Community Brag Posts

Simple Outdoor Lounge Chair - Beefed Up

Submitted by Radcrafter on Sun, 06/24/2012 - 10:55

Loved building this chair. Super simple to put together and very sturdy once everything came together.

I modified it to create a larger and taller chair, using 2x6 and 2x4 lumber. Because of this change I felt like my math challenged brain was completing some sort of quiz, but to keep things simple I cut the pieces step by step recalculating lengths as I went.

I marked up the plan as I went, so if anyone is interested just let me know & I'll add the changes.

http://radcrafter.com/2012/06/simple-outdoor-chair-beefed-up/

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20-30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
outdoor stain in solid slate
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

spiceylg

Sun, 06/24/2012 - 18:18

I thought it looked beefier and I prefer that look. I'm curious, what size cushion is that?

J (not verified)

Sun, 08/19/2012 - 08:29

I would love to see your changes and build the beefier version! Please share!

Tammyctr

Thu, 07/26/2018 - 07:05

I have a large (400+) family member who I need to make chairs for.  This plan looks perfect (even though I will have to probably adjust width and add additional support)  Can you please send me your plans?

Big Kids' Picnic Table

This ended up being a very easy project to complete; Ana's instructions were very straightforward. I probably spent four hours altogether on the project, although that was spread over the course of several days. We had several 2x4s left over from other projects, and I was able to use a quart of exterior Behr Premium Plus Ultra (with primer included) that didn't get used for its intended project. So altogether, we spent about $20. You can't even buy a plastic kids' picnic table for that price! As for advice, I found that the best way to avoid wobbling was to firmly attach three of the legs while leaving the fourth leg somewhat lose. Upon flipping the table, you should be able to move that fourth leg into a place that prevents wobbles before firmly screwing it in as well. I painted all the boards before assembling the table, and I feel like that is the best approach, as the space in between boards is slim.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Premium Plus Ultra, exterior, custom color
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

DIY Patio Table & Bench

Submitted by madore07 on Wed, 04/16/2014 - 18:47

Great projects for any beginner. Make sure you're working on a level surface for the table. I purchased simple planter boxes from a local hardware store, and worked around those. For the bench, my only suggestion is to verify you are square at each step- other than that it's pretty straightforward.

Estimated Cost
350
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Teak Oil
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

western boot storage

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/14/2016 - 19:26

Altered plan somewhat to make it heavy duty seating when needed. 18" inside height is necessary for hubby's boots especially. Room for my lab coat too! It suits our 100 year old, nearly closet-less farmhouse well.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
since I used mostly scraps/leftovers I spent as much for the hooks as the rest. Not even $30 in the wood but scrap collection is now depleted. Bench is 2X8s joined together on all sides, except bottom is 1X8s joined (love my kreg!)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
white enamel
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

My First Project: Farmhouse Table

Submitted by jtundra05 on Fri, 05/08/2020 - 20:51

Hafa Adai everyone. This is my first real woodworking project. I followed the plans for the Truss Farmhouse Table almost exactly as written. One thing I felt it needed was more support for the 10" breadboard ends. I added spare pieces of 4x4 cut to 5" with an 80 degree angle at one end to each corner of the tabletop base. This made the breadboard ends feel very secure and well supported.

Since I didn't have a table saw to rip the tabletop panels for clean edges, I used wood putty (not wood filler) to fill in the gaps from the 2x10 panels after I secured them together. Tip: I saw someone use ratchet straps to hold the table top tightly together when securing with screws in the absence of long clamps. Worked great.

The only thing I would do different is choose a wood without the treated staple marks for the table top. But since its an outdoor table its not too bad a look. Overall, it was a great learning experience and a very fun project to build.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I used Varathane Worn Navy stain for the table top; 2 coats, then used Varathane oil based (semi-gloss) spar urethane to clear coat both tabletop and base. Also 2 coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

DIY Small Manger

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/03/2024 - 08:34

Seen a picture somewhere and I liked it . It was on my mind so I made this Nativity Manger, no plans just went for it by memory.

Mike

Playhouse with Deck

Submitted by jwright on Mon, 07/02/2012 - 10:38

This project was started on spring break and I finished it at the beginning of summer. Total cost was about $900. I built it pretty much by myself and my wife painted the playhouse. Overall about 70 hours of labor went into it. Great plan and instructions. Thanks Ana! I love this site.

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

2x4 out door couch

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 07/17/2016 - 16:28

Was made using 2x4 plans from Ann-white web page. Thanks for the idea

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
120
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Decking paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Surface Mount Fireplace Accent Wall

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/08/2024 - 09:44

My wife and I wanted to do something with our surface mounted . Then came up with this design.

Bob Cousineau

Comments

Adirondack Chair for dolls

It was a fun project and it went well.
It took me longer to make than Ana, but I am still new at this!
The girls love it and my daughter is very pleased.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10 with the cost of spray paint
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
lagoon spray paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farm house queen/ crate storage

Submitted by Mathcky on Mon, 04/21/2014 - 10:50

Started with the farm house queen bed and changed the plans. I made the head/footboards 3 inches taller and took the panelling on the footboard all the way to the floor. I made storage underneath the bed and night stands. I'm using old apple crates for the storage. I made the night stands with the crate in it too to match the bed. I used a single piece of 18x18 ceramic tile for the top of the nightstand. The set is stained Minwax classic grey. I used a mixture of wood. Oak and pine, surprisingly it stained good and matched up. The crates aren't in the pictures yet. We have an older house with small rooms so the storage is perfect. The grey finish looks good for the old wood look with newer wood used

Estimated Cost
$100.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax classic grey
Some pieces were stained more then once to get an even,matching color
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Bailey Console Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/21/2016 - 16:21
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
About $100, including reclaimed lumber (though I also used scraps I had on hand)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Annie Sloan chalk pain in French Linen, then topped with dark wax
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

First thing I’ve ever built

Submitted by Nick.Olson on Tue, 05/12/2020 - 10:27

I stumbled across your videos via YouTube and I saw the video to make this coffee table. I was just browsing for things to do to keep busy during this pandemic. This is my first project and I could of done a lot better but I learned a lot from doing it. Thank you for your videos. I have since went on a shopping spree at Home Depot and Lowe’s Lol. I’ve bought Kreg jig, Miter saw, Makita drill set and circular saw and a Makita sander. I was like a kid at a toy store. I’m going to build your narrow console table next. Thank you for sharing your inspirational work. Nick Olson

Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)

Comments

Modern Farm Bench with a Twist

Submitted by GrahamD on Fri, 07/06/2012 - 20:22

I am new to furniture making and my neighbor and Friend showed me this website. I wanted a piece a bit more modern looking with a rustic flair so I picked this bench for the ease. I did however change the dimension of the bench to accommodate a Fallow that I shot last year and had tanned. I look forward to building the next piece.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
65.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
2 coats primer
2 coats black paint
2 coats poly
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Boys Dorm Bunks

Submitted by moonprysm on Wed, 04/23/2014 - 09:26

For starters, I apologize for the quality of the photo - the bed is so large and my sons' room so small that I had to splice together 4 different pictures to get a picture of the entire thing. Now, onto the project!

I found the details lacking in the instructions quite often. I definitely recommend having sketch-up installed on your computer so that you can turn the pieces around and see them from both sides - in many parts you're layering wood and attaching pieces on different sides. So being able to rotate the pieces in sketch-up was a huge must for us.

It took myself and my girlfriend about a week or so of working several hours a day to finish this up. Since most of the bed is made in sets of 2, the second set always went faster than the first, since we knew what we were doing.

I also found we needed different size materials than the instructions suggested. 1 1/2" screws were just long enough that they came out of the other side if they were countersunk at all, so we ended up switching to 1 1/4". The plans call for 32 3" bolts and 4 2 1/2", but we needed 32 2 1/2" and 4 2" - when we first put it together we had 1/2 of bolt hanging out of all of the holes - obviously not ideal for 3 little boys running around.

All told this project cost us somewhere between $250 and $300. I had to run out for new 2" screws at least twice, so make sure you buy a lot. We got lucky with the paint and found this super bright yellow/orange in the oops bin for $7, and decided to do a wash instead of painting so we could still see the wood grain. (And my 8 year old promptly took a marker and wrote each boys' initials on their beds - kids!).

All-in-all I'm incredibly happy with the bed - it fits the exact need we had, and unlike the only other plan I found online for a set of 3, it doesn't attach to the wall (which is important as we rent) and will be fairly easy to disassemble when we move.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250-$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Mixed paint 50/50 with water, brushed on thin layer with sponge brushes
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

My new Chicken coop

Submitted by cgerrells on Fri, 05/15/2020 - 13:58

My chicken house from plans

Estimated Cost
650
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

rockraptor5

Sun, 05/17/2020 - 11:41

I'm in the process of building mine without the planter box, extended the coop to the full 5'. I have it mostly built out but seeing yours is helpful.

Is the PVC going down from the planter bed a feeder? Mind sharing how you did that?

T-Shaped Countertop Island

Submitted by funtodiy on Sun, 01/14/2024 - 19:07

So I made a 4ft and a 6ft put them on casters joined them like a “T” shape, it is a moveable kitchen island dining table! The top has epoxy in the middle with flowers to give it some pop! Everyone loves it that comes over! Thanks for all your ideas on your site; it was my inspiration!!!

 

Comments

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