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Tidy Up Coffee Table

Finished our tidy up table! A couple of tweaks: I didn't want to kreg jig the boards together because I have a tendency to split 1x's when using a lot of joins. I tried drilling from below, but the 2x2 furring strips were so soft that I couldn't get my warped 1x6's to suck down without the screws popping through, even when changing to 1 1/4" ones. So, I countersunk two holes on each end of each board, and used 3/8" buttons to fill them to provide a decorative element. I LOVE THEM! Not only are all my boards flush, but the top is now so pretty. I secured the middle by screwing in from below with 2" screws, but since I didn't need to make them so tight to get my boards flush they no longer popped out. I hope that makes sense.

Also, the sides are pretty wobbly without the trundle in there, so my husband suggested adding L brackets to each corner. Success! It's now solid as a rock. We screwed in from the outside and filled with more buttons. For those of you who don't like the raised look, they also have flat button hole plugs. They take stain so much better than wood putty.

Lastly, I chose 1 5/8" casters that move in all directions. Bad idea. It gives the proper 2" height, but makes the trundle difficult to maneuver. Going to try and find some fixed-side one-way casters to replace them. Other than that, it's fantastic!

Estimated Cost
$85 (includes lumber, plugs, brackets and casters)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We used my Husky air brushing system for the first time, with Rustoleum Ultimate Stain in Golden Oak. I love this stain because I've never had to wipe it off, and it gives a very even, rich finish. This is the first time I used an air compressor with sprayer for stain, and it was so easy. 10 minutes and I've got an even coat on both the top and trundle. I followed it up with 3 coats of poly on exterior and interior. Will probably add a few more coats on just the top for added protection.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Bunnie1978

Tue, 03/13/2012 - 13:42

OK, I'm curious... tell me all about it. :)
I love the buttons, they are adorable. The finish does look very natural and charming.

Texas Adirondack Chair

Submitted by bclexsam on Sun, 01/05/2014 - 07:02

With a little project oversight, my son built and painted this chair which went on to win 1st place in his division at the local 4-H show!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Exterior latex paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Triple Pedestal Table 12ft long

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 03/26/2016 - 12:01

First DIY, my twin brother and I decided to build a table for my parents; as they are currently remodeling their house. Thank you so much for these easy-to-follow yet very thorough set of plans! We made some adjustments to the length and width: 144inches (12ft) long by about 45inches wide!! It's a monster of a table! We made the legs wider as well to compensate for the adjustments of the table top. We are all extremely happy with the results- thanks!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$160
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Early American
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Wood shelving and hanging space for guest wardrobe

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 11/13/2019 - 01:01

Ana's wood shelving plans are easily adaptable for whatever requirements you may have.
Apart from some of the cutting done on a table saw I was able to do this project on my own and assemble.
I'm a beginner and managed it OK. It's not perfect but my husband was over the moon to finally have hanging space and shelving in our new house.
Would look great painted or stained.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Recycled pallet crates

Submitted by tull0032 on Sat, 03/17/2012 - 07:18

I had some left over pallets from another project I was doing and decided to make some recycled wood planter boxes to liven up our decking area. The whole project only took a few hours to make both boxes and used entirely reclaimed pallet wood aside from the two end pieces.

Estimated Cost
$3
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Sanded back pallet wood
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Superhero Tower

Submitted by ellie_pete on Tue, 01/07/2014 - 13:07

When my 4 year old son perused the toy catalogs that came in the mail prior to X-mas, one thing was certain - he loved all the towers and buildings being advertised for action figures. However, I refused to buy one more plastic piece of junk that inevitably breaks after a couple of uses. When I found these plans, I knew they were perfect! My husband and I worked on this together, he's much steadier with our jig saw. I fitted my drill press with a hole cutter for the tops of the arched doorways. We added a rope swing and green paint to the original design. I had trouble knotting the twine for the ladder at even intervals so I used some cylindrical wooden beads I found from an old necklace to use as spacers. It doesn't close up as tightly as we'd like, but we can still get the clasp closed. I decoupaged some of the inner walls with scrapbook paper for fun scenes: maps, brick walls, pebbles, bark, and forest. It was a fun project for us and it's been fun watching him! He has played with this tower nearly every day since he opened it up X-mas morning!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum spray paint and primer, paper was decoupaged with Mod Podge, everything was then covered with a Rustoleum clear coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Coffee table and matching side table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/29/2016 - 07:20

