Build a Wooden Wheelbarrow Planter
Cedar Wheelbarrow Flower Planter with a Spoke Wheel
With our free plans, you can build your own wooden wheelbarrow planter that looks like an antique but you can easily make it yourself! What a great addition to any flower garden or landscape! With some good potting soil, a little fertilizer and water you can have flowers overflowing the sides of these beautiful planters.
We offer two different styles to choose from. The heart wheel style is a very simple project that is designed with the beginning woodworker in mind. The spoked wheel style is designed for the more experienced woodworker. Either style is sure to delight the gardener in your life and will provide years of beauty and enjoyment.
Wheelbarrow Planter Loaded with Flowers
This wheelbarrow features a spoked wagon wheel
which is a little more challenging
to make than the simple heart wheel design
shown below. The handles and legs of
this design are
made of 1 1/2 in. thick wood. The tub and spokes are made od 3/4 in. thick wood.
The plans consist of over 20 pages of detailed drawings and instructions and includes patterns for pieces that require cutting with the scroll saw.
To complete this project, You'll need:
A table saw, scroll saw, and router.
A drill press with a 5/8 in. round plug cutter for the ends of the spokes and a 5/8 in. forstner bit for spoke holes in the rim sections.
A tapering jig to cut the tapered sides of the spokes.
A tenoning jig to make the necessary cuts on the spokes.
Finished size is Approximately 53 in. by 19 in. by 19 in.
Wheelbarrow Planter with Heart Wheel
While this wheelbarrow is very similar in design to the one shown above, it features a much
simpler wheel and handles. I call it the Heart Wheel
design, which is easier
to make than the Spoke Wheel
design. The handles, legs, tub and wheels of this
design are made of 3/4 in. thick wood.
The plans consist of over 20 pages of detailed drawings and instructions and includes patterns for pieces that require cutting with the scroll saw.
To complete this project, You'll need:
- An electric saw, scroll saw, and router.
- A pocket hole jig and basic hand tools.
As with any woodworking project, choosing the correct materials is essential. These planters needs to be weather proof and decay resistant. For that, you should choose either treated lumber, cedar, cypress, redwood, or other decay resistant wood.
The planters pictured in the top and lower images are made of solid cedar. The one
filled with flowers is made of pressure treated wood that is finished with
a distressed finish
look.
Check out the following sample pages
from our free wheelbarrow plans.
Since the plans are free, you can download and read through them before deciding to
build the project
Download instructions for the complete plans file are at the bottom of this page.
Assembling the Legs
The Top View
drawing above shows how the leg components fit together as viewed
from the top.
Assemble the legs, cross member, and back brace as shown above. The legs are attached to the cross member using 1 5/8” coated deck screws as shown. The 11 1/2” edge of the cross member is flush with the side of the legs that have the 83 degree angle.
Since the 11” side of the cross member has nothing attached to the surface, it does not need to be flush with the legs. Next, fasten the back brace to the legs and crossmember using 1 5/8” deck screws. The cross member does not extend completely to the edge of the legs to allow room for the rounded edges of the legs.
Assembling the Frame
The drawing shown above illustrates how to assemble the frame for the Heart Wheel
Wheelbarrow
. The assembly for both styles are similar and the specific plans provide
instruction for that specific project.
Assembling the Wheelbarrow Tub Sides
The tub's side panels are assembled as shown in the drawing to the left. Use 1 1/4 in.
coated exterior screws to attach the braces to the side panels. Note that the bottoms of
the braces must be 3/4 in. above the bottom of the side panels.
Assembling the Ends of the Tub
The image to the left shows how the sides and ends are assembled. Note that the rear end appears to point towards the back. This is done to show an inside view of both ends.
Assembling the Tub bottom
The tub's bottom panels are assembled as shown in the drawing to the left. Use 1 1/4 in.
coated exterior screws to attach the braces to the side panels. Note that the bottoms of
the braces must be ¾” above the bottom of the side panels.
Open View - Inside of Tub
This view shows an inside view of how the tub all goes together.
Spoke Wheel Parts Drawings
Parts Drawings for the Spoke Wheel.
Heart Wheel Drawings
Partial Drawing for the Heart Wheel.
Copyright Notice
Please be aware that these plans are copyrighted and may not be distributed by any person or company except here on www.bobsplans.com. We hope you enjoy the free woodworking plans offered on this site. You are invited to download any of the plans free of charge for your own use.
Wheelbarrow.htm (09-17-2023)