Community Brag Posts

Ryan's Washer/Dryer Pedestal

Submitted by zoolander on Fri, 12/05/2014 - 17:25

I loved this design.  I couldn't believe that they wanted to charge me almost $600 for the pedestals for the washer/dryer set that I bought on black friday, so I decided to give this project a go.  I basically used the same construction plans from Sausha's project, but I dressed mine up a bit.  First, I chose a bit larger trim for the tops and bottoms of the posts.  Then, I bought some 2" baseboards and did the top and bottom with baseboards.  On the bottom, I had to use my tablesaw to trim off about 1/2" because I used 1x1" boards on the bottom so that I could have more space for baskets.  Then, on the top, I inverted the baseboard and allowed it to overlap a bit so that if it were to vibrate, the washer/dryer could not fall off the edge.  I also added some fabric on the top (stuff that I use to cover the bunk boards on my boat trailer...kind of like a very thick and durable felt material) to cut down on vibration and also keep the units in place.  Finally, I added sides by using wedge trusses on the inside of my side posts and then I put a 1/8" piece of plywood over top and nailed/glued it to the trusses.

It turned out great.  Thanks for the plans Sausha!

Estimated Cost
$125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Zlk200

Mon, 12/21/2015 - 17:38

Did you use sanded plywood? Did you use any veneers for the exposed 2x4's to get a smooth finish or did you paint right on it?

lastly, what is the name of the trim you put on the 4x4s? I've hard a hard time finding it. Thank you!

In reply to by Zlk200

zoolander

Wed, 06/29/2016 - 13:59

Sorry for the super delayed response.  I didn't realize this question was here.  I did not plane anything.  I did sand the surfaces a bit, but I didn't get too crazy.  I put 3 thick coats of paint on it which made it pretty smooth.  If you look very closely in person, you can still see a bit of wood grain, but it is only noticable if you really get down and look.  I did use a lot of wood putty to fill all of the gaps and crevaces and then I sanded those parts pretty well.  

 

With regard to the trim, the top literally just standard baseboard material turned upside down, and then the little trim on the tops and bottoms of the 4x4s is just another standard strip of moulding that I got from Lowes.  I think they call it "Chair Rail" moulding.  Its the stuff that you put down if you are doing some sort of paint separation or wainscoting.

http://www.lowes.com/pd/1-625-in-x-12-ft-Mdf-Chair-Rail/3403018

I used woodglue on all of the moulding and tacked it on with a nail gun.  Then I filled all of the nail holes with wood putty and also use the putty to fill gaps where the corners came together to make that look smooth.

I hope that helps...you are probably already done with your project by now, but I figured that I would answer anyway.  :)

Chunky leg farmhouse table

This is a chunky leg farmhouse table I just finished. We wanted to do something a little different with the color scheme, so we did something a little more colonial with a custom stain and paint blended grey top, and painted the legs a deep navy blue.

Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Custom stain paint combo on the top.
Sherwin Williams deep navy blue paint on the legs and skirt
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Triple Pedestal Farmhouse Table

Putting this table together was a lot of fun! We knocked off about two feet from the plan so that it fit in our modest dining area. Many of my saw blades were replaced at some point during this project in favor of sharper and cleaner-cutting replacements, so we spent quite a lot making sure we didn't end up with a giant splinter of a table. You can see from one of the photos how poorly I chose some of the wood (the 2x2 is like a cork screw), so I had to replace a few pieces. Still, I think I could have replaced all of those tools altogether and still spent less than this table would have cost at the store.

Something I learned during finishing: I knew beforehand that wood glue didn't stain, but I didn't realize that even the residue of wiped-up glue will keep the wood from taking stain. When the matching bench is made later on I'll be sure to sand all of the places where glue might be hiding, invisible. The stain color generally wasn't quite what we imagined and the legs seem to have taken it differently than the top, but when the word "Farmhouse" appears in the table style, you can chalk all of those imperfections up to its "rustic" style. For that I am grateful.

The poly dried a bit rough, but a fine sanding sponge smoothed it out and also gave it a little bit of that greywashed RH look. Win-win. We wound up putting "Flor" tiles underneath the table to give it some contrast since it ended up resembling our floor color a bit too closely. Now we actually have a dining area, instead of just a table.

