Community Brag Posts

Modern Adirondack Chair

Submitted by rendall28 on Wed, 06/03/2020 - 10:59

I made 4 of these chairs for around our fire pit. I chose to sand stain and poly before assembling and plan to add another coat of poly now that they are assembled. Sanding was the longest part of the process for me, but if you aren't as particular as I was about the finished project the time investment would be substantially reduced. I also of course had drying time for the stand and poly. Assembly itself was simple and the finished chairs are comfortable and sturdy without being overly heavy and bulky.

Estimated Cost
130 (4 chairs including finishing)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain: special Walnut

6 cubby book case - nursery

This was my first project. It is for our nursery. Painted white to match the crib and dresser. So much fun. Plan was great and very easy to follow. Thanks to the other brag post which mentioned there was a missing cut for the box (bottom shelf). 28 3/4. I used countersink screws with a 1/2" countersink drill bit. I also used shelf pins to secure the shelf. With the paint I noticed the shelfs were very snug. I would probably take off 1/4" off the shelf size if I built it again. Can't wait for the next project! Thanks.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
130
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
White paint. Eggshell finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Fancy X Farmhouse Table

This is my first project and I am so happy with it! Thanks for the plans!

You can see my step by step process here:

http://ordinaryhappilyeverafter.com/blog/category/table/

I'm especially happy with how I was able to attach the top to the bottom without drilling through the top. I describe that here:

http://ordinaryhappilyeverafter.com/blog/2012/08/my-table-is-done/

Thanks for the inspiration!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
< 150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Jacobean (2 coats)
1 coat polycrylic satin finish on top followed by 3 coats of wax
3 coats polycrilic high gloss finish on base
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Fold down laptop desk

Submitted by Taa-daa on Wed, 09/21/2016 - 21:42

Inspired by Ana's Flip down wall art desk. It has different dimentions since wall space was limited. I used a magnet as a lock, added upholstered back, dowel for storage and extended the bottom part to add some strength. It is very handy!

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
30$
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
spray paint and home made chalk paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Outdoor rolling bar top

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 07/08/2020 - 19:43

We had some leftover granite from an outdoor kitchen build and wanted to maximize the use of it. We loved the look of a rustic table from Pottery Barn and set out to find something that was asking the same aesthetic. I came across the Jilly and Mia workbench console and thought it would work great with some minor modifications. I shortened the overall length and height, went with some heavy duty casters to support the weight of the granite, and reinforced the cross beams that would support the 3/4" plywood sheet and granite. I went with cedar for this build since it was outdoors and I'll finish it with a clear sealant.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Farmhouse table

Submitted by revjball on Sat, 07/11/2020 - 14:58

Wife asked me to find a farmhouse table to make for our house. I was super nervous and had zero confidence going into this project. However, I decided to give it a try. I am super happy with how this project turned out. I modified the plans to have 30" 4x4 legs rather than the 29" the plans call for. This was to accommodate the set of barstools we have currently at our house. We can get 8+ around this wonderful table, and are super excited to keep building!

Estimated Cost
$100-120
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax wood finisher - Dark Walnut - Applied with natural bristle brush and t-shirt to wipe excess
Minwax polyurethane - Fast Drying - Applied with natural bristle brush
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse Kitchen Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 11/22/2016 - 18:28

This Farmhouse table and bench were made, stained, and painted over the course of two weekends. This makes a great project for a beginner woodworker to cut their teeth on.  You can make something fantastic while learning various woodworking techniques (i.e. joinery, planing, sanding, and staining). The chairs were purchased separately at the At Home store for $150 each. 

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Special walnut stain and 3 coats of satin clearcoat on top. The legs are stained, then painted with spun cotton paint (behr), then scuffed for a Farmhouse look, and finally sealed with 2 coats of satin clearcoat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

My Mom's King Fancy Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by thehallway on Fri, 10/26/2012 - 08:28

I built this bed for my parent's guest room at my sister's house. It is very similar to a bed mom had been wanting. They wanted a king size so I had to do some modifications to the original plan - primarily adding 16" to all width measurements. I also used 10 - 1x8s for the headboard panels. That made the panels slightly too wide, so I had to rip a little bit off the 2 end panels.

The hardest part of the project was getting it in her house! The legs made it about 1/4" too wide to fit it thru the door. We were about to remove the legs (which would have been a disaster since they were glued, screwed and painted on) when we finally figured out the right angle to squeeze it in. I had to touch up the paint in a few spots once we got it in position, but that was much better than having to remove legs and put them back on. We still need to get plywood for the mattress to sit on and I'm going to add a middle leg for extra support since it's a king. I will probably eventually build nightstands to go with it. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out since this is my largest and "fanciest" project so far.

Estimated Cost
~$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar Satin Latex Enamel in White
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

bran2511

Tue, 04/09/2013 - 12:41

I really love this bed, however, being military we move quite often. Is there a way that you would recommend I could alter it so that it can be broken down a little to make it easier for moving? Thank you much :D

bran2511

Tue, 04/09/2013 - 12:41

I really love this bed, however, being military we move quite often. Is there a way that you would recommend I could alter it so that it can be broken down a little to make it easier for moving? Thank you much :D

jlouki01

Sat, 08/24/2013 - 18:31

I just posted a brag post with this bed in black. I will see if I can upload a photo of how I built this bed for very easy break down. I looked at all the brackets etc.. with this being built out of pine I was not 100% confident in the Rockler / Wood craft brackets. I used a forstner bit and a 4.5" bolt with some washers.

Adding a hutch to a desk

Submitted by kristen on Thu, 11/29/2012 - 17:05

I bought a desk and chair for my daughter on Craigslist awhile back, but it did not include a hutch. I decided to add one and recently completed it...in addition to painting the desk a fresh white and then repairing the chair, painting it, and recovering the seat!

The hutch build was pretty straight forward and I used a Kreg Jig to assemble most of it. I built it to sit on the desk (not attached) but I included a cleat at the top to screw a couple of 3" screws into the wall studs to keep it in its place. It's nice and sturdy. I plan to add some puck lights under the bottom shelf soon.

The Lego house isn't quite up to Momplex standards :)

Estimated Cost
Around $75--with lots of extra for building other things
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Two coats primer and one coat of white semi-gloss paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Large Covered Sand Box with Seats

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 11/10/2024 - 20:03

Followed the plans for the sandbox for my granddaughter. She absolutely loves it and so do I since I have a seat I can sit at! I did enlarge it a little so added some supports. It works so great. - Sandy

Built from Plan(s)

Rollaway Workbench

Submitted by Indiri on Sat, 10/17/2020 - 18:26

I have a one car garage for my "shop" which means I can be really short on space. This build is perfect for saving space!

I made a few adjustments for the bigger saws (it's deeper and the center part is wider). I also used screws more in places that it called for nails but I wanted to be sure nothing would budge and also I didn't put the shelf backing on the one part where the table saw is in so I have better access to the saw while it's in place. I tried to use leftover wood I had in the garage wherever possible but I still had to buy 2 sheets of 3/4" and 1 sheet of 1/4".

Since I used more screws I may pretty up the front later with trim, I don't know. TBD

Estimated Cost
$150 because I used a lot of leftover wood
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Extra Long Bed

Submitted by Lumi on Fri, 10/24/2014 - 16:36

My hubby is 6'5'' tall. Since most matresses are 80 inches long, he mostly ends up with his feet hanging out of the bed (since you don't lay your head down at the very beginning of the mattress, right?). So I tried to solve this problem by making the bed 4'' longer than the plans suggested. I added 2'' of foam on each end of the bed, so now its 84'' long and my hubby fits perfectly!

Thanks for the great plans, I had a blast building my own bed!

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

Laundry Station

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 11/07/2020 - 10:17

My first project, something I took on with my kids. Lots of fun, errors, and lessons learned. Used an hvlp for stain and poly, so much faster and easier than brush or rag staining.

Thanks for the inspiration and instructions.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Special Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse Table

We recently moved from our small Minneapolis Bungalow to an apartment in Maryland. It was the prefect opportunity to build the Farmhouse Table plans I had been admiring. When we went to my parents farm in North Dakota for Thanksgiving we spent a couple hours digging through the barn to find old barn wood for the project. The wood then made the 1,400 mile trek to our new apartment in Rockville. Yes, you read that correctly…the table was built in our carpeted apartment! No excuses people…you can make this table in your apartment! If you do not have access to a saw your local big box home improvement store can make the cuts for you. If you go that route the cut list Ana has will come in very handy!

I do a fair amount of woodworking, so I was able to complete the project in one day. If this is your first project I would allow a weekend to finish it.

Estimated Cost
$80
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Danish Oil Natural
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

rhettar

Sat, 01/19/2013 - 04:41

It's also nice to see the table up against the wall, because I have been thinking of doing the same thing, I live in a small mobile home, just a small kitchen.

Turned Leg Farmhouse Table 6' x 3'

Submitted by Mhillis on Sat, 01/12/2013 - 08:54

My husband and I decided to tackle this as our second woodworking project together. We have been wanting a larger dining table that would comfortably seat 6 people and easily squeeze in 8 if needed. We decided to build Ana's turned leg farmhouse table, adjusting the dimensions and choosing slightly different legs. These variations better suited our dining room space.

We purchased the "Modified English Country Dining Table Legs" in soft maple and 3 1/2" diameter from Osbourne Wood Products, which totaled $136. The rest of the lumber was made up of pine boards from Lowe's, which totaled around $40-$50. When assembling the 1 x 10 boards to make the top, we used a biscuit joiner to help our slightly bowed boards stay flat. Once the table was fully assembled, we painted the base in Lowe's Antique White (satin finish) and stained the top using Minwax's Special Walnut, then applied at least two coats of Minwax's polyurethane in satin finish.

We made a couple of mistakes along the way which actually worked out for the best, giving the table some rustic character. Being relatively new to woodworking, we neglected to thoroughly wipe the 1 x 10 boards of all wood glue before the glue dried, making it difficult to remove later with sanding. Some wood glue remained, which showed up later once boards were stained. We ended up liking how this turned out to give it some charm and more of that 'handmade' look.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Staining top:
1. Sand top completely first using coarse 80 grit and then fine 220 grit sandpaper with electric sander (we used Porter & Cable square orbital sander from Lowe's).
2. Wipe entire surface of table thoroughly using damp cloth. Let dry completely.
3. Apply wood conditioner to entire table using brush (we were lazy and only applied to the top). Let dry completely - overnight is best.
4. Apply special walnut stain evenly to tabletop using brush. Wipe excess using old cloth. Let dry completely overnight. Repeat this process until desired depth of color is achieved (we applied two coats).
5. Lightly hand-sand top with 220 grit sandpaper to prep surface before each polyurethane coat for better adhesion. Clean surface with damp cloth after each sanding and allow to dry before poly. Repeat this process as needed for durability. (We applied only two coats).
Painting Base:
1. Apply two coats of Antique White in satin finish using angle brush. Let dry in between coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Console as microwave cart

Added a shelf and made the console a microwave cart for my mom.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Min wax poly stain and baldpate paint in Spanish Tile.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Large beam cot rack

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/14/2017 - 23:39

For a few years, we used a normal wooden wall hanger (a normal wood wall hanger means a piece of pinewood plank screwed on the wall, which had 7 double hooks on it), we decided to find some new ideas. We found a nice idea, a pine beam that looks like it’s part of the structure, passing through the wall, on which a lot of wooden hooks are fitted.

 

Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Water based matte varnish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Farmhouse Bedside Table

Submitted by DianeHibbs on Tue, 01/15/2013 - 15:27

This was my first DIY furniture project!

The materials cost less than $50! Of course, I did buy some fun new
power tools!

Thanks to http://ana-white.com for the great plans!

I learned quite a lot from this. The nightstand will go in our guest room but the next project will be Master-Bedroom-Worthy! I’ll try to share what I learned with you here so you can avoid my mistakes.

I cut all my pieces first. I used super cheap wood because I wasn’t sure how good I’d be at this. Needless to say, they weren’t all exactly straight so my “squaring up” didn’t work out quite as well as I’d hoped.
Lesson: buy straight boards

Then I went crazy with the Kreg jig and drilled all my pocket holes. I tried to use pocket holes for all the connections.
Lesson: just follow the directions

Another thing I'll do differently next time -- I'll sand and finish all the parts at this point before assembling the piece.

I can't wait to try my next project! Thanks Ana!!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Polyshades Espresso - two coats
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner