Community Brag Posts

Sturdy Workbench

Submitted by AhmaNaz on Thu, 09/17/2020 - 09:43

Did a couple builds for my family out of state and quickly realized that working without a station is CRAZY. Addedd wheels for mobility as I left it there.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
60 to 75
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Raw
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Outdoor Canopy Bed

Completed this project last week off of the plans here under outdoor! I Love it and plans were soooo easy to follow!

Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Painted white with exterior paint, outdoor fabric and twin size air mattress.

Comments

Three Bin Laundry Sorter

Submitted by Meyer1120 on Mon, 01/21/2013 - 21:10

Modified the original plan to meet our needs of a laundry sorter. Had problems with the hinges so ditched them. I used dowels with a combination of a chamfer cut on the bottom of the door. Dado-ed the trim on the doors and slide the bead board panels in. The face frame is all held together with pocket hole screws, which I highly recommend because it eliminates nail holes and keeps the face frame square. This was my first wood working project, took me a little long to get it done. Thanks for looking.

Modified January 28

So here are some more pictures of my project. I don't really have any good pictures of the dowels. But what I can tell you is, I drilled holes through the sides of the face frame and the trim pieces and then measured where the holes would be in relation to the "drawer". I then drilled holes in the drawers at those measurements, I was careful to not go to deep. I think I went in half an inch. After that I started at one end and placed the dowels in, then put each drawer in. It wasn't easy but with a little patience it worked. The key is to wax the dowels so they will last longer as well. I also am including pictures of the top and bottom trim. On the top the original plans called for an overhang piece and I didn't like the way that looked. I ran the top board an inch long on each side and then wrapped it in quarter round trim. I did this because I plan on adding the Mimi Hutch Top. The bottom was built per the plan, but I ran into a problem with my bottom trim not being level and you could tell. So I raised the whole unit on 1 1/2 legs then placed it on a level surface and again wrapped it in a decorative trim. The key on both trims was a nice miter joint. Last picture I added was of my stoppers. I took scrap from the 1x2 trim and cut them to an inch and a half or two (can't really remember), then using the Kreg Jig drill bit drilled recessed holes. I then opened the doors until the side 45s were level then mounted the blocks on each side. I feel that it is better than a chain or string catch. Again thanks for looking and I hope I answered all of your questions.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Primmer and paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

moosmani

Tue, 01/22/2013 - 11:29

Dowels! What a great idea! Would you mind sharing how you did it? Could you possibly add some pictures showing the dowels? You did a great job. It looks beautiful.

mullid1

Thu, 01/24/2013 - 09:27

I love what you have made! Could you post pictures of the top and the bottom trim? I'm very impressed that this is your first project!

mullid1

Tue, 01/29/2013 - 09:12

Thank you for the photos and new instructions! You're awesome!!!

VLT

Fri, 03/15/2013 - 12:05

This is lovely; I like the trim job you did. Is there a way to post the plans so we can all get to them. I cannot believe this was your first project!

Liz82

Sat, 11/16/2013 - 18:23

I am a little confused. I love the three bin laundry sorter, but everyone is mentioning plans. I am not finding plans for it on the site. Also, what goes in to hold the clothes? There may be obvious answers, but I am not seeing them. I'd appreciate any help you could give.

towering inferno

Tue, 12/02/2014 - 02:58

I've been thinking of working up one very similar to this, also with 3 bins, but I didn't want to use chain either.  Those stoppers will be ideal - do you put them on both sides or is one enough?  Thanks for the share!

Karahd

Sat, 01/24/2015 - 11:29

Hi-

Im not sure if you still have the plans to this awesome project, but if you do, would you be able to share them with me? Ive been looking to make something like this forever, but just couldnt find any help!

thanks,
karah
[email protected]

petemoore

Mon, 02/08/2016 - 07:46

hi im the same as everyone can you send me the build plans with dimensions etc

many thanks

virginie D.

Wed, 03/02/2016 - 14:49

Hi

It's exactely what i need. so amazing. Someone can send me the plan please? I'm so newbie to do tat all by myself without plans. Thanks you.

virginie D.

