Stainless bowl hanging planter

Materials: Blanda 14" stainless bowl

Description:
1. Drill-guide jig is cut out (using radial saw) for lip of bowl and held in place with clamps. Underneath is a piece of cardboard marked with the locations of the 4 holes.
2. Tools: drill with self-pilot bit, hammer, center punch, wire cutters, another drill with countersink bit, and swaging tool.

3. Materials: 48" stainless cables with swaged ends (ebay), dual cable ferrules (ebay), stainless eyes and s-hooks (Home Depot), and these marvelous little disks I got out of a surplus box at Minton's hardware closing sale.

4. Center punch and drill drainage holes.

5. Place bowl in jig and drill through jig and bowl.
6. Rotate bowl 180 degrees, align with mark, and drill again through jig.
7. Rotate bowl 90 and 270 degrees, drilling remaining holes through jig.
8. Use countersink bit to remove sharp metal bits.
9. Thread cables through disk, making sure not to cross them.

10. Loop loose ends of cable and insert into ferrules.
11. Swage the aluminum ferrules, this takes 6 passes, 3 for an initial crimp and 3 more to really squish them. Very fun, but watch your fingers!
12. Insert an s-hook.
13. Hang and level.

It worked out perfectly that the cables I found were exactly the right length (48") and had one end with a swage fitting pre-attached. You can use regular stainless wire rope too (3/32") and cut it to length yourself - then you'll have to use the ferrules on both ends.

The discs are not absolutely essential but seem to help to add some cable tension that keeps the bowls at level.

~ Mark Papamarcos, Silicon Valley, CA