Community Brag Posts

My Big Ur Farm Table

Submitted by Jake on Sun, 06/24/2012 - 16:12

I built the table to use in my garage but it came out so beautiful that I now find myself wondering who to give it to. I followed the plans except I used 1x3s instead of 2x6s or 2x2s for the trim between the legs. I built the top first using pocket holes and then added the legs. I then added the side trim before adding the joists. That process had every board fitting perfectly. No attachments are visible from the outside. I attached the legs using pocket holes and three inch screws and glue , of course.

I will build two benches which should be a snap.

I had no luck finding a 10 foot 4x4 so I bought two 8 foot. Got a good deal at HD with each less than $8 each

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$61 which includes screws and glue but not stain.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I use Minwax Golden Oak for the pine components and Minwax Red Oak for the fir legs. I like the contrast.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Barnwood Picture Frames

Submitted by Lady Goats on Mon, 04/14/2014 - 11:58

Built these as a birthday present for my friend, based on an image she'd pinned a year ago. Read more about it here.

Estimated Cost
$5-10, including stain/poly, burlap
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
General Finishes Gel Stain in Brown Mahogany, followed by General Finishes Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Changing table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/11/2016 - 20:25

Modified with arrows to go along with theme for baby room

Estimated Cost
50.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Red mahogany with polyurethane semi gloss finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modern Adirondack Chairs using reclaimed pallet wood

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 05/06/2020 - 06:20

The plans were easy to follow and the finished result was perfect! We subbed 1x6s for the 1x10s, because we were using some reclaimed pallet wood. We cut, sanded, and stained/weatherproofed all pieces before assembly, which I would also recommend.

Estimated Cost
$20 per chair (we used some reclaimed pallet wood)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar Canyon Brown Transparent Exterior Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modular Barbie Playhouse

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/31/2023 - 13:27

We modified the Ana-White modular dollhouse meant for small dolls to build this Barbie size house! (Please ignore the workshop walls in the background of our pics! Lol!) Our daughter loves to set up all sorts of houses/school/hospital/stores, and commercial modern barbie houses are all covered in specific printed paper that restricts what a room can be used for. This way she can make buildings however she likes! It isn't much bigger than her old barbie house, and the pieces/room boxes are easy for her to move/stack. Each room box is 9" (w) by 18"(L) by 13"(h), with wall panels 4.5" wide. We also love that these room boxes can become bookshelves once she outgrows barbies! Thank you!

Siemens Family, Alberta CA

Providence Benches

After making the Providence Table, I whipped up these benches to match! They were super easy to make in one day. I love the sturdiness of these (and the look too). 

Estimated Cost
$50.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Benjamin Moore Arborcoat Teak stain and low VOC clear coat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Hifi - Living room Console

We started from the benchmark media console plan, but then adapted it to our room and needs.
It's entirely made of plain wood (no plywood, except for the drawers bottom) which probably adds to the cost a little, but gives a very nice finish! All the boards (for table top, shelves and sides) are made from 1x4, assembled with wood glue and pocket holes.

The doors are made of glass cut to fit, and glued with silicone.

Only trouble was with the door hinges.. Since we wanted them to be concealed inside but I hate Euro-Style hinges, so we ended up finding Soss "invisible hinges" that conceal in the thickness of the door, and used a dremel as a router to install them... This proved a bit more challenging than anticipated, but all in all it worked out pretty well.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
~ $350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Two tone oil based stain from: http://ana-white.com/2012/12/minwax-two-tone-oil-based-stain-pine#comments

Sand carefully the pine with fine grain (~200) before staining, otherwise the dark stain will turn the wood almost black!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Built the Console Table - Wife Loved it!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/15/2016 - 00:13

Had to try to build the Patrick Rustic Sofa Table and though it was my first time trying something like this, it looked very do-able.  Modified to 60" instead of the original length.

