jJim McLaughlin wrote:
Ray K wrote:
I'm building an outdoor planter box(about 6.25"x6.25"x13 feet)that
will attach to the side of my house. The pine lumber was nominally
1x8, ripped to 6.25" and with a true thickness of 3/4". How should I
select a screw or nail to attach the 7.75 x 6.25" end cap? I only have
3/4" to stick the fastener into, which means that there is only 3/8"
of wood on either side of the fastener.

The concern is splitting. Number 7 screws, 1.5" cause splitting, even
if I predrill; #6 screws can work if I predrill everything and am
careful to make the pilot holes perfectly parallel to the face of the
lumber. With about 40 fasteners required, this is tedious.

The original box was held together with 1.5" staples. I don't own a
stapler, but renting one is a possibility. Any suggestions for nail
sizes?

Thanks,

Ray

This has been a great thread and I learned a lot about screw geometry.
Thanks to all who have contributed.


I have one question, directed both to the OP and the other
responders.

AIUI, this is to be an outdoor planter box.

Why pine?

Why not a wood more resistant to the kinds of damage that
dirt and water in a planter box will do to wood?

Seems to me the labor part of building this (as evidenced by
the OP's iitial question) is the hardest part. In my experience,
with pine, you are going t d this agan in 5 - 7 years.
Why not use cedar or cypress or even redwood?
Or a composite? Or a really tugh South American wood?
Sure, its more expensive for materials than pine,
but ou don't have to re do it.

Pine, mainly because it's easy to get in the length (13+ feet) that I
need. Initial expense was not a factor.

The box I'm replacing was almost 40 years old and made of what appears
to be pine; considering that the cheap builder used pressed paper for
the fascia and soffits, I can't imagine him using anything but the
cheapest for the planter box. Had the inside been maintained better, I'm
sure it would have held up much longer despite being pine. The
separation at the corners where the staples pulled out could have been
easily fixed.

To improve weathering capability, I'm double priming all surfaces (and
edges and ends)with an oil-based primer before assembly. I'll apply a
latex finish coat. I don't plan to put soil in the box; it will be used
mainly to hold potted plants. I still have to figure out how to place
drainage holes for rain.