It took about a week and a day (I started Saturday morning and we finished it the following Saturday night). Fortunately our ten-month-old can sleep through just about anything. I'm glad it's done now and we can enjoy it!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Rust-Oleum Early American, Minwax Clear Matte Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Chunky Truss Table

Submitted by DangerDad on Thu, 12/11/2014 - 13:38

This is my first full sized table project.  I wanted to make an inexpensive dining table with nice looks and this one fit the criteria.  I deviated from the plans by making the legs frames and the middle truss using rabbit and dado joinery.  As a result the middle truss and leg frames did not have to be fastened together with any screws.  This design modification made it easier to build in the garage and be able to move easily into the house for final assembly.  Top is made of SPF lumber stained to match the natural colour of the cedar legs and truss frame.  Thanks Ana for the inspiration to build this beutiful piece.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150-$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Stain (early american) and Minwax Helmsman finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

earthbybike

Thu, 12/11/2014 - 17:11

Love how you rounded the edges of the 4x4s and taylored the cross beam underneath. Just simply fabulous

ctufano

Mon, 07/24/2017 - 05:24

Hey Dangerdad! Wife and I bought cedar for the base and have all sanded, but are torn on how to stain. I liked your table, and was reading your description of your finish. Did you stain your cedar? You say you stained the top to match the natural cedar, so am thinking maybe you just sealed it without any stain?

Could you clarify? Thanks so much!

ctufano

Mon, 07/24/2017 - 05:25

Hey Dangerdad! Wife and I bought cedar for our table base and were discussing how to finish it. Did you stain your cedar? Your write up seems like you may have just finished it and not stained at all, and only stained the top? Just curious

 

Thanks so much!

 

Kitchen Corner Cabinet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 03/20/2017 - 22:48

I saw http://www.ana-white.com/2013/02/plans/wall-kitchen-corner-cabinet and knew this was the project I wanted to do in our new home. The side cabients are from http://www.ana-white.com/2013/12/plans/36-wall-cabinet-double-door-momp… project, redesined to fit the wall-kitchen-corner-cabinet plans. This was my first cabient build. Still have to install doors. I am happy way it came out and so is wife.

Thanks Ana for your great site and plans. My next project is the storage sofa :D

Estimated Cost
about 400$ I live in Philippines and cost was around 2000 PhP.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Acrylic paint, 3 coats wet sanded in between coats. Inside is Boysen chocolate enamel.
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Console table turned Hedgehog cage holder

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 01/23/2021 - 08:43

Sorry, the pictures are on their side. I used the Rustic X console table plans, but left out the X and made it taller and wider. I didnt have a stripper nor enough skinny wood to lay the slats on the shelf like that did in the video, so each of those slats are held up by pocket screws. Whew! Will avoid doing that again if possible! I did, however, stain BEFORE i built and that made all the difference! Also for the top I used a quality piece of compressed wood which bumped the cost $20, but seeing that a cage was going on top, i wanted a solid piece to hold any shavings. I also added a railing so the cage would stay in place. My neighbors LOVE it and I'm just super happy with how the stain job came out. It was actually a fluke, I think I failed to stir it completely on the first coat and when I was touching up it got waaay darker so I just rolled with it and made it two toned. LOVE the result and not sure if I can pull it off again haha

Estimated Cost
78
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Verathane classic Wood Stain in Special Walnut. Like I said before, the two tone was a fluke. I don't think I stirred it completely on the first run, and while touching up it became much darker. I rolled with it and just highlighted the edges and I LOVED the outcome. This was my favorite build to that point. :)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Shop Cart with inserts

Submitted by adecesare4 on Mon, 02/25/2013 - 08:05

After browsing through forums I came up with this idea...a versatile shop cart that I can insert my kreg jig and miter saw into...a stable base at a great working height.

I created this design in sketchup as well and will work on posting it as a plan if people are interested.

basically, the top is inset 3/4" to make room for the inserts. I created a work table insert (well two I split in half, so the kreg insert can take up the front half if I wanted to insert that.

Then I made the kreg jig insert

and the Miter saw insert

let me tell you...this came in handy right away as each of those inserts I made can be used without the cart as well and both inserts work tremendously!

