Tip for filling raised beds cheaply. Fill the bottom with logs and branches from the garden and then smaller sticks and twigs. Then top off with your soil or compost. Us gardner's call it hugelkultur beds . As the logs and branches rot they feed the plants. And it holds moisture for longer so you don't need to water as much. You may have to top up soil after a few years. Fantastic video Stuart. Thank you for taking the time to film and edit the videos. Best wishes from Ireland 🇮🇪
Thank you so much for this. Probably the best I've seen. Great tip on cutting the timber. Love the fact that you have all the correct tools for the job, even up to the end with the hopper overhanging the planter, with plastic underneath as you filled with soil. Excellent video... and finally.. the finished result looks amazing. What a pro! 👍
I’ve scoured the internet searching for the secret to cutting through thick sleepers … you’re my hero and I’d like to join your cult mighty leader. Cheers
Start your cuts on the narrow edge first. Gives more of the rafter square to run off. Then on all the wide sides you have the cut already started and gain more square to run off
I always place my sleepers on a trench slightly wider than the sleeper and filled with a few inches of gravel.This stops damp rising up into the sleepers from the surrounding ground and also allows drainage from water/rain falling inside the sleeper bed. Much less work than laying on blocks, cheaper and the sleepers will last much longer.
When I did mine, I painted the in sides with bitumen plus all the joining faces, taking care not to get any on any of the visible faces, after 10+ years it's holding up really well, not visible signs of rot, and the plants have done really well.
I wondered about doing this, but also wondered if any nasties from the bitumen would leech into the soil. I guess you're still here after 10 years, so it can't be that bad😂
@@stuartday1876 that was a concern, but with a bit or research once cured it’s fine, after all before plastic this was the goto to tank water tanks. The key is you must leave it a day or two to cure first.
@@stuartday1876I used 5"x 2" untreated timber, rather than sleepers. Every year I put a quick coat of wood preserver on the visible surfaces. After ten years, the outsides still looked perfect but the insides had deteriorated to the point that I replaced the timbers. I reckon ten years is a reasonable lifespan.
Love the fact that you line them with dpm and lay it longer at the bottom to push the water away from the bottom edge, plus stainless steel staples. I've just built all my beds and done exactly the same method which I did several years ago and missed lining one bed. When I moved and took them apart the unlined one had completely rotted and I had to replace the timbers and that only took 2 seasons! Lining is essential and so glad you did it. Good job that. Well done.
i'm making some beds at the moment. Totally agree with how to cut the timber, it gets a great cut everytime! I've removed the turf (and weeds) on the ground, added a weed membrane then sat the sleepers on a bed of gravel. For filling the beds, we've been collecting cardboard boxes for months to pack out the base of the beds, then smaller branches and twigs and leaves we've been compasting too. Nice job mate, looks professional!
Very smart indeed. I made one 25 years ago (not as posh as this one), it has finally fell apart through rot. Just give an idea of how long it will last. If i make another one now it should see me out.
Nothing but praise for this video, you have crammed a huge amount of excellent advise into the one project! The sleeper cutting description was spot on and I'm impressed by the tidy DPC lining!
Ah Stuart I absolutely love those raised beds. And when planted they look even more spectacular. Well done. Great idea about turning the wood 90 degrees for a cleaner cut.
Lovely job! 👍🏿 Multi skilled tradesman here (20+yrs 😁) and avid DIYer all my life (57+ yrs 😔). I watch many of this type of video and can wholeheartedly endorse everything communicated in this video. The little things like checking the accuracy of your circular saw blade to plate tutorial before even attempting to make a cut are often overlooked in tutorials and it's these little things that separate the "men from the boys", as they say. Just found your channel, subscribed and intend to go through your other videos with interest as no matter how many years you've been doing this work, "every days a school day ". Finally, and fabulous production quality (impact driver synced with music, cool 😎). Keep up the top notch work brother! 👍🏿
I followed your cutting instructions, after a couple of near misses, my sleepers were millimetre perfect. great video and clear demonstrations. I learned alot! Thanks.
