Beautiful Bedford Modular Desk (Pottery Barn)
My first Ana White project. Built Ana’s awesome small cedar shed as an outhouse for our many cats. The have access to it from inside the house. Great way to keep litter boxes and the mess out of the house. It is stand alone, and attached to the house, in front of a bedroom window. There are two ‘entrances’ as well as two, one-way, escape hatches, if a cat in the outhouse is interrupted by another cat (I.e. a male cat comes in and the female feels trapped) they can exit to the outside (one way so no critters can come inside!). Ana has easy to build plans, great site! I plan on making the square table just posted today for my newly refurbished deck. Keep in mind, my estimated costs and time reflect a LOT of additional features on the inside. The shed itself, very easy, simple, inexpensive. Very little waste with Ana’s projects as well.
Thu, 04/29/2021 - 09:06
Thank you for sharing, what a cool project!
I added a board on the height of the beds to make it easier for an older person (me!). The plan came together beautifully, and I did all the work myself.
What to do with leftover twisted wood? Utilitarian single moms I straightenand make the outdoor sectional and table. Been wonderful.
Having already built a rustic bench to go with my Farmhouse Table, I knew it would be the perfect guest "book" bench for my wedding. For only $15 (I had the lumber for the top on hand), and the help of all my bridesmaids during my bachelorette weekend, we built this bench in just about an hour. Everybody had a hand in it, which makes it even more meaningful. It sits at the foot of the Farmhouse Bed my husband and I built from reclaimed barnwood from my father. I love that we have something so hand-made and sentimental to commemorate our wedding celebration. It makes me smile every time I look at it!
Instead of building a free-standing, 4-poster Pergola, I attached one side directly to the house. There are various Pergola design types and shapes. Simply Google for "pergola" images and decide which design you like best, or combine design ideas together (as I did).
Couple things to consider:
A: Is your Pergola more for decorative purposes or actual shade?
My design was more for actual shade (but with a decorative design), which is why I added the 1in x 12in x 12ft Pine boards between the cross beams at the very end (last picture). If your design is more for decorative purposes, you can space out your support beams and cross beams wider (using less wood and money).
You can also choose to use 2x4s as your support beams with 2x2 cross beams on top (essentially furring strips) either close together or spaced farther apart. This would also reduce the overall cost of your Pergola and make it much lighter as well. I chose to use all 2x6s for both support beams and cross beams.
B: What path does the sun follow across the sky over your Pergola?
If the sun passes directly over your Pergola and you want a lot of shade, you'll obviously need to consider this in your design (i.e., more cross beams that are close together).
C: Do you want your support beams and cross beams to inter-lock (by cutting square notches and assembling them like linking logs), or simply stacked on top of each other? (Again, Googling for Pergola images will help you see the differences in designs.)
I chose to interlock all of my beams by cutting notches and fitting them together. Obviously more time consuming to measure each notch, cut, and chisel them but the stability of inter-locking beams should hold up a little better in the strong winds of Las Vegas.
HOW TO (abbreviated)
Overall Pergola Dimensions: 10ft Height, 12x12ft
Tip: Paint or stain all your wood prior to assembly. Much easier. You can always touch-up scuffs and scrapes after it's built.
1. 2x6x12 installed directly onto the house (thru the stucco into the studs) using 3/8in. x 5in. lag screws. (Tip: Seal the top edge of the 2x6x12 that's against the stucco so water doesn't run behind it and down into the lag screw holes.)
2. Install the 2x6 Double Shear Hangers (as many as you need for your design)
3. 4x4 post anchors secured directly into the cement patio using Tapcon 3/16 in. x 2-3/4 in.cement anchor screws.
4. 4x4x10ft posts screwed on top of the anchors. Ensure level on all sides (use a partner to help hold the posts).
5. Attach the front and side 2x6 beams to the 2 posts (again, use a partner to help hold posts while you're up on the ladder screwing your beams to the posts)
6. Attach the remaining 2x6 support beams.
7. Attach the 2x6 cross beams on top (whether you inter-lock them by cutting notches or simply resting them on top, be sure to toe-nail screw them in with 2in exterior screws).
8. Lay 1x12x12ft pine boards on top in between the cross beams and secure with 2in exterior wood screws.
9. Construct the post bases ("sleeves" or "leggings") which greatly adds to the look, as outlined in the "Weatherly Pergola" plans.
10. Touch-up paint / stain any areas you need.
I followed the Shed Coop Plans to make this chicken coop and designed my own run. Because I wanted to view the chickens coming in and out of the coop, I moved the chicken door to the front and built a little covered area to shelter the coop door so I did not have to have the entire run extend over the front. I also made the access to the layer boxes be accessible from the front rather than the top so that my kids could more easily access the egg boxes. I thought these were great plans to follow and easy to adapt to fit what I wanted in a coop. I also ended up adding a lean-to storage on the back with an inside access so I could easily refill their feed.
I designed this desk from another desk I built. With this one, I wanted the overall foot-print smaller but still something that was able to organize all our office stuff and be able to close everything to keep it clutter-free. We have a small apartment, and although this desk is about the size of an up-right piano, it works perfectly into our living space!
I made it out of raw hardwood (Ash) and because I knew just the wood alone would make this desk heavy/bulky to move I made the top hutch removable. It's held in place by wood pegs (dominos). All the shelves are adjustable and the drawers are full-extension (something I've never had - wahoo)! The drop-down door is help up by 2 pull-out boards on each side (my first desk had chains). I spend a lot of money on this desk because I knew it was a chance in a lifetime to make and wanted it to be perfect and something that would last generations.
I built the main carcass off of plans/measurements I designed, but then all the insides, drawers, shelves, doors, etc where made as I built (because just a millimeter difference in building changes everything)!
If you want more pictures/descriptions of the building process I wrote about it in a 4-part series on my blog.
Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:22
is there plans available for this project?
In reply to is there plans available for this project? by Nsmjc
Tue, 09/27/2016 - 12:20
Hi there! I'm sorry but I don't have plans put together on it! I designed it in Google Sketchup and have some 'screen shots' I could send you for basic measurements if interested. You can e-mail me at [email protected]
Mon, 06/15/2020 - 09:08
Hi. Do you happen to still have those 'screen shots' or any other info/dimensions from this build? LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!
As a complete beginner in wood working (unless you count a year of woodshop over a decade ago), I decided that building a cart for the miter saw I just bought would be a great first project. So what did I do with that brand new miter saw? I left it in the box and made all of the cuts with a circular saw. Not sure what I was thinking there...
I mostly followed the excellent plan provided here but used wooden arms to prop up the wings in order to save on cost. I got the idea from the folding sling chair plan. It took quite a few screw ups and adjustments of the lower support bar before getting one of the wings level but I got it eventually.
Update 8/20/13: The miter saw has been a joy to use with the cart and the big flip up wings provide a ton of really convenient work space in addition to stabilizing 8 ft boards for cutting. I added a sliding drawer and some utility hooks for additional storage.
Thu, 08/01/2013 - 08:10
I originally just had a 2x2 and two blocks to hold up the wings on the cart. They kept falling out, so I replaced them with hinged arms, which were a pain to fit and install, but they work well. Your approach has the same advantage of hinging the support arms: the wood can't fall out and it looks way simpler to install than my system.
One hint if you try Nermell's approach: Flip the cart upside down when you fit and install the support arms. I did all kinds of complex sketches and measurements, then realized it was just faster to lean the support bracket at roughly 45 degrees, then I installed the two block (one on the side, one on the wing) to hold the bracket in place. Flip the cart over, and your wing will sit at a perfect 90 degrees to the sides of the miter saw cart.
I created shelving and a workbench space for my garage. The plans were simple to use and the shelving ended up being sturdy and level!
I had to modify these plans to use what I had on hand. I used left over cedar fence pickets (planed down and sealed) and adjusted the size to fit all my outdoor cushions. Overall dimensions are 49" wide x 28" deep x 26" high. I also used 2x4's instead of 2x2's because that is what I had in my shop. I added 1x3's around the top to fit snugly instead of using hinges (again trying to use what I had on hand). We get A LOT of rain in the summer so hopefully the cushions will stay dry. I also added some screen left over from the screened in porch to the bottom before adding the "floor" to keep bugs out. I just stapled it to the frame before adding the floor boards. I did add a piece of treated 1/4" plywood under the top in hopes of keeping the rain out.
A set of beautiful farm benches for our outdoor table. I built these beauties with redwood wood using only pocket holes to avoid exposing any screws. The only place where I had to use pocket holes plugs was in the leg stretchers to avoid seeing the pocket holes.
I applied pre-stain wood conditioner and then stained them using Dark Brown transparent stain. I wanted the wood grain to be visible through the stain and this allowed me to do just that.
My friend asked me to make two benches for her dining room table. She mentioned the plans from your website. I followed your plans/ instructions.
She loves them!.
Thank you & big hello from Canada.
Used you basic 2x4 bench / couch plan but added a sloped backrest and more 2x4s across for more support.
Jerry
Rather than burning a few thousand on vanities for my bathroom remodel I decided to build them instead. The bottom shelf on the right slides out for a footstool so the kids can reach the sink.
Sun, 01/05/2014 - 20:55
These are so beautiful -- they really look like high-end rustic pieces. The slide-out footstool is genius. The distressing is fantastic. I really love your pebble art as well.
Would you mind sharing the stain color?
Wed, 02/03/2016 - 17:48
I drew this up in sketchup as I was planning to build one like this, but decided to do something different. Is there a way to upload a sketchup file?
After collecting my tools, I needed a place to store them that would protect them. I had already had two jigsaws break because I was storing them in a rubbermaid tote. When I saw this plan I knew it was going to be perfect for my shop. My husband was supper happy because I would finally have a central spot for my workshop. My boys were happy to help when they could.
This is Ana’s Farmhouse king bed. We just built a mountain Cabin and I thought I could save a few bucks by making a couple beds. I only made one because just the ability to get the wood transported and moving it all was a bit more than this 50++ lady was counting on. BUT, I’m super proud of how it turned out. The stain was a mixture of 4-5 Minwax samples that we had from the home build.
Had a horribly messy front entrance so really needed this shoe cabinet. It's dimensions suited my space better than an Ikea one, and accommodated more shoes. This being my first project, I am glad I started with this instead of a loft bed, since I made alot of mistakes (& corrections) along the way. Although some of the problems occurred because of pieces that ended up being convex. I chose to fill in the gap between the two boards on the front of each bin. It worked out really well.
Really love the Kreg Jig! So worth the investment.
Could not figure out how to properly use magnet catches. Did apply one to one side of the top drawer but it doesn't work too well--pulls the bin too far in.
This is a bay window standalone desk. The desk has an enormous top and fits snugly into the bay window. It did not have to be attached to the wall. There are four pieces in total: the top, 2 base units and a support that spaces the desks at 36" and further secures the top.
The base unites are built from the File Base Classic Wall Storage System and the top is glued up 2x12s that were planed down and straight edged.
Ana, First time I have every attempted any kind of woodwork/building furniture other than building Ikea stuff. The plans were very easy to follow and now I want a chop saw for xmas. I roped my daughter in to help me and we completed the project in 2 days. Husband was totally blow away by our achievement. I love it and feel accomplished. Away to work on the table and further benches/seating over the next few weeks. Pauline
