Community Brag Posts

Farmhouse bed

Submitted by Randinef on Sat, 09/22/2018 - 07:28

Thanks for the great plans. Love this bed.  Next project, a nightstand.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
150$
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dulux melamine paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Outdoor Bar Table and Stool

Submitted by Titus2000 on Thu, 06/09/2022 - 14:38

I love this bar table! I needed something long and narrow for our small patio - just deep enough to fit a plate and a drink, or a laptop, and long enough to fit three stools, so I modified Ana's dimensions. Also, living in Florida, we occasionally need to bring our furniture inside for hurricanes, so I made it a lighter by using 1x3s and 1x4s instead of 2x or 4x4s. I still need to paint the bottoms a cream color and build two more stools, but I already use it a lot. Thanks Ana! (The photo was upright on my computer, but I didn't see how to rotate it once it was uploaded)

Comments

Bathroom shelf

I needed a little shelf on our bathroom wall and I had lots of scraps hanging around. I made this loosely based on one of Ana's plans. I built it around the size of the baskets I purchased at Homegoods and the size of the four towels.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
There is some blues in the tile work, so I decided to paint it blue (left over paint). I then distressed the edges with sandpaper and finally used Valspar antiquing glaze over the top. My new favorite top coat is wax, so I finished it off with one rubbing.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Loft Bed for Renee's Room

This is the 2nd of two loft beds I have built using Ana's plans - they came out great and my girls love them! I did make some modifications to each, as the girls have different needs. It was a great project and I would like to thank Ana for the concise plans, cut lists, ideas, etc. You made it so easy!

If you are interested in seeing more about this project feel free to visit my blog at www.mothersmusings.net. See you there!

Estimated Cost
$150.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I must say, if I had it to do again I might have upgraded on the wood, but I got the cheapest pine I could find. This led to using A LOT of wood filler and sand paper - and probably took me about twice the time it would have taken had I used prime wood. I used an oil based primer to make sure the knots stayed covered, and 2 coats of Behr high gloss white paint for the finish. Extra work...yes - but ultimately I think I cut my cost in half.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Taylors console

Submitted by DWeen on Mon, 09/28/2015 - 16:30

Our recent Taylors Console project. A nice, easy project. We're very pleased with how it turned out!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr 'Lap Pool Blue'
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic Lift Top Coffee Table, with storage

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/14/2018 - 12:57

I used the Rustic Coffee Table Plans from ana-white.com, but purchased lift top hinges and added 2" x 6" around the perimeter, which provided storage inside when the top is lifted.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Sawhorse desk

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 06/24/2022 - 15:14

Sawhorse desk with drawers. Table top and shelves with dragon spit, table top with epoxy.

Comments

Farmhouse inspired table

Submitted by adidas30 on Mon, 07/25/2011 - 09:12

My first furniture project was Ana's Tryde Coffee Table. All along though, the goal was to learn enough to be able to make a dining room table. I love the coffee table, and I love Ana's Farmhouse table plans, but I was worried about getting food and stuff stuck in between the table top boards.

So I decided to embark on the adventure of learning how to make a solid table top that I could rest on top of Ana's base design. The result is below, and although it took about 6 months of learning, practicing, and prototyping, I am finally done!

Because I made a solid top, I was able to skip the support beams on the base, which hopefully reduced the weight a little bit.

I don't have a blog, but I added some additional comments in my Picasa Album.

Estimated Cost
$600 total -- The 2 inch thick ash was expensive -- and still half the price oak!
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
For the stain, I used General Finishes Medium Brown. It is similar to Minwax Special Walnut, which I used on my pine coffee table, but it looked a lot better than the Minwax on the Ash. For the finish, I used Minwax Polyurathane, thinned 50% with mineral spirits (Paint thinner), and wiped it on with old t-shirts. No brushing required (which means no brush strokes), but as it is thinner you need more coats. I have about 3 coats on the bottom of the table, 4 coats on the legs and base, and about 7 coats on the table top. After much research online, it seems that the general wisdom is that if you want a satin finish, you should use the gloss for all coats except for the last 1 or 2 coats, and that is what I did. 2 satin coats on top, and 1 satin coat on the base. The reason is that the satin has "flatteners" in it, and that if you do all coats with satin, it could get a little cloudy. Hope that quick summary helps.