Has anyone else has the screen blackout at 17:26 ? Great video, coming from someone who built a raised 4m x 4m veggie bed, it is expensive to buy the compost needed to fill it. Great produce has come from it over the years though 😊
I used basement tanking membrane (with 8mm dimples) to protect my oak sleepers from the soil. It also forms an air gap between the soil and the sleepers. I used composite wood (80x80) for my internal battens as I didn’t want visible fixings on the outside. When using solid oak then always use stainless screws as even the coated ones will eventually be eroded by the oak. My sleeper beds costs a small fortune but they should last many years 🤞🤞😅
Thanks for the idea about the basement membrane. This will work really well to prevent rot, since our area has a lot of rain & high humidity... not to mention the months of snow. I’m always reluctant to build anything directly on the ground, since it ends up staying wet the majority of the year. I’m going to check my local sale sites &/or Habitat for Humanity ReStore for someone's build/remodel leftovers so I don't have to buy a new roll (which is more than I would need).
Perfect timing because a sleeper raised bed is my next project and I have thought of cutting the thick wood as you first described which was so wrong. Thanks for the tip.👍
one thing worth pointing out with your fixings you used 200mm which is great example. reason being, the shank clears the first sleeper entirely, so only the threads are and small portion of the shank are in the adjacent sleeper. great method, since the shank being completely through the first sleeper will allow for the two sleepers to be pulled into each other when you go to tighten the fixings. very nicely done
Those torx headed screws are excellent.. Used them in my garden - sleepers have been in 3 years with those and there is absolutely no corrosion or movement
Thank you, so much, for using the Imperial measurement right after the Metric one! It saves me a lot of time. I wish we, in the States, had switched to modern Metric long ago, when you all did -- but, alas: Les Americains! Mon Dieu!
In 1975, Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act, which declared metric as the preferred system of the United States, and the U.S. Metric Board was created to implement the conversion.
Super stuff Stuart. Loving the channel it has helped me do jobs round the house and garden so much. I think I'll give this a go iver the summer. It's just what the patio needs. Thanks for taking the time and effort to make these videos. All the best sir.
Great little project, the beds look really good. One thing I learned with my raised beds is to incorporate some irrigation - I initially thought that was what you were doing when you first dug the trench. I use buryable hose which is looped around each of the beds and the end is capped off. Each bed can then have your irrigation of choice tee'd off the loop of buried hose. Watering all the beds at the same time just means connecting the buried hose to the garden hose for a little while. Saves the tedium of visiting each bed with a watering can.
Absolutely brilliant Stuart, as someone who has worked in property maintenance and grounds maintenance for 20 plus years this is exactly how it should be done! I also went back and watched your tiling videos as I needed a refresher and they are full of useful information and tips! I doff my hat to you sir
Well done! Far too many DIY UA-camrs make the HUGE mistake of not showing IMMEDIATELY what can & will be achieved. ILLUSTRATE - DEMONSTRATE - PARTICIPATE.
Lovely job Stu looks superb. Some great ways for joining the sleepers. Charring timbers is also an option if coming into contact with ground/soil. Excellent result for you. 👌
That's a useful tip on cutting the sleepers. I'll be using some in the garden soon, and I'll definitely be availing myself of that technique. Many thanks 👍
Thanks Stuart, that's a great project that really transforms that space, as always your planning, attention to detail and clear explanations make this a superb video !
10 years ago I got real imported recycled railway sleepers and laid them directly on the ground. This year I took them up and some had rotted maybe 1/4 the way through. Still totally usable for a new project so I treated them and stacked them again putting the least compromised at the bottom. Good to go for another 10 years at least. I used the same DeWalt circular saw both times too, new blade though XD
Really enjoy watching your videos Stuart. Great tips and always useful - I’m an engineer too, and have a perfectionists brain! Love to transfer engineering thinking to working on DIY, my chippie always says I would never get a job on site - but at least I know my joints are always tight, square, and perfect, even though no one can see them sometimes 😂
These are the best looking sleeper raised beds on youtube I'm going to do mine exactly the same il have to buy a router but it will be worth it!! Only thing is I think il use bitumen paint inside rather than plastic ! Spot on stuart thank you for showing us how to do it proper.....ly
Great video. I made a jig when I did mine, like a sleeve that slotted over the sleeper and was square in each edge. Then I screwed it temporarily in place and used the circular saw to cut them. I laid mine on gravel but now wish I'd put some blocks down like this to help them last even longer.
