Community Brag Posts

Using some of your different picnic table plans, I have been building, casually, picnic tables that are made using handpicked wood of similar grain orientation, same species, etc, creating a unique piece every time. I'm turning into a real wood nerd! They are all sanded and sealed for greater weather resistance and to accentuate the natural look of the wood.

My daughter is 3 and though her room isn't terribly small, I thought this project would be awesome all the same. I wanted to do the doll house bed, but I figured this bed would grow with her more and I liked the platform at the end so I just added a curtain and called it good.

The book shelf is by and large my favorite part of the project. I just added some more 2x4's, a sheet of 1x10 and some left over bead board paneling that I had and used left over paint from her play kitchen that I had previously repurposed from an old entertainment stand. I added an inexpensive, small fluorescent light to the book shelf, out of sight, and found this great, inexpensive paper lantern.

I also added a support beam down the middle of the mattress area and used some 1 in MDF board that I had from another bed and wrapped it in fabric (which ended up being a little pricey, but she loves her ceiling)

Because she is so young, I pushed the bottom of the bed against the wall instead of building a railing off the platform because I was afraid she would fall as she still gets up in the middle of the night. This worked out because the space that was left at the head of the board fit her TV stand and laundry basket without leaving a foot print on the actual area under her bed. With the curtain up (and almost always closed, as insisted on by the primary tenant) it really is like a clubhouse under there. I can't even begin to go into the hours she spends under there with her books; who doesn't love that?!

This was my first "from scratch" projects and I learned a few things. 1. Don't strip screws inside of pocket holes. 2. Sand more than you think you need to, especially if you plan to paint. 3. Staining might be a faster way to go, 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of paint takes a lot of time if you want to avoid runs. I would say painting took twice or three times longer than the building! 4. I may avoid lumber from the big box stores from now on, or be much much more careful in picking it out, but I had a 3 year old running circles around me as I was picking it out, so I guess I can cut myself a little break.

Finally, price wise I would say I spent more than I thought I would at first. Lumber was more expensive than a lot of posters mentioned, which is strange, because I thought NC was supposed to have cheap wood. But just for the lumber, I would say I was at or a little over $100. I would say all together I spent between $150 and $200, but I added a good bit, and honestly, fabric isn't cheap either, and I bought about 9 yards all together. With that being said, I think this bed was well worth the investment. I couldn't have gotten something like this for anywhere near that price in a store.

Oh, and I built the entire thing completely alone as my husband was out of town when I got the bug to do this. It didn't come out perfect, but every project I do is an improvement from the last and it's for a kids room! As long as it is sturdy and safe, and it definitely is, and is still attractive, then that's all that matters. My daughter loves it!

My daughter needed a loft bed to give her more floor and storage space in her bedroom. I modified the original plans to fit her twin XL bed, which is 5 inches longer than a regular bed. I also added an extra 2x6 across the back two posts for extra support.

Cutting and assembly was relatively easy; I glued every joint and used pocket holes per the instructions. I sanded using 80, 120 and 220 grit. The finish is a Minwax "parchment" water-based stain, with 3 coats of Polycrylic. All pocket holes were pre-drilled prior to finishing.

I assembled the platform and footboard in the garage and brought it into the house as a single unit; same with the headboard. I brought in the rails separately. To assemble, I marked 1 1/4 inches from the outside post edges, and used wood scraps/clamps to align and hold the rails while securing them with pocket hole screws.

My daughter's mattress is very high; it rises only about an inch below the top of the top rail. So I build a bed-length shelf which also had the added benefit of providing a little more height/protection against her rolling out of bed in the middle of the night (see pics).

In all, I was surprised at how long this took me. Probably because I'm a novice and this was only my 2nd project. The totals are:
- Cut and assembly: 14 hours
- Sanding: 25 hours
- Finishing: 2 days

After finishing, I left all pieces in the garage for 5 days to air-out before bringing into the house.

Total cost the lumber was $125, 1 qt stain @ $13, 1/2 gal Polycrylic @ $50 per gal, and $20 hardware for a total of just over $200.

This build is a gift for a friend who is retiring.  It is made from scrap wood and left over finishes, so the only things I had to purchase were the moulding, hinges and “bling”.

Used Georgia’s Jewelry Box plan, with these mods:  made it a little longer with no overhangs; added stop moulding trim around the top and bottom; added some lattice squares for “feet;” added a small sliding tray in aromatic cedar (1/4” cedar closet lining for the tray, stop moulding for the rails), and some self-adhesive rhinestone flourishes (found these at Michaels). 

This would be an afternoon build.  The finish took longer than the build - probably 2 or 3 hrs  (filling, sanding, painting, and attaching the hinges and  “bling”).   It took me much longer to decide how to decorate it, than it did to actually build it ;)

Some squares of sticky-back felt were also added to the bottoms of the feet.

I’m very pleased to say that this gift was a big hit!

Built this table from the plans. Great table and plans!

I've been drooling over those custom closet organizers for years, but they were either too expensive, not well made or some combination of not right for us. So seeing Ana's master closet plan really sent my imagination soaring. My challenge. My master closet is a small walk-in 5'x7' so I did have to do some adjusting. I love having a place for shoes and sweaters. One of my favorite parts is the continuous top shelf that connects all the parts together forming a big 'U'. I used my Kreg jig to connect each of those pieces. Anyway, thanks Ana White for the inspiration.

My wife started looking at expensive patio sets, which I thought were not worth the price, so I decided to build a picnic table. This is not the cheapest table out there, but it's built to last for years!! I used a high quality cedar as I got a price cut from a friend. I also used deck screws, so there would be no rusty screws!! The table top measures 7' long and looks like one you would see at a state park, notHome Depot!

We needed a new table for our patio, so we looked no further than Ana's plans. I was going back and forth deciding between various table plans until I saw the plans for the Providence Table and Providence Bench, and it was love at first sight. The whole project turned out to be a relatively easy build for us, and we are just about as "amateur" at woodworking as it gets! We used white pine for the entire project. We shortened the table about 18 inches to fit our space. It is so gorgeous, we have gotten tons of compliments from guests so far and we absolutely love it! Thanks, Ana!!

I love the look of diamond tufting, so that's how I did the upholstered insert, which added hours to the project. The frame itself was built in about 3 hours, so this could easily be an afternoon project if you skipped the tufting.

I made this bed for my 2 girls who share a room. It was my first real attempt at building anything substantial. They are thrilled. The plans were so easy to follow. The only thing I did different was use 3 inch screws in the hutch base because I felt it made it more sturdy. I used bead board for the outside of the hutch and the back of the book cases. Thanks Ana for such great plans.

Really wanted one of these but everything I found was way too expensive so I found these plans, tweaked em a bit to fit the space I had and voila, double tilt-out trash bin. Thanks for the wonderful plans!

My husband made these fabulous tall planters based on your plans and video. We painted them the same color as the trim on our home. We live in Florida so instead of filling the entire planter with potting soil my husband put screening about 1/4 from the top so the plants can drain easily, especially in the rainy season. He made the planters with pressure treated wood which is perfect in south Florida.

Thank you so much for providing us with such a beautiful idea for unique and custom planters. My husband had a great time with this project and the results are just fabulous.