Community Brag Posts

We have gone through several sets of deck furniture at our home in Monument, Colorado. We like wicker, but so do the squirrels! Inspired by an article in the Wall Street Journal where the author used his wood shop experience to make outdoor furniture and avoid "astronomical prices," I found this site. I thought, "Even I can build something out of 2x4s." I borrowed my neighbor's high-end chop saw and made two chairs, a love seat (by cutting the dimensions of the 79" sofa - three cushions - down to 55" - two cushions, and the coffee table, cut down from 55" to 47". Construction took less than two weeks from purchasing the wood to finishing. Everyone who has seen the finished set loves it.

This is my homemade backyard inspired by plans from Ana. Used Ana's previous post to build all pieces. Stained in Mission Oak and bought pillows from Lowe's. Succulents from a local nursery.

Coffee Table
2 piece lounge
2 chairs
Ice chest
Planter Box

I wanted a little desk/vanity for my nearly 4 year old daughter so she could have easy access to her jewelry and hair ties. The dimensions of this were perfect. She has so many necklaces that I put together a $10 ledge with some hooks to hang many of them. The vanity was an easy build, the stool was much more difficult.

Thanks Ana! Appreciate all the plans and how much I’m learning.

In the middle of a much needed makeover on our back deck! We did not have skirting around the deck and decided that we would like to close it in for extra storage(ladders,compost bin...) and we came up with this little something as a bonus. We are always hosting backyard get togethers and seating is a challenge. Setting up and putting away chairs,ugh. This has been the perfect solution. This was completely an "as we went" plan but the biggest need to know is, heavy duty hinges! (As I said,the deck is getting a makeover so go easy on the appearance:)

Jodi and Matt B.

I loved the idea of the storage sofa! Such an easy build and I tweaked the plans to fit my needs... I used 5" high density foam, I lengthened the sofa to 84" (so I wouldn't have any wasted foam and also so my extremely tall son could stretch out on it without his feet hanging off the edge), I used a 2x8 for the box, and used 1/2" plywood for the seat because 1/4" ply was too flexible. I also made the seat with a zippered cover to encase the foam, batting, and plywood. This way, I can easily remove it to wash it. It's my favorite place to sit while I'm working!

While using lathe it is helpful to have tools at hand. In general my lathe tools have custom racks/holders on wall but it is a nice adjunct to have the little table on wheels that stores underneath the lathe —at my side! 

All parts are recycled wood from scrap box or dumpster!

I took the Ana White plans for this bed and modified them just slightly. I decided to cover up the top opening on the front, and add some plywood "trees" so that the ned looks like it is being suspended by the trees. I used whitewood from Lowe's, a compound miter saw, the AWESOME Kreg Jig, and a drill. The whole thing took about three days to construct and about two days to paint 2 coats. If you see from the pictures that the side pieces of 1x4 trim are missing, you are right. When I measured the 34" instead of the 34 1/4" it was too short for the sides and wouldn't match up with the front trim. Even if I used the 34', there was a gap so I left it off. I added a fourth step and I also put grip tape on the stairs because my homeboy like to sleep in socks and I didn't want him to slip coming down.

Build Instructions:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Shed-Ramp/

Video:

https://youtu.be/WTqfV1HDstc

My garage was starting to get cramped so I decided I needed a shed for the lawn/garden equipment. I thought about building one but bailed and decided to purchase a 10’ x 14’ shed with 6’ wide doors from the nearby Amish community. To not be a total slacker, I decided I could at least build the foundation and ramp. I’ve never built a ramp so I did a little research online and found that there are an abundance of styles, both good and bad. Anyway, this is my attempt at ramp design. Hope someone finds it useful.

Using the counter height planter plans from Janettx. Thanks!

Living in a cottage on a lake during the summers, I needed a picnic table that would take care of a big family so I built the Octagonal picnic table on Ana's site, however with a twist.

Since we are under a bunch of trees, I wanted to be able to scrub the table easily and not have to do any maintenance on it over the long term. So I built the top and the benches using Trex. Yes, it was more expensive but the result (if I do say so myself) was incredible.

Since Trex isn't as structural as 2 x 6's, I reinforced the seats using 2x4s laid horizontally underneath the seam of each of the two bench pieces. I also drove a few extra screws through the Trex benches along the 2 x 4's to further strengthen seating area.

Aesthetically, I didn't care for the 1/2 inch spacing for the table top and benches so I reduced it to 1/4 inch and cut the length of the Trex accordingly. I used decking screws that exactly matched the color of the Trex.

I did take the advice of one of the former builder's of this table and staggered the legs to make it easier to get in and out. That was a worth while suggestion.

The only 'warning' I was given about using Trex was that it could get 'hot' if in the sun for long periods during the day during the summer. This table is in the shade almost all the time, but having said that I have read that the Trex as decking gets no hotter than treated lumber stained the same color.

This is a great design at it was lots of fun to build.