Me, too, but all my cedar raised beds are finally rotting after 15 years in Oregon weather. I'm thinking making them out of Hypertufa, though. That's a whole lot lighter than solid concrete. After seeing the price on the molds, though, I'll use scrap plywood for molds, TYVM.
@@ljprep6250 Yeah, at the production scale I'd need for redoing my own beds that price is a bit steep. For my part, I have other reasons I need to make my own molds but seeing that price is just another reason on the pile.
I just received mine, I ordered two of each. I haven't used them yet but my initial opinion is that they are really well made. I do have an idea to make them somewhat better. If you created an insert that rounded the joining edges, you could join the beds at non-right angles.
My opinion? You’ve created a product that removes the learning curve and allows novices to make functional beautiful objects with a difficult material. 🔥
I teach at a community college in the construction technology department. We purchased some molds for ranch fencing, those molds were around $650 a piece (just for perspective). To anyone that thinks these are too expensive, I would challenge you to think about the amount of time saved within each casting. I built a few of the molds myself and I am seriously considering purchasing these to be able to cast them quicker. No disassembly and reassembly. No caulking the corners, no drill motor, pvc is reused and they are light! I am thoroughly impressed with the evolution of these beds molds. I contemplated making metal forms but once cast the metal along with the concrete would make them a bear to manage. These forms are genius, great work!!!!!
bought them the minute I could cause I knew even if I couldn't start pouring molds for a month or two they are easy to store and will have a lifetime of use
They're just a little too expensive for what they're made out of. And I personally think 8 inches won't be tall enough. I'm going to build my own molds that will be 24-30 inches tall and 3-4 feet long. I know that will mean they will be very heavy but it will prevent me and my family members from having to bend over to do gardening. Plus give me extra space in the raised bed for hügelkultur as well.
Found the guy on a certain other site who copied your plans and is selling this very product, but I've been following you for a while and wasn't inclined to buy from him. I know you've made it easy to build, but I lack time and confidence, so thank you for producing this mold. And thank you for the reasonable price.
Great idea! As someone who has made a lot of concrete countertops I would suggest doing a lot more vibrating. You basically vibrate the heck out of the form until no more bubbles come up. The end result will be very smooth with hardly any surface voids. Also vibration allows you to use less water which makes the concrete stronger. I have a cheap harbor freight CHICAGO ELECTRIC 3/4 HP Concrete Vibrator that costs only $99. It has survived years of abuse. Admixtures also help reduce water and include small fiberglass fibers which further strengthen the concrete. I would absolutely add rebar or mesh. These extra steps don't take long or cost much more but will have a major impact on the longevity of the pieces. And finally, in our area we have a lot of voles so I would put down some mole barrier wire at the bottom of the garden bed before setting up the sides and I would use much longer rebar pieces to help pin the garden bed down.
You made good suggestions but I think it's a bit over kill. These blocks doesn't have to be perfect looking and does not have any load stress. It's a small pieces so there is going to be no any shrinkage problem. I would not bother and just make easy peasy dry cast. Maybe with some rebar reinforcement. The key would be just wrap them in plastic for 30 days to keep wet
I've watched your wood form videos multiple times over the last few years. Haven't had the time to make them. But this new plastic mold is a game changer. Awesome!!!
I have watched your channel for years. I've been wanting to make these for a long time. Now that you have the pre-made molds, I will definitely be buying them as soon as I can afford it!
Should help alot of people out with these molds. I have been makeing a similar concrete panel and didnt like the wooden forms overall so I made one from urethane resin, but that cost $500.00 to make but is reuseable and its pretty heavy in itself. I only make lightweight panels with pearlite. I have changed up my garden beds as my needs changed and grew. I don't regret going concrete as the look is nice IMO. Again I like wood but the cost of renewing and the high cost of wood 4 yrs ago got me to change and I have had alot of great comments on my garden. Going with a mold really helps with a consistant product that is reproduceable. Super glad you stepped up and created a product that others can have the success I enjoy . CHEERS MATE! I wish you the best of luck on your endeavor.
Excellent! People often forget we have the ability to fabricate things like this often with better quality. Those concrete forms will last a decade or longer verses treated wood or cedar. I like the innovative method of designing the forms, very nicely done. :)
I really like these molds. A 48" option would be the icing on the cake. As someone who works a lot with concrete repair, I would suggest avoiding Quikrete products. I favor the Rapid Set brand products typically available at Home Depot. Also, mixing the concrete with 100% acrylic fortifier (concrete adhesive additive) helps immensely with avoiding shrinkage fractures. One could save some money and cut the fortifier with water 50/50, and still get very good results.
@@fritzwilhelm8258 You should only have to do it once. 4 foot would allow you to have a pretty good amount of adjustment. 4x8 box is 2 end panels, four 3 footers and two 2 footers. Would look quite well that way.
@@kameljoe21 I'm a fan of 4x8 beds myself. Being old, I would have to stick with the two foot molds. I think I'll try to make them out of plywood, not being independently wealth... Good talking to you.
I purchased the combo pack! Thank you for making me so easily available and I’m so happy to support you and and all your work into this TH-cam channel.
Pretty neat - I'm a long time gardener and I think there's a couple tiny tweaks to consider: 1) add indexing marks in the mold every 12 inches for people that practice Square Foot Gardening, the dimension should nicely fit a piece of wood lath. 2) I'd be interested in seeing how these look stacked higher, as I generally build deeper garden beds. 3) Have you looked at materials other than concrete with these molds, for example I think a segment of the gardening community would be interested in a more sustainable option like hempcrete or making a natural brick.
I have enjoyed watching you make these Concrete Raised Garden Boxes for years especially after seeing my wooden raised garden frames rot away. Since most square foot raised garden beds are 4 ft square or 4 ft by 8 ft rectangles, it would be great if your new ABS plastic molds had a 4 ft long mold option. I wish you the best!
