Community Brag Posts

This media center was my hubby and I's very first project! It was definitely a learning experience and its definitely not perfect, but we love it! We love how much it looks like the pottery barn version and that WE MADE IT!!!

This project took us quite some time to complete..... and its still not 100% done as we still need hardware for the 2 outermost doors but are having a hard time finding ones similar to the pottery barn ones that aren’t going to cost us a fortune..... My hubby and I put this together piece by piece as we had time (which seemed to be few and far between). If you had uninterrupted time to work on this , one could probably start and finish it in a weekend. But because of lack of uninterrupted time and the learning curve of this being our first project it took us months to finish.

We got the TV base (the bottom middle piece) done first and we were so excited about it that before attempting the rest of the project, we painted it and set it up in the living room :) We were so excited to get the rest of the media center made but my hubby got busy with work and was unable to help me. I got antsy, so antsy in fact that finished the rest of the project COMPLETELY on my own!! And I am SO PROUD OF IT!!! I made and painted the rest of the media center except for the doors because i (not sure why) was completely intimidated by the doors so I procrastinated making them, so the media center sat in the living room for a month or 2 without doors or the adjustable shelves on the towers lol. Last week I finally got up the courage to make the doors and they (to my surprise!) really weren’t that bad!! I painted them and the adjustable shelves and finished assembling the media center. Its now finished and decorated except for some of the door hardware!!! SO EXCITED!!!

Since this was our first project we hadn’t bought a Kreg Jig jet (we have since bought one) and I HIGHLY recommend getting yourself one. It would have made this project so much easier.

This was my first attempt to use real power tools and make furniture. After being inspired by Ana, I purchased my Kreg Jig and got to work! I needed a coffee table so I tweaked this one to fit my needs. I ended up staining it with Minwax Gray, but it wasn't rich enough for me. So I took white, black and brown pain and dry brushed it to give it that old barn wood look.....OMG I LOVE IT! It came out perfect. So much better than in the photos even! Thank you for the inspiration Ana.....What will I make next???? Hmm......

I absolutely loved this project! My first advanced' leveled project! I was afraid it would be to big for my room so I went 10" smaller in the width only. It surprisingly turned out well proportioned! Thanks Ana! I feel like a women with power!!

Our daughter lives in a small attic apartment that doesn't have much counter space or cupboard space in the kitchen. So my husband and I designed and build her a kitchen island for more usable space and a place on the back she can put stools and she can use it as an eating bar as well. It took us almost 2 weeks because we were trying to build it in the garage below her apartment when she wasn't home. Her reaction was perfection! It turned out so great!!!

We made this a bit taller then the plan. But everything worked out well. It was our first project. I would NOT recommend this as a first project. Also, wipe the stain off quickly. We let it sit way too long and it came out very dark. It took us a long time to build because we both work. And, Home Depot didn't cut miters so we had to get a neighbor to do it.... fyi

I love it though.

Modified the plans for a full size mattress, also used 2x6 lumber for the main frame. Installed LED strip lighting around the perimeter for a night light. Also built my own headboard, modified for the full size. I used laminate flooring for the center inlay.

Fun project, about 6 hours to build, total cost around $200 with the lighting.

Wife wanted bookcases for all our books and a desk/work area for her calendar.  I decided to modify the Channing Bookcase to suit our needs.  We built 5 of them to fit the wall.  We did not attach the back trim piece on the shelves to give them a recessed look.  Convinced the wife to let me buy the Kreg K4 system, which saved my sanity for the over 500 pocket holes we had to drill in this project. Thanks for the plans!

This was my first project! WIth some guidance from my husband, we were able to complete this during naptime (minus paint, of course). It was a fun project and I can't wait to try a different one! (Not sure why it looks so crooked in this picture! It looks nice and even in person.)

This was one of my first woodworking projects I completed with limited help from my handy husband. And the first time I used a jigsaw (to cut out the handles). I used mostly scrap MDF we had leftover from other projects - only purchasing one additional sheet of MDF for around $12. The MDF worked ok, but I did have some trouble with splitting when screwing it all together and screwing the castors on. Used our Kreg Jig where it made sense.

As a beginner, this project took me somewhere in the neighborhood of 16 hours over the span of a couple weeks. Cost was approximately $50 - including the MDF (but I used mostly scrap we had on hand), spray primer and paint, castors, and "Library" decal.

Those angles on the ladder are challenging. This is our first time building any furniture. Thak you Ana W

I built these picket fence planters with my husband. They were very easy to build. I can use them all year around. I’ll add flowers in the spring and summer and mums in the fall and Christmas trees in the Winter. I’m definitely building more for my back porch. Happy building! - Celines

A few years ago our family vacationed in Watercolor, on the northwest Florida coast. We loved the house we stayed in so much when we returned home we put our house up for sale so we could build a home similar to the one we stayed in. One of the features we loved so much was the large covered front porch and most of all the swing bed it showcased. My wife spent every morning and night that week relaxing in that swing. I promised my wife then that I would make sure got her own swing. Thanks to Ana White, she was back in her (new) swing last night.

I began with the "Large Modern Porch Swing" plan and made some changes. I wanted to use a twin size mattress so I increased the size of the swing's base. Also, because the mattress was 6" I lifted the arms and back. The arms are the biggest and best change I think. I had seen someone else do similar arms, but I they used an 1x12 I think. I wanted a heavier look, so I used a 2x10.

My Dad and I started with solid maple lumber. We altered the plan to use mortise and tendon joints and adjust drawer sizes to that night stands would not interfere with the drawers. Final product weighs about 500lbs.

This was my first time building something like this. I used reclaimed wood from my wife's family farm and decided to use thinner materials. I'm very pleased with the results.

First Ana White project for a beginner woodworker are two baby doll cribs.

I'm just starting out. I built this from scrap wood I had laying around. I followed the plan except for the table top. Here I used a 2x6 that I cut on the miter saw, and used bowties to help give the middle more strength.