NoelAvenell

Hi Ana. My name is Noel Avenell and I live on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. The Gold Coast is a city located about 70 kms south of Brisbane, capital of the state of Queensland. I am aged 72 years, and I am retired. I heard about Ana White from my daughter-in-law, Deirdre, who is a big fan of yours. Deirdre is a very keen woodworker, and she really enjoys making furniture and loads of other stuff in wood. She and my son are in the process of building their second tiny house, and I am very impressed with the work they do, especially Deirdre’s building skills.
A few months ago I joined the Nerang Men's Shed, which is a local organisation that encourages men to come together and socialise, plus to work on projects. Such projects may be in the large woodworking area of the shed, or the metalworking area. I prefer working with wood, although my experience is fairly basic, compared to the other guys, many of whom are retired builders, carpenters, etc. However the guys are always ready to provide assistance and advice, especially when it comes to using the many power tools, saws, planers, sanders, etc etc. I have learned so much in the past six months since joining the Men’s Shed.
As a matter of interest, there is a network of Men’s Sheds throughout Australia offering support to men. Also for your info, adjacent to the Men’s Shed that I attend, there is the “Sheila’s Shack”, which is for ladies.
So that is the background, Ana. Based on what I had heard about Ana White, I started watching some of your many videos on YouTube, and looking at plans on your website. I decided to make a wooden planter box, based on your “Easy Build DIY Planter Box” made from cedar and painted white. Obviously I had to amend the measurements into metric, plus I used plywood rather than cedar. Using the equipment at the Men’s Shed, plus some helpful advice from the guys, I was delighted with the finished product. This planter box sits by our front door, and is not exposed to the weather, so plywood was fine.
Based on the design of that first planter box my wife asked if I could make a couple of similar boxes, that could be used outside in the garden. For these I used 150mm x 25 mm rough sawn pine timber, which was treated for external use and okay to hold soil. Using machinery at the Men’s Shed I dressed the rough sawn timber and when completed stained it with a Deck and Exterior Timber stain.
Since then I have built a further 7 similar planter boxes for other parts of our garden, as well as a larger planter box for vegetables and herbs. Everyone who visits our home are very impressed and complimentary about the planter boxes, and I am quite proud of what I have built.
So, Ana, very many thanks for your part in my woodworking journey.