The design of the panels makes them quite modular. Using the 24" panel, put 2 together to make a 48" length on the long sides with one 24" panel on each end. Better than trying to move 4' concrete panels!
@@CerberusOnFireFYI, the original MANaboutTOOLS conc. garden box forms (version I & II) provided for 4', 3' & 2' lengths which give a lot of sizing options for raised beds. By my estimate a 4' long conc. panel weights about 73 lbs. which is pretty heavy for most people. Using two 4' long panels for a 8' raised bed frame, the mid joint may tend to splay outwards (become misaligned even with a long rebar joint pin) due to soil pressure from the raised garden bed. This may be overcome with an interior tie strap from one side of the bed to the other. But as Juliet points out (due to weight concerns) it's possible to make an 8' length using four 2' panels. Yet, this may present challenges for keeping all four panels aligned (i.e. in a straight line). Bottom line: Different approaches may work for different people. For me, I'd prefer the 4' panel option.
Excellent videos, especially liked the multiple different ways to approach this, including getting the air bubbles out of the concrete with multiple different tools.
I also like that with longer rebar, you can make double or triple course planters, but unfortunately I think that would only work well as squares, as the pivot point in the middle of a 6' long panel might give way to pressure from taller soil. Have you considered some sort of tie back or other idea to prevent a long run from pivoting? If you're going to raise a bed, why not raise it to the point where you don't have to bend over... =)
I will be checking for the kit availability early April. Great timing ! Need to replace old rotted wooden boxes and wanted to learn how to do a concrete project. As a first timer, this seems very do-able. Thanks !
Fantastic video and idea to make plastic molds! I've made several wood molds from your previous videos. I really like the idea of your plastic molds. Great thinking and innovating!
My raised are 2 ft wide, like yours. Make your rebar longer, sticking 2" inches higher. Buy yourself 10 ft long CPC 1/2" or 3/4" and cut it equal 5ft pcs and bend it over there by making a mini low/high tunnel. I'm doing it now, but for shade , growing young plants until they get bigger and can handle the sun 🌞 You can also start your plants earlier, keeping the frost away and even extending the season.
I love your design. I made my own 2 years ago. Plywood coated with fibreglass resin. 32”x8”x4” . Built the bed 3 units high. Works great in Ontario 🇨🇦👍
This is a good video. As someone somewhat familiar with injection molding (we use them for battery trays) the price of $200 bucks for the pair is reasonable. What I'm not sure about is if that is reasonable compared to other methods for making raised garden beds. Those molds, plus the concrete, plus the metal plus the labor is a strong investment for garden beds. I'm leaning towards cutting the bottoms out of galvanized water tanks. I'd like to see a video comparing all the different techniques.
I'm so glad you decided to offer this mold as an option. They look awesome! I am not handy and the thing holding me back was the construction of the wood mold. This makes it much easier to work with. Thank you!
Or browns. I already have a number of raised beds made from "garden sleepers" which after protective oiling have turned a very dark brown (almost black) so would prefer a matching colour.
These are amazing. I hope you delve further into these ideas and perhaps further expand on molds for retaining walls, or border walls for gardens, perhaps some with curves. What's great about these mold designs is that they not only can function as a great box form, but also as a border wall as well.
Oh Man. i'm absolutely buying 1 for now. that one comment deterred me a bit saying it was 600$ but the are only 80-130$ based on which size. totally worth it.
You are a perfectionist. Zen way. Hard working like many DIY Americans. Great. Authenticity, clear knowledge and skill. Need to learn lot from you people about quality of work, perfection, extreme diy hardwork. Salute all DIY
I remember commenting a LOOOOONG time ago that your form should be made of recycled plastic at least 1/8 inch thick and made as a high impact composite. I see you had the same thought. I love those, my forms were made a little different but I liked your design better. I like that you had the feature strips put into the mold. I hope you make millions.
These are incredible. Kudos to you for the ingenuity and creativity. I think they are superior to even the metal beds on the market. The price point is very fair given the price of the better metal beds on the market also. Thank you.
Menards sells 3/4” coated plywood for concrete forms. I would use CSA concrete with foam to produce Aircrete. Mineral oil for form release. Love this channel.
Great idea! I have cast about 50 panels since December and need to cast about 20 more before May. I used the same concepts as your panels, but there are several differences. My panels are 18" tall x 1 3/4" thick. there's a 1/2" inset on the face of the panel. lengths range from 1.5' to 4'. I use galvanized conduit that I cut to length, and I made square pieces of metal that are siliconed into the form and suspend the conduit in place. those metal pieces are removable and reusable. I'll be welding 1/2 washers onto 1/2 rebar that will link them together. the washers make it possible to remove the rebar later. The 4' sections are certainly heavy and not for the faint of heart.
Hi, Chris here in England. I've watched you develop your panel making techniques with interest. Love your new plastic molds - looks like you are going to make some return on them. I don't think we have this system anywhere in the UK, but I'm not a gardener. I would like to suggest something as I was a production engineer before I retired. You could speed things up considerably by having a permanent vibration attachment to your table - something that you can turn on whilst you are filling the molds with concrete . This vibration will allow the concrete to flow whilst your'e filling and level it perfectly at the same time. Allowing you to get the concrete exactly the correct height. You could use a chorded drill and make a clamp system to attach the drill to the underside of your worktop so that it is positioned centrally under the mold. Make some kind of offset to clamp into the chuck on your drill to hit the underside of the worktop. Adjust the drill speed to get the best vibration rate. You can wrap an bike wheel inner tube around the drill before you clamp it to ensure it has elasticity to do the vibration and not damage the drill by fixing it too rigidly. You can produce dozens a day !
I think this guy is absolutely brilliant! I know this is for gardens and veg beds. But as I am building a passive home and worried about root infiltration and water management around my home with landscaping. This is a total solution. It would take a lot for work, but it would be a great solution to the problem of keeping the foundation clear of landscape problems around the home. Plus something you could do yourself is a plus as costs for homeowners are so out of control. I think if I could figure away to get a water management system incorporated into this design, it would be a 100% solution. My mind is now turning to figure that out. But this is a 75% solution to it all for sure. Thanks for such a great video, its just to cool.
Thanks for your ideas and demonstrations! I'd like to offer a couple tips: 1. Make a simple 5 sided wooden box to fit over any of your molds and mate with the work bench with generous clearance all around and over the mold. The box should have a hole in the top that will take a shop vac hose to apply a good vacuum to the fresh poured cement, for the purpose of expanding the air bubbles so they float out of the material. After drawing out the air bubbles, you may want to trowel again. 2. Inserting the mold pipes squeegees most of the oil off them. re-oil after inserting them. I'm also wondering if petroleum jelly might be advantageous by displacing the cement a little more for easier withdrawal. Thanks again!
I know that you could stack the original design but these ones have a slightly sloped edge so that they can be removed from the form easily So I wonder if you flip the panel the slopes would match so you could stack?
May I make a suggestion...Glue a pvc "T" on the end of the pvc pipes and it will make it easier to pull out or place in the mold instead of using a nail as cross handle. PVC glue is very strong and that "T" wont come undone under much pull pressure. Been following you under a different account and you have come a long way with these as when you 1st started with the idea. I'm very happy to see the improvements hope this can be a good financial venue for you💯 and yes...lets try the lightweight concrete as you have experimented before😊👍
Terrific product, Both the form and the boxes! I'm a professional precaster. About your air holes, I would suggest you are mixed be slightly more wet. And, after trowling the top lightly tap the edges of your form with the rubber mallet. Watch the edges of the concrete for bubbles to rise. It won't take many for you to tell how many bubbles per inch at the edge, means you have a clean pour. 👍
Great design and video, very clear presentation! A few additional thoughts: - Put plastic or paper down in the shop; protect the wood workbench, and it's easier to clean up the spills and spatters. - Avoid breathing the concrete dust; it's alkaline and has silica in it (damages lung tissue) and your body cannot dissolve and carry it away. May want a fan, or (see 9:45)a $40-ish half-mask respirator with P95 or P100 filters. - 6:40 this is a heavy load on the drill. Mix it with a heavy duty, 1/2" drill that won't burn up or have an empty battery. - Cross ties when you have more than one panel per side in a line. The pressure of the soil will tend to push them out; the less leverage that force has, the better. Maybe galv or stainless wire between the opposing sides? - Stacking for higher garden boxes? For those of us who don't do well bending over.
I saw the first box you did. Showed my handyman and he said yes. We didn't get them made before he left though. Can I make them? Positive but I lack the precision and finish. So this is brilliant and will be ordering!!!! Thank you!!!
I built a pair of forms a couple of years ago with a slight variation. Instead of using the CPVC tubing to make the holes, I cast the tubing right into the concrete and hold them in place with a wooden dowel. The CPVC helps to protect the concrete while pinning the panels together. It works great! Thanks for the mineral oil release agent idea too. This should also help to waterproof the wooden forms. I had had problems while casting multiple panels over a few days with the center of the long side boards flaring outward making a tapered edge which didn't sit well with stacking the panels. All in all, I have had great success with your idea! Thanks!
Those are a great iteration of your original design of which I built several 24” and 48” versions. If I were to turn this into a side hustle business I’d definitely be buying these molds as it is much less work to unmold these versions vs. wooden molds. That would be money well spent in time savings alone. Love to see a 48” version as well. Since most of my beds are 4’x8’ timber frame which are nearing end of life and need to be replaced. Also looking forward to the follow up video with alternative light weight products.
Great evolution! Your ABS forms are clearly a better path without build hassle utilizing less expensive mix quick.! I started with wood forms which proved problematic after several castings. 2X12 lumber cupped and twisted leading to leaks and untrue end product. Then resorted to weld 1-1/2" square tubing for the ends and 3" flat steel for the sides. These saddle over 4X11" lumber which has stayed flatter. I choose to burn lumber and wire brush making panels appear like wood. I have been using relatively expensive Quick set cement with flow control additive for easy pour. If I were to make another set of steel forms I'd use 1-1/2" angle for sides. I've used 1/2" thin walled Polycarbonate tubing as opposed to PVC with great success. Wood being saturated with hot wax. We set our panels on stainless steel chicken wire as we have MANY gophers and construct beds two panels high.
Love your channel and the way it has developed over time. Since the begginning of your show I have gotten involved in a large community garden project at Ezel Mommunity Garden in Mint Hill, NC. You should get involved with community gardens. They would be a great community to center around you channel.
Amazing idea, is there a limit to how long or wide one could go? I would love to have a 4 width and could go as long as 36 feet long. Unfortunately, the depth isn't there for me. I want to plant some invasive species and probably need about 18 inch depth to prevent the roots from spreading.
Outstanding idea, I built a mold several months back based on your initial design. I love the idea of it being a plastic mold; however, looking on the site it's priced a bit steep. I plan on purchasing in the future when I get around to improving my garden. Hoping the price drops a bit around that time. Great work, great design, huge fan!
I was lead here by the TH-cam Algorithm because of my researches for my garden. I want to make some garden boxes and I would love to make them inconcrete, I found the wood notenough resistant through time. Your plastic molds are a fantastic idea ! And I think I saw your previous video about it a few months ago. But unfortunatly they are kinda expensive for me. Loved your video, loved your ideas, loved your work. You won a sub ! Cheers from France !
Nice molds! I would love to see a video on the journey you went on to produce the injection molds! Other ideas for how to have the pipe knock-out: Have you considered using a larger diameter pipe and leaving it in the concrete? The pipe segments could be held in with a bolt and washers quite easily. Or alternatively, using a rubber cylinder with a bolt going through it for rigidity? Thank you
Been a subscriber since wood mold v.1.0.0; yet, life can make one's path ridiculously non-linear sometimes... then, just now I come across quasi-familiar subject w/an uncanny resemblance of...you.🧐😶🤔🙄😁 Nice job on your molds(!); I immediately saw what an awesome & relatively easy evolution of your modular design could be(I deem it a timeless design for its minimalism, simplicity, & its malleability of aesthetic potential w/o compromising it's fundamental design. By that I mean a drop-in insert &/or corner design. Yes, it would dramatically increase the cost, complexity, iterations of which insert approach functions best ... & all that is not the point; just my imagination running wild w/your brilliantly simple & super sound design. Kudos, Holmes 👍 A *huge* "as well"- not only is your channel is still up, production quality is discretely evolved & content quality is refined, lean, easy to digest; mature, easygoing, complete & to the point, all well within the economy of time you present your material in. Nice1geeza👍🤙🖖✌️🕺🏻
The finished product is beautiful! I doubt you can find anything precast at an affordable price that lets you create raised beds that look as sleek as this. Very well done!
Hello, I did some pavers in small wooden boxes. Added some polistirene decorative sheets (the type you glue to the ceiling before painting over with all sorts of models available) anyways, the polistirene was the plastic in my case and I also oiled it. Came out bubble-y, same as yours. I tried it without oil and it came out perfect. Then I built some large flower pots by inserting a smaller plastic bucket in a larger one with a small stones places on the bottom and sides in between the buckets to give room for concrete to pour in. Again, I oiled them and it came out bubbly, without oil it came out perfect. Concrete does not stick to plastic. You do not need to use oil. Regards from romania. The reason why you had to wipe the oil off at the end is because oil does not mix with water and is a lot heavier than air so you can't vibrate it out. thereby it clumps up in small bubbles as oil does and this is why you see those diets.
The molds look great and a fantastic idea but the prices are at least double what I expected. I imagine shipping is a big cost still because they're so big despite being lightweight vs the wooden molds. I wish you the best and hope they sell well, it's a very creative product!
This is the first time I've wanted to buy a youtuber product.
This is an actually worthwhile and unique tool.
SAME HERE!
To bad his price is a little high for a garden bed. I will just stick to the wood forms.
@@Thor1O1 Or just get a sheet of plywood and make your own mold for a like a 6th of the cost like I plan to do soon.
Do I already have garden beds built? Yes
Did I still watch and enjoy the entire video? Yes
Same
Me too!@@teejay622
Me, too, but all my cedar raised beds are finally rotting after 15 years in Oregon weather. I'm thinking making them out of Hypertufa, though. That's a whole lot lighter than solid concrete. After seeing the price on the molds, though, I'll use scrap plywood for molds, TYVM.
@@ljprep6250 Yeah, at the production scale I'd need for redoing my own beds that price is a bit steep. For my part, I have other reasons I need to make my own molds but seeing that price is just another reason on the pile.
@@ljprep6250 I just saw the prices. A bit steep. Plywood molds are cheaper
Saw the thumbnail and thought someone ripped off your idea and commercialized it.
Glad it's you making this great idea available to us all!
I thought the exact same thing!
Ditto.
Add cement dye to make them more attractive.
It really isn't his idea just his take on it. I have a gardening book from 1978 that has plans to do this same thing but without the pin holes.
@@SCscoutguy I liked the idea of the moulds, until I saw the price.
I just received mine, I ordered two of each. I haven't used them yet but my initial opinion is that they are really well made. I do have an idea to make them somewhat better. If you created an insert that rounded the joining edges, you could join the beds at non-right angles.
My opinion? You’ve created a product that removes the learning curve and allows novices to make functional beautiful objects with a difficult material. 🔥
The concrete garden boxes are one of the best ever series on TH-cam in my opinion, very well done as always.
Sure they are.
This guy is a rare mix of communication and science guy
Thorough explanation and great attention to detail in your demo. Professionalism on display.
I teach at a community college in the construction technology department. We purchased some molds for ranch fencing, those molds were around $650 a piece (just for perspective). To anyone that thinks these are too expensive, I would challenge you to think about the amount of time saved within each casting. I built a few of the molds myself and I am seriously considering purchasing these to be able to cast them quicker. No disassembly and reassembly. No caulking the corners, no drill motor, pvc is reused and they are light! I am thoroughly impressed with the evolution of these beds molds. I contemplated making metal forms but once cast the metal along with the concrete would make them a bear to manage. These forms are genius, great work!!!!!
bought them the minute I could cause I knew even if I couldn't start pouring molds for a month or two they are easy to store and will have a lifetime of use
@@BrooksCWhitehouse I just purchased mine 2days ago, and waiting for them to get here, in
New Zealand which shouldn't be that long ...
Yes, this is great! What a great way to expand your “hobby”, I hope these molds bring you a lot of well earned success.
Thanks so much!
They're just a little too expensive for what they're made out of. And I personally think 8 inches won't be tall enough. I'm going to build my own molds that will be 24-30 inches tall and 3-4 feet long. I know that will mean they will be very heavy but it will prevent me and my family members from having to bend over to do gardening. Plus give me extra space in the raised bed for hügelkultur as well.
