4 sided picnic table
4 sides for the whole family to sit.
4 sides for the whole family to sit.
Living in a small house, 1100 sq feet, really needed an area devoted to DVD storage, then I thought, why not build my own Entertainment center? This is 1 of 6 pieces.
I altered the plans a bit so this would fit along the wall where we wanted it. I basically shortened the width of the steps. I left the storage under the hinged 1st and second steps but I put in a shelf style cubby under the top step. This worked out to more useable space for us. I used cheap wood and just plained them down. I think I spent around 300 dollars including paint. But I also used a full sheet of plywood on the back as well.
My second Ana project. Only modifications I made where to use 2x10 for side rails with a cleat system. Heavy duty bed rail hardware purchased from Amazon....Used 2 coat stain process followed with matte poly to finish
I built this project in 6 separate pieces before installing it in our home. I pulled the baseboard and attached it to the wall to give it a built-in feel. For the majority of the project, I used 3/4" plywood with the exception if 1/4" plywood for the back of the shelves as well as the centers of the cabinet doors. For the trim, I used select pine boards. I had to work around an airconditioning vent that was in the floor. I was able to divert it to run out the bottom of the bookcase.
This build is loosely based on the Willy Bookcase. I actually found another brag post on the Willy Bookcase that was immensely helpful in constructing my project. I'm so grateful for the brag boards! Instead of fixing all of the shelves like the Willy, I used a Kreg shelf pin jig to make the shelves adjustable. The shelf that lines up with the TV is fixed for stability.
The estimate below covers all of the wood, paint, screws, hardware, etc. For fun, I'm including an in progress photo to illustrate the process. Thanks for looking!
Also, a note - this is a relatively easy project, however, I listed it as "intermediate" because of the cabinet doors. They definitely made it more complicated!
My granddaughters took this home today and had a sale right away. SO MUCH fun to build this for them! Can’t wait to start another project! Thank you Ana!!!
These shelves are great because you can make them any size you want! As you can see, these were made to hold my daughter's monster high collection, took advantage of dead space between the wall and the window. I put these together with my Kreg Jig so they're very sturdy. I couldn't buy shelves as nice as these, TWO OF THEM! for under 10 dollars. If you're thinking of building these, stop thinking, start doing, they're well worth your time and effort.
I didn't use one of your plans for these shelves but wanted to share it here since I learned how to build because of you! These were really easy to put together and only cost $100!!! I have the step by step plans on my blog.
Stephanie
My version of this project using so advanced joinery and under mount self closing draw guides
This step stool is my first project made from Ana White plans. It is perfect for my almost 2 year old daughter and it's become her new favorite toy! She likes to turn it upside down and ride in it like a boat :)
I love how simple and sturdy it is. It easily holds my weight (180 lbs), and I look forward to many years of useful fun from this great project. This was also my first project that incorporated beveled and angled cuts, but once I got started, it wasn't as intimidating as I initially thought.
I had some leftover pieces of 1x10 and 1x3 pine boards from building a sidecar crib, so this was a perfect was to use the scraps. I used a table saw for cutting the 1x10s. My miter saw isn't large enough to accommodate 10 inch wide boards, but it was perfect for the 1x3s.
After assembling the stool the first time, I took it back apart and ripped the top down to 8 inches wide. I thought the stool had a tendency to tip with the full width of the 1x10.
Can't wait to build more of these! For the next one, I'd like to try cutting half circles out of the bottom of the legs with the jigsaw instead of straight cuts and trying some decorative cutout handles on the sides as well.
Thanks, Ana!
This project was my first from Ana White's plans and my first wood working project on my own. I spent quite a bit of time w/ my dad as a young boy helping him w/ woodworking projects and have been looking forward to doing one on my own.
My daughter is a crazy artist of four years old and she makes more art in a month than we know what to do with. Along with that comes piles of crayons, markers, paper, and so on all over her room, so this table was for her to try and keep organized.
The only real modification from Ana's original plans was that I used plywood for the cover instead of a clear piece of plastic b/c I figured the wood would hold up better under a four year old's abuse.
