Weekender: Rolling plant stand

Rearranging heavy and cumbersome potted plants is a chore I can do without; it's a back injury waiting to happen. For my indoor plants I bought an inexpensive rolling stand from a garden centre, and that gave me the idea for this heavy-duty outdoor version. It's just a box on lawn mower wheels, with slats on the top to support the pot.

Rising 8" above the surface of the deck, this rolling plant stand made from cedar is great for creating tiered arrangements

Choose materials that stand up to wet weather. Cedar is a good, rot-resistant choice that's available everywhere. To hold it together use stainless steel or brass screws and an exterior-grade glue like a Type II PVA or polyurethane adhesive. Predrill for all screws and countersink the heads flush, or set them 1/4" deep and cover the heads with wooden plugs, as I did.

Build a Box
Begin by preparing the side and end members. Drill a 1/2"-dia. hole in each side to hold the axle rod. The best way to ensure that the axle holes line up perfectly is to stack the sides together and drill through both at the same time.

Next, cut out a hand slot in one of the end pieces. Start by drilling 1"-dia. holes with centres 4" apart, then remove the remaining material with a scroll saw or jigsaw. For a comfortable grip, round the lip of the handle openings on both sides with a table-mounted router using a 1/4"-dia. round-over bit.

Prepare the two front legs next with a 3/4" radius curve cut on the bottom corners; this detail is both decorative and functional. If left square, the corners will catch on rough ground and splinter. Rounding corners avoids this problem, and it looks better, too. Finish off the legs by applying a 1/4" round-over profile to all exposed edges with a router.

Attach the legs to the side pieces before the box is assembled. Position the legs 1" back from the front edge of the side members to allow room for the end pieces you'll add later. Use glue and 1 3/4"-long screws to secure the legs to the sides. Drive the screws from the inside surfaces so the heads are hidden.

Now you can assemble the box with glue and three screws at each joint. A couple of clamps will hold everything together while you work. With the sides and ends assembled into a frame, cut out the slats and bevel their top edges with a 45° chamfer bit at the router table.

Glue and screw the slats to the top of the box. It's best to attach the two end slats first, then evenly space the rest in between. Don't bother measuring; you'll get best results with spacers cut from scrap wood placed between each slat.

Use a hacksaw to trim the axle rod length, then file the burrs off the ends. A pair of setscrew collars will keep the wheels from moving in on the axle. The plans show how the axle, washers, collars and axle caps go together. Follow the drawing, tighten the setscrews, then tap the axle caps in place with a hammer.

Give the stand a final sanding, then coat with Circa 1850 Tung 'n Teak Oil, an exterior finish that's worked well for me on other projects.