❤ Stunning ! In every way ! I made a template for drilling the ends, so it was easy to mark up with an awl where to drill the pilot holes. Saved alot of time not having to swop over drill bits (& risk loosing them). The lining looks very tidy. When I built by (2nd lot of) veggie raised beds, I tacked the folded over lining top at 150mm spacings with clout roofing felt tacks - as I got fed up with trying to measure rows accurately, 150mm seems to be a default spacing and if it needs to be wider, easy to eye it :) I went back and retacked my first raised beds. A friend came over and saw them & didn't believe I had built them all myself. I did paint every surface with at least 3 coats if 5yr ducksback, esp all the edges & ends. For the linings I used the compost & soil bags (most were free from a friend) making sure they were neatly cut when opened, & black side facing the soil :) I put carboard at the bottom to stop the weeds from growing up through.
@@martinmorgan9 The cardboard on the base blocks the light, so kills the weeds. It was a tip from several gardening You Yube creators who have all built raised beds. Use plain brown cardboard, no white, or.shiny stuff, you can lay bits like tiles with an overlap if you have to do a large area. My raised beds are for growing food. The cardboard also decomposes as well, so ideal if growing stuff organically. You could use weed matting, however it can be a slug trap and will never decompose, of it is woven the strands come away and get tangled in everything - not good if you use a strimmer ... The cardboard also acts as a brown layer of compost, you can chick aload of grass clipping on top - green layer.
Great job Stuart - looks fantastic and should be low maintenance with the prep work you did. Thanks for the lesson on cutting sleepers accurately. I don’t why but I wouldn’t have thought on turning only 90 degrees - great tip! 👍🙂
Regarding the wood preserver. Most types you buy now are like that. They would normally be clear when you paint them on, but have the slightly white milky look really just so you know where you have already painted it on. Then we had a log cabin built about 4 years ago they would only honour the warranty if we applied 3 coats of a similar wood preserver, followed by 2 coats of Protek paint. Both are water based and went on very nicely. Neither was cheap but it's worth it to help protect the wood. And 4 years later it still looks as good as the day it was applied.
thank you for this ! some great tips. been watching your videos a long time, and can recognize your "principles" / "philosophies" regarding techniques and am trying to incorporate these in to my projects.
everything I have built out of wood, sits on concrete or block work. My Sheds, My Yardrobe (motorcycle gear outside wardrobe!!!), the bike port, decking... etc. You know we might get some rain during the year!!!
A lovely neat and tidy job, done in a practical way . As a retired joiner i can appreciate that. I have sometimes found it useful when using a butt joint on the corners,to angle the long fixing screws so they form a dove tail effect. This gives you a join with good purchase and stops the screws pulling out. l would like to think of it as my Idea, but it isn't, its just an old way of doing things that still works today. Look forward to seeing your next video. Always interesting.
Really nice idea, that takes advantage of the strength of the grain when screwing in on a slightly 'diagonal' alignment, rather like using POCKET SCREWS.
Great project, 👏🏻liked the idea of chamfered edges at the end to enhance the look 👍🏻. I maybe missed the step apologies if you did use it but would recommend using “endgrain sealer” on any Cuts before joining up the sleepers, 💪🏻 as with any Treated exterior timber even under pressure the preservatives never fully penetrate, learned the hard way and had some rot on cut ends , now do it on all outside woodwork including Fences
I've got a couple of garden benches that I coat every few years with oil. Proper teak oil lasts maybe 2 or 3 years depending on how much rain we have but one year I used the milky Cuprinol deck oil - it looked ok for the summer but after it had stood for a winter there wasn't any sign it had ever been applied.