Sat, 08/02/2014 - 09:46
Yes, i actually had to put two pieces glued together in order to get the correct height to fill it in. It's a little heavy, but my daughter really loves the table and it doesn't seem to be too much of a problem.
I built this and then ordered storage baskets that fit to the size. I built it exactly to the plan except I did not make the top flush to a back wall and I added decorative trim. I think adding trim really adds a nice look to this project.
The tower was super easy to build and took hardly any time. The most time was spent on the finishing work (sanding and painting).
I needed a new desk for my office workspace in the garage. I wanted something inspired, and that would BE inspiring to me as I sit at it. So, I made this chalkboard surface woodworking planning desk with mismatched legs. I love that the legs are mis-matched. LOVE IT. IT would make type a people squirm, but me. Nope, I love it. I quick made some set of sawhorse legs, and a box leg. Attached a 3/4 piece of plywood cut the the size I wanted. Stained the legs dark brown, and rolled on 3 coats of chalkboard paint on the top. Boom!! And the best part of this design, when it gets messy, I just sand it down. And clean it up again with chalkboard spray paint.
Build exactly from the plans. Stained in dark walnut.
I used Ana’s fireplace plan and added lightweight brick. The vaulted ceilings was a challenge but I figured it out!
Marcia T.
I was looking for plans to build a table like this and found Ana's site.
Wed, 02/15/2012 - 10:16
I love this project. Well done! You have inspired me to do something similar for our breakfast room.
Fri, 02/17/2012 - 19:26
I would make the bench first if I could do it again--good practice. You can't fit a lot of people around it but it is good for a small space.
Mon, 04/30/2012 - 04:55
How did you fasten the tabletop to the base? Did you screw it from under and attach along every cross beam? Or screw from the top and fill the holes with putty? All the way across or just on the ends...this step in the directions is very vague...
So this DIY Farmhouse Style Table has been on my “make it” list for a while now. And what better time to make it than now, since we just got a saw mill. Check out the blog link below to read all about it.
This was a two week project. The width was modified smaller than the plans. The panels on the bench were fitted into dado joints rather than inserting an entire panel on the inside. Also used pocket hole joints where some nails were suggested.
This was my first attempt at a project like this and turned out amazing. My wife loves it too.
This is a modification of the Farmhouse bed with a panel headboard and footboard rather than individual boards. It currently fits around the mattress/boxspring/metal frame. When we buy a new mattress, we will then add the joists, etc.
The headboard and footboard are both 72" wide. We had the guys at blue do a rip cut at 72" which ensures that both pieces are exactly the same measurement (for square.) Then, they turned the plywood a quarter turn and cut at 15" for the footboard. This left a 33" high headboard. It is 3 inches larger than the original plan, but it doesn't require a second cut and you don't see it anyway. The trim is just a 1x3 with a 1" overhang. (I might make it just a 3/4" if doing it again.)
The side boards are 1x12 cut at 80 1/4", but you may want to add a little if your comforter is really thick or if your mattress is much longer than ours at 79 1/2". We used non-mortised (no cutting into the wood) bed rail hardware from Woodcraft, so we could easily take it apart. These were placed 1 1/8" in from the inside edge of the 4x4 post. They were placed on the very edge of the side rail so it would butt up against the post. The 1 1/8" gives us plenty of room to shove the bedding down inside the side rail.
We glued and nailed 1x2s from the back for the trim on each piece.
Wed, 02/22/2012 - 05:18
Looks beautiful! We are currently making this bed with the exact samce change to use panels instead of boards and then one board down the middle, except we made our footboard and headboard higher.
Wed, 02/22/2012 - 07:32
I would love to have the footboard higher, but my husband is 6'4" with large feet, and he asked that I make sure that he could sleep on his stomach with his feet dangling down without touching the footboard! We actually measured it. Make sure you post yours when it is done.
Comments
Ana White Admin
Fri, 06/16/2023 - 22:05
Great square picnic table!
Thank you for sharing, love your finish choice!