Estimated Cost
$70.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
3 coats of Paint and Wax to seal
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Mother's Day Coffee Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/08/2020 - 22:01

My sweet wife wanted a new coffee table so I decided to build one for her. Thanks Ana White, mission accomplished!

Estimated Cost
80.00USD
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Sanded to 320 grit. Minwax Classic Grey with a sanded finish to produce the wear areas. Used 120 grit to sand the scuffed up areas. I coated the top with two coats of poly and hand sanded each coat with 400 grit.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Shop Cabinets with Drawers

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/03/2024 - 08:37

Shop was a mess and needed some organization. Beginner workworker so I decided to make some shop cabinets. Took awhile and they are not perfect but they work. Now I have plenty of storage for my tools.

Jeff DeVries

Wood Work Table (based on iCoffee Table)

Submitted by zduchene on Fri, 04/18/2014 - 13:11

We have some large open spaces at our office and are converting them into workspace areas. We needed some large tables that would accommodate four people but we did not want to spend thousands of dollars on furniture. We needed something that would be useful and inexpensive to build. I started poking around on the web and found the iCoffee Table from the “A Touch of Arkansas” blog. I loved the design and I thought with a little bit of tweaking I could make it work for us…and it did!

Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Kona
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modified desk

Submitted by bef0016 on Sun, 07/17/2016 - 17:25

Modified table to desk. Built the original table plan for a friend and it was too big, so I had the frame in my shed for a year. Repurposed it to office desk. 

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

Craftsman Style/Farmhouse Table Hybrid

A few months ago we decided to build ourselves a new table based on the Farmhouse Table plans. We knew we wanted to make the table out of some red oak that I had gotten for free, so we would deviate from the plans a bit. Long story short, I deviated from the plans _quite_ a bit. We had planned to make the table essentially with free materials, but that changed when I spent several days squaring up the rough stock I had been given. I also joined a crowned plank in the center of the table-top...big mistake. After glueing, screwing, and sanding, I realized there would be no way to get the crown out of the top. So...the first table-top became the bench cover and the other half is going to be used for a computer desk in another room. After a trip to the local lumber yard, I had about $220 worth of red oak: 4 1x4x14ft planks for the legs and 7 1x6x6ft planks for the table top.

I began by cutting the 14 ft. 1x4's to length and then joining them with lots of glue and clamps to form the legs. Next I set up the table saw to notch out the tops of the legs to receive the box. I prefer this method over using a circular saw or jig-saw. Picked up my wood-chisel to clean things up and then sanded, scraped using a card scraper (I would highly recommend a scraper for the smooth finish and handcrafted feel the tool provides), applied two coats of stain, and finished with two coats of wipe on poly.

I followed Ana's plans to construct the 2x4 base, modifying it to fit the size of my table and the specific overhang I sought. I also simply used 2x4 scraps to span the width of the box, and then Kreg jigged them to the box and table-top for support.

I joined the table-top planks using a Kreg Jig and glue. Lots of sanding and scraping again, and then I flipped the top, attached the box, and attached the legs. I used more of the 1x4's for the skirts to hide the 2x4 box.

We decided that we wanted to build a built-in bench for storage instead of a free standing one to accompany the table. I followed the plan at the following site, modifying it as necessary to match the length of our table. I also only built the bench and not the wall unit (http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,20301255,00.html). My mistake with the first table-top ended up being a blessing of sorts when we were looking for a sturdy bench-top.

All in all, we love it! It took a good deal of time to finish the table—in part because I'm a horrible perfectionist. The bench, on the other hand, was finished in a day's work.

The table is constructed entirely out of red oak. The bench-top is also red oak. The bench is birch plywood and pine.

Total cost for table: $220 for wood; we already had all other supplies
Bench: $25; again, we already had most of the materials needed.

Estimated Cost
220
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Jacobean 2750; Minwax Wipe on Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Arts and Crafts

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 17:04

The table was a very rewarding project. We've only been using it for two days now, but it already feels like it's been there for years. The straight, clean lines of the Craftsman style are by far most appealing to me among furniture and architectural style.

