Community Brag Posts

After being forced to sell my first build by an admirer, I decided to do another and distress it rather than stain it.  Turned out really nicely.

I built this table with the dimensions described in the original plans, but made a slight modification by using my Kreg Jig to add pocket holes for attaching the tabletop and seat boards from below rather than drilling down through the top. I'm never really happy with the way a finish comes out after using wood filler, plus not having to fill holes saves a step in the finishing process (which is the really arduous part of the job for me). I also like the sturdiness of the Kreg joints.
This was my first project using the Kreg Jig in an application that didn't have the location for the pocket holes specified, so for the first bench I followed right along with the plans and just detached the drill guide and clamped it to my project to drill the pocket holes as I went along. For the second bench I was familiar with where all the holes should be drilled, so I was able to quickly mark off the location and pre-drill all the pieces assembly line fashion. The second one practically flew together.
If you want to use this method, you will be drilling your pocket holes in the boards labeled "seat support" and "tabletop support" (there are 2 of each of these pieces for each bench/half table). You can mark the position of the tabletop boards on the tabletop supports and drill your pair of pocket holes to correspond roughly to the center of where each board will be (so 6 holes in each of the 2 pieces labeled tabletop support for each bench). Nearly the same process for the seat supports, but remember that the holes to attach the outermost seat board won't be centered because of the location of the front leg. I chose to add a couple of pocket holes through the front leg board as well for extra sturdiness in case it gets picked up by that outermost seat board when the bench/table is getting moved. I have included a picture of the pre-drilled pocket holes to help clarify the above directions.
The build itself can definitely be classified as a beginner project and easily manageable by one lady (although it would be really nice to have a buddy to help move the finished bench...I had to take the tabletop back off mine to move it from my "workshop" (carport) around to my patio). In terms of time, the build for both benches could easily be completed in an afternoon; I ranked it as a weekend project because of the finish. The tabletop and seat boards each have 4 coats of an exterior semigloss paint and I custom blended the colors so that each board gets progressively darker as you go down the bench. I was inspired by the ocean, with the water getting darker as you go deeper and deeper. As you can see from my photos, I rushed headlong into the first bench and put it together unfinished (I was more concerned about figuring out the placement of the pocket holes than the finish.) For the second one I pre-drilled my pocket holes, then put on 2 coats of base coat and 1 coat of color (on seat and tabletop boards) before assembly, saving only the finish coat on the colored boards and touchups on the white boards for after assembly. I definitely recommend the second method.
I worked on the project over a couple of weekends and evenings because of weather and time constraints, but under the right conditions it could be completed in a weekend or even maybe a long day (especially with a second painter and in good paint drying weather). I'm really happy with the final product and I've already been enjoying the comfy bench seat for reading.

Dear Ana White: Please stop posting cool - “must do” projects on your website … you’re killing us.

After we saw Ana White’s posting for her pallet wall http://ana-white.com/2015/02/free_plans/pallet-wall-hgtv-saving-alaska , we knew we had to augment our guest bedroom with this concept.

Before we began this project, we really didn’t have any idea how expensive “rustic” was or how complex “random” could be.

Mostly, we used 1 type of reclaimed barn wood and stained it with 3 different colors as well as using the natural un-weathered side to add color contrast. For added variety, we used some leftover reclaimed barn wood from a previous project spattered throughout the design.

This was really a fun project. Barn wood is very forgiving and user – friendly. Each piece of barn wood is unique in itself, very much like a snowflake, from being weathered in the elements.

We finished the room off with closet sans door, picture frame & nightstand.

The GOOD news is that we are now out of reclaimed barn wood and we can’t build anything else.
Thanks, Ana! You have helped us make our guest bedroom a special place for our visitors.

Built this for one of my children for Christmas!

This is one of my favorite pieces on Ana's site. I knew the minute I laid eyes on it I had to build it. I hope you guys enjoy it half as much as I do.You can read the full details of the build at my blog here:

http://copycatcarpenter.blogspot.com

This is from Ana's Squared2 headboard plans. I made it for my Mom and she loves it. I adjusted the width to fit a full size bed by taking a few inches off each side. I found some right angle clamps at an estate sale that were invaluable in putting all this together. It would be very tricky getting everything just square and lined up with just regular clamps. I was worried about it being a little flimsy with all the small pieces, but it seems pretty sturdy.