They are stackable! Duh. Evidently you don’t know how to read
I can't wait to try this out. Does quick set concrete get too hot for the mold?
helpful tip, if you have a air compresser, with a rubber tip blower, running it along the edge will pop the mold right off.
An air hammer would vibrate the table and save the sawzall motor.
So nice to have watched this evolution through the years. I wish you great success with this new product!
Thank you so much!
14:37 check this out.
Found the guy on a certain other site who copied your plans and is selling this very product, but I've been following you for a while and wasn't inclined to buy from him. I know you've made it easy to build, but I lack time and confidence, so thank you for producing this mold. And thank you for the reasonable price.
You do nice work, I am sure you put many hours into the R/D we need more people like you making things and taking pride in there work
The plastic moulds are an excellent development of the garden moulds!
What an amazing transition from experiment to business. Well done sir. Hope you do well with sales. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Thank you very much!!
Great idea! As someone who has made a lot of concrete countertops I would suggest doing a lot more vibrating. You basically vibrate the heck out of the form until no more bubbles come up. The end result will be very smooth with hardly any surface voids. Also vibration allows you to use less water which makes the concrete stronger. I have a cheap harbor freight CHICAGO ELECTRIC 3/4 HP Concrete Vibrator that costs only $99. It has survived years of abuse. Admixtures also help reduce water and include small fiberglass fibers which further strengthen the concrete. I would absolutely add rebar or mesh. These extra steps don't take long or cost much more but will have a major impact on the longevity of the pieces. And finally, in our area we have a lot of voles so I would put down some mole barrier wire at the bottom of the garden bed before setting up the sides and I would use much longer rebar pieces to help pin the garden bed down.
You made good suggestions but I think it's a bit over kill. These blocks doesn't have to be perfect looking and does not have any load stress. It's a small pieces so there is going to be no any shrinkage problem.
I would not bother and just make easy peasy dry cast. Maybe with some rebar reinforcement.
The key would be just wrap them in plastic for 30 days to keep wet
Pretty much a perfect demonstration. No hype, just thoughtful, methodical, clear instruction. Thank you!
I've watched your wood form videos multiple times over the last few years. Haven't had the time to make them. But this new plastic mold is a game changer. Awesome!!!
I have watched your channel for years. I've been wanting to make these for a long time. Now that you have the pre-made molds, I will definitely be buying them as soon as I can afford it!
Should help alot of people out with these molds. I have been makeing a similar concrete panel and didnt like the wooden forms overall so I made one from urethane resin, but that cost $500.00 to make but is reuseable and its pretty heavy in itself. I only make lightweight panels with pearlite. I have changed up my garden beds as my needs changed and grew. I don't regret going concrete as the look is nice IMO. Again I like wood but the cost of renewing and the high cost of wood 4 yrs ago got me to change and I have had alot of great comments on my garden. Going with a mold really helps with a consistant product that is reproduceable. Super glad you stepped up and created a product that others can have the success I enjoy . CHEERS MATE!
I wish you the best of luck on your endeavor.
I couldn't stop watching. It's amazing how neat and tidy you were filling the molds. I probably have concrete everywhere. Fantastic idea.
Glad you got these made . I hope they sell well!
Excellent! People often forget we have the ability to fabricate things like this often with better quality. Those concrete forms will last a decade or longer verses treated wood or cedar. I like the innovative method of designing the forms, very nicely done. :)
I really like these molds. A 48" option would be the icing on the cake.
As someone who works a lot with concrete repair, I would suggest avoiding Quikrete products. I favor the Rapid Set brand products typically available at Home Depot. Also, mixing the concrete with 100% acrylic fortifier (concrete adhesive additive) helps immensely with avoiding shrinkage fractures. One could save some money and cut the fortifier with water 50/50, and still get very good results.
That would be over 83 lbs. Just sayin'...
Great, my lumber yard sell 90 lb bags. Once set they will probably stay put. I find mid bed spread to be a challenge on my 4x20 beds.
I see your point, 83 or 90 lb slabs are no picnic to cart around or put in place.
@@fritzwilhelm8258 You should only have to do it once.
4 foot would allow you to have a pretty good amount of adjustment. 4x8 box is 2 end panels, four 3 footers and two 2 footers. Would look quite well that way.
@@kameljoe21 I'm a fan of 4x8 beds myself. Being old, I would have to stick with the two foot molds. I think I'll try to make them out of plywood, not being independently wealth... Good talking to you.
I purchased the combo pack! Thank you for making me so easily available and I’m so happy to support you and and all your work into this TH-cam channel.
Yay! Thank you!
I've been thinking making cement beds for the long term survivability. And you've already done all the work of building the forms,,, AWESOME 👌
I wanted to do this years ago, but was not sure about making the molds myself. This solves the issue, I will be buying
You are so talented! Love your work.
These raised bed molds are really cool. I remember watching your original video years ago but ended up making my raised beds out of wood
Pretty neat - I'm a long time gardener and I think there's a couple tiny tweaks to consider: 1) add indexing marks in the mold every 12 inches for people that practice Square Foot Gardening, the dimension should nicely fit a piece of wood lath. 2) I'd be interested in seeing how these look stacked higher, as I generally build deeper garden beds. 3) Have you looked at materials other than concrete with these molds, for example I think a segment of the gardening community would be interested in a more sustainable option like hempcrete or making a natural brick.
I have enjoyed watching you make these Concrete Raised Garden Boxes for years especially after seeing my wooden raised garden frames rot away. Since most square foot raised garden beds are 4 ft square or 4 ft by 8 ft rectangles, it would be great if your new ABS plastic molds had a 4 ft long mold option. I wish you the best!
Same. My entire garden is based on a 4x8 size. I know I could line up a bunch of 2 foot, but would really like to see a 48" version.