I bought Minwax paste finishing wax, that I plan to run on the top within the next week. I was told that helps protect the polyurathane, and gives it a nice rubbed look. I tried it on a test piece and although it looks good, I didn't think it made a huge difference in looks.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Crystal_thenewgirl (not verified)

Thu, 12/22/2011 - 11:52

You said you prototyped and practiced, but what did you actually do to make it a solid top????

claydowling

Thu, 12/22/2011 - 13:53

He did was is known as a panel glue-up. They aren't terribly difficult once you've done one. The first one is exciting though. My technique is a bit simpler than what he used, but everyone needs to adapt a method suited to their available tools and knowledge.

If you want to try something like this, check local sawmills and timber suppliers first. adidas30, around here (Ann Arbor, MI), I can lay hands on a single slab of oak or walnut big enough for that table for half to a third that price. The bigger challenge is finding a friend with a big enough truck who is also strong enough to help me shift that beast. Still, what you paid is way less than what you'd pay to buy a table like that.

adidas30

Wed, 01/04/2012 - 10:46

Crystal: Take a look at the blog link in my post. It links to a picasa photo album that shows a few of the steps along the way. Clay is exactly right. Now that I have done one, the next will not be so bad. It took a long time to learn how to do it right the first time, but it was really fun and extremely satisfying.

Clay -- I'm jealous. I felt silly spending so much on the Ash, but it was half the price of the oak. I think the ash was around 4 dollars per board foot, and the white oak was 7.80 per board foot. Good lumber yards are hard to find in DC. I had to venture over to MD.

Farmhouse Table

Submitted by DSalvagni on Fri, 08/23/2013 - 09:34

This is my version of the Farmhouse table. I got all my wood at lowes. I notched the legs to recive the stretchers. One thing that I did not take into account is that the posts have rounded edges from the mill so that when I put the stretchers in the legs there were gaps.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Sherwin-Willams Antique White
Minwax Early American Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Northern Wisconsin White Pine Bed and Dresser

In need of outfitting the spare bedroom for overnight guests I came upon this site and found the storage bed plan we liked.  After building the bed of course a dresser was in order.  My sawyer has some northern white pine that came from the Wisconsin Northern State Fair grounds in Chippewa Falls.  Having never worked with white pine before I found it rewarng and was happy with the finished product.  Hope our guest enjoy it as much I had building it

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
A self leveling poly finish by General Finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

first time builder

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/18/2018 - 06:15

Thank you for these plans - they were great for a first time build. Definitley learned a lot building this...and now on to the next project!

Estimated Cost
I also built one bench - total cost with stain and some other materials about $100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Golden Oak (One Coat/One Hour dry)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

X-back bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 07/02/2022 - 21:40

Really enjoyed making this bench. The X’s were a bit challenging but learned alot. Thanks for the plans Ana!

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Queen Farmhouse Bed with Arch

Submitted by perchik on Fri, 07/29/2011 - 11:34

I build the Farmhouse Bed with Arch in queen Size. I built this over the course of a couple days and then finished it slowly over a month. I did modify the bed to have a 6 inch taller footboard. Also, the mattress I have has a low profile box spring that's only 4 inches tall. The mattress itself is about 10 inches tall.

Additionally I changed the plans a little bit to make it modular. The legs of the headboard are mounted on with bolts and the side rails are also bolted on. This allows me to take it apart and move it fairly easily. The other modification I made was because I couldn't find untreated 4x4s. I ended up using two 2x4s with a 1x4 in the middle. Cut everything separately and then glued/nail-gunned the leg together.