Great plans. I got a lot of attention for these tables. I think they're easy to build and a few bad cuts/mismatches can make it look more rustic so no need to worry about perfection with these. I use them in my apartment and they're both really nice. I stained with miniwax jacobean and used a satin clear poly on it after. I only needed one layer of stain.I think a dining room table version of this plan would be really awesome too!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
stain/poly/lumber/screws all were around 50$

Can be alot cheaper if you already have these things. I had a bunch of the lumber in scraps already.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Darker Stain (jacobean) with clear polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Storage cabinets

We needed extra storage in the living room and I didn’t want to pay mega bucks for our cabinet guy to make something I thought I could do. 
Its four ft tall, 3 ft long and 16 inches deep. I added 1x3’s to the sides and 1x4’s to the bottom.
I bought the Kreg shelf pin jig and it was super easy to use. Plan to use it again on a bigger project. 
Next is a fireplace and TV surround. 

Thanks Ana for the easy to follow plans!
 

Estimated Cost
$250-300. for both cabinets
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Valspar cabinet paint in cream delight, applied with a sponge roller, 3 coats and sanded in between each coat. Knobs from Hobby Lobby and hinges from Hardware Source.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Benchright Coffee Table

Submitted by mactanya on Mon, 03/19/2012 - 17:46

Made the Benchright Coffee table. Costs too much - time to make it myself.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
minwax jacobean and minwax polycrilic
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

mactanya

Tue, 03/20/2012 - 20:07

Thanks Megan.
Couple of my next projects are going to be the matching TV stand and the buffet for which I drew up plans. It'll be probably another month or two before I can find time to do it.

Rustic Bookshelf with Door

Our second project after successfully creating the X coffee table. I used 1 x 4's both for the back and the door that I added.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Vinegar and wire wool oxidisation achieved by applying 24 hrs after the application of strong tea.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Garage shelves

Submitted by Queequeg on Thu, 03/31/2016 - 14:35

This is my first project ever built. I can't thank you enough for this site. I already have several other projects I want to build around the house because of this site. Thank you so much!

Estimated Cost
$150 for the wood. And some extra for the stain.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax walnut water-based stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Queequeg

Thu, 03/31/2016 - 14:36

Didn't realize the photos were rotated. Can't figure out how to fix that!  Oh well.  :)

 

Modified and Expanded Loft Bed, Shelves, and Desk

Submitted by mickelsn on Mon, 11/25/2019 - 20:09

My daughter desperately needed a new loft bed for her small bedroom as she became a teenager. After looking a long time, I finally decided to   take the plunge and make something custom after we couldn’t find a bed that met her needs (she’s VERY tall for her age). Thank you for posting the loft bed and bookshelf plans to this site, as they were great to work from and customize! This is my first woodworking project of any kind, and it came out great with these plans.

We followed the Loft Bed and Loft Bed Bookshelf plans pretty closely, but we did make some changes as we went...

First, we tweaked the guard rail design to make it removable by adding back vertical posts. This way, the front and back posts slide over the front rail and it no longer needs to be screwed in place. This is a nice tight grip for safety, but it’s much easier to make the bed by removing the guard rail and dealing with the mattress. If you do this, just make sure the back vertical posts are shorter than the front ones to make room for the cleats and slats on the inside of the rail! This also means the top of the rail is made with a 1x3 instead of the 1x2 in the instructions.

We also decided to use a vertical ladder design rather than an angled ladder. We did this for space considerations in the room; it’s a bit harder to get up the ladder, but not that much. This also helped avoid any weird angle cuts with my basic tools. We also made the ladder about 3” wider than the one called for in the plans.

One of my favorite features was adding a 3/4” plywood “ceiling” above the desk. We did this by moving the long side cleats upward by 3/4” of an inch in the plans, and using pocket holes roughly every 10 inches around the perimeter of the plywood. We used this to hide the bottom of the mattress and all the bedding from view when sitting at the desk. It also provides for LED strip lighting above the desk, which is installed by routing out a pathway in the board and installing the lights within an aluminum channel for heat dissipation and to allow installation of a plastic diffuser over the lights. The wiring for the lights lives in the ~1.5” gap between the board and the slats thanks to the 1 x 2 cleats.

