Build this clever garden sink

Attach the slat closest to the uprights first, then use a couple of scraps of 1/2"-thick material as spacers to find the location of the next slat. Continue this process until all 10 slats are installed, checking the assembly for square as you go. Each one of the countersunk holes in the shelf surfaces calls for a cedar plug for best looks. I cut these with a drillpress spinning a tapered plug cutter. Tap the plugs into place with a thin coating of glue and trim; sand them flush when they're dry.

Lastly, fit the soap shelf into the uprights with glue and clamp until the glue has dried.

Sink hole
To make sawing the hole for the pail easier, temporarily attach the shelf and bracket assembly so that it's upright. Screwing the piece to the wall where it'll live would be ideal, or you can clamp the frame to a sawhorse. Either way, mark the centre of the sink hole on the middle slat of the top shelf and use a compass to mark the 9"-diameter hole to accommodate your bucket.

Cut the hole using a jigsaw fitted with a fine blade. Take the time to sand the cut edges. Drill 3/4"-diameter holes in the top and bottom shelves for the faucet pipe using a spade bit.

Water works
The faucet is made from copper pipe and a few plumbing fittings.

To make the faucet for this project, you'll need to sweat a few plumbing joints using lead-free solder and a propane torch. Joining copper pipe is easy when you don't have to contend with any water in the pipes and you have control over the position of the pieces.Start by cleaning all the mating surfaces of copper with a strip of emery cloth-that's the cloth-backed abrasive found in the plumbing aisle. Next, brush a coating of flux paste onto the mating surfaces of each joint and push the fittings together. Unroll a length of solid-core solder about 8" to 10" long and clean it with emery cloth too. Heat each connection with a propane torch until solder touched to the opposite side of the fitting flows easily around the entire joint. Wipe the joint immediately after you're done using a damp rag, while the solder is still molten, for best appearance. Before sweating the shut-off valve in place, take it apart. Remove the rubber washer inside the valve to prevent it from melting when heated.

Wear safety glasses when soldering pipes, and work far away from flammable materials.

Cut the copper pipe pieces to length with a pipe cutter and solder them together with 90° elbows and a shut-off valve. Don't sweat the threaded hose coupling on until you've slid the pipe down through the shelf holes. The shut-off valve acts as a stop to prevent the faucet assembly from slipping down too far, while still allowing it to swing out of the way if needed.

Finish, or not
Like many of my outdoor cedar projects, I chose to leave this one unfinished. I like the way cedar eventually ages to a soft silvery surface—even if the interim stages are a bit ugly.

If you prefer to add a finish to the project, I recommend three coats of Sikkens Cetol 1. Then turn on the tap and make a splash!

Fill up or wash up
A stainless-steel bucket doubles as the sink's basin—take water wherever a splash is needed or remove garden grime. The sink's plumbing makes it a breeze to fit to a garden hose. The project is made with cedar, a weather-hardy species that resists insects. Mount it to your wall with screws driven through the uprights.