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Tapered planters up to seven pickets tall, built flat on the ground: nail pickets to angled 1x2s, saw the assembled panel apart, and the offcuts become the other two sides.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L | Material | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corner cleats, layer one Length = combined width of your picket stack (38-1/2" was seven pickets in the source build — measure YOUR pickets). | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 38 1/2" | 1x2 furring | ☐ |
| Corner cleats, layer two Same measure-your-own rule. | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 38 1/2" | 1x3 furring | ☐ |
| Item | Qty | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar fence picket, 5-1/2" x 72", not dog-eared (Cedar) One picket per row of height — seven for the tallest planter, three for the shortest. | 7 each | ☐ |
| 1x2 furring strip, 8 ft Corner cleats. One board covers planters three or four rows tall; two for taller. | 2 each | ☐ |
| 1x3 furring strip, 8 ft Second layer of corner cleats. Same count rule as the 1x2s. | 2 each | ☐ |
| Brad nails, 1" and 1-1/4", 18 ga | 150 each | ☐ |
| Waterproof wood glue Exterior-rated, for the cleat layers. | 4 oz | ☐ |
| Exterior screws, #8 x 1-1/4", self-tapping, star drive Lock the top and bottom rows — brads alone won't hold the box long-term. | 16 each | ☐ |
| Scrap wood for the bottom Only if filling with soil rather than dropping a pot inside. Leave drainage gaps. | 1 each | ☐ |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber varies by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Circular Saw, Pencil, Speed Square, Tape Measure. Materials: Cedar fence picket, 5-1/2" x 72", not dog-eared, 1x2 furring strip, 8 ft, Brad nails, 1" and 1-1/4", 18 ga
Lay your pickets — up to seven — side by side on a flat surface, ends lined up as closely as the pickets allow.
Draw the first side line at 5° off square across all of them, and nail a 1x2 along it with 1" brads, two per picket. Then measure over for your planter size and draw the second line tapering INWARD toward the first — the planter side lives between the lines. Top outside widths: 20" for 7 pickets tall, stepping down 1" per row to 16" for 3 pickets. Nail the next 1x2, and repeat until all four 1x2s are on and the last line is drawn.
Now set the circular saw blade to exactly 1-1/2" deep and cut along the layout lines. The panel falls apart into tapered planter sides with their cleats already attached. Set the big offcut pieces aside — they are the material for the other two sides, not scrap.
Tools: Brad Nailer. Materials: 1x3 furring strip, 8 ft, Brad nails, 1" and 1-1/4", 18 ga, Waterproof wood glue
Swap the nailer to 1-1/4" brads. Glue and nail the 1x3s onto the 1x2s, outside edges lined up. This second layer builds each corner into an L that the free sides land on — it's what turns four tapered boards into a box with real corners.
Tools: Brad Nailer, Drill / Driver. Materials: Cedar fence picket, 5-1/2" x 72", not dog-eared, Brad nails, 1" and 1-1/4", 18 ga, Exterior screws, #8 x 1-1/4", self-tapping, star drive, Scrap wood for the bottom
Nail the saved offcut picket pieces to the 1x3 cleats with 1" brads to form the remaining sides.
Then drive the 1-1/4" screws through the top and bottom rows at every corner. The brads hold things in place; the screws are what keep a soil-filled planter from opening up at the seams two summers from now.
Drop a plastic pot inside, or staple landscape fabric and add a scrap-wood bottom — set partway up if you don't want to fill three feet of planter with dirt. Leave gaps for drainage either way.