The design of the panels makes them quite modular. Using the 24" panel, put 2 together to make a 48" length on the long sides with one 24" panel on each end. Better than trying to move 4' concrete panels!
@@CerberusOnFireFYI, the original MANaboutTOOLS conc. garden box forms (version I & II) provided for 4', 3' & 2' lengths which give a lot of sizing options for raised beds. By my estimate a 4' long conc. panel weights about 73 lbs. which is pretty heavy for most people. Using two 4' long panels for a 8' raised bed frame, the mid joint may tend to splay outwards (become misaligned even with a long rebar joint pin) due to soil pressure from the raised garden bed. This may be overcome with an interior tie strap from one side of the bed to the other. But as Juliet points out (due to weight concerns) it's possible to make an 8' length using four 2' panels. Yet, this may present challenges for keeping all four panels aligned (i.e. in a straight line). Bottom line: Different approaches may work for different people. For me, I'd prefer the 4' panel option.
Excellent videos, especially liked the multiple different ways to approach this, including getting the air bubbles out of the concrete with multiple different tools.
This is a really great design. It has been banging around in the back of my brain for 5 years.
This is a natural and positive evolution of very good idea!
I also like that with longer rebar, you can make double or triple course planters, but unfortunately I think that would only work well as squares, as the pivot point in the middle of a 6' long panel might give way to pressure from taller soil.
Have you considered some sort of tie back or other idea to prevent a long run from pivoting?
If you're going to raise a bed, why not raise it to the point where you don't have to bend over... =)
that was like watching a really long segment of How It's Made. such good narration.
I will be checking for the kit availability early April. Great timing ! Need to replace old rotted wooden boxes and wanted to learn how to do a concrete project. As a first timer, this seems very do-able. Thanks !
Fantastic video and idea to make plastic molds! I've made several wood molds from your previous videos. I really like the idea of your plastic molds. Great thinking and innovating!
My raised are 2 ft wide, like yours. Make your rebar longer, sticking 2" inches higher. Buy yourself 10 ft long CPC 1/2" or 3/4" and cut it equal 5ft pcs and bend it over there by making a mini low/high tunnel. I'm doing it now, but for shade , growing young plants until they get bigger and can handle the sun 🌞 You can also start your plants earlier, keeping the frost away and even extending the season.
I have made your forms and they work great, thanks for sharing this about two years ago
I love your design. I made my own 2 years ago. Plywood coated with fibreglass resin. 32”x8”x4” . Built the bed 3 units high. Works great in Ontario 🇨🇦👍
Excellent!!
This is a good video. As someone somewhat familiar with injection molding (we use them for battery trays) the price of $200 bucks for the pair is reasonable. What I'm not sure about is if that is reasonable compared to other methods for making raised garden beds. Those molds, plus the concrete, plus the metal plus the labor is a strong investment for garden beds. I'm leaning towards cutting the bottoms out of galvanized water tanks. I'd like to see a video comparing all the different techniques.
I still have my first rendition blueprints.
Great stuff neighbor!
I love the molds! Thanks for making them available!
congrats on bringing a new product to market! that's quite an achievement!
I'm so glad you decided to offer this mold as an option. They look awesome! I am not handy and the thing holding me back was the construction of the wood mold. This makes it much easier to work with. Thank you!
I have probably seen concrete raised beds before, but I think this is amazing! I need to do this.
Love it! Showing an example of adding color to the concrete might appeal even more to some in your audience. Some nice reds or blues.
Or browns. I already have a number of raised beds made from "garden sleepers" which after protective oiling have turned a very dark brown (almost black) so would prefer a matching colour.
The progression from a good idea to a genius idea is readily apparent. Good job, and thank you for this wonderful advancement for home gardening.
These are amazing. I hope you delve further into these ideas and perhaps further expand on molds for retaining walls, or border walls for gardens, perhaps some with curves. What's great about these mold designs is that they not only can function as a great box form, but also as a border wall as well.
Oh Man. i'm absolutely buying 1 for now. that one comment deterred me a bit saying it was 600$ but the are only 80-130$ based on which size. totally worth it.
You are a perfectionist. Zen way. Hard working like many DIY Americans. Great. Authenticity, clear knowledge and skill. Need to learn lot from you people about quality of work, perfection, extreme diy hardwork. Salute all DIY
Great idea. I like the simplicity ands practicality throughout !
Fantastic product. Wishing you success with them. I'm getting on in age and need something much taller. I will for sure keep this in mind.
I learned so much about simply using concrete itself, as an absolute beginner. Your video is super clear. Sincerely, thank you so much.
I remember commenting a LOOOOONG time ago that your form should be made of recycled plastic at least 1/8 inch thick and made as a high impact composite. I see you had the same thought. I love those, my forms were made a little different but I liked your design better. I like that you had the feature strips put into the mold. I hope you make millions.
These are incredible. Kudos to you for the ingenuity and creativity. I think they are superior to even the metal beds on the market. The price point is very fair given the price of the better metal beds on the market also. Thank you.
Menards sells 3/4” coated plywood for concrete forms. I would use CSA concrete with foam to produce Aircrete. Mineral oil for form release. Love this channel.
Great idea!
I have cast about 50 panels since December and need to cast about 20 more before May.
I used the same concepts as your panels, but there are several differences.
My panels are 18" tall x 1 3/4" thick. there's a 1/2" inset on the face of the panel. lengths range from 1.5' to 4'.
I use galvanized conduit that I cut to length, and I made square pieces of metal that are siliconed into the form and suspend the conduit in place. those metal pieces are removable and reusable. I'll be welding 1/2 washers onto 1/2 rebar that will link them together. the washers make it possible to remove the rebar later.
The 4' sections are certainly heavy and not for the faint of heart.
