Took the week off before Turkey Day to get some much needed yardwork done, and we got a heatwave…90+ here all week long. So I decided to spend the hotter parts of the day doing something I wanted to do. Built my own brackets from 1x4s and 1x2s on an old barrel planter and used my next to last 31" circle of track. The barrel is on a roller base so I can move it around. Next is to fill it up and figure out rocks and planting. I screwed the 1x4s in place from the inside thru the barrel. The 1x2s are then screwed down from the top into the 1x4s. The 1x2s overhang the top of the barrel and will help keep everything in place. Yes the lower piece is a platform for the powerpack. Still haven’t finalized the wiring to do something nicer looking. Stained the 1xs and gave the barrel outside a coat of stain since taking these pics. It’s very much made from whatever I have laying around I could recycle.
FYI how to cheat on finding the angle of the barrel sides without a fancy adjustable square our using any math. I just took a longer 1x4 laid across the barrel top, take a second 1x4 about the height of the side and screw it to one end on the side of the long 1x. Lay the long 1x across the top, twist the smaller 1x until it’s tight to barrel side and add a second screw to fix it in place. Move it around the barrel to ensure the angle is consistent on all sides. Next make a pencil line of the angle on the long 1x and then remove the short 1x. Using a square draw a 90° at one side of the diagonal line and measure the distance, in my case the distance was 3/8". I then simply used the 3/8" measurement to transcribe the angle of the barrel side to the rest of the 1x4s used. The top measuring 6", the bottom 6-3/8". When screwed to the barrel all the support brackets will install consistently level.
Couple detail pics of the brackets. I pre-drilled the holes thru the 1x2s and countersunk for the screw heads to prevent splitting, which can be an issue with thin wood like that. I also pre-drilled the hole for the track fastener for the same reason. The 1x2s laid flat give a nice wider platform for the track. I used 8 brackets total for good support. I think the HLW version only used 6 brackets.
Update, someone smarter than me suggested filling in the bottom with a false bottom or filling it with styrofoam to take up space and lighten it up. So…three Lil Big Hauler box fillers later. Will use sand to fill it so it will drain better than the adobe hard dirt we have.
Night shift work. Two bags of sand, rocks from the pile, now adding crushed gravel topping.
Rocksand things., I added rocks sculpturally I have and infilled the top with crushed gravel. In keeping with my tradition of using whatever the hell is available when I build, I then hacked together two structures using some treated lumber scraps, looks reasonable if you squint. I have a couple ideas to reduce their brutality. Next over time I will sort in small succulents into the nooks and crannies. But it’s getting close.
Its 32" diameter, originally made by Aristo-craft, now they are gone. Couple more pics, including the new “Hole In The Head Mine” being built in Large Scale Centrals annual build challenge.
Pics to date, the Hole in the Head mine is now complete, buildings stained including a couple little extras, plants in place using succulents and the odd weed. Nothing very elaborate but I can’t help but smile a wide grin whenever I look at this last photo.
To be honest Tom, in order to have some greenery on the layout before the build challenge deadline I used artificial succulents that I had on hand, the idea being to replace them over time as I haven’t had time to trawl the local nurseries for the specific succulents I want. I have to be very careful and selective choosing them, some that start really small grow into big monster plants.
This whole project has been really cool. I took a rough guide off your ideas when creating my own…sturcture (generously)…for the Large Scale Central challenge.
One thing to consider. Get some extreamly small flower pots or a 3 year old’s tea set. Letting the roots become root bound will keep the plants very small. Yearly maintenance, pull the plant out of the pot, trim 20% of the roots, add some potting soil. Works very well with suculants.
Nothing very elaborate but I can’t help but smile a wide grin whenever I look at this last photo.![http://www.largescalecentral.com/public/album_photo/37/39/02/23500_4d4c.jpg?c=221e[\img]](http://www.largescalecentral.com/public/album_photo/37/39/02/23500_4d4c.jpg?c=221e%5B%5Cimg%5D){kind=link}