Brilliant video Stuart as usual. Thought I’d add a couple of things as I used to do landscaping for cutting there is one other method and that’s a alligator saw obviously less accessible for the average Diyer but think you can hire them, also when I used to do it we would always either toe nail from the inside or screw from the top at an angle, with posts concreted in on all joints and corners then screwed from posts to sleepers so it’s the posts that hold it all together, that way you have no screws showing. All the best Josh
Gid Joiner (He's back after illness!) did a vid on cutting a sleeper by hand to get an accurate finish. I used this method an a 4 inch fence post and it worked pretty well.
Always love the no-nonsense and direct approach to your videos Stuart, Top tip on cutting the sleepers, I have no plans to be cutting sleepers in the near future but I'll bank the tip in the memory banks for future use. Btw the raised planter looks great, especially with the lighting top job!
Funnily enough, I, too, am turning much of my garden into a jungle... by completely neglecting it because we haven't had a rain-free day since October 2022. I hate gardening, my wife usually does most of it, but she's got a broken arm at the moment.
Looks luverly. Nice choice of plants too. An option for giving sleeper boxes an oldly-worldly look is to also use traditional square section, blacksmith staple pins, forged from wrought iron, to make it look like their holding the corners together. They were about £8 each last time I saw them but maybe cheaper if you were buying several. Genuine wrought iron for blacksmiths to use, is still available from Topp & Co and items forged from it are more resistant to corrosion than mild steel. This makes it a good option for gate latches etc. But minimum order quantities would not justify making them oneself. The only stuff I can’t find these days is ‘genuine’ cancer causing creosote.
Wow, these are the smartest raised beds anyone could wish for. Really enjoyed watching and impressed with the professional editing and lighting.
Tip for filling raised beds cheaply.
Fill the bottom with logs and branches from the garden and then smaller sticks and twigs. Then top off with your soil or compost. Us gardner's call it hugelkultur beds . As the logs and branches rot they feed the plants. And it holds moisture for longer so you don't need to water as much. You may have to top up soil after a few years.
Fantastic video Stuart. Thank you for taking the time to film and edit the videos. Best wishes from Ireland 🇮🇪
cardboard in layers as well.
@@JohnnyMotel99 or any bodies that need dumping, if you don't want to ruin the lawn
@@nightowl356 ☠️☠️☠️
@@nightowl356 Oh you mean they don't go under the patio? My bad.
Good point 👍
Thank you so much for this. Probably the best I've seen. Great tip on cutting the timber.
Love the fact that you have all the correct tools for the job, even up to the end with the hopper overhanging the planter, with plastic underneath as you filled with soil.
Excellent video... and finally.. the finished result looks amazing. What a pro! 👍
I’ve scoured the internet searching for the secret to cutting through thick sleepers … you’re my hero and I’d like to join your cult mighty leader. Cheers
Start your cuts on the narrow edge first. Gives more of the rafter square to run off. Then on all the wide sides you have the cut already started and gain more square to run off
Love the bevel on the edge of the sleepers, it gives it a really neat finish. It's the small details that make all the difference. Great job.
I always place my sleepers on a trench slightly wider than the sleeper and filled with a few inches of gravel.This stops damp rising up into the sleepers from the surrounding ground and also allows drainage from water/rain falling inside the sleeper bed. Much less work than laying on blocks, cheaper and the sleepers will last much longer.
When I did mine, I painted the in sides with bitumen plus all the joining faces, taking care not to get any on any of the visible faces, after 10+ years it's holding up really well, not visible signs of rot, and the plants have done really well.
Same 🎉
I wondered about doing this, but also wondered if any nasties from the bitumen would leech into the soil. I guess you're still here after 10 years, so it can't be that bad😂
@@stuartday1876 I wouldn't grow veg with it tbf
@@stuartday1876 that was a concern, but with a bit or research once cured it’s fine, after all before plastic this was the goto to tank water tanks. The key is you must leave it a day or two to cure first.
@@stuartday1876I used 5"x 2" untreated timber, rather than sleepers. Every year I put a quick coat of wood preserver on the visible surfaces. After ten years, the outsides still looked perfect but the insides had deteriorated to the point that I replaced the timbers. I reckon ten years is a reasonable lifespan.
