I get to build boxes this weekend...

Flippin' YAY! Finally, I have the time, and the weather will, sort of, cooperate. I won't be putting soil in yet, but I can at least get the wood screwed together and get them in their respective places in the yard.

And, mine will be 8 inches deep. Not for any specific reason other than the 2x8's were cheaper than the 2x6's today...lol. Now, I can fluff those babies up to the rim and let things settle to be at least 6 inches. AND, my "deep" boxes only need to be made of 2x4's to get me 12 inches....even cheaper. Wow, I should change religions (no offense meant).

However, I do have one question I noticed while shopping......and it goes with my religion change. I noticed, when looking at the conduit for a trellis, that they also have PVC conduit. I don't think there's a difference between that and standard PVC, but the conduit is gray and cheaper...by about 25%!

Anyone have experience between the two? If not, I will give the gray stuff a shot.

BackyardBirdGardner wrote:... I noticed, when looking at the conduit for a trellis, that they also have PVC conduit. I don't think there's a difference between that and standard PVC, but the conduit is gray and cheaper...by about 25%!...

Um, if I understand correctly...Generally, PVC comes in white for plumbing use, and gray for electrical use. The gray is UV resistant and supposedly will last longer. Pick the cheapest or your favorite color, either way, they'll work for gardening.

Depending on the size and shape of your trellis, PVC may not be the best choice. For larger trellises carrying heavier loads, you'll get better results using electrical EMT. That's the galvanized metal tubing.

I didn't mean to confuse you into thinking I was going to use the PVC for a trellis. I was just looking at EMT and noticed the PVC conduit right above it. The PVC is for the hoop house I will be building soon.

The great part is the gray PVC is .95c for a 10' length. The white PVC is 1.35ish. I thought, "holy cow what a savings!!" When, in actuality, it's about $3....lol.

I'm tellin' ya I can pinch a penny so hard Lincoln's nose comes out his posterior.

BackyardBirdGardner wrote:I'm tellin' ya I can pinch a penny so hard Lincoln's nose comes out his posterior.

And I used to squeeze a nickel hard enough to make the buffalo pass gas!

boffer wrote:

BackyardBirdGardner wrote:I'm tellin' ya I can pinch a penny so hard Lincoln's nose comes out his posterior.

And I used to squeeze a nickel hard enough to make the buffalo pass gas!

Darn, you got me again. Matching wits with you is gonna be fun.

BackyardBirdGardner wrote:

boffer wrote:

BackyardBirdGardner wrote:I'm tellin' ya I can pinch a penny so hard Lincoln's nose comes out his posterior.

And I used to squeeze a nickel hard enough to make the buffalo pass gas!

Darn, you got me again. Matching wits with you is gonna be fun.

Oh my, I laughed so hard I almost... lol.

Here are my two boxes. Had the kiddos help me drag them into place today. I feel like such a tard, though. I always have things overly planned out and go and wreck myself with the overthinking. Envision the village idiot out in the back yard with lincoln log looking boxes dragging them around like he's rearranging his living room. Envision that, and you accurately saw the video of my afternoon.

At one point, I looked up to see the wife on the deck scratching her head. I'm pretty sure she was wondering if she married a man or a monkey. But, whatevs...she's stuck now. (She actually came down to give her two cents...I like to embellish a bit.)

BEFORE..


AFTER...


That is a 2x8 inside a 4x12....only took 5 pieces of lumber....3 2x8x12's and 2 2x8x8's. And, the 8inch lumber ran cheaper than the 6inch.....oops I already mentioned that. But, hey, I am still psyched over saving the couple bucks and getting a couple more inches. (If only everything else in life adhered to that rule........I'm talking boats people....get those minds out of the gutters.)

I'm thinking you'd better plan on making a little extra MM to account for that outward bow in the one long board! :whistle:

Funny thing about "saving money." Sometimes it actually costs you.

I get excited about saving some duckets on wood, and of course realized my MM calcs were based on 6" beds. Now, I have to supply 2 more inches across my beds. Translated into volume, thats another 5.333 cu ft of MM I have to make/buy.

Looks like the net savings of $3 is really going to cost me another several bucks.

So, who needs an accountant this season? I am volunteering my services.....and slide-ruler.