Community Brag Posts

We had a pallet all summer that we wanted to something cool with. When I saw these plans I knew this was it. We had everything except what I placed in it. Total cost $17. Love it! - Erin and Dwight S.

This is a fun project even for beginners. If you have an interest in building a sandbox, and have some tools, I'm sure you can make this easy enough!

I used 2" X 10" wood for my sides instead of the 1" as the plans call for. This gives extra strength and more depth. When you use 2" wood, you will have to turn your 1 X 4's the other way to match the 47½" width, because with the added width of the 2 side boards, your new width is now 49¼". It's not difficult, you just have to match your 1 X 4 X 47½ boards to the proper width. It will turn out fine, they just won't match the plans or pics of those using 1 X 8's for sides.

Sorry, I'm delivering this to my grandson's house for his birthday present, so no sand, but use landscaping cloth under this sandbox, then fill with sand.

One other thing, I'm toying with the idea of matching the angle the backrest is at and re-cut new pieces of 7½" arm rests. I think that may look a little better than the rectangle blocks.

My added pics are as follows:
1. The side boards all cut, and sizing up the frame.
2. All other boards are cut; I laid them out for fit before screwing the pieces together.
3. Using a square will help you keep everything at the correct angles. Also note in this picture and the next where I used two ½" pieces of wood I ripped to keep the ½" spacing uniform. Just rip any wood to the ½" width, make 2 pieces and butt against the next board on both sides, then screw them down. Makes it VERY easy to keep a uniform gap.
4. This picture shows me using the same "spacer" when putting the hinges in place. The red arrow points to the wood spacer.
5. The first bench is complete, and working fine!!

With the wood I used in my project, I used 2½" self tapping deck screws for the frame and attaching the 1X4's to the frame; I used 2" galvanized for attaching the 1X4's to any 2X4's; and for the hinges, I used ¾" wood screws. Using these sizes prevented the screws from coming through the other side.

I bought everything needed in this project at Lowe's and it was under $90 in costs; this is all the lumber (upgrading to 2 X 10's), hinges, screws, and handles.

Basically I took Ana's plan and tweaked it to create a diy sofa, a love seat, and a corner piece to make a sectional. All 3 pieces have the same basic design and function (they all have a storage compartment), although the corner piece, because of its placement and the thickness of the seating cushions, doesn't open unless the couch is opened first. We purchased custom cut, 6" thick foam cushions for the seats (we bought the XL-38 foam from https://www.buyfoam.com/, but if we had to do it again, we'd go with the XL-28 as the 38 is VERY firm). We also used upholstery fabric instead of a paint drop-cloth to cover the couches. The foam and upholstery fabric upped the overall cost significantly. Other changes from Ana's plan, I used 15/32" OSB because the 1/4" plywood just felt too flimsy (I'm a large guy). I also added I bolts to the underside of the seat before the foam and upholstery so I could add a stress relief rope to prevent the kids from opening the top and dropping it and ripping out the hinges. I used piano hinges as they seemed to me to provide the most support. Finally, I ended up using 1x2s for the base trim since I couldn't find any 2x2s that were straight and finish-ready, then I added router detailing to provide some visual interest. I used 3" pieces of 4x6 for the feet and added matching router detail. Additionally, I used T-Nuts and bolts to make the feet and base trim completely removable.

I'm so happy that I found the plans for Ana's miter stand and rolling carts!  It was just what I needed for my garage shop... so everything can be organized and stored compactly but things can pull open and expand when I have a project (which is all the time, actually).

The actual miter stand was super easy to build - the carts took a few days working non-stop (when the kids permitted).

I made a few obvious changes from the plans:

-made deeper shelves on one of the carts

-added drawers on one of the carts

-added ped board on the end caps of miter stand

Something I didn't consider before building this was the slope of our garage floor.  There's a 3" difference from one end of the legs to the other so I had to use riser blocks to get everything perfectly level.  Unfortunately there's no way to level the carts as they aren't stationary but they slide in/out just fine.

I'd recommend this build to everyone!  Check Home Depot clearance often for deals on plywood!

My own take on the barndoor console project. Ours is now in the laundry room. - Claude

Built exactly according to plans except cut corners off front of arms to give a more finished look. - JohnnyR

I always wanted a cabin-type cat tree where my cats could crawl in and feel safe, but still have a great view of the birds out of a window. I tried to draw my vision on paper, but that had a hideous result. Learning Google SketchUp (at least the basics) was an absolute necessity. I could never have built this without drawing it in 3D first, and seeing how the boards would connect, etc.

For the scratch pad, I built a frame out of 2x4s on top of plywood, covered it with carpet, and dropped the standard size scratch pad in place. This is the cat's favorite feature. I put barn doors on the window with tiny hinges so that I can close for added privacy. The tree sits against a window so that the back side is totally open. I made cozy zippered cushions for the platforms (that can be taken off and washed). I covered the carpeted areas with spare carpeting.

I made this for my daughter for Christmas. She has done nothing but sit at it and play and put on "makeup" for hours! It is a hit! Thanks Ana!!!!

I did add a support with pocket holes in the back to make it more sturdy (you can see it behind the stool). And you will notice my top trim is not 2 inches like it should be. I used all free wood that I had collected . I did buy a 2x2 for the stool because mine was too warped. The top of the stool is not round because I only have a miter saw. I found a great little cupboard door from the restore for $1 that I cut square for the top. Since I am new to this it took me a little longer than some people, plus the time I put is including making the stool as well.

this was the second table built using Anna's fancy x plan. The first used regular 2x6 pine boards for the top and was given to my son for a housewarming gift. This second I built for my wife and changed up the top by using 1x6 pecan we had milled and then I planed down myself. The outer edges were left with a live edge to give it more rustic character. I used slotted "L" shaped metal about 6" long to secure the top of the table to the supports underneath, to allow for any expansion in the boards. I recently made a new kitchen island to match.

I've been looking for a simple design for a consol table that I could easily modify to fit in my kids' club house. This one fit the bill perfectly! I also happen to have a pile of 2x4s left over from a closet demo, so I wanted to use those up. I basically built 2 of the consol tables, letting the 2 outer-most horizontal beams extend across and 25.5 inch space and connect the two consols. Then I put in a middle beam and that created the perfect space to set some catering pans in it. Also, I only had 2x4s so I used those for all the pieces, making the gaps a little wider than the original design. And lastly, because I didn't quite have enough wood, I shortened the vertical beams. If you look at the picture, all of this will make more sense! Thanks for the inspiration and direction! ps - I have no idea how to rotate the photos. Sorry!