This is a wonderful result of your effort with the forms that I’m sure many will appreciate. Well done!
Hi, Chris here in England. I've watched you develop your panel making techniques with interest. Love your new plastic molds - looks like you are going to make some return on them. I don't think we have this system anywhere in the UK, but I'm not a gardener. I would like to suggest something as I was a production engineer before I retired. You could speed things up considerably by having a permanent vibration attachment to your table - something that you can turn on whilst you are filling the molds with concrete . This vibration will allow the concrete to flow whilst your'e filling and level it perfectly at the same time. Allowing you to get the concrete exactly the correct height. You could use a chorded drill and make a clamp system to attach the drill to the underside of your worktop so that it is positioned centrally under the mold. Make some kind of offset to clamp into the chuck on your drill to hit the underside of the worktop. Adjust the drill speed to get the best vibration rate. You can wrap an bike wheel inner tube around the drill before you clamp it to ensure it has elasticity to do the vibration and not damage the drill by fixing it too rigidly. You can produce dozens a day !
Love the molds! My question is- can they be stacked to have a higher bed? We really need them waist high.
I think this guy is absolutely brilliant! I know this is for gardens and veg beds. But as I am building a passive home and worried about root infiltration and water management around my home with landscaping. This is a total solution. It would take a lot for work, but it would be a great solution to the problem of keeping the foundation clear of landscape problems around the home. Plus something you could do yourself is a plus as costs for homeowners are so out of control. I think if I could figure away to get a water management system incorporated into this design, it would be a 100% solution. My mind is now turning to figure that out. But this is a 75% solution to it all for sure. Thanks for such a great video, its just to cool.
Thanks for your ideas and demonstrations! I'd like to offer a couple tips:
1. Make a simple 5 sided wooden box to fit over any of your molds and mate with the work bench with generous clearance all around and over the mold. The box should have a hole in the top that will take a shop vac hose to apply a good vacuum to the fresh poured cement, for the purpose of expanding the air bubbles so they float out of the material. After drawing out the air bubbles, you may want to trowel again.
2. Inserting the mold pipes squeegees most of the oil off them. re-oil after inserting them. I'm also wondering if petroleum jelly might be advantageous by displacing the cement a little more for easier withdrawal.
Thanks again!
Oh man I remember your first experiments with this technique. Congrats on this new product.
These are awesome.
Can you stack them 2 high for taller boxes and use longer rebar ?
Clearly, I should have read the comments before posting my question - lol.
I asked the same thing, practically verbatim.
🙃
I would like to know the same thing ... but I am tempted to stack them 3-4 high
I know that you could stack the original design but these ones have a slightly sloped edge so that they can be removed from the form easily
So I wonder if you flip the panel the slopes would match so you could stack?
May I make a suggestion...Glue a pvc "T" on the end of the pvc pipes and it will make it easier to pull out or place in the mold instead of using a nail as cross handle. PVC glue is very strong and that "T" wont come undone under much pull pressure. Been following you under a different account and you have come a long way with these as when you 1st started with the idea. I'm very happy to see the improvements hope this can be a good financial venue for you💯 and yes...lets try the lightweight concrete as you have experimented before😊👍
Nice work! I loved watching the evolution of these from the beginning! I hope you sell a butt load of molds!
Excellent idea, bravo. It's all about draft angles. If you had a mold shaker you should be able to remove most of the air bubbles. Thanks.
Love the molds and will probably be ordering them soon. Wish I would have seen this before I built my existing beds. Thanks for sharing.
I have been following you for years and so glad to see you develop this to where your at today. I really like the new forms keep up the good work
Awesome! Thank you!
Terrific product, Both the form and the boxes!
I'm a professional precaster. About your air holes, I would suggest you are mixed be slightly more wet. And, after trowling the top lightly tap the edges of your form with the rubber mallet. Watch the edges of the concrete for bubbles to rise. It won't take many for you to tell how many bubbles per inch at the edge, means you have a clean pour. 👍
Great design and video, very clear presentation!
A few additional thoughts:
- Put plastic or paper down in the shop; protect the wood workbench, and it's easier to clean up the spills and spatters.
- Avoid breathing the concrete dust; it's alkaline and has silica in it (damages lung tissue) and your body cannot dissolve and carry it away. May want a fan, or (see 9:45)a $40-ish half-mask respirator with P95 or P100 filters.
- 6:40 this is a heavy load on the drill. Mix it with a heavy duty, 1/2" drill that won't burn up or have an empty battery.
- Cross ties when you have more than one panel per side in a line. The pressure of the soil will tend to push them out; the less leverage that force has, the better. Maybe galv or stainless wire between the opposing sides?
- Stacking for higher garden boxes? For those of us who don't do well bending over.
I saw the first box you did. Showed my handyman and he said yes. We didn't get them made before he left though. Can I make them? Positive but I lack the precision and finish. So this is brilliant and will be ordering!!!! Thank you!!!
I watched your first video and although I rarely have time, I am seeing your progress. Wow. It's amazing.
I built a pair of forms a couple of years ago with a slight variation. Instead of using the CPVC tubing to make the holes, I cast the tubing right into the concrete and hold them in place with a wooden dowel. The CPVC helps to protect the concrete while pinning the panels together. It works great!
Thanks for the mineral oil release agent idea too. This should also help to waterproof the wooden forms. I had had problems while casting multiple panels over a few days with the center of the long side boards flaring outward making a tapered edge which didn't sit well with stacking the panels. All in all, I have had great success with your idea! Thanks!
I worked years making reinforced concrete pipes use car soap and a pump sprayer to help release the concrete from the molds !
You sir, are a genius; I sincerely hope that this is extremely profitable for you.