Love the fact that you line them with dpm and lay it longer at the bottom to push the water away from the bottom edge, plus stainless steel staples. I've just built all my beds and done exactly the same method which I did several years ago and missed lining one bed. When I moved and took them apart the unlined one had completely rotted and I had to replace the timbers and that only took 2 seasons! Lining is essential and so glad you did it. Good job that. Well done.
i'm making some beds at the moment. Totally agree with how to cut the timber, it gets a great cut everytime! I've removed the turf (and weeds) on the ground, added a weed membrane then sat the sleepers on a bed of gravel.
For filling the beds, we've been collecting cardboard boxes for months to pack out the base of the beds, then smaller branches and twigs and leaves we've been compasting too.
Nice job mate, looks professional!
Video has come at the perfect time for me, Mrs has been asking for raised beds for a while now. I’ve no excuse after watching this 😆
Very smart indeed. I made one 25 years ago (not as posh as this one), it has finally fell apart through rot. Just give an idea of how long it will last. If i make another one now it should see me out.
Nothing but praise for this video, you have crammed a huge amount of excellent advise into the one project! The sleeper cutting description was spot on and I'm impressed by the tidy DPC lining!
Ah Stuart I absolutely love those raised beds. And when planted they look even more spectacular. Well done. Great idea about turning the wood 90 degrees for a cleaner cut.
Lovely job! 👍🏿
Multi skilled tradesman here (20+yrs 😁) and avid DIYer all my life (57+ yrs 😔). I watch many of this type of video and can wholeheartedly endorse everything communicated in this video. The little things like checking the accuracy of your circular saw blade to plate tutorial before even attempting to make a cut are often overlooked in tutorials and it's these little things that separate the "men from the boys", as they say.
Just found your channel, subscribed and intend to go through your other videos with interest as no matter how many years you've been doing this work, "every days a school day ".
Finally, and fabulous production quality (impact driver synced with music, cool 😎). Keep up the top notch work brother! 👍🏿
I followed your cutting instructions, after a couple of near misses, my sleepers were millimetre perfect. great video and clear demonstrations. I learned alot! Thanks.
Has anyone else has the screen blackout at 17:26 ?
Great video, coming from someone who built a raised 4m x 4m veggie bed, it is expensive to buy the compost needed to fill it. Great produce has come from it over the years though 😊
You take excellent care of your homestead: Reminds me of my Dad + both Grandfathers.❤
Great tip about cutting the sleeper when the skilsaw doesn't cut fully through.
I really enjoy all the little tips and tricks you show, like placing a sheet on each side of the trench when backfilling 👍👍
I used basement tanking membrane (with 8mm dimples) to protect my oak sleepers from the soil. It also forms an air gap between the soil and the sleepers. I used composite wood (80x80) for my internal battens as I didn’t want visible fixings on the outside. When using solid oak then always use stainless screws as even the coated ones will eventually be eroded by the oak. My sleeper beds costs a small fortune but they should last many years 🤞🤞😅
Thanks for the idea about the basement membrane.
This will work really well to prevent rot, since our area has a lot of rain & high humidity... not to mention the months of snow. I’m always reluctant to build anything directly on the ground, since it ends up staying wet the majority of the year.
I’m going to check my local sale sites &/or Habitat for Humanity ReStore for someone's build/remodel leftovers so I don't have to buy a new roll (which is more than I would need).
Perfect timing because a sleeper raised bed is my next project and I have thought of cutting the thick wood as you first described which was so wrong. Thanks for the tip.👍
one thing worth pointing out with your fixings you used 200mm which is great example. reason being, the shank clears the first sleeper entirely, so only the threads are and small portion of the shank are in the adjacent sleeper. great method, since the shank being completely through the first sleeper will allow for the two sleepers to be pulled into each other when you go to tighten the fixings.
very nicely done
Well spotted!
Thanks for that Stuart. The wife has been looking for raised beds for some time. Now I have no excuse.
I say that project has turned out rather splendidly. That preservative you have used has given it a rather nice rustic look!
Your videos are so inspiring. As a new home owner, your videos have really helped me do some of my own DIY projects.
