Community Brag Posts

Antique workbench console bar

Submitted by aem4v2000 on Fri, 04/24/2015 - 18:14

This project was much easier than I originally anticipated. Even cutting the legs at angles and sanding them down to appear curved was easier than I expected.  I also used early american stain by Minwax. I used only one coat though and in hindsight might have done two to make it a bit darker. I used Minwax clear paste wax (two coats) to achieve a low sheen and protective layer. I was able to find a toilet paper holder similar to the one Ana used at one of my local big box stores. I wasn't able to find anything else I liked better. 

 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
less than $100 including the stain and towel bar holder
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Early American stain (one coat) and Minwax clear paste wax (two coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Triple Pedestal Table & Bench

Submitted by Lishpav on Wed, 09/06/2017 - 19:56

It's turned out way more beautiful then I had thought. It was all the mini details that took the longest but made the look worth it 

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Gel gray stain for the top gel prairie wheat for the legs
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modified Ann White Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 10/05/2021 - 17:07

This is a modified version of your Farmhouse Coffee Table.

Comments

Storage Bed

Submitted by mariakathh on Sun, 03/13/2011 - 08:40

So we really needed a better bed than the flimsy moderny thing that would shift at least a few inches when I would get into the bed. And I like storage. So this was a great fit. The folks at blue were really good to me and help me cut all my lengths of plywood. I did modify the headboard to be 3 inches taller. Otherwise the plans were great! I had one hiccup in adding the divider to one of the benches. It came out kind of slanted. So I would recommend having a lot of light and measuring it out in the back of the box when you are inserting the divider

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Wine oak barrel Adirondack chair

Submitted by Medickep on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 12:11

I got some oak barrels from a local vineyard and decided to try making some adirondack chairs. It was harder than I thought it would be, but well worth it!! The stain was a little darker than I thought it be, but it's rubbing off on me!

predrill, predrill, predrill, and learned a valuable lesson in predrilling, as solid wood under strain cracks easy when using 2 1/2" deck screws!

I need to whip out the nice camera and stop using my cell phone for finished products!

Estimated Cost
Around 100.00 dollars per chair (depends on cost of barrel!)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Cabot's Australian timber oil. Not the cheapest product out there, but they actually recommend one coat only and no sanding necessary for future coats. Once it stops beading water, just clean the chair and than reapply! It penetrates deep and forms a wax protective layer that repels water! This is why I chose not to varnish the item!!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

spiceylg

Fri, 05/31/2013 - 05:16

I never heard of using wine barrels in this way! I love it. It came out fabulous!

Medickep

Fri, 05/31/2013 - 05:34

Thanks you. People make a lot of stuff out of wine barrels. Chairs, stools, Tables, candle holders, and even serving platters!

Joni

Fri, 05/31/2013 - 06:57

This is awesome! Very cool design. It looks very comfortable! Thanks for the tip on the Australian timber oil; I never knew what would be the best finish for an outdoor piece.

Joni

Fri, 05/31/2013 - 07:03

This is awesome! Very cool design. It looks very comfortable! Thanks for the tip on the Australian timber oil; I never knew what would be the best finish for an outdoor piece.

Medickep

Sat, 06/01/2013 - 11:38

It is very comfortable, especially with a glass of wine. I chose the finisher I did because I live in Oregon with a lot of rain!!

Why does everyone's post, including my own show up as duplicate?

Medickep

Sat, 06/01/2013 - 11:38

It is very comfortable, especially with a glass of wine. I chose the finisher I did because I live in Oregon with a lot of rain!!

Why does everyone's post, including my own show up as duplicate?

acd4476

Sun, 07/21/2013 - 17:05

Awesome chairs! Beginning to think I need to make some as well. Did you have plans for this project or follow a generic adirondack chair plan?

Farmhouse Bed

This is my favorite build so far! I love the look of this bed! 

One thing I wish I had known was how long it was going to be. The bed is a good foot and a half longer than my mattress, which is a standard queen. I would recommend measuring and cutting your side rails according to your mattress - I think I am going to go back and shorten mine. 

Also - I used my bed rails, instead of the slats this called for. I also used bed rail hooks (I ordered them from Amazon for $20) so that I can take this bed apart. 

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

Comments

Loft Bed

Submitted by Jenny Anne on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 08:43

I made this loft bed for my 4-year-old son.  It is plenty strong.  It can easily hold him and his daddy for bedtime stories.  I followed the plans to the letter.  I found this a challenging but attainable second project and only needed help with final assembly.  I'll start working on some bookshelves for under it but need to figure out how to work around the supports I already added (that are omitted in the bookshelf plans).  

