Open-front leaf-mold bay

Contain fallen leaves on soil while leaving the front open for turning and removal.

Editorial construction draft. Original digital diagrams; no physical build or load certification. Read dimensions, fit and use limits before making changes. US customary dimensions control; metric values are references.

Before marking and cutting

• Measure the stated stock sections before cutting. Use the cut-list geometry, not scale measurements from the drawing.
• US inch dimensions control; millimeter values are rounded conversions. Ordinary cut target ±1/16 in (1.6 mm); fit commercial accessories before boring attachment holes.

Use limits

• Original bounded garden component, not an occupied structure.
• No human standing, sitting, climbing, lifting or fall protection use. No stated safe working load.
• Geometry and fastener quantities are editorially checked; no prototype build, wind test or crop trial is claimed.

Materials and cuts

Hardware and consumables

• 60 #8 × 1-1/2 in exterior screws, 2 per slat/post crossing
• 4 exterior angle braces with 16 compatible #8 × 1 in screws
• 4 separate ground restraints chosen for the soil/site

Tools

• Tape measure and steel rule
• Pencil, square and clamps
• Saw suited to the stated stock; eye and hearing protection
• Drill/driver, countersink and bits matched to fasteners
• Sandpaper and edge file; gloves when handling cut mesh

Assembly

1. Plan the open-front leaf-mold bay for this result: Contain fallen leaves on soil while leaving the front open for turning and removal. Confirm the design reference before cutting: Frame inside width/depth 33 × 33 in (838.2 × 838.2 mm); outside slats extend beyond it. In the drawings x runs left to right, y runs front to rear and z runs upward.
2. Verify the required stock before laying out these parts: 1 × 3 in board: actual 0.75 × 2.5 in (19.05 × 63.5 mm); 2 × 2 in board: actual 1.5 × 1.5 in (38.1 × 38.1 mm). Reject split or twisted wood and unknown salvage; thinner stock requires recalculating the joints, not simply using the listed lengths.
3. Cut and label the finished parts: 4 Corner posts 36 × 1.5 × 1.5 in (914.4 × 38.1 × 38.1 mm), mark P01; 10 Side slats 36 × 2.5 × 0.75 in (914.4 × 63.5 × 19.05 mm), mark P02; 5 Rear slats 36 × 2.5 × 0.75 in (914.4 × 63.5 × 19.05 mm), mark P03. Keep saw kerf outside each finished line. Rip only where the finished width is narrower than the actual stock; use a suitable guide and target ±1/16 in (1.6 mm) for ordinary cuts. Dowel triples mean length × diameter × diameter, not square dowel stock.
4. Lay out four post outside faces as a 36 × 36 in square on a level work area. These are above-ground posts, not specified buried foundations.
5. Build each side with five 36 in slats on the outside face of its posts. Slat lower edges are z = 0, 8, 16, 24 and 32 in.
6. Pilot two screw holes at each end of every slat, at least 3/8 in from edges. Install forty 1-1/2 in screws across the two side panels.

7. Stand the two side panels parallel with the rear post faces aligned at y = 36 in. Clamp temporary spacing sticks across the open front.
8. Attach the five rear slats outside the rear posts at the same heights, using twenty more 1-1/2 in screws. The rear slats do not cover the side slat end grain.
9. Fit four angle braces inside the rear corners, two at z = 8 and 24 in on each side. Use compatible 1 in screws and keep braces out of the turning path.
10. Remove temporary spacing sticks, set the bay directly on well-drained soil and attach each post to a separately selected ground restraint. Do not place against a building or over buried services.
11. Add loose clean leaves without packing them solid. The open front remains accessible; turn and manage moisture according to the material and local composting guidance.
12. Complete the acceptance checks below before putting the assembly into service. Record any changed stock thickness, fastener or equipment fit on the project sheet. The published geometry has not been physically built or load-tested.

Checks

• Frame inside width/depth 33 × 33 in (838.2 × 838.2 mm); outside slats extend beyond it.
• Open front has no trip rail; four ground restraints stop rocking before filling.

Operation

• Leaf containment only, not a hot-compost sanitization claim or retaining wall.
• Do not load soil, stones, manure slurry or people against the slats.

Cleaning and maintenance

• Check screws and braces when empty; replace decayed slats and clear drainage.

Primary context

These sources inform the context and do not endorse the original construction design.

• E05 · Managing and composting horse manure