Community Brag Posts

This was my first chair. I made the arms and base with 2x4's. I added a 2x4 apron in the front and back and 1x4 apron to the sides.  My next chair I will try to use the Kreg for the arms, the base will be hidden with aprons, so it doesn't matter. The slates are 1x4 as the instructions provided recommended.  I got the cushion from Lowes for $50

Created this door with pine wood tongue and groove lumber and pine wood planks. Purchase barn door hardware / track from Jet.com and door handles from Hobby Lobby. 

This replaced my Master bath door and I think came out pretty good. Thank you for the ideas!!!  Jeff M.   Brownstown, Mi

I was so excited when I saw the plan for this! I love making crates out of wood. It was quick and easy and I already had a cedar fence post! It was less than 30 minutes start to finish! For more pictures check out my blog post. Thanks Ana!

I made this garden trellis with cheap 6' cedar fence pickets ripped down to 1 1/2" strips. Get the free plans and tutorial at The Handyman's Daughter!

Here is one of the new chairs I'm building for our new fire pit.  They are made out of four pressure treated 2x6s (and one 2x4), and have a comfortable 18" seat depth, 19" seat width, and 110 degree angle for the backrest.  

More information, and a link to our plans are located on our blog, FamousArtisan.com

I followed the spice rack plans but put this right inside my wall and added a face frame. I love the detail in the carved wood!

I thought I'd wait and take these glorious after photos once I was done - but nevermind that idea.  Here are some pictures of progress, start to finish.  I still plan to build some shoe cubbies for the towers so that my wife has a little more shoe-room.

We have a 5th bedroom directly off the master with a double door entrance where the 5th bedroom's closet would have been.  The room had been an office for the previous owner and my wife decided it would be a perfect closet for her.  I followed the plans quite closely for the towers.  I wish I had considered my 8+ foot ceilings and just built the towers taller because 1) storing stuff on top will look messy, and 2) The hanger rods aren't spaced quite well enough for longer clothing.  Because of this, I had to build her another hanger on the other side of the wall, which increased the complexity of the project (corner shelves, more wood, more staining, more finishing, etc).  In the end, I think it turned out great.  I will walk through the process very quickly.

• Bought premium birch plywood, had them cut it down in the store.  They did a good job.  If I were doing it again, I would buy Aspen or Pine in precut boards, and I estimated it would have cost less than $100 more with a much higher quality and more workability, especially considering I stained instead of painted.
• Built Towers - used my kreg pocket hole jig a TON on this project.  For boards across the top, I put the pocket holes on top, where they will be out of site.  For bottoms, I was able to use finishing brads to nail down my boards to the frame.
• Stained wood.  I used an oil stain.  After letting it dry 24hours+, I used finishing wax to turn make the plywood very smooth.  I painted on the wax real heavy and then buffed with an electric polishing wheel.  *tip* no matter what you are thinking, stain your wood before cutting and assembling.  It will save you hours.
• Built 2x4 bases for the frame of the system.  I used my bases as a template for cutting back the carpet.  I then fastened the bases into the wall studs and sub flooring.
• Installed towers, played with spacing until it felt right and then fastened them into the walls and into the base.
• Cut wood down to size for the top and bottom pieces and installed and nailed down.
• Cut down scraps into strips to support the corner shelves and nailed them into the wall.
• Cut down scraps into corner shelves.  I used 2 pieces of wood for each shelf and added supports on the underside so that they can bear decent weight.  I should have just done more pocket holes.  It would have been stronger and cleaner.
• Installed mini crown molding along top border.  Installed 1/4 inch trim on all facing edges (rather than mess with laminating strips). Installed baseboard trip to cover frame and clean up border of frame and carpet.
• Built drawers using scrap plywood from the project (via the drawer plans on this site).  I didn't mess around, just cut my wood down to the right size and brad nailed the heck out of it.  They are very sturdy.  A thinner bottom and back would have decreased their weight, but I don't see any issues the way they are built.  I opted for the 1/2 inch gap around the border of the drawers.

That is pretty much it.  I think I have about $500-600 in it. Probably 60-70 hours.  If I did it all over again, I could do it better and faster and on the same budget.  As noted in the plans, SQUARE is the most important thing.  I had to fix all the tower shelves once I had them mounted to the wall because they just were not level/square enough.  

We wanted to make a large sandbox for lots of kids. We love that it has an easy cover and two large benches to sit.

Supplies and Steps are shared at http://myhomedonemyway.blogspot.com/2013/07/building-6-x-8-sandbox.html

Project took a lot more time and patience than the last few little ones that I have done. I like the simple outdoor table but wanted a little bit more. I used the basic concept and mixed it with a patio table from PB that I really enjoyed but didnt want to pay $800 for. The table looks fantastic and am still debating on what type of finish, if any, to use. Hoping to make the matching bench soon for one of the sides of the table.

This table was super easy to build... it took me only 3 hours! I opted to use hardwood poplar 2x2s for the legs because furring strips frustrate me to no end (bowing boards, splitting wood, etc.) and the poplar also made it sturdier. Had I used furring strips, this table would have only cost me $15, but I opted for the more expensive route... but still, $35 ain't bad!

Also, I used the Kreg Jig for this project, set on 3/4" with 1 1/4" pocket hole screws - EXCEPT when I drilled the base frame onto the table top. I used 1" pocket hole screws for that, just in case the 1 1/4" screws were too long and came poking out the top of the table.

Click my blog link for the complete play-by-play!

I wanted to build a structure for the kids to play in, but not include a playhouse. I used the playhouse deck design and made it slightly smaller (6 feet by 8 feet). The "roof" is removable to provide shade when it's sunny. It's just PVC and a tarp - pretty simple, but it does the job. I used treated posts and untreated lumber for the rest of it. I painted everything in my garage before assembling it. Once all of the wood at been painted, but came together pretty quickly!