Community Brag Posts

We needed a daybed for our lanai and when I saw these plans I knew it was perfect. We built the bed in a day and then painted later when we had time. It is just the place for taking a nap and because it is on a covered lanai, weatherproofing was not an issue.

We followed the instructions and it was very easy to complete! Thanks Ana!!

My husband helped me build this awhile back. Not perfect, but for a first build, I am pretty happy with how it turned out. Still need some new baskets to go with;)

We need bedroom furniture desperately! So, I decided, for my second build I would start in our bedroom! The dresser first, because I was going crazy without a place to put my clothes!

I followed Ana's plans for the farmhouse table and bench. This was my first project and it turned out really well! The flash makes some of the table top look discolored but it does not look like that in person - just a weird flash thing I think :)
The project took me about a week - table and bench and I only worked on it during nap times and when the kiddos went to sleep! The original plan was for a 96 inch table - I shortened mine to 75 inches to fit our dining room.
A great dining room table for us and it cost around $200 for both table and bench.
I am so proud that I actually built something that my family can use and I get so many compliments on!
Thanks, Ana!!!

We have a small rustic cabin that needed a clean, functional outhouse.  We followed Ana's plans, but with a few modifications to include a Solar gray polycarbonate roof to let in light.  We also decided on cedar board & batten for the siding.   We look forward to many years of use.

My little boy needed a table to sit at. The adults needed a “kids table” for when we have dinner guests. This served both functions. I had enough scrap for two chairs and spent a few bucks of the lumber for the table, some Valspar primer and spray paint, and there it was.

The only modification I made to the chairs was that I used pocket holes to fasten the back aprons to the side aprons for added strength instead of using wood screws through the end grain. I was barely able to squeeze my drill in the square but did it by severely contorting my wrist and hand.

Even though the summer has come to an end, I decided it was time for some new furniture for my small garden in the city. I looked in different stores, but for a student the prices were very much out of range. I then decided that perhaps it would be cheaper to build by myself and an interesting project as I've never worked with wood in a 1:1 scale. I came across the plans for the fancy x, table and farmhouse table and figured that it should be something like that. I made the table and benches in Sketchup, but wasn't really sure about a variety of the aesthetic solutions. I then tweeked it and tried to come up with a new design for the benches that would mach the x shape without just repeating it, and i came up with the final design through a lot of experimentation. The benches can be made by a complete novice, and the table is also quite easy if you have the necessary tools. I'll give it a finish this spring, perhaps just paint it. I've received very good feedback on the project, and even though the benches are quite fancy, you sit very well in them and I think the aesthetics are somewhat accounted for by the easy assembly and comfort. Thanks for the inspiration, and I hope it will inspire you to build even more! The plan is in millimeters, and the planks are standard european sizes, but it should translate ok. PLAN Direct Download: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2622939/X%20Diningtable%20with%20fancy%20bench…

The decision to replace the shutters between our Guest Bedroom and our Great Room with a sliding barn door was simple.  The implementation thereof was considerably more complex.

We selected reclaimed barn wood purchased at a local hardwood store.  The wood was, presumably, some type of cedar and was very user friendly; no cracking from KREG screws and cut / glued very well.  We did have to run the stock through the joiner first, however, as the edges were weathered, warped & gouged.  We didn’t sand or finish the wood in any manner and it looks exactly as it did when it was part of a standing barn. 

The significant challenge for this project was joining the planks together.  Many of the boards were cupped and of varying thicknesses.   Rather than use a surface planer, we decided to go for the “very rustic” look.  We selected planks and their respective locations based on color and the pattern of how the knots were placed.

We used TITEBOND No-Drip glue, which is typically used for molding.  While it is stronger than TITEBOND II but not as strong as TITEBOND III, it is much easier to work with.  Since we didn’t intend on sanding / finishing the wood, we didn’t want to use a glue that was too runny.  Reclaimed barn wood is very porous and excess glue would quickly inter-digitate with the wood.  Excess TITEBOND No-Drip glue was easily removed, once in a doughy state, with the gentle scrape from a sharp wood chisel.

It took us over 6 hours to join the 8 planks as we were very careful in plank positioning so as not to shoot KREG screws through the front.  Since plank placement was so crucial, we used pipe clamps and each board was individually clamped and screwed as opposed to trying to do several at one time.  Much to our delight, 1 ½” course thread KREG screws had impressive purchase.  The frame was glued and secured w/ ROCKLER 1 ½” finishing screws that have a 3/16^th fine thread which countersink easily as the thread is wider than the head.

The dimensions are 51” (x) 46.5” and 2” thick at the frame.  It took us  30 hours to build and hang.  The final cost was about $550 ($300 – wood / $250 - hardware) which is much less expensive than the $1500 - $4000 price range seen on the internet.

This was not a particularly difficult project, but did require patience and some luck along the way.  If a barn door is of interest to you, the savings in cost is well worth the effort. 

We finished off the room using scrap wood for picture frames.    

We based this bed on plans we found on the Ana White website, but after final assembly we decided it was just a tad too low. Eventually we got around to adding the legs, which were made with left over pieces (from the bed project) of 2x6, cut to 11in.  We've been very pleased with the appearance, stability, and height of the bed this way. Now to wait for some nice weather to take out to the garage and stain/finish! If we would build it again, we would increase the width by an inch or two because the plans we followed "as-is" ended up being the exact dimensions of our mattress. Thankfully a foam mattress will squish into it and we won't have to rebuild for the extra inch. Overall pleased with our new bed.