Balcony/Patio Railing Window Box Planter

Inspired by wooden planters sold at big box stores, as well as wanting a cohesive look for my garden and more space on my balcony, I made these repurposed pallet wood planters to hang over my balcony railing.

List of Components:

• Pallets 
  • I used 2 to make (5) 23" long planters
    • I was worried about strength and chose to make shorter planters, but having used these planters for ~1 month, they could probably be up to twice as long and still hold up well
• (12) 1" screws and (8) 1¼" or 1½" screws per planter
  • I ended up using 16 total screws which seemed sufficiently solid, but the design can hold up to 20 screws 
• (2) 1" metal corner braces per planter 
  • Adds extra strength for each hanger, but still very strong without it
• Mitre saw
• Short stubby screwdriver, or 
• Long screwdriver
• 2x Hangers and 2x Brackets (R & L)
• Some method of sealing the wood 
  • Or don't seal it, up to personal preference

Printing Instructions (Hanger/Bracket):

• 4 walls, 15% triangle infill 
• Hanger
  • PETG
  • Add a pause to insert the 1" corner brace
  • Paint On Supports 
    • Do NOT auto generate supports because it will create supports in the corner brace void and won't allow you to insert the metal brace
• Brackets
  • PLA+ or PETG
  • Also needs supports, auto generate OK

The Process:

1. I hosed off the pallets and let them dry as they were rather dirty.
2. Then I took the pallets apart for the long top and bottom deckboards, taking care not to damage the boards too much when removing the nails.
   • Keep track of your nails! You don't want to accidentally puncture a tire.
3. The boards were cut into 23" lengths using a mitre saw. Damaged parts of boards were also cut off. 
   • 
   • 
     • Before and after being cut
4. Rather than stain the wood, I decided to use the Shou Sugi Ban method of preserving wood as I much prefer the look. 
   • 
   • As I have just a small torch, I burned only the portions of wood that will be visible when the planter is fully assembled. If you are concerned with longevity, the best practice would be to burn all 6 sides of the boards and seal with oil. 
   • 
     • The difference between unburned, burned, and brushed to expose the wood grain.
5. After brushing the black char off, I elected not to rinse the boards of soot since I wasn't going to oil them either.
6. I slotted the boards into the 2x Brackets (R & L) and carefully screwed everything together.
   • Drill was used to make pilot holes as necessary.
7. The 2x Hangers were attached and also screwed on.
   • 
     • Holes are for long screwdriver to screw Hanger onto Bracket
8. Admire and enjoy!