Community Brag Posts

My husband and I used our Thanksgiving break to build this playhouse and deck, using Ana's plans. We are NOT builders...this is very doable for beginners with the right tools. Read the plans thoroughly before starting. Total cost (including all lumber, hardware, and paint) was under $600.

We still have door and house trim to complete, a little painting, and a handrail/ladder.

Santa may bring a slide and some other fun accessories!

Thanks Ana!!!!!

Really fun build! I changed the plans a bit and made the spindles go all the way to the bottom. Made it more open for the dog. Took a while to finish since I would tinker when I had the extra time! Turned out great with the two tone, stained from and top with white spindles and door. Thanks for the plans!

I fell in love with the loft bed but thought the stairs stuck out too far for my daughter's room so I revampd the plan just a bit to add three 'stairs' in the platform rather than the standard stairs in the plan.

I got started on the project on a Friday night, got my cuts made, my pocket holes drilled and pieces sanded for an early start Saturday morning, everything went together like a dream - though it would have gone MUCH faster if I had had a second set of hands; I had to balance all of the long peices on other peices to try and get them attached and it took much longer than it had too! 

It was all together, the holes filled and first coat of primer on by Saturday afternoon - I used Zinsser primer so the knot's did not bleed through. Sunday morning I was painting and it was in place and decorated by Sunday night!

Great, easy to follow plans (as always) Ana - thank you, I have one VERY happy daughter!

With lots of leftover wood from previous projects (farmhouse table and sideboard), I decided it was time to start another project. (I did head out to Lowes to get a piece of 4x4 for the legs...they only had Cedar. My friend found some Fir at Home Depot for a buck more).

Found the plans for the Farmhouse Bench, looked at other brag posts and their suggestions...then got to work!

Cutting the pieces was fast and relatively easy. Predrilling the pocket holes also went quick. Putting the pieces together was also very fast (though I did have to add extra pocket holes here-and-there so that the legs and two end-aprons were more sturdy).

Sanded the piece, then added a coat of Rustoleum Dark Walnut Stain, and then a couple coats of Deft Satin varnish.

This was my first build and I had a blast! Let me say at the outset that if I can build this table with limited tools and expertise, then so can you! What I lack in know-how, I made up for by not being afraid to try something new. If you do the same, you can sure build this table. This table combines Ana's Triple Pedestal Dining Room Table (pedestals from this plan) and her Farmhouse Table (tabletop modified from this plan). Because Ana's plans are so great and thorough, I will only make note of a few key areas where I either tried something different or where I recommend paying extra close attention. First, on the tabletop, I reduced the length to 90 inches to accommodate our space, and therefore eliminated the center pedestal. As you can see, I alternated 2x10's and 2x8's. I also eliminated the breadboards simply because my wife and I preferred the rustic plank style. I also moved the pedestals in to allow a full 15 inches for a chair to slide underneath. When constructing the tabletop, I used both glue (clamped) and pocket holes on the underside. Don't overdo the glue, as it will tend to drip down (which is the top of the table...I had some drip issues). I also strongly recommend buying/borrowing clamps to keep the top flush or making them from 2x4's as I did. I worked hard on this part, and I'm glad that I did. It was still hard to keep it flush. On the pedestals, I used slightly bulkier decorative pieces (I started the arcs 1.25" from the edge on both ends of the arc). I also attached the top plank directly to the underside of the tabletop rather than to the top of the pedestal in order to both bolster the tabletop and to more easily attach the pedestals precisely where I wanted them. Finally, I drilled shallow flat-bottom holes and used wood bolts to fasten both the pedestals and the crossbeam. This created a nice-looking, low-profile fastener that still enables disassembly should we ever need to move the table (it is HEAVY fully assembled!). The finish is two coats of Minwax Ebony Wood Finish (pre-treated with Minwax Wood Conditioner) and three coats of Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane (two coats on pedestals). Thank you, Ana, for the inspiration! Our family has a new table because of it! Thanks to all of you for sharing in our excitement, and I'm happy to share dimensions/details/etc should it be helpful to anyone.