My wife asked for a homemade votive candle holder for the holidays. Searching online, I found that the general design concept is a board with holes in a straight line. Since the desired design is for a holiday centerpiece on a table, I chose an octagon shape. We think it turned out very nice! My kids even gave it a "that's pretty cool" which is an upgrade over their comments on my previous projects :). 

I was inspired to try this after reading all the comments and being discouraged by the high price and poor quality of commercial sandboxes. We followed the instructions and it was super easy! I'm a complete novice, so if I can do it, anybody can.

After cutting the wood and sanding it, it only took about three hours to assemble the sand box. I then primed and painted it the next day taking about 3-4 hours. We also attached a landscaping barrier to the bottom with a staple gun to prevent weeds from growing through the sand. We used 10 bags (50 lbs) of play sand, but you could get by with less.

So far, it's been a big hit with my three-year-old son.

This was my very first project wood building project. I was very pleased with how it turned out. It's not perfect, but I have learned some tricks for my next project.

I wanted the older look, so the top planks are all boards cut from pallets (not very easy to take the pallets apart). The rest of the wood was purchased, with the legs cut from treated wood.

All parts were coated in 2-3 coats of spar varnish.

Skill level, I would say is intermediate, with the lining up all of the separate boards and the pocket holes making it a little harder than beginner project, in my mind. BUT, remember that is coming from someone who has never built anything.

Time was a little longer because of using the wood from the pallets. Removal from the pallets was difficult and time consuming. The boards then required extensive sanding, and then several coats of spar varnish before building to be sure that ALL surfaces were covered, since the wood was not treated.

Very glad that I did it. I like the imperfect top (most of it), with the nail heads down the middle (not functional, just kept them from the skids), and the worn top.

I completed the project myself, with a little help from my dad at the end, putting the legs on. Just using screws didn't sound strong enough, and the bolt locations were a little tricky with the locations of the pocket holes on the inside.

Plan to make a bench, next, but maybe not the matching one. I think a project with fewer cuts and attachments is next in my future.

This was a time intensive gift made for the husband for Christmas.  Found a really cool Mars Map that's in print here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/387457074/mars-map-8x8-letterpress-redwhit…
That we saw in store at the amazing Boys Fort in Portland.  Decided it might be cool to make a wood wall hanging from it, and woodburn the image.  

Traced image onto wood with graphite paper, then took versatool from Michael's and woodburned for the next 20,000 hours : )  It was a ton of work, but in the end, a completely one of a kind, personalized gift that I know he'll love on his office wall.  Real conversation piece.  Cool stuff!

I wanted to make a gift for my friend's kids. I also didn't want to make something they didn't have room for and couldn't really use. The request was a picnic bench for their 3 and 5 year old. I offered to paint it to match the house and they said no, they wanted Notre Dame colors. One of the big box stores has official NCAA colors so it was a perfect match! The wood cost $25 (only 5 2x4 were needed) and the paint, screws, etc. brought the project up to $90. The instructions made it super easy to build and I really took my time making sure everything was square. Also just to build the table is a few hours, maybe not that much. The prep and painting took me a while.

The kids were happy with their table and their Dad, a Notre Dame alum, was thrilled with the design.

We needed beds for 3 children, one of which is 14 months old, in a small bedroom and with the simple bunk bed plan to start with I came up with this. The kids love it, although it took the 14 month old a few tries before she accepted the change from her regular crib in another room to this crib/bed and sharing a room with her siblings. Now it's all good!

The beds can also be used separately. The top bunk and the middle bunk will stand 30 inches off the floor when used as separate beds, so like loft beds with storage space underneath for a dresser, reading nook, toys, etc. All side safety rails can be removed for unstacked beds as I finished them all separate from the beds. The bottom "crib" bed side rails can also be removed for single bed. At this point it would just sit on the floor as a single bed also but I may come up with some sort of feet to get it up off the floor when the time comes. They really wanted this set of bunks to be able to be used separately also. The fold-down portion of the "crib" side rail was designed to give easier access for changing sheets, etc. for the "crib". This "crib" bed also uses a regular twin mattress.

It’s not done yet, but I wanted to share my coffee table with y’all. I made it with the same proportions as Ana’s fancy x kitchen table just 3ft wide and 16 inches high. It’s going to be the same finish as Ana’s too. Dark walnut with satin polyurethane.