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This is porch jewelry: a miniature bench with arms and a slatted back, where the seat is a planter box. Four dog-eared fence pickets build it, and the design's one clever reuse is the reason to cut carefully — the DOG EARS themselves become the finished tops of the back slats and legs, so the roughest part of the cheapest board ends up as the decorative profile.
The cut list's own advice: make all the dog-eared cuts FIRST, then the straight cuts from what remains. The corner posts and supports come from picket scrap ripped in half (or 1x2 if you'd rather not rip). Everything assembles with galvanized brads in two lengths — this is a brad-nailer project through and through, quick enough to build two in an afternoon.
The legs build in MIRROR — the plan bolds it because it's the one way to ruin the piece. Line the seat box or drop a plastic pot in, and remember it's a planter that looks like a bench, not a bench: the cute arms are for trailing lobelia, not for sitting.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Cedar fence picket, dog-eared, 5-1/2" x 72"The dog ears are used as the finished slat tops — cut those pieces first. | 4 each |
| Brad nails, 3/4" and 1-1/4", galvanized | 100 each |
| Exterior wood glue | 4 oz |
| Plastic liner pot or landscape fabric | 1 each |
Overall cost: $. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Outside back legsFence picketDog-eared end up — cut these first. | 2 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 26" |
| Inside back slatsFence picketDog-eared end up. | 2 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 20" |
| Box bottom, front, and backFence picket | 4 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 22 1/2" |
| Box endsFence picket | 2 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 12 1/2" |
| Front legsFence picket | 2 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 14" |
| ArmsFence picket | 2 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 14" |
| Box bottom supportsRipped picket scrap or 1x2 | 2 | 5/8" × 1 1/2" × 11 1/2" |
| Back slat supportRipped picket scrap or 1x2 | 1 | 5/8" × 1 1/2" × 20" |
Buy 4 boards at 8 ft.
3 boards
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Attach a front leg and an outside back leg to each box end piece. Build the two assemblies as MIRROR images — lay them out facing each other before a single brad goes in, because two identical assemblies make half a planter twice.
Nail each arm across the top of its front leg and into the back leg. The arms are decorative structure — glue them well; they tie each side into a rigid triangle.
Nail the side assemblies to the box front and back pieces with the 1-1/4" brads — and if you have the 3/4" brads loaded, pin through the legs into the front and back as well for extra grab.
Nail the two ripped 1x2-ish strips inside the box at the bottom, fastened from all four sides with 1-1/4" brads. These little rails carry the soil load — the glue matters here more than anywhere else in the build.
Set the bottom pieces onto the supports inside the box, nailing from the outside if you want them fixed. Leave small gaps for drainage either way.
Stand the two dog-eared inside slats between the outside back legs, even gaps, ears up — check them plumb, then pin through the box back with the 3/4" brads. The ears across the top are the whole charm of the piece; step back and check the line they make before committing.
Nail the 20" support strip across the back slats from the front with 1-1/4" brads — it ties all four verticals together so the back never fans.
Sand lightly (it's decor, but splinters aren't rustic), line the box or drop in a pot, and plant something that spills over the little arms.
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