Community Brag Posts

Amazing Farm Table and Benches

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 19:55

Built this deck dining table and benches from Lowes cedar, and the results way exceeded my expectations! The plans were so well written, it was easy to slightly modify (made both table and benches wider and longer) and the build was very simple. The clear directions helped give me the confidence to do this and we have got so many nice compliments. There was nothing this sturdy and simple even available to buy. I even built a coffee table and bar table after modifying the plans a bit. Thank you Ana!

Comments

My Little Garden

Submitted by HOWsMom on Mon, 05/18/2015 - 09:52

I started with Ana's raised garden beds, but due to limited funds, opted to cut down the size of the beds to be able to use a smaller amount of lumber.

I also used 2x4's screwed together instead of 4x4 posts for the legs.

Estimated Cost
$100 CDN
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Thompsons Water Proofing - clear
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

8 foot long shelf with a little twist

Submitted by Daniel_ram on Mon, 01/03/2022 - 17:25

I just made this shelf using 2x4s 8 ft long wood. It is very strong and looks great. My garage size required the shelf to be max 16 in deep, so I used a 1 plywood sheet divided by 3 equal parts for the upper 3 shelfs. Since I made a 4th shelf, I used 3 1x2s for the 4th bottom shelf instead of a new plywood sheet and avoided having extra 2/3 of the sheet around and also saved like 30$ since the 2x1s were only 2$ea. That touch makes it look a bit stylish too so a win win. If you do that, here's a tip: use the outer 2x4s as rails - make sure that the cleats on the lower shelf are placed a bit lower ~ 1in. In such way, you can place the three 1x2 rails at the same level as the outer 2x4s and this you end up having 5 rails total in the shelf. Do use the wooden screws with star head if you can, they were muuuuuch easier to use compared with the regular ones. Note, this shelf is very strong, probably too strong for my needs. For a 8ft long, and my storage needs (camping, Christmas stuff, other lighter things), I'd probably use 2x2s instead of 2x4s. That would save costs, specially since wood isn't cheap these days( I spent ~$150 in materials Jan 2022).

Comments

Coffee table

Submitted by aderosa on Tue, 02/13/2018 - 05:42

It was time to replace our 12 year old rectangular coffee table. I used the corona coffee table plans with a few modifications.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Only cost me $30 because I had some scrap wood from another project.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar cabinet paint (white) mixed with coastal gray minwax stain. Bottom shelf is stained with natural stain by minwax. Finished off with two coats of satin polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modified miter saw cart

I love having this new addition! Freed up space in my small shop and now it’s more functional and organized. I followed the plans with modifications in the leaves using scrap 1x’s (which I may decide later to change to 2x4s but I had 1x’s on hand) instead of the brackets and then the extra 1x’s holding on the leaves so they would fall flat to the sides. Love it!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Under $75 (don’t remember exactly)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Didn’t finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Shoe Dresser with Extras!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 04/24/2022 - 11:30

We added a bit to your shoe dresser plan. We ended up building into the wall since it had the perfect little indent and put a baby cabinet in the middle so we had access to the outlet. 

by Angela

Built from Plan(s)

Twin Sleeper Chair

Submitted by Hoff7.62 on Sat, 06/04/2022 - 15:20

This was my take on your Twin Sleeper Chair. I made it into a full. I used 2x4’s where there was suppose to be 1x4’s because I changed the width. This was a very fun project, my first project actually. Thank you for the plans and idea.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Corner cabinet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/24/2019 - 13:58

Went to a local farmer, who had a barn falling down and asked if I could get some wood. He allowed me to take a few pieces and turned it into a corner cabinet for my wifeWent to a local farmer, who had a barn falling down and asked if I could get some wood. He allowed me to take a few pieces and turned it into a corner cabinet for my wife

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

How to Build a Raised Balance Beam for $60

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/31/2019 - 14:49

From watching Olympic gymnast Simone Biles on the television to running, flipping and twirling all around our living room — my girls LOVE everything gymnastics. Both girls began competing with a local gymnastics club. Now that my oldest has moved up and is pretty serious about practicing her beam handstands and dismounts, she begged me to build a raised balance beam with suede covering so it would have a similar feel to her beam at the gym.

