Community Brag Posts

Super easy project with huge results!

Took us 2.5 hours to build and about 2 hours of finishing work. Be sure to use a square as you position each panel.

Thanks Ana!

My adult son needed a bigger computer desk for the new computer with double monitors and lots of accessories that he received for Christmas from his Dad. I ripped a sheet of plywood in half length-wise using Ana's tip of clamping a 2x4 to the board to be cut in order to get a long, straight line with a circular saw. The front edge of the plywood desktop is covered with flat trim to make it smooth and give it a finished look. I built two basic bookshelves to hold up the ends of the desk for storage of software and other accessories. Since the desktop is 8 ft long and will be supporting a lot of equipment, I decided it needed a 2x4 framework in the middle to keep it from sagging. My son wanted space between the desktop and the wall for lights and wires, etc., so that's why there is a 6inch gap between the back of the desktop and the wall.
The bookcases and desktop are stained with MinWax "Golden Oak" and sealed with Varathane Premium Polyurethane. I didn't use any wood prep because I was going for a more rustic look. The underside of the desk and the 2x4 framework is painted with Benjamin Moore "Copper Mine" in a Pearl Finish.
I didn't use any particular plan, but put together several ideas that I've learned from following Ana's blog for a few years now. My son is thrilled with his desk and we both are looking forward to furnishing his entire apartment with hand-built furniture from this site.
Thanks, Ana!!!!

Farmhouse Trestle Table 

6' Table

Check my work at https://www.facebook.com/Custom-Patio-Retreats-1764656797122875/

We were so excited to stumble across your plans on Pinterest for this farmhouse table. We literally seen the same table for 1600.00 on Wayfair's website. We can not wait to tackle another one for outdoors. Thank you. 

This was for our mudroom, obviously. I wanted to use up some ply that I had ill-advisedly had the store cut into quarters, so each of my storage compartments are 48" long, supported in the center by that divider piece you see in the second pic.

The beauty of DIY of course, is that you can modify everything. But if you do, you spend a week on a 4-hour project (but you do use up a lot of scraps). I cut nearly every piece out of plywood with the exception of the 1x3 front legs. It was time-consuming, but I think it was worth it as it allowed me to impulsively deepen the storage from 3.5" to 5". It also meant I only had to purchase the cedar, one pine 1x3, and a hinge.

The top is bare cedar boards which we'll allow to weather naturally. The hinge is the longest piano hinge they had at the blue store at about $7. The white is just a base Behr ultra with no tint because it's classic and we already had it.

Here's a dog bed that my boys and I built about a year ago (our very first build). Pretty basic but our pups love it! 

Spent my time home from work building this for the cabin this summer. will be using coushions from ikea that are water and uv resistant as well as double sealed with removable covers for washing. 

I've built many custom pieces for local folks but this one with all it's half circles really threw me - how was I going to do those, make them precise and not spend 3 days doing it. It's simple really.... I cheated!! LOL I used a 3 1/8" hole saw for the larger ones and a 1" hole saw for the smaller ones. I also took two boards and clamped them together with pipe clamps and then drilled two at once! It gives it a more consistent look and cuts the time literally in half!

I used a home brew for the stain. Had a friend of mine do the engraving for the front header piece. I think the whole project took between 10 - 15 hours to do because there was a lot of experimenting with the stain and there was also readjusting the sides and top to look how I wanted.

The client loves it and I'll post a pic on my Facebook page of the whole thing loaded up with wine, later today.

After searching all over the internet, we came up with this. I love how it turned out and how it change the look of the room.

Memorial Day weekend project for my wife and I. These will go around our firepit out back, but it was raining so we just took pics in the garage where they were assembled. I built the woven back bench and used the plan (and SketchUp) to modify the plan for 2 chairs as well. I mirrored the weave on the bench and the 2 chairs for a bit of visual contrast.

I also used the plan for the folding camp chairs but simplified it a bit by removing the upper strechers and dowels and just making the fabric on there permanently. These will only be pulled out if we have more than 4 around the fire.

This is my take on the Narrow Cottage End Tables. Painted the bottoms and stained the tops.  Added the shelves towards the bottom for added storage and stability.  The bottom shelf is 'let in' around the inner legs.  The shelf boards rounded over to give them a batten look.  

I loved the idea of re-purposing fence pickets as siding for a cedar shed, but the plans on the website were much too big for the space I have. I ended up modifying the design to make a smaller shed, with approximately a 4 foot by 2 foot footprint. It turned out beautifully! Cedar is expensive, but I was able to save money on the project by buying much of the material at local salvage and second-hand stores.

I'm new to woodworking but I'm already obsessed. I was looking for something I could make for Father's Day and came across this. I thought it'd be perfect for my dad especially if I did it in his favorite team's (Miami Dolphins) colors. It's definitely not perfect and there was a lot of frustration when it came to putting the cooler inside... but I'm proud of the finished product.