Community Brag Posts

I have tried all sorts of nest boxes. No one ever used them. I decided to make the one from Anna White's site. I used joinery to attach the various pieces. The best thing of all: I find girls sitting in the boxes and take eggs from them. It really is awesome. I got a photo with real eggs and you can also see the wooden eggs to entice them to try it out. Thank you so much! I will build another one for the other side of the the wall.

This was a fun project for my husband and I! My 4 year old absolutely loves her bed. We have plans to add a curtain to the bottom to let her open and close it for her reading nook (or as curtains for her "stage")! :) 

We had this unused lower deck and this bar height table was the perfect addition. We have place now to hang when too hot or it’s raining. My husband and I built it in one weekend and your plans where great.

What a fun project. Based on Ana White's Media Console that was very close to what I wanted. I changed up the size to work in my room. I needed a shorter length to fit the space I had. I did not use the doors or drawers. For my first project they intimidated me a bit. I also needed access to the TV box.

I subtracted for the legs so they ended flush with the bottom of the console and used some fun wheels to be able to move it around. Finally, I did not like seeing all of the cords behind it so I added a back with cutout for the cords and painted it the same color as the console.

As it was built "on the fly" I did not keep detailed measurements to share. Can't wait to pick out my next project! Thanks Ana for all you do.

Finished it in about two weeks, but that was during my sons daily two hour nap window and two days of staining. Had to make a few adjustments so the pillow from West Elm would fit, because the plan calls for 11 slats on the deck when it should be 12. I added some wheels to the back and will add pull out drink tables soon. It was a fun project and my wife is thrilled.

This was a great / simple plan that mostly fitted my needs. i made a few modifications;

1.  wider 'human' well - extended the width by 6"

2.  Deeper desktop - Extended to 24"

3.  2.5x.75" trim piece around table top - simple MDF 

4.  plywood on top of 2x2 frames - for all shelves and table top.

(the dimensional modifications required 2 additional 2x2 @8')

I like a larger leg well to shift around in on those long days, so i extended the width by 6" all applied to the foot well.  I was still able to use only 1 8x4 piece of .75" sanded plywood.   I use 2 computers and a second monitor on one, so I deepened the desktop from 18 to 24" to accomidate my technology.  This then required an adjustment to all 15" 2x2s used on the sides, and the shelve stretchers. I prefered to use a Plywood on top of frame method for all shelves and tabletop, for stregnth and asthetics. This required me to make a notch into all 4 corners of each shelf. To accomplish, be sure to start with a squared piece of plywood cut to dimensions, and measure the from the insides of the cutouts for precise fit.  The under shelf frames were still affixed with pocket hole screws, the tops of each were screwed to the frame with 2" wood screws (pre drilled) and smoothed over with wood filler.  the top received the same, 2x2 frame around the perimiter, along with two additional 21" supports (at the same location as the inner legs from the towers). The top was the affixed with 2" wood screws, and smoothed with wood filler.  

For asthetic purposes, I put in a 2.5x.75" trim piece around the top (to hide the frame/plywood seam) This actually worked out great!!  It is mounted flush with the plywood top , 2" wood screws about every 12 inches and a healthy amount of wood glue. (be careful, these come pre-faced with a layer of white.. something.. this does not make a good glueing surface.  Sand down before glueing to the tabletop.).  Screws were countersunk, add wood filler to smooth.  the best part of the trim is that it extendes .25" below the wood frame (1.5" frame, with   .75" plywood on top = 2.25" total thickness). this allows allowed me to not screw the towers into the top.  The legs fit in underneath the top, butted to the top's frame, and the recess created by the trim holds them in place! This will make for super simple moving should I need to relocate my desk; just lift off the top, and it's in 3 pieces!!   this step adds a bit of work and $ (really not too much, 3 2.5"x.75" MDF trim pieces adds an additionan $12, and mounting only took an additional 20 minutes.)

I finished with a two tone top quality paint job, two coats of primer, 2 coats of paint, 2 coats of Polyurathane (3 on the tabletop).

All in all, it worked fantastically!!! it is incredibally sturdy.  The plans are simple to follow, and easy to modify, just do the math, and draw it out..

Thank You Ana!

-MikeG.

(ps. the white one is Winnie, the Brown is Henry).

Thanks to your clear plans it was easy to make these two chairs from scrap 2x4s. Found the cushions at Lowe's. I'm a grandfather with eight grandchildren live in Iowa.

Using the counter height planter plans from Janettx. Thanks!

I've been wanting to buy or make a sandbox for my son for a couple of years now. Since seeing this on Ana White I knew I had to make it. My son is 4 yo and I didn't think the 4' square sandbox would be big enough for him, so I made it bigger. Ours is 6' square.

