Community Brag Posts

Love My Sectional

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/08/2021 - 06:21

Ana did an awesome job explaining everything in the plans. Make sure you buy your cushions first and build your sectional around your cushion size. I added more 2X4's on the back seat and back rest so the cushions would not slide through the opening and to minimize the feeling of the one 2x4 going across your back. I get so many compliments from this beautiful sectional. Thanks Anna!

Comments

Old Door Cofee Table

This table was built out of an old 5 panel door and some scrap would that we had lying around. old hinges and knob came from a local antique store. To finish the door my wife crackled the top and clear coated it. 

Estimated Cost
50.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic X Farmhouse Table

We were able to finish this table after work one afternoon and stain it the next day. (we have a 16 month old also, so you can do it! :) ) I wanted a similar style I had found at World Market that retailed for $700 we were able to complete this entire table for $100 including all hardware and stain. LOVE it so much and get SO many compliments on it. Thanks so much!

Shelby
The Dandy Lion

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
A satin poly with espresso stain in one
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Pallet Bench

Submitted by eralben on Mon, 05/04/2015 - 06:30

A friend gave me a pallet that I wanted to make into an outdoor bench.  I found Ana’s plans for a simple outdoor loveseat and they inspired the frame for the bench.  To make the bench I cut the pallet in half and then I adjusted Ana’s plans to make the frame to fit around the pallet. 

The pallet was free and I used scrap wood to build the frame so my only cost for this project was paint.  

Estimated Cost
$25
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Thanks for helping me build this shed!

Submitted by cnllusher on Sun, 09/17/2017 - 16:33

Using your shed plans, modified to use the 2x4s I already had on hand, I designed this 4'x8'x7' shed to match my house.  I replaced the ceder fence boards with a hardiboard, but the construction was pretty much the same.  My husband and I are so happy with this shed,which looks very similar to the $4000+ sheds we have seen, and it cost us less than $400 to make and matches our house perfectly.  Your instructions were great, and I know you saved me a lot of time and trouble.  Can't wait to load it up with our snow and gardening equipment!  Thank you!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modern Farmhouse Bed

My husband and I made this for our son and daughter-in-law. They absolutely love it! The project took about two days to build, and about three days for the finish (stained and weathered). The photos do not show the slats that support the mattress. The only thing we would have done differently, would have been to use 6 “tongue & groove” on the headboard instead of 5. Otherwise it is a solid bed for certain. And they love it!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Cubby Bench

Submitted by dhenderson on Sun, 03/20/2011 - 17:57

This was a very fun project to work on.  One of my first ones, I chose this to replace the store bought cubby book shelf in my daughters room with something she can sit on as well as use for storage. 

 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$25-30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Two coats total - each of a different color stain. Haven't added the poly yet, that is on my to-do!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Castle Bed

A big thanks to FSMumford for drawing this in Sketchup. I had to re-draw it to take into account metric wood dimensions and bed sizes here in NZ, and also to remove a foot or so from the length.

We just gave it to my daughter today, and already I need to make some modifications. I immediately put some vertical grab rails at the top of the steps and slide. The steps are too big for a toddler (she's 3 today) and I didn't take into account how thick a pillow top mattress is! I really needed to make the end guards higher. In fact, were I to make it again, I'd probably make the towers taller and lower the height of the bed by 8-12 inches. While this would lower interior room, it might make the steps a more reasonable height for a littlie. If you're building for a 5 or 6 year old, this may not be an issue. Also, it would make the angle of the slide shallower (it's a bit steep, I reckon). I used 7 sheets of 16mm MDF but if I'd laid them out like FSMumford did in her plans I would have used less. Our (one car) garage is too small and the whole build process, including painting, was a royal pain in the bum. Fun, but a pain. Speaking of painting, next time (riiiiight) I'd try to paint as much as possible before assembling. I built mine in modules but even so it's hard to get a nice coat of paint on the insides of things. Edges of MDF need to be painted and sanded at least twice to look nice. Don't underestimate the time needed to get a good finish - I spent a third of my build time finishing (mostly, again, due to limited space). A narrow foam roller is great for cutting in but doesn't seem to get enough paint on to cover well on larger areas. In places I have three coats and can still see my pencil marks. I used Dulux Aquanamel.

Estimated Cost
Don't get me started....
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dulux Aquanamel.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Chineselyons

Wed, 06/05/2013 - 10:47

This is gorgeous! I know there are modifications to take into account but it's stunning none-the-less.

Treehouse Adventure Bed (Alternate Beach Hut Bed)

I was looking for something to build for a fundraiser this year and found the Beach Hut Bed plans. I liked the idea of a little house inside a kids room but I wanted to do something a little more rustic. here's what I came up with!!!

The shopping list and cut list is pretty much the same. However, I only used one 1x3 and needed to buy 4 extra 1x4s. I lowered the bed deck about a foot and left half of the walls open for easy parent access. I sorta just winged it as I went. Turened out pretty neat!!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Roof: Valspar Exterior latex paint+primer. Main structure: burned with torch, wipe on poly, high gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Woven Back Bench - A little longer

We made our bench 17-1/2 inches longer, just enough for a third panel on the back.  We also added 2 braces under the seat slats to give it additional strength.  A lot of fun to make!  Thanks, Ana!