Thank you!
Proper Job, learnt a few things here, especially love the reverse sheeting & baton method. Well done Sir, marvellous!
Those torx headed screws are excellent.. Used them in my garden - sleepers have been in 3 years with those and there is absolutely no corrosion or movement
Simply stunning workmanship. I am in awe!
Thank you, so much, for using the Imperial measurement right after the Metric one! It saves me a lot of time.
I wish we, in the States, had switched to modern Metric long ago, when you all did -- but, alas: Les Americains! Mon Dieu!
In 1975, Congress passed the Metric Conversion Act, which declared metric as the preferred system of the United States, and the U.S. Metric Board was created to implement the conversion.
Super stuff Stuart. Loving the channel it has helped me do jobs round the house and garden so much. I think I'll give this a go iver the summer. It's just what the patio needs. Thanks for taking the time and effort to make these videos. All the best sir.
Very nice work Stu, those chamfered edges just raise the aesthetic ten-fold. Lovely stuff!
Great little project, the beds look really good. One thing I learned with my raised beds is to incorporate some irrigation - I initially thought that was what you were doing when you first dug the trench. I use buryable hose which is looped around each of the beds and the end is capped off. Each bed can then have your irrigation of choice tee'd off the loop of buried hose. Watering all the beds at the same time just means connecting the buried hose to the garden hose for a little while. Saves the tedium of visiting each bed with a watering can.
Absolutely brilliant Stuart, as someone who has worked in property maintenance and grounds maintenance for 20 plus years this is exactly how it should be done! I also went back and watched your tiling videos as I needed a refresher and they are full of useful information and tips! I doff my hat to you sir
Jam packed with pro tips from start to finish - brilliant !!!! This is one to watch over & over :)
What a cracking job! Great to see a DIY-er at the top of their game.
I like that you've referred back to techniques used previously, like the soil mixed with cement and the veg bed lining technique.
Wow, very impressive, Stuart! Very thorough and packed full of really good practical tips. The results look fantastic.
Well done! Far too many DIY UA-camrs make the HUGE mistake of not showing IMMEDIATELY what can & will be achieved.
ILLUSTRATE - DEMONSTRATE - PARTICIPATE.
Lovely job Stu looks superb. Some great ways for joining the sleepers. Charring timbers is also an option if coming into contact with ground/soil. Excellent result for you. 👌
A lovely job! Thank you for making these tasks seem very 'doable'. Really appreciate your channel.
That's a useful tip on cutting the sleepers. I'll be using some in the garden soon, and I'll definitely be availing myself of that technique. Many thanks 👍
What a joy to watch. Linseed oil will seal and preseve your wood.
Thanks Stuart, that's a great project that really transforms that space, as always your planning, attention to detail and clear explanations make this a superb video !
10 years ago I got real imported recycled railway sleepers and laid them directly on the ground. This year I took them up and some had rotted maybe 1/4 the way through. Still totally usable for a new project so I treated them and stacked them again putting the least compromised at the bottom. Good to go for another 10 years at least. I used the same DeWalt circular saw both times too, new blade though XD
The simplest and schmickest raised beds I have seen.
Really enjoy watching your videos Stuart. Great tips and always useful - I’m an engineer too, and have a perfectionists brain! Love to transfer engineering thinking to working on DIY, my chippie always says I would never get a job on site - but at least I know my joints are always tight, square, and perfect, even though no one can see them sometimes 😂
Nothing wrong taking a bit longer and getting a quality job.
I'm with you there my friend - as yet another retired engineer, I share your values.
These are the best looking sleeper raised beds on youtube I'm going to do mine exactly the same il have to buy a router but it will be worth it!! Only thing is I think il use bitumen paint inside rather than plastic ! Spot on stuart thank you for showing us how to do it proper.....ly
Great video. I made a jig when I did mine, like a sleeve that slotted over the sleeper and was square in each edge. Then I screwed it temporarily in place and used the circular saw to cut them. I laid mine on gravel but now wish I'd put some blocks down like this to help them last even longer.
