Community Brag Posts

DIY bourbon bar cabinet made from old corner entertainment center. Purchased for $40,

I added support for more weight by adding a 2x4 on the inside of the four legs. This way, I have the entire frame supported by screws AND 2x4, so I can rest easy.

Was planning to build the table from smooth cedar... But at the lumberyard I happened across this beautiful batch of 5/4 poplar and adjusted on the fly. The tabletop is actually a crazy assortment of widths... 6, 8, 4, 12, 4, 8, 6 (respectively). Kregged, sanding like the dickens, two coats of light stain (cause I love all the ribbons/grain in this top) and fought with the poly for a few days to get it smooth. Decided to paint the base cause the broad grain of the pine base wouldn't match the top. My wife picked the little accent color for the stretchers on the base and that added some nice contrast. I didn't intend to build a bench at the start, but I had enough wood and the remaining 5/4x12 poplar top was too pretty not to use!

snagged the 4 chairs on Craigslist too. Really rounded out the set.

Farmhouse table made from distressed (worm hole) maple.

My neighbor was able to get me the 5/4 distressed maple for about $2/bd ft - I ended up buying 100 board feet and had plenty leftover. The finished board feet for this project was about 60 if I remember correctly. So the $200 was the bulk of the expense. The only other costs were sand paper, I bought a Kreg Jig, screws, Minwax Marker, paint, stain and urethane (much of which I already had).

It came out better than I anticipated. The antique white finish was not difficult at all.

Tip - When following the instructions for the finish here, I applied the first coat of urethane with a brush almost immediately after applying the Minwax marker to all of the sanded edges. I did this in haste, but ended up with some unexpected results that really added a nice touch. The stain from the marker incorporated a bit into the urethane as I brushed it giving it an antique, yellow hue. At first I thought I made a big mistake, but it turned out to add a really nice look.

I built this using Ana's plans for her outdoor play kitchen. I live in North Carolina and took it to my grandchildren in Ohio. They love it! I used an inexpensive beverage dispenser installed into a trashcan and connected a small aquarium pump to recirculate the water from the sink to the water tank. I'm super pleased with how it turned out!

Thanks for the instructions! Here's my version. I haven't built much of anything before, but I needed it in my basement to handle kids' stuff. My version is 18 feet long. I combined a 12-foot and 6-foot 2x4 to get that length, which meant less cutting, which I had done at Lowe's (for free). I used the 6-foot 2x4s throughout the shelf to ensure it was strong (in other words, I didn't want a 12-foot "section" and a weaker 6-foot "section" added on).

I was able to get everything in my car but the ride home was slow. I also had to use my egress window to get the 12-foot boards in the basement.

Total cost for me was about $170 including a couple boxes of screws and wood glue. I could've easily spent double the cost on store-bought shelving. Thanks for the plans!

I fell in love with this set from the moment I saw it on Shanty-2-Chic's website.  I knew I had to have it for the deck I just built in my backyard.  It's pretty straightforward, the only difficulty I ran into was assembling the legs.  I copied the angles provided in the instructions to a "T" but there are still some gaps where the angled pieces join.  After spray painting it they are not very noticeable.  It is a heavy beast of a table and took everything in me to help my husband heave it up on to the deck, but it's absolutely lovely.  It is so large we can easily have people over for a BBQ and everyone fits around the table.  I'm so thrilled with the results.  Thanks, Ana!

I made these two American Girl doll beds for my nieces. For one bed, I followed Ana's plans exactly. For the other, I used plywood and cove molding in place of the 1x3 slats.

You can find more details about the build and finish I used on my blog.

A few years back, I built a twin version of Ana's Farmhouse Storage Bed for my step-daughter. After she moved out, I converted it to a huge toychest for my three-year-old.

I would have left it as a bed, but with a quality mattress it was so high I was afraid he could get hurt if he fell out.

The conversion is simple. Remove 24 screws, reconfigure, add back the screws in different places. The support blocks become feet for the chest, and the slats become spacers under the top part. 

He loves being able to get his toys out himself, and I love that he can put them away by himself. A big upgrade over plastic storage boxes on high clost shelves!

Once he's a bit older, I'll probably turn it into a bad again. 

I made this bench just as instructed except I made the back legs taller (after the fact) for more back support.

I was so excited when I saw the plan for this! I love making crates out of wood. It was quick and easy and I already had a cedar fence post! It was less than 30 minutes start to finish! For more pictures check out my blog post. Thanks Ana!

I made this garden trellis with cheap 6' cedar fence pickets ripped down to 1 1/2" strips. Get the free plans and tutorial at The Handyman's Daughter!