Materials:
4@1x8x6'
12@1x6x6'
2x4 - used leftovers from another project
8 hinges
4 handles
decking screws

Cut lengths:
2@1x8 cut to 71.5 (long sides of the box)
2@1x8 cut to 70.5 (short sides of the box)
did not cut the 1x6 boards (top planks) - actually designed the other boards to fit their length to prevent cutting (saving time) (note that original plan uses 1x4 planks - I used 1x6s so I could use the same number of planks but cover a larger area)
4@2x4 cut to 11.5 (arm rests)
4@2x4 cut to 18.5 (back supports)

followed instructions for assembly otherwise. At my husbands suggestion we put the handles on the sides and can easily open from either side - prevents having to lean over to the middle to open (back saver)

I finished the project in 4 hours including clean up and a couple of small breaks. This is my first Ana White project. It was a lot of fun to build and I hope my son will enjoy it for years to come!

This was a weekend build made from plans right here on Ana-White's site. There were a few changes made to make it sturdier since several (older) rambunctious toddlers were going to be using it. If anyone is interested in how much weight it can hold, two adults sat on this and it held up great. We have had this in the back yard for over a year now and it looks just as it did when it was first built.

We couldn't fit our box spring up our stairs in our house so this bed worked perfect. It took about a week and I followed the plans exactly, except just using all 2x6's for the headboard. I felt it would look more appealing. Thank you. 

Made a bit shorter to fit our decorative arch and opted for more different hardware.

Slightly modified the farmhouse table plans to build the top out of 6 inch pine shiplap, its thinner than the farmhouse plans (its 3/4inch), but I liked the rough cut on the top surface, and overlapping edges made for a great fit. 

I cut the outside edge boards down to 4inch wide, and then mitred the corners to act as a frame for the 6 inch boards. I will build copper corner protectors. 

Finish was: pre-conditioner on the wood, 3 coats of minwax weathered oak stain, 3 coats of polyurethane. Sanded the benches between coats, but not the table, as the table has a rough surface. 

benches are 2x6 fir boards, cut the long edges off on a table saw to make them join better, as I dont have a jointer.  Same finish applied as the table. 

Table is 8 feet long, 38 inches wide.  seats 10 comfortably.

It was half finished in my garage for several months, in which time I used it as a workbench - so it has plenty of authentic weathering dings and dents. 

It was my first project, as I have only recently moved into a house with a garage. 

Loved the construction part, hated the finishing steps. 

thanks!

oz

I used the chicken shed plans to create the coop, with a modification to include two nesting boxes, one on each side.

I slightly modified the nesting boxes, using a U shaped frame and added hinges for the front to swing down and the pine shavings to be swept out.

For the siding, we found it easiest to do the tack and trace method. We tacked each full sheet of siding in place and traced the cuts for the window, roof line, doors, and nesting boxes. We then took them down, darkened the lines, cut 'em, and re-hung them. It made it a million times easier, IMHO.

For the inside, I designed several roosting bars with poop platforms. The water is a gravity fed chicken nipple/pvc setup, which I found online.

The food stations, also gravity fed, are (new) sewer pipes with wye connectors.

I used the roof and siding scraps to make shelves for storage inside.

By sourcing reclaimed materials, I built the coop, run, interior, feeding stations (5), and waterer for $550. I only bought 27 pieces of new lumber (15 2x4's and the 12 8 foot long 1x3's)

Even the paint was free! (We have a drop and swap at the haz mat recycling center run by the county. We have gotten 100's of dollars of free paint, stain, and varnish there. I even used a can of free spar varnish to seal the inside of the coop)

There are still a few pieces of trim to be cut and painted, but the girls are inside eating, drinking, and merry!

I did find that at the Home Depot, if you buy chicken wire, it costs way more then 150 feet x 36 inch "stucco netting". The stucco netting was $54 for 150 feet, and chicken wire is $76 for the same amount. It is the exact same wire.

I built the run out of resourced 1x2 furring strips. They were a pain to work with, very prone to breaking when not supported, but with the entire run costing $25 for wood and $54 (with half a roll left over) for chicken wire, I can handle some extra time and effort.

If anyone has any questions for me, feel free to contact me! I'd love to help!

Great project! I'm new to wood working and have been looking for simple but challenging builds. Needless to say this fit the bill... This grill cart was a great starter build and ultimately became a Father's Day gift!  My Pops loved it! 

I did add a couple of custom pieces: a foldable table top extension and towel bar... things Dad will undoubtedly need as he's an outdoorsman who loves to BBQ!

Thanks for the idea/design plans!