When I first saw the article about the flower planter contest, right away I started thinking about what my project was going to be. I thought about making a horse and wagon, and I decided to try it.
For this project, use ¾” plywood. (It may be treated.) The bottom of the wagon should be 18” long and 12½” wide. The sides should be 6” tall and 19½” long. The ends should be the same height and 14” long.
For the wheels, I used ¾” plywood. I used the bottom of a five-gallon bucket for a pattern. Then with a ½” shank bit on the hand router, I cut wheels 10½” in diameter.
I wanted to make the wheels look like old-fashioned wagon wheels without cutting out triangles to make spokes and a rim. First I painted the wheels the same color as the wagon. Next I taped off pie wedges and painted the spokes and rim.
For the shafts of the wagon, I cut a thin board 22½” long and notched it in about two inches to fit under the edge of the wagon. See photo below.
On the horse, instead of cutting all the angles and making the horse’s belly slanted, I made a square box and fastened a 2” x 4” onto the bottom of the box to fasten the legs on. The bottom of the box should be 12” long and 3½” wide.
The sides should be 4¼” tall and 12” long. The end pieces should be the same height as the sides and 4¾” long. Next cut a 2” x 4” as long as the assembled box and fasten it on the middle of the bottom of the box to fasten the legs to.
For the legs, I used four 2” x 2” boards about 12” long. You may angle them a little bit if you wish.
Make the neck of the horse from a 2” x 4” cut about 16” long. Cut an angle on both ends of the neck to your liking. For the head, I used a small log about 8½” long. If possible, find one that is smaller in diameter on one end, so it looks like a horse’s head. Use ¼” plywood to cut out ears however you wish. They should be about 4-4½” tall.
For the mane and tail of the horse, I used tan baler twine. If that is not available, something else will work too. Using a steel-toothed comb (a dog grooming tool that we have), I separated the strands to make it look like hair. Then I glued it fast to the horse.
When you are finished, plant flowers and enjoy! I hope you have success with your project.