In the shelving, we made the upper shelf in the wide bookcase adjustable with the help of a Kreg shelf pin jig. We also ordered a 3/8” tempered glass shelf for this area to let more of the LED light strip we installed in the top of this shelf shine down as well. Again, this was installed in a routed-out pathway that holds an aluminum channel, and the wiring goes up through both the bookcase top and the plywood bed “ceiling” panel to join into the power. We got the strip lights, aluminum channel with diffusers, power supply, and controller from Amazon.

To get power to the LED lights, I routed out a channel for 5-conductor wire in the middle board of a rear leg assembly. Before gluing up the leg, I coated the wire with silicone spray to avoid the glue adhering to it so I could slide the wire around as needed. With a little bit of chiseling, this wire is able to come out of the slide-in joints for the upper and lower wide rails on the back of the bed. On the top, these wires go into a splitter and then to the two sets of LED light strips. On the bottom, the wires to into the LED controller which is mounted to a scrap board along with the power supply that stands on end in the 3/4” gap between the back side wall of the bookshelf and the bottom bed rail.

We created a custom-designed file drawer unit as the pedestal for the desk opposite the wide bookshelf. This was modeled roughly after Ikea Alex drawers with three narrow drawers and one file drawer. The carcass is about 14 1/2” wide by 21 3/4” deep by 29 1/4” tall and made of 3/4” plywood. The drawer boxes are approximately 12” wide by 20” long made of 1/2” plywood with 3/4” plywood fronts. We used full-extension soft-close drawer slides and positioned the cabinet so they have nearly full extension behind the ladder. Four wooden dowels are used on the top corners to align and secure this end of the desk surface.

Speaking of the desk, it is a piece of 3/4” plywood approximately 24” deep by 64” long. One end rests on the file drawer cabinet, and the other end is flush with the middle shelf of the bookcase and attached using two 6” by 5” 14-gauge galvanized T-straps usually used in framing applications. These are screwed upwards into the bottom of the desk and shelf from below, and are holding up quite well. This avoids the need for desk legs by the bookshelf.

We then adapted the techniques used for the wide bookshelf to build a narrow bookcase (79” tall, 14 1/2” wide) out of two more 10-foot long 1x12 boards. This bookcase sits between the end of the bed and the corner of the room to finish out the look and provide more storage. The top, middle, and bottom shelves are fixed and there are a total of four adjustable shelves (two in the top half, two in the bottom half). We also cut a door and installed it using a pair of full-overlay euro hinges. With these dimensions, the tall bookcase is also capable of working with 11” x 11” x 11” storage cubes just like the wide bookshelf.

The finishing touch was to create a shelf that attaches to the guard rail and provides a place for my daughter’s alarm clock to sit and be within easy reach. This shelf is made around a piece of the scrap 3/4” plywood that is approximately 21” long and 9” deep. I used leftover 1x3 pine that I glued and nailed to the outside perimeter of the plywood flush with the bottom to hide the layers in the plywood while providing walls around the shelf. I also glued and screwed another 1x3 piece to the front of the plywood, this time flush with the top, as the first piece of a U-shaped grip to slide over the top of the guard rail. Another 1x3 scrap was then positioned, glued, and brad nailed to this front piece to finish the grip. I then cut a triangular piece of wood from a 1x6 to provide additional support under the shelf against one of the vertical pieces of the guard rail. This piece is held in place with counter-sunk screws that go through the top of the plywood shelf down into E-Z Lok threaded inserts in the top of the triangular wood support. The whole shelf assembly is only attached to the guard rail so that I can still easily remove the rail to change bedding on the mattress.

The whole project is constructed out of Home Depot select pine boards and birch plywood. Throughout construction, I used a 3/16” round-over bit in a router to eliminate sharp corners pretty much everywhere on the bed itself (legs, rails, ladder, etc.). I didn’t use this on the bookshelves, the file drawers, or the desk. Edge banding was used to hide any exposed plywood edges. I used 200-grit sanding discs and an orbital sander to sand the various pieces during construction and before finishing. The entire thing is finished with two or three coats of Minwax Polycrylic water-based polyurethane, sanding between coats, which gives this a nice smooth finish and lets the richness of the wood grain come through.

Hopefully the pictures I’ve posted can help understand the write-up on modifications to the project. I enjoyed building this a lot, and my daughter really loves what this did to her room to make it much more usable! That was worth all the effort and time right there.

Ana, thanks a million for the plans!!

