Community Brag Posts

DIY Outdoor Sectional

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 05/06/2024 - 13:25

I used the armless chair plan, and altered the one armed plans to make two chaises. Then I increased the size slightly to accommodate the 25x25 pillows I bought. This took about 12 hours with one person working. I am super proud of it! Finished today, and will eventually stain after the wood has dried out a little. Thank you, Ana, for making straightforward plans that gave me the confidence to do my first woodworking project!

Andrea in Michigan

Tapered planter

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/13/2020 - 07:40

Next time, I will cut the 1x2 and 1x3 at the 5 degree angle to match the top and bottom planes...
Thanks for the idea! It is great

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
30.00
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Sanded with 80 grit and clear polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Paulieboxer

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

Estimated Cost
£200
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Outdoor Sectional

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/27/2020 - 12:15

Modified the plans of the outdoor sofa and sectional piece to create this set, then added cushions from IKEA.

Finish Used
SuperDeck Cedar Tone Natural

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Under Fort Sandbox Cover

Submitted by millerhero on Tue, 07/29/2014 - 06:47

Thanks to inspiration from Ana's post on the Sand Box with Built-in seats, I've retrofit our Jungle Fort (http://www.detailedplay.com/Jungle-Fort-Swingset.htm) with the sandbox cover/bench system. I've upgraded the lumber dimensions to 2x4s and 2x6 to accommodate the increased 67.5" span.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

The Farmhouse Toddler Bed

Submitted by jputz2014 on Fri, 08/01/2014 - 05:46

This bed was picked out by my daughter. Built straight from the plans and she loves it. Now if I can get her to pick a color.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Unfinshed. Daughter cant pick a color.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Matt’s Cedar Planters

Submitted by Laffer12 on Sun, 08/02/2020 - 18:11

As a beginner this was a pretty fun and easy project. I did use wood screws to hold the edges together since the fence boards are typically curved and brad nails didn’t seem to hold on my first try. Ultimately I really enjoyed the results!

Built from Plan(s)

Peg Doll House

My grandson wanted a set of peg dolls and a house to play with them in.  I wanted to build something that was gender-neutral - so many doll houses are pink and feminine!  This doll house is sized just right for his peg dolls and playmobil people.  It's made from 1/2" poplar, although it could also be cut from a sheet of 1/2" plywood.

Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
clear polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Chevy for Grandson #1

A fun project to make ending with a functional product to boot!  I went all out making sure that each truck/shelf would coordinate with each grandson's theme/decor in their bedrooms.  Luca, who just turned 2, got a new Chevy Corvette Racce Car Bed for his birthday and I built the gas pump book case/cabinet to match.  Therefore, for Luca I went with the Red and white to match his bed & bookcase/cabinet and added painted on logos and lettering for his vintage Chevy truck.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75 which includes the necessary supplies listed, as well as, additional items needed to personalize' each day.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum apple red
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Style Toy Box / Blanket Chest

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 01/17/2017 - 11:17

I built this for my daughter after Christmas sinse she had the living room covered in toys. The dimensions are 37" x 18" x 20" 

Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Watco Danish Oil - Medium Walnut (2 coats) with a light sanding between coats with 220 grit, I allowed 24 hours between each coat to dry. To protect the surface I used water based polyurathane matte finish (3 coats) with a light sanding - 400 grit.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

jwelch

Wed, 01/18/2017 - 13:06

Great job! Can you share more about how the legs were constructed and joined? Was this project based on Ana White's "Simple" toy box plan? Any info appreciated.

jgreaff

Tue, 01/09/2018 - 05:51

HI Anna, 

Can you provide more pictures or instructions on how you assembled this toy box? i want to make one just like it! 

 

Thanks!

apezz

Wed, 03/10/2021 - 16:31

Looking at the wall panels they look like the long edge of each panel has a small bevel cut on it. This gives each panel edge a more pronounced or well-defined edge? Is this true? Was it done with a router?

Dining Room Banquet

Submitted by DC_Idaho on Fri, 10/23/2020 - 10:18

I took part of your built in dining bench idea and made my own custom bench. I made a farm house dining table for a family and once it was built and delivered she asked if I could build her a banquet. I had never done anything like it before, let alone install it permanently in some ones house. Because of the way I made the table I couldn't use a straight front face bench, I had to put an angle on it to allow for the table to be up close to the bench. This bench is 10' long, has two USB electrical outlets built in, and two 43" storage compartments. I enclosed the two ends of the bench for the wiring of the outlets so that no wires were exposed.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Flip down art desk

Submitted by Nphartw on Mon, 01/28/2013 - 14:23

This is our first project. My wife was searching the Internet for a small desk to buy/build after we decided it was time for the little one to have a dedicated art station. She was previously using a small chair in her room. Followed the plans with the exception of making it 18" tall instead of the 16" the plan calls for.
Overall it was very easy. But definitely attach the hinges before finally assembly of the bottom frame. That took about an hour to put 4 screws in with fingers, screw bit, and a wrench.
I built and my wife painted.

Thank you Ana White and everyone for their follow up comments.

Nick

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr paint and primer in one.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Clothes Line Picture Frame

Submitted by jzacharuk on Tue, 02/05/2013 - 21:33

This was a fun little project. Not only did we get to use Ana's new picture frame plan, but we also tried out the whitewashed stained finish.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Built in closet desk

This made over closet has become so well used during remote learning!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Benchwright end table

I took the plans for ana white's benchwright coffee table and created this end table.  This is an exact replica of the Pottery Barn benchwright end table.  The wood was distressed by hand and finished with dye, dark walnut gel stain and three coats of satin poly. 

 

- Brad 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Transtint dye, antique walnut gel stain, water based poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

marenras

Mon, 02/09/2015 - 14:33

Your finish work is phenomenal. Closest I've seen to pulling of the PB finish. What color transtint do you use? Any other finishing tips? I've build a couple of knock off PB pieces, but haven't nailed the finish yet.

In reply to by marenras

timberandsoul

Mon, 03/09/2015 - 22:10

Hi. Thank you for the compliments. First of all, using Alder vs douglas fir or pine plays a big difference in the finish look, but start with pine and see where you get using this process. I first mix de-waxed shellac with a few drops of medium brown transtint dye. It MUST be de-waxed shellac. Experiment with the amount of dye added. I spray one coat of that shellac and dye mixture on the wood. The shellac seals the wood allowing for even stain absorption and a non-blotchy finish. The dye obviously darkens the wood. Then I apply one to two coats of gel stain. I like general finishes antique walnut color. At the next step I sometimes add a glaze, and sometimes I don't, it just depends on what I am seeing. Lastly I seal the wood with a water based poly. Good luck!

In reply to by marenras

timberandsoul

Mon, 03/09/2015 - 22:10

Hi. Thank you for the compliments. First of all, using Alder vs douglas fir or pine plays a big difference in the finish look, but start with pine and see where you get using this process. I first mix de-waxed shellac with a few drops of medium brown transtint dye. It MUST be de-waxed shellac. Experiment with the amount of dye added. I spray one coat of that shellac and dye mixture on the wood. The shellac seals the wood allowing for even stain absorption and a non-blotchy finish. The dye obviously darkens the wood. Then I apply one to two coats of gel stain. I like general finishes antique walnut color. At the next step I sometimes add a glaze, and sometimes I don't, it just depends on what I am seeing. Lastly I seal the wood with a water based poly. Good luck!

colleenps

Tue, 03/31/2015 - 10:04

I love the finish you've done on these, and like someone else said it is the closest to PB I've seen yet! I am trying to fix a horrible stain job I did on a project and had a quick question. When you said you sprayed the shellac and dye, do you mean with a spray bottle? Also what kind of de-waxed shellac did you use? I've never used shellac and I see they have flakes and premixed stuff. Thanks!