Those are a great iteration of your original design of which I built several 24” and 48” versions. If I were to turn this into a side hustle business I’d definitely be buying these molds as it is much less work to unmold these versions vs. wooden molds. That would be money well spent in time savings alone. Love to see a 48” version as well. Since most of my beds are 4’x8’ timber frame which are nearing end of life and need to be replaced. Also looking forward to the follow up video with alternative light weight products.
Great evolution! Your ABS forms are clearly a better path without build hassle utilizing less expensive mix quick.! I started with wood forms which proved problematic after several castings. 2X12 lumber cupped and twisted leading to leaks and untrue end product. Then resorted to weld 1-1/2" square tubing for the ends and 3" flat steel for the sides. These saddle over 4X11" lumber which has stayed flatter. I choose to burn lumber and wire brush making panels appear like wood. I have been using relatively expensive Quick set cement with flow control additive for easy pour. If I were to make another set of steel forms I'd use 1-1/2" angle for sides. I've used 1/2" thin walled Polycarbonate tubing as opposed to PVC with great success. Wood being saturated with hot wax. We set our panels on stainless steel chicken wire as we have MANY gophers and construct beds two panels high.
I've seen your earlier videos were great and this one is amazing. Thanks.
I'm 70% sure I'll be buying some of your molds. Thank you so much for offering this. Wishing you prosperity 💜💙💚
Thanks!! I so appreciate that.
Never ordered anything this close to it being made available anytime before.
Love your channel and the way it has developed over time. Since the begginning of your show I have gotten involved in a large community garden project at Ezel Mommunity Garden in Mint Hill, NC. You should get involved with community gardens. They would be a great community to center around you channel.
Amazing idea, is there a limit to how long or wide one could go?
I would love to have a 4 width and could go as long as 36 feet long.
Unfortunately, the depth isn't there for me. I want to plant some invasive species and probably need about 18 inch depth to prevent the roots from spreading.
Outstanding idea, I built a mold several months back based on your initial design. I love the idea of it being a plastic mold; however, looking on the site it's priced a bit steep. I plan on purchasing in the future when I get around to improving my garden. Hoping the price drops a bit around that time. Great work, great design, huge fan!
I love them. Explained very well & the results are great.
I was lead here by the TH-cam Algorithm because of my researches for my garden.
I want to make some garden boxes and I would love to make them inconcrete, I found the wood notenough resistant through time.
Your plastic molds are a fantastic idea ! And I think I saw your previous video about it a few months ago.
But unfortunatly they are kinda expensive for me.
Loved your video, loved your ideas, loved your work. You won a sub !
Cheers from France !
Thank you very much. You can make the wooden ones yourself to save money: manabouttools.com/product-category/digital-plans/
Nice molds!
I would love to see a video on the journey you went on to produce the injection molds!
Other ideas for how to have the pipe knock-out:
Have you considered using a larger diameter pipe and leaving it in the concrete?
The pipe segments could be held in with a bolt and washers quite easily.
Or alternatively, using a rubber cylinder with a bolt going through it for rigidity?
Thank you
Very cool. I was certain you were going to use longer rebar to anchor them further into the ground.
Been a subscriber since wood mold v.1.0.0; yet, life can make one's path ridiculously non-linear sometimes... then, just now I come across quasi-familiar subject w/an uncanny resemblance of...you.🧐😶🤔🙄😁
Nice job on your molds(!); I immediately saw what an awesome & relatively easy evolution of your modular design could be(I deem it a timeless design for its minimalism, simplicity, & its malleability of aesthetic potential w/o compromising it's fundamental design. By that I mean a drop-in insert &/or corner design. Yes, it would dramatically increase the cost, complexity, iterations of which insert approach functions best ... & all that is not the point; just my imagination running wild w/your brilliantly simple & super sound design.
Kudos, Holmes 👍
A *huge* "as well"- not only is your channel is still up, production quality is discretely evolved & content quality is refined, lean, easy to digest; mature, easygoing, complete & to the point, all well within the economy of time you present your material in.
Nice1geeza👍🤙🖖✌️🕺🏻
The finished product is beautiful! I doubt you can find anything precast at an affordable price that lets you create raised beds that look as sleek as this. Very well done!
This video was very informative and narrated perfectly and completely!😊
Awesome. Been wanting to build the molds, have had no time. Ordered. Thanks. Also, can you make a vid showing a taller bed with 2 or 3 story molds?
Brilliant idea. I watched you building the original and I loved the idea,but thought it was too complicated for me. I will be buying the set.
Done. I just ordered the 24 + 36 set. 😊
I also have a backyard that gently slopes on one side. I’m now thinking about using some as a retaining wall. 🤔 💭
i built my own forms , it took me two days . it worked great and i had fun
Hello, I did some pavers in small wooden boxes. Added some polistirene decorative sheets (the type you glue to the ceiling before painting over with all sorts of models available) anyways, the polistirene was the plastic in my case and I also oiled it. Came out bubble-y, same as yours. I tried it without oil and it came out perfect. Then I built some large flower pots by inserting a smaller plastic bucket in a larger one with a small stones places on the bottom and sides in between the buckets to give room for concrete to pour in. Again, I oiled them and it came out bubbly, without oil it came out perfect. Concrete does not stick to plastic. You do not need to use oil. Regards from romania. The reason why you had to wipe the oil off at the end is because oil does not mix with water and is a lot heavier than air so you can't vibrate it out. thereby it clumps up in small bubbles as oil does and this is why you see those diets.
Congratulations on bringing a great product to market.
Thank you!
The molds look great and a fantastic idea but the prices are at least double what I expected. I imagine shipping is a big cost still because they're so big despite being lightweight vs the wooden molds. I wish you the best and hope they sell well, it's a very creative product!
wow those are beautiful and will last forever. i love this fantastic idea