This bench is freaking huge but I love how it turned out. A lot of pocket holes for the back so it took a lot of putty to cover those up but that’s to be expected. Proud of this one.
Here is the Easy Kitchen Island all finished. I learned to use my k-reg with this project. To attach the top I instead used corner blocks in each corner of the bottom unit and screwed the top in place. I found this made the piece more sturdy. for the 1x2's I used furring strips which are not very nice however I painstakingly picked through a large pile till I found ones that were straight and without knots. I then had to sand them like crazy. Saved a ton of money but worked very hard. This project actually took 19 - 1x2's rather than what the plan called for. When complete this piece was very heavy...I love it and have found the perfect home for it.
Thanks again Ana!
Janet
This piece came out beautifully! Took all of 6 hours to complete it. I used pine on this project.
Our first project!
We used the "Industrial Style Coffee Table as seen on DIY Network" plans and simply added a bottom shelf. This required an extra 2x2 bracer (same cut as top bracer) and 8 more 1x4s, cut slightly smaller than the top 1x4s in order to have them sit flush with the bottom 2x2s. The table is all pine.
We spaced the bottom shelf boards roughly a half inch apart (give or take - it's "rustic"!) and screwed in from the bottom just like the top boards.
On the top shelf, we used 3 coats of Minwax Natural stain, and followed up with 3 coats of Minwax Satin Poly. We sanded these after attaching to the frame in order to achieve a level surface. We started with 80 grit, then 120, then 150. We then used 220 in between coats of poly. The result is a smooth, but not store-bought smooth surface, which we think works well.
We didn't spend as much time on the bottom shelf since they'll be mostly storing items, giving them just a quick 150 sand prior to 2 coats of stain and 2 coats of poly. Finally, we nailed in some plastic feet to keep it about a half inch off the floor.
All in all, being our first project, and going beyond what the original plans called for, it took us a few weeks to complete, working on it mostly on weekends and here and there in the evenings after work. We love the finished project and it works really well in our living room!
-Dan and Beth
I changed the back of this chair to use some lumber I already had. These are very comfortable. I see more in my future.
After my daughter started escaping from her crib I knew it was time to build her a new bed. I didn't think she was quite ready for a full size yet so I thought a toddler size would work for at least the next year.
I started with the Traditional Toddler Bed plans and scaled down the size of the Rustic Headboard and incorporated that. The biggest thing I learned in the process was to measure your mattress first! I don't think I realized the size variation in crib mattresses and ended up having to recut my slats and rails to accommodate my larger mattress. Also, our mattress is 5 inches deep, which means that the safety rails only extend about an inch over the top of the bed. This seems to be fine for my daughter and she hasn't fallen out - yet - but I think if you have a very restless sleeper or just want to play it safe, you might want to add an extra inch or two to the height of the guardrails.
I also used a 2 x 6 for the foot rail as this allowed the legs to be inset further and gave it a more solid look on the bottom.
I loved this table so much but needed it to be a lot larger. It's 9 2x6s wide X 54in.There are also 4 1x12s as the bottom shelf. I used the steel wool and vinegar as a finish and had to paint on some black tea also to get it to change color and then finished it with a few coats of poly. This table fits so great in my space I am super happy I found this site!
Weekend project worked out well. Also made the tall bar stools also found on Ana White! Topped with a granite countertop. In the middle, I went with a double trash can sliding cabinet.
First woodworking project. Made some mistakes but learned in the process. Satisfied with how it turned out considering it was my first project. Using it as a printer table for my home office.
So we wanted to build a simple twin size bed for our 5 year old son. That quickly expanded into my wife wanting me to build this PB replica (which happens to be her favorite kids bed). My response was "honey, you really don't understand my lack of ability." She insisted and after a couple of weeks the bed is done! Using Ana's plans made this not only doable but much easier than I thought (this was my first build).
We changed the design very slightly because the original was a few inches too tall (we have a ceiling fan that would have hit the top). We simply shortened the top half of the bed by 3 inches. At the suggestion of a friend (who's mitre and table saws we used for the cuts) we used dado instead of pocket holes for the stairs. We also used a lot of countersinking instead of pocket holes (for example to attach the vertical slats on the side walls).
We bought the cheapest wood we could get at Home Depot. All the wood and stain and materials cost about $250-300 (I still haven't checked the receipts exactly). However, I was told (quite sternly) that I severely overpaid for the wood by not going to a lumber yard. We used a Minwax oil-based stain (mission oak). We only did one coat.
Now that we're done with this we can't wait to get started on the next project (right after I get my dissertation going).
Fri, 11/30/2012 - 07:07
It turned out amazing! woodworking is addictive isn't it?
Fri, 12/07/2012 - 18:22
I've been wanting to build this for our youngest son. He will be three before we make it and the fact that it is enclosed makes me comfortable with having him in a lofted bed, but it also looks like changing the bedding would be really challenging. Seeing your picture smoothing the quilt begs the question, how hard is it?
Nice work on the bed-what a first project!
Tue, 12/31/2019 - 08:41
Did you use the same angles at the top of the bed but remove 3” from the bottom of the cut? Would love to shorten this too but not great at making that type of adjustment without stated plans for it. Thanks for your help. [email protected]
Great little shelf for a kids room. Love it.
Ana, Thank you so much for the plans for yoru Christmas Tree Shelf. My niece is a huge fan of the Christmas all year round and now that she has her own place it was a perfect fit. I edited the bottom area so it woudl be able to sit on a table, she is currently in an apartment and does not want to attach much to the walls. Added the boards in the back of the two compartments so it can later be hung, and also predrilled holes in the shelf bottoms in order to crew in eye hooks to hang ornaments from if she likes.
CtL
I built this to use as a dessert table for my wedding. Stained with Early American and finished with semi-gloss polyurethane. Can’t count how many complements I’ve received!
This is the queen size version of the farmhouse bed with a natural finish. The plans were modified somewhat to account for the use of a box spring. The actual construction probably took less than a day of total project time, but the sanding, staining, and finishing were quite lengthy. My husband and I used both an electric sander and also sanded by hand. There are two layers of natural stain and three layers of polycrylic (with sanding in between each layer of the polycrylic). It turned out beautiful! Ana, thank you for the inspiration!
Last week I picked up a few pallets while I was at Ace and made these cute stands with some of the wood today. I spray painted a few cans and threw some flowers in them and have a beautiful centerpiece for my Farmhouse table! I built both of these in about 10 minutes.
Ana
This is a farmtable that i made from your plans, along with the bench also made from your plans. Turned out pretty good, worked on it mostly on the weekends. Christmas present for my son and daughter-in-law. Your website is full of great ideas and plans, thank you.
Chuck
A very enjoyable project. I'm relatively new to diy woodworking projects but these plans make it so much easier.
Thanks.
This is such a great project. Easy and fast you still have time to make one for hanging Christmas stockings!
I truly enjoyed using these plans to make this project mostly because I made it with wood that I got from a friend and reclaimed from other projects. The top of my desk is made with reclaimed 3/4 X 5 1/2 that wanted to curl and twist when I glued them together but after sanding and finishing they came out great and add a lot of character to the overall project.