Also in the extra pictures you can see the set of Tryde tables I made at the same time. That post will come once I get a finish on them.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
120$
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I sanded it with 80grit, 120grit and then 220grit sandpaper. Then I applied MiniWax PreStain Conditioner before staining. I used one coat of Cabot Oil Based "Autumn Harvest" stain [this was one of the colors they have to mix at the store for you.] After that I applied two coats of High-gloss Polyeurathane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

benfoldsfivealive

Fri, 07/29/2011 - 14:14

Are you kidding? That's a lot of stuff you just built, and it ALL looks amazing!! I am really loving the autumn harvest stain. :)

Patrick (not verified)

Fri, 07/29/2011 - 20:05

Thanks! Everything was built in a week but I did have the advantage of a nailgun and lots of time.

chris.allen5 (not verified)

Thu, 11/10/2011 - 19:56

how did you mount the side rails to the foot board?

Bristol Lounge Chairs and Love Seat

I loved this lounge chair when I saw it posted. After contemplating them for awhile they became my first building project.

Unfortunately, the cushions from the original design were to expensive for my budget. I resized the lounge chairs to fit cushions I found at my local big box store.

A couple of weeks later I made the loveseat using these plans: http://www.oldpaintdesign.com/2012/03/05/bristol-outdoor-loveseat/. The also resized the loveseat and made it to fit the same back cushions as the chairs and a crib mattress for the seat. I also added three more cleats to add sturdiness to the seat.

I was able to use cedar that I reclaimed from an old sauna in our basement. So, the wood was free to me!

After using the chairs and loveseat a couple of times two of the arms popped off the front. As a result, I added some extra sturdiness to both the arms and to the angled back.

To the arms I added "L" brackets. For each back I added "mending braces".

I'll be adding more information about the modified dimensions and cut list I used on my blog: http://amilliontinylittlethings.blogspot.com/2013/08/bristol-lounge-cha….

I'm very happy with the furniture! Thank you Ana White and guest poster, Shane, for inspiring me into this new hobby!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I haven't finished the chairs yet. Will likely just use a waterproofing sealer.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Flip top table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 10/27/2018 - 07:58

Great project!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Barn greenhouse

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 07/16/2022 - 17:42

My first Ana White project, constructed in the first months after I retired. Well used now, a peaceful place to work.

Built from Plan(s)

Fancy Step Stool for Kids

Submitted by cdswhite on Mon, 08/01/2011 - 19:25

This was a fun project for us and our daughter loves to use it to wash her hands and brush her teeth. We used some wood scraps we had leftover so it didn't cost as much! I was inspired by another brag poster to change the detail on the bottom and printed my pattern from the computer. We did find that we really needed better saw blades than what came with our jigsaw - the second side's curves came out so much smoother.

Estimated Cost
$10 (total guess, I don't remember)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
We used some leftover paint and one coat of water-based poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Love love love my new bedroom!!!!

Submitted by DogDoc25 on Tue, 08/27/2013 - 18:49

I've posted pictures of these separately, but I'm so excited about how these things came together in my room! This is the reclaimed wood headboard (queen) and the mini farmhouse bedside tables (only 1 pictured but the other is identical). Thanks so much Ana (and friends) for these awesome plans which have given me a fun thing to do in my free time and also inexpensively furnish my house!

Finish Used
Minwax Jacobean (looks slightly lighter in the picture than it is in real life)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Bookshelf Mod

I needed a wider bookshelf with doors, to hide all my DVD's. I was able to make a mod of the original design and added panel doors to complete. This took a little longer than expected, as I ran into a complication with my original door plan. Once I found the panel door plan it all came together.

 

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Squared2 Headboard, Full

Submitted by bcarter_1 on Tue, 10/30/2018 - 04:59

Modified to Full sized, my first bed!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Sweet pea full over full bunk bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 07/27/2022 - 17:24

Modified the original plans to make the bed a full over full. Planning on adding a trundle underneath later in the summer. Thank you so much for the plans! It was a lot of work, I can’t imagine having to design it too.

Comments