This potting desk rose from the scrap bin in my shop, was fun to build and filled one of the "Honey Do" items on my list. Click image to enlarge

Potting Desk

Text, photos & Design by Tom Hintz

My wife is an avid gardener, a hobby that generates projects that are both fun and pad my credit line in the "honey do" store of life. I had recently purchased a new table saw and needed something to build that the wife actually wanted.

   We had a photo of a potting desk the wife coveted so I loosely based my version on that. As is nearly always the case, there were several things we wanted to change in the design. Raising the working surface from 36 to 40 inches was first. We also expanded its width from 30 to 40 inches. The wife already had a container she wanted to use beneath the work surface to catch the dirt so the bottom shelf had to be lowered a bit. I also did not like the upper shelf being made from a solid board because of the puddles that surely would form as the wood aged and distorted.

This hole and recessed lid allow the soil to be scraped into the bin easily and not interfere with work on the surface when not open. Click image to enlarge

   The original design consisted primarily of 2x4's with nearly all of the joining parts simply nailed over each other. Mortise and tenon joints seemed far more appropriate.

   The lower platform is made from strips ¾ by 1 ½ inch strips 24 inches long, ripped from scrap 2x6's. I used a dab of Gorilla Glue at teach support and nailed them in place.

   The top is ¾"-thick pressure treated ply. I cut it to 40 ½ inches in length and screwed it to the frame with an equal overhang on the sides and front.

   The wife wanted a hole in the top through which she could push excess dirt into the can below. I laid out an oval-shaped opening 13 by 4 ¾ inches that is right over a container sitting on the lower shelf to hold the material.

   A small shelf runs across the backside of the top. Like the lower, the top shelf is made from 1 ½ x ¾ inch strips. A drop of Gorilla Glue and a finish nail at each support secures them.  

The shelf uprights are cut from plain 2x6 material and rounded with my circle-cutting jig. Click image to enlarge

 I rounded the side and from edges of the top with a ¼ inch roundover bit and gave the work surface a light sanding before turning it over to my wife for a coat of weather sealer.

   This potting desk turned out very nice, and just what my wife wanted. The fact it came almost exclusively from scraps laying around the shop was a plus. It is fun to go out and buy a load of nice lumber for a project, but it can be just as fulfilling to build something useful out of your scrap bin.

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