Thanks for another great project, you can't beat that engineering mind of yours, always comes up trumps.
❤ Stunning ! In every way ! I made a template for drilling the ends, so it was easy to mark up with an awl where to drill the pilot holes. Saved alot of time not having to swop over drill bits (& risk loosing them). The lining looks very tidy. When I built by (2nd lot of) veggie raised beds, I tacked the folded over lining top at 150mm spacings with clout roofing felt tacks - as I got fed up with trying to measure rows accurately, 150mm seems to be a default spacing and if it needs to be wider, easy to eye it :) I went back and retacked my first raised beds. A friend came over and saw them & didn't believe I had built them all myself. I did paint every surface with at least 3 coats if 5yr ducksback, esp all the edges & ends. For the linings I used the compost & soil bags (most were free from a friend) making sure they were neatly cut when opened, & black side facing the soil :)
I put carboard at the bottom to stop the weeds from growing up through.
Does cardboard deter weed intrusion?
@@martinmorgan9 The cardboard on the base blocks the light, so kills the weeds. It was a tip from several gardening You Yube creators who have all built raised beds. Use plain brown cardboard, no white, or.shiny stuff, you can lay bits like tiles with an overlap if you have to do a large area. My raised beds are for growing food.
The cardboard also decomposes as well, so ideal if growing stuff organically. You could use weed matting, however it can be a slug trap and will never decompose, of it is woven the strands come away and get tangled in everything - not good if you use a strimmer ...
The cardboard also acts as a brown layer of compost, you can chick aload of grass clipping on top - green layer.
Dude you’re magician! Thanks for all those videos mate👍🏼
The finished product looks absolutely stunning! Great tip for the deep cuts too 👌🏼
Thank you for this idea Stuart.Will be adding to 1001 things I need to do list.😁
Great job Stuart - looks fantastic and should be low maintenance with the prep work you did. Thanks for the lesson on cutting sleepers accurately. I don’t why but I wouldn’t have thought on turning only 90 degrees - great tip! 👍🙂
Glad you enjoyed it
Excellent job Stuart,well explained steps to achieve a lovely planter. Thanks for the video.👍👍
Glad you enjoyed it
This was absolutely fabulous thank you !!! I totally feel like this is something I can do as I have the tools - Thanks so much !
Regarding the wood preserver. Most types you buy now are like that. They would normally be clear when you paint them on, but have the slightly white milky look really just so you know where you have already painted it on. Then we had a log cabin built about 4 years ago they would only honour the warranty if we applied 3 coats of a similar wood preserver, followed by 2 coats of Protek paint. Both are water based and went on very nicely. Neither was cheap but it's worth it to help protect the wood. And 4 years later it still looks as good as the day it was applied.
Now that's a proper job! Looks awesome and should last.
What a neat tidy job that was, love it and loads of tips and tricks in there, thanks for this!
That looks absolutely gorgeous, well done sir.
Cheers for that cutting tip. Wish I'd known that before I started kids loft bed triple bunk lol
thank you for this ! some great tips. been watching your videos a long time, and can recognize your "principles" / "philosophies" regarding techniques and am trying to incorporate these in to my projects.
everything I have built out of wood, sits on concrete or block work. My Sheds, My Yardrobe (motorcycle gear outside wardrobe!!!), the bike port, decking... etc. You know we might get some rain during the year!!!
Fascinating and extremely helpful for this beginner😊👌🏻
A lovely neat and tidy job, done in a practical way . As a retired joiner i can appreciate that. I have sometimes found it useful when using a butt joint on the corners,to angle the long fixing screws so they form a dove tail effect. This gives you a join with good purchase and stops the screws pulling out. l would like to think of it as my Idea, but it isn't, its just an old way of doing things that still works today. Look forward to seeing your next video. Always interesting.
Really nice idea, that takes advantage of the strength of the grain when screwing in on a slightly 'diagonal' alignment, rather like using POCKET SCREWS.
Excellent work, the routing on top is top notch 😊
Great project, 👏🏻liked the idea of chamfered edges at the end to enhance the look 👍🏻.