If you can relate to this, or even if you have a new gymnast (like my youngest in the pic above) wanting to improve their skills at home, then this comprehensive tutorial on how to build a raised balance beam is for you.

Full plans available on my blog The Creative 'Carr'penter. You can also find and pin this tutorial on Pinterest here.

Estimated Cost
Cost of materials were about $60. Could vary depending on materials used.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I used an outdoor flat paint to finish the exposed pieces of wood. The remainder was covered in padding and suede fabric.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Mother's Day Herb Garden

I followed the instructions for Ana's Herb Garden box. For the handles I used leather strips from Michael's. I think it turned out really nice! I almost wanted to keep it, but I still have scraps to build my own. I am LOVING the Minwax Special Walnut color. It's definitely my favorite!

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Special Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Slat Bench

Submitted by RHgaijin2 on Sun, 04/14/2019 - 07:06

I extended the slats past the legs by 2 inches on each side. Stained the legs Cherry and Torched the seat. All the wood was reclaimed.  

Here is the video:  https://youtu.be/lI5d3r2-41o

Estimated Cost
Less than $10
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Stained Legs
Torched Seat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Console Bookshelf

Submitted by jlamorey on Fri, 11/04/2011 - 12:10

A bookshelf to help with the everyday clutter in our kitchen.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Used MinWax Ebony stain and rub on poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Claudia

Sat, 11/05/2011 - 12:07

Glad to see someone build this plan--have been considering it, but wanted to see a finished photo. Thanks!

wpaul

Sun, 05/26/2013 - 11:04

The plan shows a total width of 39" but that's a bit too much for me (I'm mostly just wanting to store reference books next to my desk and don't need that much space). I like the proportions on your build, can you say how wide it is? (I'm assuming it's not 39", unless you have some massive countertops!)

Thanks.

My wife built a bed.

Submitted by AKMan279 on Sun, 06/02/2019 - 20:45

We looked for a simple plan for a bed and found this one on Ana’s site.  Easy to build in a weekend.

Estimated Cost
$140 with all lumber and stain.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Poly stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Bird Houses

I love this pattern of Ana's! My husband and I made these together. We have 3 very tall pine trees close together, planted by my Mum 50 years ago; one for each child. Now a cedar bird house for each tree. An extra for our cottage in Garden of Eden, Nova Scotia.

Thank you for sharing this pattern Ana.

Darlene & Garry

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Kitchen island

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/21/2023 - 11:56

my first project!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Horizontal Murphy Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 07/09/2023 - 17:49

We are remodeling our 3 bedroom house into a 4 bedroom. In doing so, my youngest is getting the smaller room. We decided to go with a Murphy bed to allow more play time space. I do not particularly like the fact that this bed doesn’t sit off the ground but overall love the simplicity of making it. We turned it horizontal and just love the overall product. I can mot wait to make something else from this site!

Tams

Vintage Butcher Block Vanity

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/21/2023 - 10:40

Use the general idea of the kitchen island plans. I had an old butcher block work table top from June 1952. I wanted to cut it down and make a bathroom vanity. We used cedar legs for the posts and shelves.

Kristi

 

Built from Plan(s)

Square Modern Farmhouse Table

Submitted by Cheli on Wed, 01/15/2014 - 08:57

I modified this pattern to use with tall bar stools I already had. I built it 42" high and added a foot bar along the bottom for added stability since it's tall. The foot bar is only across the front and back so the stools can still slide in on the sides.

This table is exactly what I was looking for and I couldn't be any happier with how it turned out.

Estimated Cost
$50 (This cost doesn't include the paint I already had)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I painted with three coats of black eggshell paint. I haven't put a finish on it yet but I plan on using a couple coats of Minwax urethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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