My family loves a day at the beach-the hot sun, the cool shade of an umbrella, the feeling of sand between their toes, and watching the sailboats along the horizon. Yet for all those other days, when the beach is just a daydream, here is a unique, easy-to-build sandbox to bring a bit of the beach into your back garden.
The sand area is approximately 4' x 6' on this design-enough for a small crew of sailors. The design is also deep, with lots of room for sand. There are wide comfortable seats on the sides that also keep the sand confined. I added a hinged lid made of plastic lattice to keep out nocturnal visitors, such as cats and raccoons, but allow rainwater in to moisten the sand.
When it comes to outdoor construction materials, there are lots of choices: composites, pressure-treated lumber and cedar. But instead I went with ordinary, inexpensive spruce construction lumber. I expect it will last six to eight years, and by then my kids will have lost their interest in sandboxes. I bought seven 8'-long 2x10s and two 10"-long 2x10s for the project.
Download the sailboat sandbox project plans here!
Play time
The first thing to do is sort your lumber, deciding which pieces you'll use where. Next, use a belt sander to go over all the boards with an 80-grit abrasive. This takes care of splinters and also increases surface absorption so your finish will penetrate the wood well and last longer.
Cut all the base parts to size. Using the plans, lay out the outside long sides and shorter ends in a rectangle. Use three 3" deck screws to secure them together in butt joints. Next, add the inside long sides and ends.
2 Comments
hi, I could not find at plans or illustrations attached
It is under the third paragraph, Highlighted in Red, and says download the sail boat sandbox plans here.