I maybe missed the step apologies if you did use it but would recommend using “endgrain sealer” on any Cuts before joining up the sleepers, 💪🏻 as with any Treated exterior timber even under pressure the preservatives never fully penetrate, learned the hard way and had some rot on cut ends , now do it on all outside woodwork including Fences
I've got a couple of garden benches that I coat every few years with oil. Proper teak oil lasts maybe 2 or 3 years depending on how much rain we have but one year I used the milky Cuprinol deck oil - it looked ok for the summer but after it had stood for a winter there wasn't any sign it had ever been applied.
Brilliant video Stuart as usual. Thought I’d add a couple of things as I used to do landscaping for cutting there is one other method and that’s a alligator saw obviously less accessible for the average Diyer but think you can hire them, also when I used to do it we would always either toe nail from the inside or screw from the top at an angle, with posts concreted in on all joints and corners then screwed from posts to sleepers so it’s the posts that hold it all together, that way you have no screws showing. All the best Josh
Gid Joiner (He's back after illness!) did a vid on cutting a sleeper by hand to get an accurate finish. I used this method an a 4 inch fence post and it worked pretty well.
Thanks so much for the education! Great video ❤
This would have been awesome a week ago! Brilliant video as always
Another tip, in the bottom to reduce cost of compost/soil use polistirene from parcels etc.
Always love the no-nonsense and direct approach to your videos Stuart, Top tip on cutting the sleepers, I have no plans to be cutting sleepers in the near future but I'll bank the tip in the memory banks for future use. Btw the raised planter looks great, especially with the lighting top job!
thank you, this looks amazing, been looking for idea to edge my patio. like the bevel on the edges too :)
It looks fantastic, what a great job. From the base to the bevels, 👍
Funnily enough, I, too, am turning much of my garden into a jungle... by completely neglecting it because we haven't had a rain-free day since October 2022. I hate gardening, my wife usually does most of it, but she's got a broken arm at the moment.
Hope she gets well soon
😂😂😂
Best DIY chanel on UA-cam :)
You could not have timed this better as I am about to start replacing a rotten raised sleeper bed 😁
Great video thanks for sharing. Tip, the Phoenix palm is not hardy. I lost 4 despite fleecing.
Great job as always Stuart and well presented!
Always have steps in my sleepers .....not any more!! Thanks for the great tip.
Brilliant advice on cutting the sleepers mate legend
I really like that. It's a very worthwhile project and we'll explained.
As always Stuart, very helpful and informative many thanks.
You made a good job of that. 👏👏
Looks great stuart 👍 sunday mornings are always better when you stick up a wee video 😊
Thanks 👍
Just about to start building something like this in my garden. Thank you for the superb hints and tips.
Great job as usual, but I wish you'd decide between using mm or inches instead of both.
Excellent, and very timely for me, many thanks for all the tips
Good video with good tips. Oak sleepers are a mare to cut with a saw. I use 25mm dowl to hide the hex screws. It looks smarter than an exposed screw.
Thanks so much. Had this idea in my head and can now execute with your video
Another brilliant job,I'm moving house in August, A new build, so I'm going to have go. 🥳
Great idea on the level cuts with the smaller size saw, noted for the future! 👍
Btw, that does look good finished! 👏
Proper job....thanks for sharing.
Well done. Another great video as usual. Fantastic ideas. Always check out your channel for tips and advice. 👍🏻
I'm impressed with the easy to understand presentation,and the lack of Rock music in the background is an extra bonus
I’m new to the channel and loving it so far. Here’s your stupid question of the day: what is a sleeper?
Looks luverly. Nice choice of plants too. An option for giving sleeper boxes an oldly-worldly look is to also use traditional square section, blacksmith staple pins, forged from wrought iron, to make it look like their holding the corners together. They were about £8 each last time I saw them but maybe cheaper if you were buying several.
Genuine wrought iron for blacksmiths to use, is still available from Topp & Co and items forged from it are more resistant to corrosion than mild steel. This makes it a good option for gate latches etc. But minimum order quantities would not justify making them oneself.
The only stuff I can’t find these days is ‘genuine’ cancer causing creosote.