Estimated Cost
$750 in materials for wood, LED lighting, tempered glass shelf, etc.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Polycrylic, Satin finish. Used Shur-Line 3.5” x 7” White Fiber pads to apply on most flat surfaces, with foam brushes to get into corners and apply to edges. For complex pieces like the ladder and guard rail, used Minwax Polycrylic Satin spray. Sanded between coats with 320-grit sandpaper in all cases. Used two coats when doing pad application; four coats when doing spray application.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Storage Coffee Table with Lift Top

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/01/2023 - 15:04

I wanted my top to be a lift top, so I used 1x3's adding breadboard ends. I ordered the lifts from Amazon. I applied a single coat of stain and then sanded it down to give it a more rustic look before applying a satin poly coat.

A. Henry

Comments

Narrow Farmhouse Table

I was looking for a desk/table for a wall in my bedroom, especially after I created the wall art that was now free floating on a huge expanse of wall. I needed something to anchor it. I saw the Narrow Farmhouse Table and loved it. I knew I could modify for the space so I used some extra boards I had around the house and mocked it up so that I could take measurements and ensure the table did not block the traffic flow in my home.

I loved the way http://deuxmaison.blogspot.com/2010/07/knock-offwoodcom-narrow-farmhous… the table was done in this blog, so I used the new measurements and took a few tips from deuxmaison to make this desk/table.

I completed the table top and the base as separate projects. Check out my blog for details and a special link on "How to Make a Tapering Jig"

http://singlemomthriving.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/adventures-in-table-m…

http://singlemomthriving.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/adventures-in-table-m…

http://singlemomthriving.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/adventures-in-table-m…

I love how this table turned out. Thanks for great plans, Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$110
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Golden Pecan/Cherry/Poly
Satin Ivory Silk/Matte Clear
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Shoe dresser

Submitted by KelleighW on Sat, 01/11/2014 - 07:13

I loved the idea of the shoe dresser and decided to fancy it up a bit. I changed the dimensions a little to suit the space in my home where I wanted it to go. I decided to use the dowel pins for the doors because I didn't want to be able to see the hinges - which I found to be the hardest part - you need to make sure you get them as low in the corner as you can otherwise your doors won't open. I also found that I didn't cut enough off the top of the dividers which prevented the doors from opening - they needed to be more slanted than round at the top - I ended up having to use a planer to take the excess off. Very happy with the way it turned out - just have to train the kids to put their shoes away now instead of all over the floor :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100 (Australian)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I mixed some paint together that I had leftover from other projects to get the colour I was after and made up some chalk paint. I had never used chalk paint before and was very pleased with the outcome. I lightly sanded and paid more attention to some areas more than others to give a slightly distressed look then applied a coat of wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

suschen

Mon, 01/13/2014 - 07:46

This looks amazing! Do you have photos of what it looks like open? Which plan is this based off of?

Modified Rustic XX Console Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/02/2016 - 16:07

I wanted a smaller table than the plans called for, so I built this one at 51 inches. The side design is slatted rather than built with an X. I love the more modern look with this mission-style modification. This was my first build and I'm pretty happy with it and how easy these plans were to follow.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
DIY chalk paint and vinegar stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Narrow Console Table (Modern Farmhouse)

Submitted by kwildman on Tue, 12/03/2019 - 18:03

This is a beautiful console table built using the Narrow Console Table (Modern Farmhouse) plan.  This is modified to be slightly wider, longer, and taller than the original plan.  The dimensions are 68" long, 34" high, and 12.75" wide.   The plan was very easy to follow and it was simple to adjust the measurements.

I used Varathane Dark Walnut Stain and once that was dry, I went over that lightly with Varathane Classic Gray stain.   The final finish is Minwax Dark Wax and buffed.   

More photos available on my facebook wood shop page at the link below.

Estimated Cost
75
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane dark walnut fast drying stain with Varathane gray classic wiped lightly over the dark walnut after it dried. A final coat of Minwax dark wax and buffed.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

ladybug'13

Thu, 12/05/2019 - 12:06

Beautiful! I really like the finish you did on this table, thanks for sharing the details. I may need to try this myself. 

Tall Loft

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 08/06/2023 - 13:55

We just finished building this room and decided to finish it off with Ana's loft bed. It's mounted at height of 6 feet in order to accommodate our 18 year old.

Renae Gilford

 

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