Good luck on your table!

laundry room organizer

Submitted by erinnist05 on Mon, 04/21/2014 - 12:00

We revised the design a bit to make it fit in our space. We also made room for our dog food bin at the bottom

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Easel

Submitted by Moses13 on Thu, 07/21/2016 - 23:49

Thank you for allowing us to use your plan this is a great gift.

Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Master Bedroom Fireplace Wall

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/10/2024 - 07:37

My husband and I had so much fun building this together! Your plans were easy to follow and has given me confidence to tackle other projects. The addition of the storage mantle was perfect for our needs. Love our cozy bedroom!

Fancy Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by aennali on Sat, 07/07/2012 - 00:08

This bed has been a true labour of love over the last few months!

I made all cuts with a hand saw, and mainly used a kreg jig to assemble the bed.

The 'insert' in the headboard is made from macrocarpa window trim and tongue-and-groove panelling, which was leftover from when my parents built their house. The rest I bought from a local supplier as rough sawn timber, which I got dressed by a woodworking guy who lives nearby. Had I bought all the timber I used, the cost would have been closer to $400.

I didn't add the moulding that is included in the plan - it's just my preference.

It took a bit of work to convert Ana's plans into metric measurements, but I got there in the end! I love my bed

Estimated Cost
NZD$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I started with 2 coats of Danish Oil. After deciding I wanted a deeper colour, I applied one coat of Briwax furniture wax, in Rimu, with super-fine steel wool.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Debi_G (not verified)

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 05:36

Your bed is fantastic! Love everything from the clean style to the finish. Congrats!

From Scrap to Sweet!

Submitted by Jake on Wed, 04/23/2014 - 11:12

A friend wanted a small box for her cosmetics. She gave me the dimensions of her present container but my mind and my saws envisioned a different end. My only promise was that she would get three drawers. To keep cost low I used only scrap lumber I found around the garage. I added oak dowels for strength and decoration.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Finished only with a lot of sanding, two coats of Danish oil, and two coats of poly. Also once it was completely dry a coating of Johnson's paste wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

booksnotbombs

Tue, 08/12/2014 - 11:51

I happened across your profile this morning, and I've spent a good part of the afternoon looking through your projects, as you've posted more brag posts than most people I've seen on Ana's website. I loved seeing all your projects and experimentation! Your sense of humor doesn't hurt, either. :) Keep it up, and I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future.

Jake

Tue, 08/12/2014 - 14:32

Over the past four years I have learned a lot. The most important lessons are experiment and don't let the frequent screw ups get you down. Lately I have been concentrating on learning to weave seats (reed and rush), build small boxes, and turning wood. Today was terrible. Nice bowl blank I cut from a Hackberry log turned out to have cracks and a really nice scoop built up of poplar and walnut broke into two flying pieces when my gouge caught at 1200 RPM. Only thing to do is start over and hope you learned something.

If you are new to woodworking check for square at every opportunity and be safe. Accidents happen in milliseconds.

My Bailey Console Table for the #IGbuilderschallenge

I was so excited to participate in the #IGBuildersChallenge! My modifications included reducing the width a few inches so I could cut two boards from a single 8' length for both the top as well as the bottom shelf. I added two additional legs to the front so I could divide the table into three drawer sections. I also decided to make it two thinner drawers as well. I added the x's on the sides to match the x coffee table I built for our home last month! I used tongue and groove to attach the breadboard ends which is something I'd never attempted before and is something I will try again. The top is stained in Minwax Jacobean and topped with a satin wipe-on poly. The base is painted Ashwood which is a Benjamin Moore colour I had colour matched at Home Depot in their Behr Premium Plus line and then topped in a satin polycrylic.  I'm thrilled with how my table turned out and have already received a request from a friend to build her one for their home.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

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