Community Brag Posts

We have gone through several sets of deck furniture at our home in Monument, Colorado. We like wicker, but so do the squirrels! Inspired by an article in the Wall Street Journal where the author used his wood shop experience to make outdoor furniture and avoid "astronomical prices," I found this site. I thought, "Even I can build something out of 2x4s." I borrowed my neighbor's high-end chop saw and made two chairs, a love seat (by cutting the dimensions of the 79" sofa - three cushions - down to 55" - two cushions, and the coffee table, cut down from 55" to 47". Construction took less than two weeks from purchasing the wood to finishing. Everyone who has seen the finished set loves it.

This is my homemade backyard inspired by plans from Ana. Used Ana's previous post to build all pieces. Stained in Mission Oak and bought pillows from Lowe's. Succulents from a local nursery.

Coffee Table
2 piece lounge
2 chairs
Ice chest
Planter Box

I wanted a little desk/vanity for my nearly 4 year old daughter so she could have easy access to her jewelry and hair ties. The dimensions of this were perfect. She has so many necklaces that I put together a $10 ledge with some hooks to hang many of them. The vanity was an easy build, the stool was much more difficult.

Thanks Ana! Appreciate all the plans and how much I’m learning.

In the middle of a much needed makeover on our back deck! We did not have skirting around the deck and decided that we would like to close it in for extra storage(ladders,compost bin...) and we came up with this little something as a bonus. We are always hosting backyard get togethers and seating is a challenge. Setting up and putting away chairs,ugh. This has been the perfect solution. This was completely an "as we went" plan but the biggest need to know is, heavy duty hinges! (As I said,the deck is getting a makeover so go easy on the appearance:)

Jodi and Matt B.

I loved the idea of the storage sofa! Such an easy build and I tweaked the plans to fit my needs... I used 5" high density foam, I lengthened the sofa to 84" (so I wouldn't have any wasted foam and also so my extremely tall son could stretch out on it without his feet hanging off the edge), I used a 2x8 for the box, and used 1/2" plywood for the seat because 1/4" ply was too flexible. I also made the seat with a zippered cover to encase the foam, batting, and plywood. This way, I can easily remove it to wash it. It's my favorite place to sit while I'm working!

While using lathe it is helpful to have tools at hand. In general my lathe tools have custom racks/holders on wall but it is a nice adjunct to have the little table on wheels that stores underneath the lathe —at my side! 

All parts are recycled wood from scrap box or dumpster!

I took the Ana White plans for this bed and modified them just slightly. I decided to cover up the top opening on the front, and add some plywood "trees" so that the ned looks like it is being suspended by the trees. I used whitewood from Lowe's, a compound miter saw, the AWESOME Kreg Jig, and a drill. The whole thing took about three days to construct and about two days to paint 2 coats. If you see from the pictures that the side pieces of 1x4 trim are missing, you are right. When I measured the 34" instead of the 34 1/4" it was too short for the sides and wouldn't match up with the front trim. Even if I used the 34', there was a gap so I left it off. I added a fourth step and I also put grip tape on the stairs because my homeboy like to sleep in socks and I didn't want him to slip coming down.

I was looking for an excuse to use my new Kreg Jig and also Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. My entrance from my garage had a cheap two level shelf which never was enough for all our shoes so when I saw this I thought it would be perfect. This was my first Ana-White project and the left cubbies ended up being wider than the right. I loved the Kreg Jig. What's cool is I did it all alone, with the help of my husband watching my kids! It was a lot of painting to get the distressed look that you really can't see from the pictures but I am very happy with it and it is very sturdy. I ended up doing 4 columns instead of 3 but only one shelf...probably also why the measurements got messed up.

A Christmas gift for my G- kid!!!!

We built this for our daughter's 6th birthday! Love how it turned out :D  As you can see we opted to leave the plywood backing off for the time being so she can use it as a doll house and play on both sides. When she grows out of the doll house phase we will either convert it to a book shelf, donate, or sell in a yard sale ... so many options!

We live in an old house with lots of windows in the kitchen but not much storage space. Having previously tackled a kitchen island with the help of ana-white.com, I knew that the Under Sink Kitchen Organizer Shelf would be a much simpler project. We already had the tools and screws, so I picked up a couple of 3-foot 1x8s for about $7. The organizer is 20 inches high, 15 inches wide, and 7-1/4 inches deep. The shelf is only about 6-1/2 inches deep because I used 1x8 for the back, but it works.

I installed a half door to isolate our dog from the laminate flooring when he sleeps at night.

It was only $25 for the hollow core 6 panel door from HD, which got cut in half.
$25 for the passage knob.
$10 for top plate and trim
Less than $5 for the hinges.

Not having to replace the laminate flooring priceless!

Some Tips:

The $25 door is not prehung. Buy the $14 dollar irwin door jig to install the door "http://www.homedepot.ca/product/door-lock-installation-kit-carbon/904157" It will come in handy if you are remodeling and installing new doors to replace those old flat panel doors. You will also have to chisel out the hinges.

When installing and marking the hinge locations in the door frame shim the door a 1/4" off the floor.

A great weekend project...the "love swing"! I used the plan from Ana for the swing seat and added two arm rests from left over 1x6, rounded them off and sanded.

I cobbled together an A-frame to hang everything, made from five 8 foot 4x4s and two 8 foot 2x6s laminated together for the stretcher. Assembled with 1/2" galvanized carriage bolts and hung with 1/4" chain.

Definitely going to want a good miter saw for the A-Frame angles (the top ones are a bit tricky to get everything lined up)

Love it! Thanks for another great plan Ana..and of course..Shanty2Chic!

Using the counter height planter plans from Janettx. Thanks!