I am really really happy with this and it is so useful. Started making the loft bed playhouse last night and the miter say and kreg jig were extremely useful at a good working height.

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

Comments

adecesare4

Mon, 02/25/2013 - 08:07

My intention for the top shelf is to hold small tools that I am working with while using the cart and the bottom is to store the cut pieces of lumber I am using for the project

davidmauer14

Mon, 02/25/2013 - 10:33

Please post the plans. This thing would make a great shop cart or miter saw stand.
I have one other suggestion: you could also use it as a small assembly table. You have a 3/4" inset. Stick a piece of plywood inside the exactly fits inside. Then screw a larger piece of plywood to that one. (DON"T screw it into the top of the cart.) The larger sheet of plywood would overhand the shop cart edges by maybe a foot on each size, so you'd have a "small" mobile assembly table that might 3x4 feet or 3x5 feet across at the top.

rosenzzzz

Mon, 02/25/2013 - 11:20

I would also like to see the plans for this cart. It looks nice and compact and versatile.

adecesare4

Mon, 02/25/2013 - 12:10

@ david...I did make a workbench type top for it as well, just didn't post a pic of that.

I will get the plans together for this then and post it for everyone...I enjoy sharing with everyone so we all can learn and make quality things. I'll start working on that tonight.

Hall Tree for Mudroom

I made this to fit the room and to help organize and cleanup the laundry / mud room. After searching for plans online I just sat down with pencil and paper and drew up my own plans, cut sheets and design from a combo of numerous projects I found in Pinterest.

Estimated Cost
500.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
All wood primed with Sherwin Williams Preprite Problock Primer and finish painting with SW ProClassic Waterbased Acrylic-Alkyd Satin finish in Dover White
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Sewing Caddie

Submitted by JoeCandy11 on Sun, 01/04/2015 - 22:25

Thanks for the inspiration!  This was my first full blown creation and my wife loves it.  Cannot wait to do more!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50 for birch plywood
$30 for wheels, hinges, paint, and accessories.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White paint with primer
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Convertible Shoe Rack

Submitted by tfox on Fri, 03/01/2013 - 15:41

A few weeks ago I was getting ready for work and was excavating my shoe collection in search of my brown wingtips. Although I had managed to curate a pretty respectable collection of dress shirts, slacks, suits, and shoes, I still relied on a cheap coated wire shoe rack that could likely double as a grilling grate for my bbq. This was amplified by the fact that is was meant for about half the number of shoes I was using it for. I know, first world problems. It’s tough out there. So, I decided to build a two piece unit that I could stack atop one another or use it side by side in the future.

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Red Mahogany Stain with Robin's Egg Blue stripe (in eggshell finish). Finished with three coats of Minwax Wipe-On Poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

zendup

Tue, 03/05/2013 - 09:12

That looks great! I need something like this in my front entry closet. I could probably use some in the master closet too. Thanks for posting!

Modified Fillman Dresser

Submitted by Lady Goats on Mon, 01/19/2015 - 12:58

Spent forever building this modified version because I couldn't figure out what kind of drawer faces I wanted. Finished with General Finishes gel stain and Minwax Paste Finishing wax. 

Estimated Cost
Used scraps, so all that I paid for was the knobs and finishing wax.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
GF gel stain in Java and Minwax Finishing wax
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic small rolling kitchen island

I modified this plan to use wood that I had and also a piece of kitchen counter top that was left over from my daughters new house.  

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Scraps
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Golden Oak
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Outdoor 2x4 sectional sofa

First wood project, thanks for the great plans Ana! I made the bottom cushions using 3" thick firm foam, 2" thick memory foam, and 1" thick batting (purchased in bulk and then cut to size), and covered them with outdoor fabric. The back cushions are 4" thick soft foam. I added easily removable/washable drop cloth covers on top of all the cushions. I don't have a finish on the clear redwood, but might add a clear coat to protect it. The memory foam makes this sofa very luxerious!

Estimated Cost
$1800
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

1st project

Submitted by Nick K on Mon, 04/29/2013 - 18:28

I found the table here, but ended up using the modified plans for the 72" table from this site - http://tommyandellie.com/index.php/2012/01/13/new-and-improved-farmhous…

I haven't built anything out of wood for 20 years and I had no problems building this table. I also built the bench and two 15" extensions.

