Community Brag Posts

modified X

Submitted by colsen on Sat, 11/17/2012 - 10:08

This is my very first project. Never used a saw before until a few weeks ago. I am really happy with the way it turned out.

I shortened the plan and modified the second shelf. I was planning on an "X" brace for both sides but got carried away and realized it wasn't going to work on the one side. I like the end result and don't mind that its missing.

I would have finished it sooner but was a bit intimidated by the angled cuts. My miter saw only cuts 45.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Iron acetate, however I applied the stain backwards. I put the tea on last instead of first. Then 3 coats of polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JoanneS

Mon, 11/26/2012 - 18:17

Wow you did an awesome job on this! Congrats! Looks very professional. The modified second shelf is a great touch, I think it looks perfect without an X on that side. BTW love the shells and captain's wheel too. :)

Check out / Display Counter

I built this Counter for a new business in Chatham, Va. Will add lighting in side !

Finish Used
Black Stain/Early American highlites/Gloss poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Grandy Sliding Door Console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 12/23/2016 - 17:05

Had to trim a little off the barn door track so they would fit, but overall, great project!

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

Comments

Rustic Console Table

Submitted by crazedyak on Sat, 09/06/2014 - 14:10

I followed the plan, and used plain pine wood.  The wood cost $106 at my local Home Depot.  The Kreg R3 Jr. Jig, Clamp and Screws I already had from a previous project. This is a weekend project.  Biggest obstacle here is to make sure the shelves stay level.  After it was built I sanded everything with 180 grit before going to the staining step.

 

Stain...  I made a pot of STRONG Tetly Black Tea and painted the entire table.  I decided to go with this Oxidizing Stain (http://www.sweetpickinsfurniture.com/2011/01/how-to-weather-new-wood.ht…) for the wood.  The Black Tea increases the tannins in the wood, which makes a stronger reaction in the woodgrain after you apply the oxidizing solution.  After the solution dried I sanded lightly with 180 grit again and now it's ready for Wipe-On Poly to be applied.

 

Just one small hint.. The Oxidizing Solution takes a few days to react, so plan accordingly.  I let mine set for 7 days before use.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$130
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Oxidizing Solution and Black Tea
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Bon Appetit Rustic Kitchen Island

Submitted by Janettx on Sun, 11/25/2012 - 07:18

Here is the Easy Kitchen Island all finished. I learned to use my k-reg with this project. To attach the top I instead used corner blocks in each corner of the bottom unit and screwed the top in place. I found this made the piece more sturdy. for the 1x2's I used furring strips which are not very nice however I painstakingly picked through a large pile till I found ones that were straight and without knots. I then had to sand them like crazy. Saved a ton of money but worked very hard. This project actually took 19 - 1x2's rather than what the plan called for. When complete this piece was very heavy...I love it and have found the perfect home for it.
Thanks again Ana!
Janet

Estimated Cost
60.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White gloss paint and Mahogany stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic tv stand

Submitted by joslwea on Mon, 09/08/2014 - 09:54

Rustic tv stand made from pallets and reclaimed ship lap and 2x4's

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax early american
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

joslwea

Tue, 09/23/2014 - 20:39

I actually made this without the plans. I saw the picture on pinterest that wasnt linked to your site and just made my own plans for it. If I recall, I made it 5ft in length. BTW, big fan of yours! Your plans are so detailed and your pieces give me so much inspiration as a fellow furniture builder. If you have time I'd love for you to check out my facebook page, jennamaedesigns, and tell me what you think. I'm new to the building bizz but I love it! Thanks again for commenting

Thanks for a super project!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/28/2016 - 09:49

I used cedar, stainless steel rails and finished with marine spar varnish.  Gave to my son for Christmas to hold his smoker/barbeque!   Thanks for the super project idea!

Estimated Cost
$140
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Marine Spar Varnish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Nephew's Custom Bookshelf and Train Table Bed.

Submitted by pondrider on Mon, 09/07/2020 - 12:50

Today Tracie and I had the privilege of delivering a custom bed to my nephew south of Houston. His mom, my sister wanted to combine reading, trains, and of course sleeping. I delivered a bed with their selected color, dark walnut, hidden lights, electrical/USB outlets, a rollout train/play table, and a bed between two sets of bookshelves. Yes, it is all solidly built to be ready to hand down to the next generation. Please know I enjoyed this project while being inspired further to build more. I bragged recently that this would be the perfect bed for English teachers.

2 Person Desk System

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 09/14/2024 - 09:38

Took the farm house desk and mirrored it. It has four file drawers and a desk drawer on each end. The frame and drawers are clear coat polyurethane and the desktop is stained chestnut with warm satin polycrylic clear coat. - 

Mike Godfrey, Spring Hill, Florida

Built from Plan(s)

Traditional Toddler Bed with Rustic Headboard

Submitted by jenmac75 on Tue, 11/27/2012 - 17:42

After my daughter started escaping from her crib I knew it was time to build her a new bed. I didn't think she was quite ready for a full size yet so I thought a toddler size would work for at least the next year.

I started with the Traditional Toddler Bed plans and scaled down the size of the Rustic Headboard and incorporated that. The biggest thing I learned in the process was to measure your mattress first! I don't think I realized the size variation in crib mattresses and ended up having to recut my slats and rails to accommodate my larger mattress. Also, our mattress is 5 inches deep, which means that the safety rails only extend about an inch over the top of the bed. This seems to be fine for my daughter and she hasn't fallen out - yet - but I think if you have a very restless sleeper or just want to play it safe, you might want to add an extra inch or two to the height of the guardrails.

I also used a 2 x 6 for the foot rail as this allowed the legs to be inset further and gave it a more solid look on the bottom.

Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar Primer and 2 coats of Olympic Premium in Caruso
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Bookshelf Cubby for Fabric Drawers

Submitted by Niewenhuis on Thu, 09/11/2014 - 07:35

This was an easy build and I'm so happy with the finish. I used Hilary's oxidizing vinegar solution first. I didn't feel it was "grey" enough so I put on a coat of Minwax Weathered Grey. Let dry. Added a coat of Minwac Special Walnut and finished with Pastewax. Love, love, love!  They are very sturdy!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Moore Kitchen island

Submitted by Swm1515 on Fri, 12/30/2016 - 11:45

My wife wanted an island so bad and didn't like any of the plans but this one. This was my first big project but it worked out well. In the front middle section, I went with a two trash can sliding cabinet. Took me around 36 hours to complete. I also found plans for tall bar stools that I used and made the chairs with the island. We found a stone place that had scrap granite that we bought cut to size. My wife loves it. Great Christmas present!! 

Finish Used
Behr antique white, minwax satin polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

mniehaus97

Sun, 01/01/2017 - 19:01

All I see is a PDF with the dimensions but not the step by step plans.  Can you please share the actual plans?  I am hoping to build two of these to go on either side of our fireplace.

 

Cheers,

Pool Side Privacy Planter

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 09/19/2024 - 16:47

We built two of Ana's privacy planters for the top of our driveway to obstruct the view of our yard and pool from the street. We added heavy-duty casters for mobility, and cedar pickets to cover the back as well, since that side would be directly behind our eating area. Because of the casters, we had some trouble with stability, so we added cinder blocks to line the bottom, then on top of those, we used large storage bins inside of the planters as "liners" for the dirt and plants. It's the perfect solution for us, and we were able to construct both planters over two days- one day to build, another to apply the stain!

Built from Plan(s)
Seasonal And Holiday

Clubhouse Bed - my first build

Submitted by dpeterson on Thu, 11/29/2012 - 19:32

So we wanted to build a simple twin size bed for our 5 year old son. That quickly expanded into my wife wanting me to build this PB replica (which happens to be her favorite kids bed). My response was "honey, you really don't understand my lack of ability." She insisted and after a couple of weeks the bed is done! Using Ana's plans made this not only doable but much easier than I thought (this was my first build).

We changed the design very slightly because the original was a few inches too tall (we have a ceiling fan that would have hit the top). We simply shortened the top half of the bed by 3 inches. At the suggestion of a friend (who's mitre and table saws we used for the cuts) we used dado instead of pocket holes for the stairs. We also used a lot of countersinking instead of pocket holes (for example to attach the vertical slats on the side walls).

We bought the cheapest wood we could get at Home Depot. All the wood and stain and materials cost about $250-300 (I still haven't checked the receipts exactly). However, I was told (quite sternly) that I severely overpaid for the wood by not going to a lumber yard. We used a Minwax oil-based stain (mission oak). We only did one coat.

Now that we're done with this we can't wait to get started on the next project (right after I get my dissertation going).

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax oil-based stain - Mission Oak, single coat applied using rags.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

5 tator tots (not verified)

Fri, 12/07/2012 - 18:22

I've been wanting to build this for our youngest son. He will be three before we make it and the fact that it is enclosed makes me comfortable with having him in a lofted bed, but it also looks like changing the bedding would be really challenging. Seeing your picture smoothing the quilt begs the question, how hard is it?

Nice work on the bed-what a first project!

Changeable Play Stand

Submitted by vic b on Fri, 09/12/2014 - 19:49

I love this, so did our son.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
mostly out of bits and pieces found in the shed
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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