I followed the plans to the dining table with the suggested 1/4" spacing and extra slat so that this table will match the bench I will be making next.  I used the kreg jig for everything so that there are no visible screws.  This table is relatively simple to assemble and seems sturdy yet not too heavy.

A good friend of mine, a pastor of a local church, asked me to build a pulpit for their recently finished church up in the countryside of Grenada. She showed me a picture of what she had in mind and based on that, I drew my own plan in SketchUp, and then built it out of Yellow Pine boards and Plywood.

Note to the dimensions:
After I drew the plan, and just when I was at the lumberyard to have the plywood and boards cut, I thought I might have had it estimated not wide enough, so I decided on the spot to make it 2" wider and the top panel 2" wider and deeper too. So if you'd like to build based on my plans, please consider if it's wide enough for your purposes.

This is what I used (corrected measurements here):

2x 2x8 26" long YP Boards (Base)
1x 18 1/2" x 6 1/2" Plywood (Base Support Panel)
1x 26" x 16" Plywood (Top)
1x 18 1/2" x 9" Plywood (Shelf Panel)
2x 45" x 9 1/2" Plywood (Side Panels ) - these are cut angled, see plans
1x 44 1/2" Wood Moulding (for the "stopper" on the top panel, and the "back" of the top shelf.

I built this for my sister-in-law who loves growing vegetables and herb - in her small apartment porch. She wanted something that she can put her plant pots (and she has so many of them!), so I modified the Painter's Ladder Shelf by:
1. Made the shelves with slats, with added support underneath
2. Beefed up the legs with 2X3s instead of 1X2s.

Dad helped with angled cuts and other things, and borrowing his workshop, this was a breeze to build.

I was looking online for a spinning DVD rack to buy when I stumbled across a picture of a custom built rack. I decided to give it a try and this is the result. This is the first project I've done outside of basic shelves and it was a great learning experience. The overall fit and finish isn't quite where I'd like it to be but overall I think it turned out pretty well. I was able to find a 12" lazy Susan at a hardware store that supports over 300lbs and worked perfectly for this project.

I used pocket holes for the shelves, finishing nails for the top and screws for the bottom and lazy Susan. I also used pocket holes to attach the shelf backs and hid them behind the shelves. One thing I definitely won't use next time is spray paint/enamel. The finish isn't nearly as nice as I wanted and it cost far more than I was expecting.

This is also my first time using SketchUp and I'm really impressed with it. I've uploaded a copy of the plans.

Criticism and suggestions are appreciated.

-Dan

My husband and I just moved from an apartment to a house, the first place we've ever lived with a dining room! I knew I wanted to build a really special table for us and I LOVED this plan. It seemed straightforward enough, and my stepdad had all the tools in his workshop. So my stepdad, mom, and I built the table over the course of a weekend. It was SO fun and it looks perfect in our first little house!

Designed to store 56 qt clear sterilite totes. Spaced 17” apart and used 5 2x4s so 23” deep. We have a lip of our foundation that sticks out so we had to adjust for the difference in leg heights. 

We had a small mud room off our back door that was in need of serious help! We started from scratch in this room - framing, drywall, floor, molding, etc. To complete the room, we modified the Braden Entryway Hutch and shoe bench plans to fit the dimensions of our space, and add a third cubby. It has worked wonderfully!

My kid-o's love to sell lemonade. So, we made a trip to the local hardware store. Because I am terrified to use my husbands electric saw, any wood we purchased would have to be cut with a hack saw and a miter box. And since the stand is to be stored in the backyard, we opted to build it from cedar. We ended up purchasing 8 fence pickets for about $15 total. This was also to be a great way for my kids to apply the some of the knowledge they have picked up this year, our first year of homeschooling. My children, ages 7 and 9, measured all of the boards that needed to be cut. It turned out GREAT! We already had some extra boards, spray paint and screws on hand; so, the grand total was $15.00 for the entire project!

Once we hade the frame of it built, we stapled landscaping fabric and chicken wire to the bottom to keep weeds and moles/gophers from coming up through the bottom.

Other than that... We followed the plans as given.

The kids LOVE it!