Wed, 03/02/2016 - 14:49

Hi

It's exactely what i need. so amazing. Someone can send me the plan please? I'm so newbie to do tat all by myself without plans. Thanks you.

ajbreaux

Mon, 05/02/2016 - 14:22

My wife loves this . if its possible could i get the plans and hopefully have time to build it to give to her for mothers day ? thanks 

Kimhubbell

Fri, 12/02/2016 - 11:01

I would also love to have the plans for the 3 bin sorter. I am barely an intermediate so more specifics would be a huge help! Thanks to anyone who could help.

lworthy

Mon, 07/10/2017 - 04:19

 I absolutely LOVE your laundry sorter!!!! You did a fabulous job and the TRIM, WOW amazing!!!! I've searched Ana's website and cant find the plans' could you please email me the plans to [email protected].  I started building my own furinture back in October 2016 and the reward is amazing... Keep up the good work.

Happy Building,

Lisa

woodmama

Tue, 01/16/2018 - 22:18

I'm too new at woodworking to be able to tackle this right now, but would love to download the plans for future. My most successful project so far is a pretty standard bookshelf. I got a free plan, with lots of guidelines and explanations, at https://tinyurl.com/ydeup8lo -- it came with a 440 page guide, "The Art of Woodworking" that has tips and techniques, and am plowing through that right now.

momto3

Wed, 02/28/2018 - 12:53

This is amazing.  I am very new to woodworking.  Could you send me the plans please?  I would be most appreciatative 

Ljohns

Wed, 03/11/2020 - 23:27

I would love to have the plans for the three bin laundry sorter to build for my laundry room. Are the plans available? Awesome work!

Adirondack Chairs

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/09/2021 - 08:09

I wanted to buy Adirondack for comfortable lounge chairs but they are so expensive! Came across these plans and it took a little bit of trial and error but they turned out great! Completed 6 chairs total and they are super comfortable and look great!

Estimated Cost
$70 per chair
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Modern Adirondack Chairs and Adirondack Table

Submitted by jer727 on Mon, 08/30/2021 - 12:18

This is one of my first wood working projects I have accomplished and these two plans were some that I really enjoyed making.

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Firehouse Playset

Submitted by vic b on Fri, 05/03/2013 - 19:03

I love making thing for our son. i document most of it at http://madeatthisplace.blogspot.com.au/

Our son has a lot of Lego, especially fire engine Lego.
It was spread out everywhere and we needed to contain it.

This fire station playhouse was perfect.

I added a ramp so the cars and trucks could get up to the top level and garage doors on one side as our house is more like a garage then a fire station.

I used scrapbooking paper on the upper level walls and painted a H on the roof for the helicopter. (or in our case a plane).

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

rhonit

Mon, 05/06/2013 - 04:31

Awesome job!!! I don't see much built for boys and this is just an awesome playset, I will defiantly be doing something like this for my grandson. I especial like that it's up off of the floor.

How to Build Simple Raised Garden Beds

Starting with Ana's simple $10 raised garden plans, we built ours to be part of our experiment: Growing Vegetables in Our Driveway. Because our boxes are visible from the street, we made them a bit fancier and sturdier than we would have if they were hidden away in the backyard. An easy, afternoon project - with delicious results!

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
none
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Seasonal And Holiday

Dog Bunk Bed

We’ve been looking around for some plans for a doggy bunk bed for a while now, but couldn’t find anything that we liked so I decided to build it from scratch. This is a huge bunk bed that was built based on the size of our larger dog’s bed which is 44 x 35. This was pretty simple to build although the stairs we’re quite challenging as I have never done them before so if I can make it, anybody can.

I must stress that before I found Ana’s website about 6 months ago I could barely cut a piece of wood straight. Over this time I have made several things based on the easy to follow plans on this website which ultimately gave me the confidence to go it alone and build this bunk bed. Friends and family are shocked at some of the furniture I’ve made and some don’t even believe I made them and think I’ve bought them from IKEA. My wife has got a list of furniture she wants to make now including a TV console, an armoire and a twin bed for one our daughters. Every spare second I have now is spent is making furniture and I LOVE it.

For anybody who has never built anything and is apprehensive to do so I would just say, do it. Grab what you need and dive right in. You may get frustrated and scream a bit at first, but the reward at the end is well worth it and each project you do will get easier and easier. Be warned though. The better you get, the more people will pester you to make things for them.

Thank you, Ana.

This was made using cheap 1 x 3 and 1 x 4 furring strips for the railings and bed slats, 2 x 4s for the posts and 1 x 10 board for the stairs.

Estimated Cost
$75 - $100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I haven't sanded or finished this yet as we are still deciding on what to do with it.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

She Shed - Guest Room, Craft Room, Office

Submitted by Chriss45 on Tue, 01/23/2018 - 08:18

I needed an office and also a guest room so i built a she shed and all the furniture.

Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

junesummer21

Thu, 01/25/2018 - 06:27

I love your murphy bed idea and would love to have plans for it. I too am looking for a guest bedroom and craft area and I know this would work in my space.

Chriss45

Mon, 02/05/2018 - 16:20

I didnt really have a plan when I was building my Murphy bed, I can do a sketchup plan for you if you would like. I used boat chair swivels instead of hinges and there is a YouTube video on how to do this. 

Chris

Nurserene62

Thu, 06/24/2021 - 23:11

Hi Chris! I would love to have a copy of the sketch up of this. I have a small she shed/guest cottage I would live to duplicate this in. Thanks in advance.

cgself12

Mon, 11/08/2021 - 14:18

Hi Chris!
I know I'm coming late to this party but I just found your shed and I adore it. You did an amazing job and I cannot express how impressed I am! I would also like a sketchup plan of both the murphy bed and the adjoining side cabinets. Great job!

Kim Daigle

Thu, 06/06/2019 - 10:59

I absolutely love everything about this she shed!!  I would be interested in a sketch up of the murphy bed as well as the cabinets next to it.  I would at least like to know what the dimensions of it all is.  You did an amazing job!  It's so beautiful!

mcocooper11

Tue, 06/25/2019 - 15:14

Me too!! I built a horizontal Murphy bed so I have that part done but I would like to see the plans for the cabinets on either side with the pull out desk!

so very cute!

Octagon Picnic Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/09/2022 - 10:23

I just finished this octagon picnic table as per your plans
the 2x6 are all clear Western Red Cedar and the skeleton is
Douglas Fir. I think it turned out astonishingly excellent.

Thanks for the inspiration Ana.

Seasonal And Holiday

Garden bench - Adirondack style

Hi Ana!  Thank you so much for creating all these wonderful woodworking plans.  My wife and I wanted a garden bench, and I thought it would be so much more fun to make one than to buy one, so voila!   Couldn't have done it without your plans.  I made a couple modifications to make it more "Adirondack" style, with the paisley-shaped armrests and curved backpiece.  Great plans, thrilled with how easy they were to follow and how well the bench came out! 

Thanks - 
Bruce 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Spar urethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Princess Play Loft Bed

Submitted by fsmumford on Wed, 06/22/2011 - 09:26

I love the play loft bed, but wanted to add a princess twist for my 5 year old's birthday. I found melamine plywood, which helped in the finishing since it was already white. It was a lot of work, but so worth it! I think the kid's favorite feature so far is the slide, which has seen a ton of use :) My favorite feature is all the storage! Thanks so much Ana! If it wasn't for you, there is no way I would have had the courage to tackle a project like this!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
The plywood was already white, but after filling the holes I went ahead and painted the whole thing white so that it would all be the same color.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Ari Z (not verified)

Thu, 06/23/2011 - 11:12

What a fantastic design for your daughter! She must pretend she's Rapunzel every time she gets into bed. The little cubbies to store toys were an excellent idea.

fsmumford

Mon, 07/11/2011 - 19:32

I started out by building the back and outer walls just like the stairs, just slightly narrower to fit my space and the side walls longer, coming out into the room more since the slide sticks out into the room farther. I then also did the top platform of the slide like the top step, having the top stair trim, cleats, and plywood support underneath the front of the platform. Then, I did some calculating to figure out how long to make the slide and what angle to use. I wanted it to come out into the room farther than the rest of the bed so that the slide wasn’t too fast, but I didn’t want it to stick out too far. So I used a piece of melamine board (nice and slick wood) that was 56” long. At the bottom of the slide, I put a piece of plywood that went from the ground up about 8 inches, so that the end of the slide would be up off the ground. So the slide ended up dropping a total of 34”, from the platform down to the plywood 8 inches off the ground. This made a fairly quick slide, but perfectly doable for my little ones. Then, before mounting the slide, I attached 1x2’s to each of the sides of the slide under where the slide was to be to support the slide from beneath. Then, I used a kreg jig to attach the slide to the sides and then screwed the slide into the supports. This made a very stable slide. If you have any more questions, I would be happy to try and help. I hope I’ve made sense ☺

Guest (not verified)

Sat, 07/16/2011 - 15:45

Hello Slide! My daughter screamed when she saw this bed...can you please tell me how to build it all? I would love it if you could share...

fsmumford

Sat, 07/16/2011 - 20:54

I'll try :) I started by building the towers. It was just deciding how wide I wanted them (I did one narrower and one wider to use like a window seat). Each tower is essentially three sides of plywood with one having shelves in it and the other having one shelf to make a seat. I also put a shelf at the bed's height so that my daughter can use it to put things when she is in bed, such as her alarm clock. Then I knew how long I needed the bed to be and how wide each of the towers were, and I made the middle front section to be the remaining width. The rest of the bed is very similar to the Play loft bed with storage steps, but instead of making the steps storage, I just attached them down and then cut out on the inside underneath the stairs to allow access for storage from within the castle. I used a jig saw to cut out the window. The top pink parts of the tower are just decoration, so I bought a thin piece of plywood and used a jigsaw to cut the up and down cuts. And then on another post I talked about making the slide. I hope I helped some :) If you have any more questions, feel free to ask and I will try and help.

Guest (not verified)

Sat, 10/01/2011 - 12:53

*I'm willing to pay you for your help*

I wish to start making this bed, but need some help. I'm novice and need more instructions. If I were to email you measurements, could you elaborate more in depth?

Please respond.

Thank you for your consideration.

Guest (not verified)

Sat, 10/01/2011 - 12:53

*I'm willing to pay you for your help*

I wish to start making this bed, but need some help. I'm novice and need more instructions. If I were to email you measurements, could you elaborate more in depth?

Please respond.

Thank you for your consideration.

fsmumford

Thu, 10/06/2011 - 10:04

I would love to help in any way I can (free of course!) I have wanted to do the plans on the computer, but haven't been able to figure out the program :( So feel free to ask away and I'll try and help. You can post questions here, or email me at [email protected].

jkcd513 (not verified)

Tue, 07/19/2011 - 13:01

I was wondering what the dimension for your room are (especially the wall the bed is against. Just trying to figure out if the slide idea would work in our little room. Also would you mind telling me how wide the the n_n_n (That is my attempt to show the part of the castle that has the little rectangles/squares and then a space and another rectangle/square (the pink and purple parts of the bed) I have been drawing some trying to get spacing right and they never seem to look right, but your spacing looks great. And is the purple part that has the shield painted on it a seperate piece from the rest or is it cut out with the main part of the bed- if it's seperate how wide across and length down is it? We are in the process of attempting a similar bed for our little one and I have been playing around with ideas and so far yours looks like what I have been trying to show my husband in my drawings, only yours looks a lot closer to what I had in my mind than what I have on paper. Any help would be appreciated.

fsmumford

Mon, 07/25/2011 - 09:27

The wall the bed is against is 125.25", so a little over 10'. I still have a few inches of wall left and wish I had made the slide a little wider (the slide I made is 14.5" wide), but thought I would be tighter on space. For the pink on top of the tower, I first used 1 x 3 that I attached to the front of the tower. Then I used 1/8" plywood for the part that I cut the up and down parts. It is 6.5" tall, but part of it sits behind the 1x3, so only 5" is visible. I then cut the plywood 3" down, 3" across, 3" up, 3" over, etc. to make that up and down look at the top of the towers. And the purple part with the shield is separate. It is again just a thin piece of plywood that I nailed to the bed. When I put this up, part of the shield thing was sticking above the bed and I didn't think anything of it until someone broke off part of it. So now I've added a piece of wood behind the shield (the same width of the shield) so that it keeps the shield from being broken. The shield's overall size is 23.25" wide x 27" high. I hope this helps :) If there is anything else I can help with, please just ask. Good luck with your adventure :) !