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Pre Stain, Minwax Special Walnut (1 coat), Minwax fast dry Satin Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outdoor Console Table

Submitted by scokenour on Wed, 05/01/2013 - 16:32

I have a small booth at a local Outdoor Market & a client asked if I had any outdoor tables - she needed some for an upcoming party. I tried convincing her that a potting bench would be perfect (since Ana already had plans for that), but she wanted something a little different. She shared a picture of a "Faraday" console table by Pottery Barn, so I used that as my inspiration. I opted for a counter-height table vs. a table height, but both can be easily achieved using the same size balusters, just cut accordingly. I did have a hard time finding "chunky" balusters with a "flat" section on both the top and bottom. I didn't want to use pre-made legs because they are too pricey. At both Orange and Blue they had "skinny" balusters, but at the Orange near my home I found 1 thicker baluster. I had to go to another store to find more in stock, so supplies may vary in your area. The balusters were less than $3 each. Ana was so kind to create plans and I hope you enjoy your table as much as my client enjoyed hers!

Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
exterior grade semi-gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

spiceylg

Thu, 05/02/2013 - 07:31

Really like this and love how you used balusters for legs for added detail.

Modern Loveseat and Couch

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 09/26/2021 - 12:00

We were looking for outdoor furniture big enough for our whole family and friends but everything we looked at was over $5000 and really not well made. Ana to the rescue.
We built 2 loveseats and created a couch by doubling the dimensions.
We built the whole thing out of redwood so total wood was about $1000
The cushions were from Overstock and Lowes, approx $300.
There was a too much wiggle room with the cushions so we made a built-in frame to hold them in place. If we built another I would have cut the width down slightly.
We placed a 4X4 and another 2X4 on top of the back to provide more support.
All in all, love the way it turned out.

Seasonal And Holiday

Kentwood bookshelf

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/14/2017 - 00:14

Together with my wife, we decided to start making our own furniture and it was our first project. It took us a week to complete it (it took us longer than most people as we had to learn from scratch how to use the tools for each of the steps such as the circular saw, sander, pocket holes, etc.). We also learned the hard way how critical it is to use straight boards and how difficult it is to find straight 2x2. Overall we loved the process and are very excited by the final result!

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Danish oil - natural
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Desk rustic x

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 10/05/2021 - 03:26

To simplify and elevate the design I chose a pre made butcher block top. It turned out beautiful!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Hall Tree Bench DIY

Submitted by jimmysingh on Wed, 10/11/2017 - 08:13

Modified From Ana's Fancy-hall-tree bench plan.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
White primer one coat, paint two coats, gloss water based polyurethane one coat
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

A bathroom cabinet for all that stuff!

Overall measurements: 24x40. I followed the same basic steps as the nursery armoire, but on a much smaller scale and with a 1x3 added to the back for hanging the cabinet on the wall. I sketched this out on my own and built it to fit above the toilet in my girls' bathroom.

For the first time, I used my table saw to route a space for the 1/8" MDF cabinet backing and drawer bottoms. I will probably use the same method again, but the MDF has to be absolutely square for it to work.

Also a first for me, I used a shelving jig to drill perfectly spaced shelf pin holes on the inside of the cabinet. I love the jig and the accompanying drill bit (from Woodcraft -- orange and blue do not carry it) and I'm looking forward to using it a lot more in the future.

The white latex paint finish is covered in Krylon "crystal clear" spray, which is (sadly) not actually crystal clear. I really like its durability and ease of application (re-coat after only one minute!), but will only use it on darker colored projects in the future. I'll have to sand, paint again, and recoat with my old standby, Minwax Polycrylic, to get rid of the yellow tones in the "crystal clear" Krylon spray.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Spray primer followed by Sherwin-Williams ProClassic semi-gloss white (which I applied in several thinned coats). Krylon not-so "crystal clear" topcoat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modern Adirondack Chair

Submitted by Sylka on Mon, 11/08/2021 - 15:39

What a great project! Simple and relatively easy. Very stylish chair!

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday