
This will be in a position where it will always be in full view at all times in the yard.
We have a small yard and it will sit next to our outdoor table.
So I decided it should look a little better that totally utilitarian, although it will be.

Cheers

Frank

**mattocks** · 18th December 2022, 04:15 PM

Originally Posted by rod1949

Now that's a new type of timber "found wood"

Ha Ha, Glad it gave you a chuckle.
I didn't know what wood it was and I found it in a skip, hence found wood.
I was hoping someone may have an idea of its type.
I guess its from China so that may make it trickier.

Cheers

Frank

**BMKal** · 19th December 2022, 12:33 PM

Looks good - and we all have to keep SWMBO happy - I've just finished renovating our second bathroom that she wanted done up, so I'm in the good books at the moment.

I also made my wife a potting bench not long ago - out of that same "found" timber and a bit of steel that was left over from the clean-up of my son's house when he sold it.
A bit of a drowning with linseed oil brought the timber up quite well and should protect it for a while.

Potting Bench 2.jpg

**mattocks** · 19th December 2022, 06:47 PM

Thats very nice.
I like the steel frame.
I don't have metal working capabilities or skills, no room for it at my place really.
But yes that's a very nice job.
And as they say happy....................

**mattocks** · 30th December 2022, 11:25 AM

I have completed the first half of the frame and the elements for the second half.
It will be 2 metres long.
The grill section you can see is a specific request from Julie.
The grill allows her to pot plants on it and any soil that spills out is collected in a drawer that will be underneath.
She can also repot here and any roots won't go through but soil will and can be used again.
She's not sure if it will be painted or oiled and left as is.

Cheers

Frank

IMG_4357.jpg IMG_4358.jpg

**BMKal** · 30th December 2022, 01:40 PM

That's going to be quite a flash potting bench. Are you sure it's not going to end up in your workshop ????

**mattocks** · 30th December 2022, 03:22 PM

ha. If you saw my workshop you wouldn't ask.
I don't even have room in there to assemble this, although I'm doing some of the fitting of it vertically!!!!!

**mattocks** · 31st December 2022, 12:01 AM

BMKal suggested the potting bench may end up in my shed.
Not so as I said there's no room.

And here's a couple of pics of the dry fitting being done vertically.
And I think you can see that there wouldn't be room for it.
I also glued it up vertically as I reckon it was easier to keep the pieces in place as the end section was the last to be fitted.
The panels for the bench tops will be fitted over the next day or so then I need to make a "drawer" to go under the grill section to collect potting mix that falls through.

Cheers

Frank

Dry fit 1.jpg DRY FIT 2.jpg Glue up.jpg

**Treecycle** · 31st December 2022, 05:13 PM

Is it possible for you to do what is suggested in this thread so we get to see your photos in the correct orientation. Takes away some of the gloss having to tilt my head all the time to see your hard work correctly.
Seem to remember reading somewhere that it mainly happens to people who use iphones to take their photos, but could be completely wrong

**mattocks** · 31st December 2022, 06:37 PM

attempt at correct orientation of pics
Thanks Treecycle, I knew there was a way but couldn't find it.
So here's a few pics from the start.
I used the resize method.
Good to know that my pics will be right way up from now on

Cheers

Frank
wood stash on trolley.jpg panel.jpg IMG_4357.jpg Dry fit 1.jpg DRY FIT 2.jpg Glue up.jpg

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WIP Potting bench from found wood

frame almost completed

vertical dry fitting and glue up

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