Guest (not verified)

Sun, 08/21/2011 - 22:19

I am incredibly curious to know if I can get plans for this bed. I have looked extensively throughout various internet pages for a bed/playhouse like this. I would like to make it with a queen mattress on top. I have look through your posts and haven't gathered enough information to proceed. I am willing to pay for the plans.

Is there anything different you would do, if you did this project again?

Thank You,

Guest

Guest (not verified)

Tue, 10/18/2011 - 08:43

Hello:
First of all I have to say THANK YOU. I found the plans for the playhouse (which are fabulous) are there plans available for the princess castle?

fsmumford

Tue, 10/18/2011 - 19:54

Hey all, I added the plans for this under the plans section of this website. Please let me know if you have any questions, and have fun building!

CherylBella (not verified)

Thu, 04/05/2012 - 15:40

I would love your directions or plans to build this my little princess. Thanks for any help. Just love this bed!

Finally Built a Platform Bed!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/25/2022 - 10:39

I've been wanting to build this bed for awhile and finally got around to it. I made a few small changes to the plans:

-I used 2x8's instead of 2x6s, so it wouldn't be so low to the ground.
-I ripped 3/8" off of the 2x8 supports in the middle so the mattress would nest inside the frame and not slide around
-I didn't add the headboard because it seemed a bit chunky/rustic for my taste. I will come back and do something else for the headboard. Maybe a cool paneled wall with built in sconces? We'll see!

Love these plans though, appreciate it!

Comments

Reclaimed TV console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/21/2016 - 10:24

Built this TV console from reclaimed pallet wood. Added some tiny hairpin legs for more of an industrial look.

Estimated Cost
$150.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Hand rubbed clear wax
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Kitchen Storage Shelf

Thanks to you we were able to build my mom a shelf for her kitchen with a combination of two of your plans! My mom loved the top of the “Farmhouse Potting Bench” but also wanted shelves like the “Rustic X Console Table”. We combined the two and adjusted measurements to fit our wall space. We didn’t do a complete X on the side because we wanted it with one slant, but loved how it turned out over all! 

Kayla

Cedar Garden Bed

I made this garden bed in one evening. I love it! I bought 6 6' cedar fence pickets and two cedar 1x2s. I don't have a table saw, and they wouldn't rip a fence picket for me at the store, so I had to buy the cedar 1x2's but the project was still very affordable. I wanted it a little wider than the original plan, so I just cut the 6' pickets in half for the sides.
It is 6' x 3' and I didn't bother to cut the dogears off. You probably wouldn't even be able to tell they are there. I didn't trim the top out because that would add on about $6, and I like it just the way it is.
Now, lets see if I can actually grow some plants in it!!
I'm a beginner, and this project was really easy.

Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Lisa P (not verified)

Tue, 04/03/2012 - 08:08

This is exactly how I was going to modify Ana's plans as well. Have you started growing anything yet? Looks great!

Tara Kirkland

Tue, 04/17/2012 - 20:55

Yes, I've started "trying" to grow a few things. I don't usually have much luck, but maybe.... just MAYBE this will be the year!! :)

Lindyer0523 (not verified)

Mon, 04/23/2012 - 07:13

What would you have used for the top trim?

Tall Wood Planters

Submitted by Knuckles78 on Fri, 05/15/2020 - 05:27

Added some extra trim pieces to finish it out. turned out really nice!!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Modified workbench

Submitted by jayhicks84 on Sun, 05/24/2020 - 19:45

A modification of the traditional work bench. Great for storage. Bench area of 70 inches with 18 additional inches for the table saw.

Comments

Back