Now I have to finish the poor kid's quilt so he can stop using my pink one.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
primed and painted with satin finish. I still need to cover the final assembly screws and touch up some junctions. One note if you paint this, DON'T paint the sections of the long boards that you'll have to slide in on final assembly. We had to sand that paint off to get them to squeeze in.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

outdoor sofa from reclaimed wood

Using Ana's plan as a guide, I built two of these sofas to fit an outdoor cushion I already had. I used wood from our old deck -- a great way to re-use and save money, too!

Estimated Cost
$110/sofa (lumber was free)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
None, although eventually I will probably seal it with outdoor PolyWhey by Vermont Natural Coatings.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Conner Side Tables

Built a set of Conner Side tables for my Daughter and Son-in-law that live in Austin Texas. 

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Polyshield Ebony
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Loft Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/07/2021 - 16:28

My 8 year old really wanted a loft bed. We were homeschooling and he was struggling with fractions so I decided to use carpentry to teach him fractions. He was hands on in every aspect of this project and did 80% of the work. I’m very proud of him!

Comments

Coffee Table

My wife said she did not want anything for her birthday, so instead of buying her
something after she said that, I decided to try and make something.  We did not have a coffee table in our living room - when we hosted Christmas, we had a piece of plywood over boxes, covered with a table cloth.  So I decided to try and make a coffee table for her.

Made some mistakes sanding the top, so then had to spend a lot more time sanding out the gouges.I did not use a plan per se, but when I started looking here, it was remarkable similar to Clara's Table, with differeing dimensions.  The cost was a little higher due to the oak boards for the table top.  Those alone were $50.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
75
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I was tring to match the piece in the background as much as possible. For stain, the base was Minwax red oak and the top was Minwax gunstock. Sealed with 6 coats of Minwax wipe on poly - 4 clear, and 2 satin.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Cedar Deck Box

Submitted by tsmonkey on Mon, 06/03/2013 - 19:09

I used cedar siding that was removed from a home remodel. I had to rip all the wood down on a table saw to work with the plan. I was glad to put this good wood to use for my recycle bin and it looks good on the back porch. I had to change the plan a bit to fit my bin.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Gloss Spray Varnish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Cedar Boxes made with Pallet Wood

Submitted by flashfire on Fri, 09/15/2017 - 22:19

Thanks for the plans, I was able to make this for a friend's birthday. I made it from pallet wood and it was so easy, I did a mitred top though because I wanted it to look neat and trim. .

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Nil
I used pallet wood
Wood glue & screws I already had
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Linseed oil
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Seasonal And Holiday

Counter Height Table & Chairs

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/10/2021 - 17:42

Built this amazing table & chairs a few years ago for a customer.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

X end table

Submitted by Bergenj123 on Tue, 06/04/2013 - 19:52

Another project in keeping with my original theme of farmhouse style furniture. I liked the style of this table but wanted to make a smaller end table than the plans. So I scaled down a bit and used 1x4 for the top and bottom shelves and used 1x also for the X. It measures standard height for an end table but its only about 18 inches square. I added some hardware, but not the L brackets on the corners. I have young kids and was a little worried about the edges.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
50.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Classic Gray by Minwax and a satin finish top coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

cmaycock

Sun, 12/04/2016 - 18:21

Hi, 

 

I love the smaller table! what angle did you need to cut the x peices to? 

Modern Park Bench

Submitted by ylopresto on Tue, 05/05/2015 - 12:21

Our deck was lackluster to say the least.  It had been a while since we did anything with it and we didn't spend much time out there because of it.  I wanted to add something cozy to encourage us to hang out there more.  I searched the internet and came across this bench.  It was just the thing!  My son and I spent a couple of hours building it, and another day or two priming and painting.  Now it looks great!  We are out there all the time.  Thanks Ana!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$90 (includes wood, screws, primer, and paint)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover Gloss in Colonial Red
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Afternoon farm table

Submitted by Lizzardt04 on Wed, 09/20/2017 - 13:24

I saw this super simple farm house table plan on my Facebook feed from Ana and I just had to do it !!$50 in lumber a Saturday afternoon and I was done!!!! Followed all her tips and it turned out great

Estimated Cost
$50 in lumber
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Danish oil medium walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner