This is my first ever woodworking project and I'm really pleased with how it looks! Thank you for the plans, they were really clear and the video was the perfect guide for someone like me who had never done this before. Assembly took a couple of weekends I think. I had to predrill holes and I found the cuts for the x a bit difficult to do so had to try a couple of times. But definitely doable and very satisfying to have built something!
This bed was my 3rd project from Ana white. I'm just getting around to posting it now....
The headboard and footboard were made 2 inches wider than the original plans to account for my wider crib mattress. For my mattress width (28"), I required an extra 1x4 for the headboard and footboard center panels (7 instead of 6), along with 2 1x3s. This meant that I needed to add one extra 1x4 to my shopping list. I only required one 1x6, at a 10 foot length (since I didn't make the arch on the headboard).
Most of the work was done on our backyard deck, my outdoor workshop. I usually enjoyed the company of a little chipmunk as my "helper". He became very tame over the summer, allowing me to pick him up and pet him. At times, he would sit on my lap or ontop of my shoulder while I was working on a project. He was always with me, just hangin' out. I'm not really sure how long this project took, as I was usually distracted by his company!
I really enjoyed making this project! Our daughter was SO excited to sleep in her new big-girl bed!
Thanks Ana for the great plans!
Wed, 03/13/2013 - 13:40
Hi dmcarwin - Thanks so much for your comment!
I love my little helper as well. You, however, must be a VERY busy lady! With 6 little helpers??? How do you ever find the time for all your fabulous projects? You truly amaze me!
In reply to Little Helpers by Tea Granny
Wed, 03/13/2013 - 15:35
You are so sweet, I don't do projects in a normal time frame, they are more like, cut the wood one day, sand the next, build another, etc....It is rare I do a build all at once, for obvious reasons! But I truly love it and so I make the time for it when I can! I just checked out the rest of your projects they are fabulous!
Wed, 03/13/2013 - 18:07
Oh, yes. I certainly know about the non-normal time frames. My projects are done during nap-time or in the middle of the night. I finished a play kitchen at 4am on Christmas Day! Cutting it close - after numerous 4am nights, a couple all-nighters ...and about 40 hours later. I definitely was an elf in the workshop.
The play kitchen is pictured in the background of my second photo for my Toddler Chalkboard project. I used Ana's plans and another plan as my inspiration, heavily modified the measurements. I have not had time to post it yet, but soon....
Okay, so I've just checked out your blog! Wonderful.
Sun, 08/09/2015 - 06:51
This is gorgeous!!!!! My daughter will be two in two weeks, and while I'm not quite ready for a big girl bed, and we don't need her crib for another baby yet, I'm so excited to finally find the perfect plans when I am ready. You did a GREAT job, it's just beautiful. When I compare this to the $400 plus beds in stores I just shake my head and say THANK YOU ANA for giving us great alternative options. Thank you for the inspiration!!
We built this in early 2013. We ended up turning the house 90 degrees on the deck, because the slide worked best off the backside of the deck due to the various heights around the deck. The sloped back yard caused some challenges, but in the end it's a very sturdy deck with the cross beams attached. Thanks for posting these plans online for us, our 3 daughters are loving the playhouse and swingset! Here are some more pics of the project: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11031534@N00/sets/72157633009259873/
Fri, 03/22/2013 - 16:39
Love this - my grandson's back yard is too small to build something like this; which is why we had to settle for his loft bed airport/clubhouse.
Thu, 06/27/2013 - 05:24
I'm planning on building two A-Frames and no playhouse, so my questions are focused there.
Did you do any modifications to swing portion of the plans?
Is it sturdy enough for an adult to swing on as well?
It looks like you put the posts in the ground, did you cement them in too?
How high off the ground is the bottom of the support beam for the swing?
Is there any issue side-to-side swaying?
This was a nice simple build. The only problem where I live (near Edmonton, Alberta) is that the price of lumber has gone crazy. I think it is the same everywhere. 2 x 4's are running about $8.50 (CAD) each. I can see myself building a few more of these as the neighbours like them. Chose to go with a funky magenta colour to add some colour to the backyard. Very comfortable to sit in but I think I will add some cushions. I should have taken Ana's advice and painted the boards (especially back and seat) first. Once assembled I had to go in with a small brush to get the sides.
I was intrigued by Ana’s Simple 2x4 Potting Bench. The project seemed simple enough and it would be used as a means to clean up clutter in the garage. My main focus was to make it semi-portable and weather resistant. Instead of using 2x4’s for the corner posts, I used 4x4’s to accommodate casters. I also shorted the length of the posts by 4 inches to compensate for the height of the casters. To provide extra rigidity I did a dado for the 2x4’s that connect the front and rear legs. In retrospect, I wish that I did not dado the legs because it made it more difficult to attach some of the shelf planks. I painted the frame green and left the shelves and backboards clear for beautiful contrast. My wife is ecstatic with the result.
I used the plans from JRLwoodworking and the pictures from AZCA33 and combined them to create an entertainment center to hold my new 60" flat screen tv. I priced new entertainment centers at furniture stores for a nice entertainment center to hold a large tv and the price was around $2000. I looked around online and found a couple of websites of handmade entertainment centers and decided to give it a try. I had never made anything remotely his large or detailed, but with the plans and some patience, I was able to bring this thing to life. I couldn't have done it without the help of this website or jrlwoodworking. I am very proud of this piece of furniture and plan to cherish it for a long time....
Sat, 06/01/2013 - 19:21
Hi RAZORBACKFAN, I am so excited to see this build from our plans at jrlwoodworking.com! This is absolutely beautiful. It looks like a very difficult project, but with the step by step instructions and going through it a few times, it really can be done by a handy do-it-yourselfer. I hope you enjoy yours as much as we enjoy ours. The best part of it is telling everyone you built it. Nobody would believe it unless we had the pictures to prove it.
We customized the train table a bit and laminated the top into one solid piece so that we could paint a car map of our neighborhood on the underside. It's heavy! But with two boys in the house it's never really on anyways! :)
This is my laundry room and it is about 12x10. It looked so bare with only the washer and dryer. So I thought making this a mudroom also. I live in the mountains and have snow 3 to 4 months a year. This will be perfect. I purchased an IKEA cabinet built it in and added the Ana White plans with two bays.
My wife and I have a 2 year old, 85lb, golden retriever named Lily. She has a tough time jumping up on our bed and has hurt herself on a few occasions. I was inspired to build her a step, but also wanted some storage. When I saw the Becca Trunk I knew I had to build it!
I used oak ply and solid oak for the trim, including some decorative leaf inscribed trim for the top and bottom. My wife and I picked out some outdoor furniture fabric that was stylish and would hold up to a big dog jumping on it. She used some firm padding and staple gunned the fabric to create a really neat and clean look (I am lost when it comes to that stuff, but she is a genius with scissors).
We built 2 of these tables for the McDonald’s in our area for the front of their building. With a few modifications to fit the space. We made the top of the table a foot smaller so it’s 3 x 4 feet. We also put extra bracing on the legs so the table would not tip over if one person was to sit on it. I love this table and will be making one for myself
The only thing I did different to the plan was add 4.5 inches to the back slats so I could round the edges and 3 inches to the right arm rest so I could cut out a track to rest a wine glass. One thing I highly recommend is to create a stencil of the stringer. I did and now I have it for the next one so the next chair will be consistent. Thanks Ana white, this site is very therapeutic for me. Already built 3 projects in the last month.
Thu, 06/06/2013 - 06:38
The mods on this make me now want to build a set of these, the wine glass holder is genius! love the rounded front and back, so much better than original plans, thanks for inspiration!
This is perfect for our front room- (most) shoes fit in the storage baskets, and the hooks are perfect for scarves and coats in the winter, towels and life jackets in the summer. The top cubbies hold gloves and hats, as well as sunglasses, umbrellas and sun screen.
My sister needed a day bed for her guest room. I modified the Modern Outdoor Chair plans to fit her needs. We used an old door she found, even using the hinges as a means to attach the door to the bed frame. This was my first real project.
Hello Fellow Ana White Fans!
This is from Ana White's lego coffee table plan, but my daughter is not a huge fan of legos, so we’re just calling this project the Coffee Table of Fun! Indeed it was a fun build. This project gave me the excuse I was looking for to buy a kreg jig. Certainly a kreg jig was not required, as the plan calls for a plywood top and bottom, but Ana revealed in the comments that she made her table by planking 1x6 boards with the kreg jig. I was nervous at first with the kreg jig (it comes with a whopping big bit), but now I see a world of new possibilities in building with this awesome tool.
This table came together very quickly. In fact, perhaps it was too quick, because I made a substantial mistake during the build. In step 8 of the plan, adding the top sides, I missed the fact that the top side was supposed to be flush with the top support, not with the box itself, so that there would be a ledge for the top to rest on. I didn’t realize my mistake until I added the top ends (correctly), and then measured for the top piece. Then I scratched my head after realizing that the 3 planked 1x6 boards were not going to fit at all. Oops!
I was disheartened at first, because I didn’t know what to do. By the way, Ana has included a “How-To’s” section on this new site for fellow builders to submit tips. I’d love it if someone could give some pointers about fixing mistakes. Is there any recourse once a board is glued and screwed? Anyway, I took some quiet time to think about the project and had an “Aha!” moment. I ended up attaching 1x2 pieces around the inner edges of the two compartments to create the ledge for the top to rest on. Then, instead of the three planked 1x6 boards that I’d planned on, I used 6 1x3’s planked together to make the top. Yes, there was an unexpected detour from the plan, but it all worked out just fine. I’d rather not make mistakes, but at my current level of experience, I think that mistakes are inevitable, and the mistakes actually give the piece a story and a little extra personality.
Looking forward to the next project!
Cheers!
Some of my first builds... I built this wall unit with sliding barn doors and the desk in front of it.
By Kraig Faulkner
This was my first project to build although I cut wood for another project a year ago. The plans were simple and easy to follow. Now I want to build more! Thank you Ana!
This was a great last minute Christmas gift. Took me a little over two hours. Made completely out if pallet wood.
Sun, 12/26/2021 - 13:19
It looks great, I'm sure the recipient loved it! Thanks for sharing:)
I needed chairs that would fit on my narrow front porch. This plan was great because I was able to resize it to 20x20. I used 1x4s that I already had and some wood glue. They turned out solid. I made the tryde table with left over wood. That one is 17.5x17.5. Super happy with the results. We are doing the garage shelves right now. I have a list of other things I want to make thanks to Ana's wonderful website.
I'm new at this so I started with the work bench. SUPER easy. I built it by myself. Bought the wood around 8 AM and was DONE by 11. Thanks Ana!
This is our first Ana White project and we're pretty happy with the results. We modified the plans a bit to use 1/4" plywood for the sides instead of the heavy 3/4" ply. Specifically built for our kitchen since we couldn't find one that we really liked or could afford. Pottery Barn seriously sells this for $1200?!?! Score!
