Community Brag Posts

This was my 2nd woodworking project, so I was very pleased with the results. I wanted more seating and storage for my office area. I liked the look of the Farmhouse Storage Bed, so I decided to modify the plans and turn it into a bench. I made the seating area 30" wide and 68" long. Instead of headboard and footboard, I made 2 sides that were about 40" tall (36" 4x4 plus the 2x4 and 2x6). I made 3 24" deep drawers and left the back side open so that I can store electronics that need to be charged in them with the cords hanging out the back of the drawers. It was a lot of fun to make, and I know that my family will enjoy it!

After seeing the patio table with beer/wine cooler, I wanted to build this for my brother and wife who recently bought a house. I asked them if they were interested and of course they said yes. I modified the original plans by adding a 2x4 on each side of the cooler to make the table wider. I also made the legs out of 4x4 vs the 2x4s that were originally called for. I used redwood and then stained it and used a varnish for the final coating. I probably wouldn't use the varnish again for an outdoor table, because it looks like it should be an indoor table vs outdoor. Overall, I'm pleased with the results and the best part about it, I get to enjoy it every time I go over for a BBQ.

I had been asked a few times for these plans, but as someone else posted a similar one, I'll just stick to a blog post for now and describe my differences. I made this shelving unit January 2010, just after I found out of I was pregnant with my third child, and it's been a lifesaver since then. I desperately needed a toy storage solution (and purging), as shown in the 'eek' kids closet below. I didn't like the shape of triangular Ikea ones, as they spanned more floor space than I cared to give up. Plus, I wanted a place to put *almost* all of my kids toys, so I wanted it to be tall. I'm so glad we did, since we've moved twice (also, 'eek') since than, and it's made packing and unpacking the kids toys super (SUPER) easy. At first, I was afraid that the kids would go crazy and just tear down every bin at once, but it hasn't happened yet. Unlike the other plan that was posted, I used white sliders that ikea sold. I'm not sure if they still sell, as I don't see them online. It cost an additional $24 (they were $1/2), but seemed worth the extra money. I didn't have a router and wasn't particularly confident with our table saw skills. Plus the Ikea version had some really thin areas that made me nervous that it would break easily. I tried to keep it easy and just had to line up and screw the sliders in. Now that I'm a little more confident with a table saw, I'd give the router style a-go. I used two sheets of cabinet grade plywood, each costing about $30. I ripped down some pine boards to cover the front edges, which made the unit look loads nicer. However, I wish I would have used maple, instead of pine as they got dented almost immediately. Not a big deal though. The three shelves were sort of an afterthought, but turned out to be great for puzzles and other type toys. I didn't use backing or cross supports initially, but put some in after we moved. You can see them in the last picture below. The heater in our temporary house caused the slightly-bent sides to become very bent sides. That caused the drawers would spontaneously fall out, which was always quite the shock and disappointment. I put in some supports in the back, which I wish I did initially as it would have made manufacturing easier. Also, If I were to go back, I would put one cross support in the front-middle, as the boards are so tall, it needs something to help maintain the shape in the front. I've found that even in a perfect fitting slider, really heavy buckets would bend just enough to flex out of them to crash... so don't plan on filling one of the large buckets with matchbox cars and sticking it on the top. Regardless, we've learned our lessons, made it work better, and has been a huge success in our house for a while now.

I had an idea in my head of what I wanted for deck seating/lounging in my mind but just couldn't seem to get to the "nitty gritty" of creating workable plans. Then, while googling through images of double loungers I stumbled onto Ana's site. Wow! I felt like a fish that had just found the water! With the detailed plans generously provided for a double lounger I was able to create my "vision" with just slight modifications. The loungers are actually two chairs and two ottomans that fit together or come apart depending on how much "togetherness" the situation calls for. And best of all - almost all the materials were left overs and cut pieces from another deck and fencing project. For cushions (not in this photo) I used two inexpensive "Hide A Mats" folding beds from Costco that I covered with waterproof duck fabric. I can't thank you enough, Ana, for taking the time to share your talent so freely. I'm truly grateful. As is Jake, the Redbone Coonhound, who insisted on being in the photo!

I wanted to build a small shower bench. I used the Providence Bench Plans and just made it a bit smaller with a few adjustments. This bench is 35" long and 18" tall. I did not use the cross supports on the bottom because it was so short. Also, you will see that I turned the bottom stretcher and side supports flat/horizontal. I put the screws for the seat boards through the top down just because this was the easiest way for me to do it. The plans did not show in detail how to attach the seat boards from the underside. It just said "finally, the seat boards." I guess they probably used a pocket jig. I bought a pocket jig and used it in the couple of places, but this was my first time using it. I used brown, coated decking screws in the places I did not use the pocket screws. This was my first attempt at building anything and my first time to use a pocket jig. I used a natural wood stain and Behr Weather-Proofing since it will be in a wet area.

Made with an ikea pallet and some other stuff.

After Christmas I was talking to my cousin, she told me how she now needed storage to hide her new gifts she had received. Of course I wasted no time and told her about Ana's site.

So as we enjoyed lunch she pulled out her handy "smart phone" and began searching for the perfect plan for her needs.

It didn't take long for her to find the plan that suited her needs and we began planning. I got all the materials together and did some presanding so we could get this baby complete in her short weekend visit.

This plan was easy to cut and stain, however assembly was a bit more difficult as the angles made it difficult to get your bits into tighten kreg screws.

We didn’t make the bottom shelf adjustable however made it high enough for the mixer she wished to hide within it.

Other than typical door hanging issues the project turned out beautiful! The bottom cupboard doors even provided enough room for her large mixer and griddle.

Before she took her project home to enjoy she was already planning her next project.

These plans are beautiful, functional and do-able.

Thank you again Ana for making another person’s life’s organized!

We built this kids playhouse for our 4 year old daughter for Christmas. We modified it from the playhouse loft bed with stairs, only we made it bigger and instead of stairs we installed a slide. Also rather than a ladder we put in a rock wall.

Swinging bed.

I used the Murphy Bed Plan that Ana had on her website. I modified it so that it would look more like a dresser and would fit into the space that I have. It is perfect and I have used it myself just to see if it was comfy. It was!!! :)

This project took me longer to do as I had a creativity issue that you can read about here .. http://joy2journey.blogspot.com/2012/04/m-is-for-murphy-bed-its-finishe…

I wanted to make a built in storage bench for the breakfast nook in our eat-in kitchen, but wasn't entirely sure how to go about the process. After seeing Ana's "Mimi's Storage Bench" I thought the plan could be modified to fit our space, so I convinced my husband to give it a shot. We've done a fair amount of carpentry in our house, but this is the first piece of furniture that we have ever built. Thanks to Ana's plans and our new Kreg jig, it turned out better than I ever imagined. We absolutely love the new bench, where my toddler spends every morning eating his breakfast while staring out the window and giggling at the squirrels in our backyard.

Hall Tree by Nancy