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Kitchen Island with Storage

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/17/2021 - 13:09

We built a basic island that will have bar height stools on two sides with storage on the other. The top is a food safe wood that we will use as both a cutting board and breakfast table.

Country Rustic Shelf

We just bought our first home a few months ago.  It is taking me a long time to decorate, because I am more picky about what goes on my walls.  I saw this shelf and I knew I had to build it.  It was really simple to do.  I even did it without my husband, and that is huge for me. I have step by step pictures on how to make this shelf on my blog.
supersaturdayldscrafts.blogspot.com

Ana's Barn Beam Ledges are very simular, but I turned them and added molding to the front.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
20.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
For the finish I used dark walnut gel stain, and then after the stain dried, I painted it with Home Depot Vermont Cream. When all the paint is dry, you sand the outside so the stain shines through to give it a more rustic country look.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Just Couldn't Reach

My son is a little short for his age and we have been searching for a stool that he could use to wash his hands by himself. I came across these simple and quick plans for an amazingly, functional stool. I spent about 4 total hours on it, made it from scraps that I already had, it looks great and it hold me too... all 230 lbs.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Semi-Gloss Paint (left over from painting my ceiling)
Minwax stain and poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Benchright Coffee Table

This was one of my first projects. I made it for my daughter who was moving to a new apartment and wanted to replace her college coffee table. It was fairly easy other than keeping everything square so the drawers worked correctly. I finished it with Rust-Oleum Ebony stain and Minwax Satin Poly (3 coats). All the hardware and lumber came from the Orange big box store

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rust Oleum Ebony Stain
Minwax Satin Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Narrow farmhouse table with benches

These plans were perfect for the small space we had for the kitchen table.  Really like how the benches fit under the table too.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
The legs are Eider White and the stain is a mix of dark walnut/weathered oak/special walnut.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

DIY Potting Bench

I’ve been wanting a potting bench for a while now - something by the back door to display some decor, use as an outdoor work station, and double as a place for UPS to leave packages. After looking around online and at local stores, I couldn’t find anything that I liked that fit the narrow space - so I did what any #woodworkingmom would do, I decided to build it myself. Please see my blog post for additional photos and lessons learned during this project.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

A bathroom cabinet for all that stuff!

Overall measurements: 24x40. I followed the same basic steps as the nursery armoire, but on a much smaller scale and with a 1x3 added to the back for hanging the cabinet on the wall. I sketched this out on my own and built it to fit above the toilet in my girls' bathroom.

For the first time, I used my table saw to route a space for the 1/8" MDF cabinet backing and drawer bottoms. I will probably use the same method again, but the MDF has to be absolutely square for it to work.

Also a first for me, I used a shelving jig to drill perfectly spaced shelf pin holes on the inside of the cabinet. I love the jig and the accompanying drill bit (from Woodcraft -- orange and blue do not carry it) and I'm looking forward to using it a lot more in the future.

The white latex paint finish is covered in Krylon "crystal clear" spray, which is (sadly) not actually crystal clear. I really like its durability and ease of application (re-coat after only one minute!), but will only use it on darker colored projects in the future. I'll have to sand, paint again, and recoat with my old standby, Minwax Polycrylic, to get rid of the yellow tones in the "crystal clear" Krylon spray.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Spray primer followed by Sherwin-Williams ProClassic semi-gloss white (which I applied in several thinned coats). Krylon not-so "crystal clear" topcoat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Queen Size Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by Yodannos on Sun, 06/09/2013 - 13:28

Modified Queen Farmhouse for a rental unit that we have. I changed the heights of the head/footboard to give it a taller look.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax ebony (3 coats). Antiqued by sanding various edges. 2 coats of satin polyeurethene.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Farmhouse Nightstand

Submitted by RenoRustic on Tue, 05/12/2015 - 10:17

I built this nightstand when my wife and I purchased a new bed. We had to rearrange the bedroom and as such, I no longer had a desk or table on my side of the bed. I wanted something "country" style and after searching through several different plans I found a brag post that fit exactly what I was looking for. Well, technically, I found the original Farmhouse Bedside Table plans and modified them to fit what I needed. It wasn't until after I completed the project that I realized there was a "Mini" version as well. What can I say, I'm not that great as using search. I actually built this over a year ago at this point, and it was the second project I ever built. I learned quite a bit on this project, including the fact your project will only come out as good as your lumber selection! This build actually created my addiction for DIY and woodworking. Thank you Ana!

Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Minwax Special Walnut for the entire project, then painted the base and drawer Behr white (their basic white off the shelf, I didn't have the paint mixed) in semi-gloss. I antiqued everything for a more rustic look.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Kids Adirondack Benches (Pressure Treated)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 11/05/2021 - 12:45

I built these benches for my son’s school. Their current ones were very rotted and falling apart. These will be outside and uncovered so pressure treated stock was used and I filled the screw holes with epoxy.

Comments