timberandsoul

Thu, 04/09/2015 - 15:25

Hi There. Sorry for the late response. The spray the shellac with the dye using a HVLP sprayer. Google HVLP sprayers. They are very cheap and will help out tremendously. I don't recommend using shellac flakes, they can be challenging for a beginner. I use premixed shellac. I use de-waxed shellac because you can apply polyurethane over it. If you plan on applying shellac as a top coat instead of poly you don't have to worry about de-waxed.

juliekayg

Thu, 03/24/2016 - 11:41

This is absolutely beautiful and what I've been looking for to match my Benchwright coffee table!! Do you remember the dimensions you used?

dbender49

Fri, 01/21/2022 - 09:26

I really like your take on this PB table. It looks like you changed it significantly from the console table plans from which you derived it, and I have a couple questions. First, the legs do not look like 2x4s; what are the dimensions you used? Second, the bottom shelf is much thicker than the 1x12 from the plans; what lumber did you use? And how is this bottom shelf attached to the legs? Square-notched to fit around the corners of the legs?

Wooden Lanterns

Submitted by mrich_d60 on Fri, 05/14/2021 - 15:39

I made 7 lanterns - 6 with 18" uprights and 1 with 13". They were originally just for my daughter's backyard wedding. They aren't decorated yet because she's going to use them on the patio now and is waiting for the solar lights and LED candles to arrive. They were too nice not to use them right away!

Estimated Cost
About $9.00 each
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Ultimate One Coat coverage stain + Varathane Triple Thick one coat clear finish on entire lantern. Thompson's WaterSeal Waterpoofing Stain semi-transparent for underside and feet.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

wooden cooler stand

Submitted by stealth517 on Sat, 04/18/2015 - 20:48

This is the cooler stand presented by Jenny from Birdsandsaoap. Very easy to build and always ends up with someone asking to buy it or have you make them one.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax gloss polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

2 x 4 outdoor couch

I made this with pine boards. I used an old twin mattress for the cushions and covered with some material I had on hand. I love it.

Estimated Cost
50.00 for the boards.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Thompsons acorn water seal .
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

8 foot long shelf with a little twist

Submitted by Daniel_ram on Mon, 01/03/2022 - 17:25

I just made this shelf using 2x4s 8 ft long wood. It is very strong and looks great. My garage size required the shelf to be max 16 in deep, so I used a 1 plywood sheet divided by 3 equal parts for the upper 3 shelfs. Since I made a 4th shelf, I used 3 1x2s for the 4th bottom shelf instead of a new plywood sheet and avoided having extra 2/3 of the sheet around and also saved like 30$ since the 2x1s were only 2$ea. That touch makes it look a bit stylish too so a win win. If you do that, here's a tip: use the outer 2x4s as rails - make sure that the cleats on the lower shelf are placed a bit lower ~ 1in. In such way, you can place the three 1x2 rails at the same level as the outer 2x4s and this you end up having 5 rails total in the shelf. Do use the wooden screws with star head if you can, they were muuuuuch easier to use compared with the regular ones. Note, this shelf is very strong, probably too strong for my needs. For a 8ft long, and my storage needs (camping, Christmas stuff, other lighter things), I'd probably use 2x2s instead of 2x4s. That would save costs, specially since wood isn't cheap these days( I spent ~$150 in materials Jan 2022).

Comments

Simple Bookshelf

Submitted by binah06 on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 18:47

Came together pretty easily. Took about half a day.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20 for wood, $20 for screws, nails, sandpaper and stain
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax stain in Provincial. Tung oil as a finish. Might put a better finish on later.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Play fort and Swing Set

Submitted by gsnpbc on Fri, 03/16/2018 - 20:33

I wanted to build a structure for the kids to play in and on. I used the playhouse deck design and made it 8 feet by 8 feet. The "roof" is removable to provide shade when it's sunny. It's just 2x2 and a tarp - pretty simple, but it does the job. I used treated posts, dog eared fence boards andlots of screws. I stained and built the walls in my garage before assembling it. Once all of the wood at been stained, it came together pretty quickly with the grandkids help...Lol

 

Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments