Community Brag Posts

Brook Laundry Basket Dresser

Submitted by krochelle on Thu, 01/01/2015 - 15:42

Used square laundry baskets instead of regular rectangular baskets. The square ones aren't as deep but are a bit taller so I had to modify the plans. I added a backsplash and some wooden tags to the baskets to designate them for certain colors. I also added some decorative trim and finished the bottom in a gray stain and used white chalk paint for the top.

Estimated Cost
$70
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Weathered gray stain
White chalk paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Attic Reno and Built-ins

This was my first-ever woodworking project, which followed a pretty significant renovation of my attic. The built-ins were inspired by the plans and videos from this site. The renovation started with removal of the wall-to-wall carpeting (including 20k nails and staples), repairing the subfloor, replacing the stairs and landings, including the drywall. I used Home Depot’s Lifeproof floating vinyl flooring, which I’m really pleased with.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$3500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
White paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Shoe Shelf

Submitted by brittanyj on Sat, 04/22/2017 - 17:16

Husband wanted a shoe shelf for the back door entry, and I needed a quickie weekend project, so this fit the bill.  Adapted from fix this build that's plan, but modified for a smaller space and less shoe storage.  Easy project, and looks great.

Estimated Cost
$7- the project panel was on clearance at HD for the top, the rest was scrap lumber- ply, 2x2's and 1x2's.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
kona stain, white paint, poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Cedar Herb Garden

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/02/2021 - 06:43

I had the fun of working with my daughter on this project.We recently moved closer to her in Colorado and we are just starting to get into wood projects. Thanks for the great projects!
Aron

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Clear finish with a touch of Tung oil
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Strawberry planters

Submitted by DevonWood on Thu, 04/08/2021 - 00:17

Using plans from this website here are pictures of two, five tier strawberry planters.
Each tier is wide enough for 4 plants in one litre pots.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

My floral chicken coop

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/26/2021 - 19:25

I’m so thankful I found Ana White’s site, like, 10 years ago. She’s inspired me so much and helped me to know I could build stuff! This is far from the first thing I’ve built but it’s absolutely the most complex! I was able to find a bunch of wood free locally from a construction site (they posted it online) and some friends had some old plywood they were kind enough to give us. Even with most of the wood covered, the cost of hardware and other supplies still took us over $200. I worked on it during the day for the last few weeks around our homeschooling schedule, so it did take quite a bit of time. I also had to modify it to work with the wood I had and I wanted to make it bigger inside. But it’s finally finished and our little chickies seem quite happy so far!

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Exterior white paint, honey colored sack stain
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Do not test the seating until all table is comlete (humor at my expense)

Fun build. Thanks Ana. I made the mistake of installing one set of seat boards and testing the strength. I weigh over 300lbs. No harm no foul but you can probably figure out the rest. On my backside soon after.

Looking forward to building my next 2 without this mishap.

Jim

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
behr stain mentioned in plans and spar urethane poly exterior by minwax

Comments

X Console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 06/05/2017 - 02:17

For my first build I am super proud. Plans were very understable & made it easy to build. Definitely looking forward to building more things! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60-$70
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain & semi gloss white interior paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Harvest Basket

Submitted by mtairymd on Sat, 03/14/2015 - 10:49

Build Instructions:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Harvest-Basket-Garden-Trug/

Video of Build:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DlhZ6-gpak&feature=youtu.be

This is a simple design built from reclaimed wood and purchased ¼” wood slats.  It cost very little and only took a couple of hours to complete the build.  The goal was light weight, shallow and wide for collecting leafy vegetables, easy to handle and somewhat attractive. 

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Natural Stain - see link above
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Triple Pedestal Farmhouse Bench

Submitted by mamienoel on Tue, 05/07/2013 - 14:14

Well I told my sister that I bought a saw and some tools and I was going to attempt to build my own dining room bench... being the snarky "younger" sister that she is, she suggested I start with a cutting board instead. :)
But hey... go big or go home I figured, so I tackled my first ever carpentry project: the Triple Pedestal Bench from Ana's plans!
I attempted to cut down the measurements for the top from 106" (in the plans) down to 70" (to fit my table) BUT I screwed up my measurements (I suck at math...shocker!) and ended up with an 86" long beautiful beast of a bench
somehow... so beginners mistake! At least now I have some practice under my belt for when I have the time to tackle this project again and start over and make a new one that actually fits my dining table...
And while it's far from perfect, I absolutely love it... it turned out better than I had hoped and I still have all my fingers and limbs attached! Thank you God !:)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Finish is a combination of 3 parts "Dark Walnut" stain to 1 part "Weathered Gray" stain... brushed on and immediately wiped off...
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kitchen set

Submitted by ShannonB on Wed, 03/09/2011 - 06:48

My husband I built this kitchen set for my daughter's 2nd birthday. She just loves it. For the sink I used the same plans as the stove and changed them a little. There is not enough room below but we used the Cute Play Pie Hutch plan too. The double door fridge we use as a pantry. I can't find the plans for the fridge but we used Ana's plans for that too.

Estimated Cost
Under 200.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
White semi gloss paint and Pink semi gloss paint. We primed it before we painted it.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Drawer bases turned banquette

I took Ana's open base and drawer plans, added a few inches to the height (so that the base trim on the storage units would clear the base trim on our walls), and put them together to create a banquette-style bench with tons of storage underneath. We use the drawers for our family board games and photo albums.

Estimated Cost
$100-$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Sherwin-Williams Pro-Classic in semi-gloss followed by Minwax Polycrylic.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Simple Outhouse

I built this outhouse to go with a dry cabin I'm working on, and also as an emergency backup for my house. I used treated lumber on the base/deck and splurged on T-111 for the siding. I wanted to use greenhouse polycarbonate for the roof, but found a piece of metal roofing in my shed that was exactly the right size so I used that instead. I thought about doing a fancy cutout on the door but ended up going with a half moon because it was easy. I'm thinking about cutting out stars of different sizes all over the rest of the door to let in more light. I'll trim and stain it next summer.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$450 - I used T-111 which is $40/sheet here in Alaska. I also used treated lumber where recommended and stainless steel screws.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

CH

Mon, 01/13/2020 - 15:25

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE 'STUFF' THAT YOU DEPOSIT IN THE TOILET?  I DIDN'T READ ANYTHING ABOUT DIGGING A PIT/TREATMENTS, ETC.  PLEASE LET ME KNOW.  THANK YOU!  CH.

Barn Pallet Beam Ledge

I always have leftover pallet wood lying around. So I decided to whip of a beam ledge as a gift. I ended up wrapping it before I even got a final photo but it was finished in a dark gel stain. I think the next time I make one I will apply a simple Tung oil finish so all the wonderful character can remain.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
FREE!
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Moderate Sanding
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Becca Trunk

Submitted by DMax2010 on Sat, 04/25/2015 - 17:44

Love this trunk! It was my first attempt at moulding and I probably should have practiced on scrap wood first (recommend)! But it turned out great and one of my favorite pieces (because it's filled with toys).

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Not sure, I purchased the purebond plywood and the moulding but pretty much had the rest already
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Body of trunk:
Minwax Express Color in Walnut (base)
Behr Premium Plus Flat in Juniper Ash
Rustoleum Soft Touch Matte Poly

Top:
Minwax Express Color in Walnut
Rustoleum Soft Touch Matte Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Concrete top

I changed up the legs because I had a beautiful piece of reclaimed wood I've been looking to use.  I did use these plans for the concrete top and it turned out great!  Just followed all of her advice.  It's very smooth, almost feels like soft cotton, with only tiny bubbles.  Thanks for the great plans!

Estimated Cost
$20 for the wood and $25 for the concrete top
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Weathered Oak
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

2x4 Rustic Outdoor Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 11/09/2017 - 09:46

Submitted by Carla Santiago on Facebook - 

 

We did a bench, I got your plans off Pinterest. We just put a slight slant to the back and we love it. Thanks for the great plans.

Built from Plan(s)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Foldable Farmhouse Table 2

I recently published my first foldable farmhouse table last week here: http://ana-white.com/2013/06/foldable-farmhouse-table The first one I made was very heavy because I used 2x6 tops and 4x4 legs. I decided to make another one that would be lighter and easier to transport. The plans are basically the same just instead I used 1x6 for the top and put 2x4s together for the legs. I also shorted the length by about a foot. The only issue with making the table shorter length is that the legs don't fold completely flush. You could easily make the legs short enough to fold flush, but then the table was a little too short from the ground up for us. The same as before I simply used kreg joints to join the top boards together. I then made a 2x4 frame and attached it to the bottom. I made each of the legs separately by joining 2x4s together and sanding everything down. Everything was stained before putting the legs on using Miniwax Dark walnut stain. I used 2 coats of Miniwax water based clear coat to seal it. A notch was cut out on each of the bottom 2x4 supports on the legs and I glued in a small piece of wood cut to size. These are so I can put in a 2x4 support board under the table so that the legs do not fold in on themselves when it is standing up. The legs are just attached using door hinges you can buy in packs in the hardware section. Be careful when screwing into the 1x6 top not to use too long of screws or else you will over screw and have them come through into your table top. Table design was by Amber Veatch Designs and photographed by Andi Mans Photography

Estimated Cost
120.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Sand to finish and then used Miniax dark walnut stain followed by Miniwax water based clear coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Freddyflis

Tue, 07/07/2015 - 06:41

We have built something very similar and we have a good bit of wobble at the top, even though the stretcher down the center of the table is holding solid in there and secred with clasps. Were thinking of some sort of sliding pin into the top of the leg to the apron. Anyone run into this before?

Seasonal And Holiday

Super-Cool Pencil Holder

Submitted by JoanneS on Wed, 05/20/2015 - 19:56

Isn't this the coolest pencil holder EVER?! Hubby made this from a landscape timber with the drill press. Love how you can see through the holes in the bottom!

He used a hole saw attachment on the drill press, after cutting the block of wood down with the miter saw. This one is the prototype, from scrap wood. I'm thinking this would be absolutely gorgeous in Cedar! This received a quick sanding and 2 coats of clear water based poly.

As soon as he teaches me how he did this, I'm going to post the plan for 'Dan's Super-Cool Pencil Holder!' Thanks Honey! :)

Estimated Cost
0
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
sanded with fine grit sandpaper, 2 coats of clear poly, sanded between coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JoanneS

Thu, 06/04/2015 - 15:10

Thanks! I'm looking forward to trying this on my own too. Hubby came up with another technique that I think will be easier for me - using a 2" forstner bit and a regular drill. Hopefully I'll get to experiment with that this weekend, and I'll be sure to post process pictures. :)