Community Brag Posts

We recently moved to Texas from Virginia and downsized in living space. Our 3 1/2 year old son had his own playroom so unfortunately we don't have an extra room for that any longer. My solution to that problem was building this loft bed. We altered the plans to fit our measurements (smaller bedroom). We also made it taller so we could use it longer. Also we didn't have a keg jig so we invested in that within that $200 cost. My husband and I built this in one evening from start to finish. 6pm to 2 am! This was also our first wood project. Not bad I say!

We are on a tight budget so this was built total from scrap lumber from when we removed a wall in our house and a few other scraps.  So the dimensions didn't turn out exactly right but that was my fault.  Thanks for sharing your plans.  My girl is going to love it!  

My husband and I love entertaining, but our small kitchen table was just not cutting it for both our space and our hosting abilities. We decided that instead of searching for the perfect table and spending a ton of money, we would just build our own table. We found that Ana's Rustic Table plans best matched what we were looking for, but my husband being the detailed person that he is didn’t just want to take her measurements and run with them. So we taped off the floor around our old table to decide how large we wanted our own table to be.

We basically followed Ana White’s plans to a T. Until it got to the legs. Ana White used 2×4′s for her legs, but we decided we liked the look of chunkier 4×4 legs instead. We also did things in a different order, like attaching the legs to the apron before attaching the table top. This did make everything way easier when it came to painting, no tape needed. We also stained the bottoms and sides of the tabletop boards before attaching them to the apron. After the top was attached I stained the top side and applied about 3-4 coats of Matte polyurethane. I like the matte finish because it doesn’t add any sheen and makes things look even more rustic; however, we’ll have to add a regular coat of poly as well because the matte is too soft for something that will see such rough use over the years. And now for what you’re all wondering about, how much did this project cost us?

• Wood – $86
• Stain (Dark Walnut) – $7.77
• Paint (Olympic Snow Storm) – $11.97
• Polyurethane (Rustoleum Matte finish) – $11.93
• If that is all we needed to buy then our total would have been: $117.67.

Just finished this project...took a little longer than I expected...it was a low cost project...I had most of the stock...but probably would cost around $75 to make. Paint and stain were the most expensive items. This was a lot of fun to make...Now to make the matching table...LOL

I used the "square x bass pedestal" plans to complete this 4' card table. The top is made from reclaimed gym flooring from the local high school. The "x base pedestal" provides a nice sturdy base for the large table. The project was completed over several weekends when I had time to work on it. 

Kids gear was getting so mildewy in between practices. This was easy to build with scrap wood I had laying around and really helps the gear dry. - KuhnTosa

From Closet to Reading Nook ... it took me a month from start to finish to complete and worth every minute spent on it! Come by to see the full story ...

http://www.joy2journey.com/2013/01/01/reading-nook-before-and-after/

No plan was needed for this project, just imagination :)

Hugs and Happy 2013!
Bj
http://www.joy2journey.com

The kitchen remodel left me with 400sqft of old-growth-pine laying around(60year old subfloor). While still pine, this was too good to throw away. So I decided to build a kitchen table and some benches.

Given these were old tounge and groove 2x6 I spent a lot of time with the planer, so hardly a weekend project. Further more I decided to use biscuit joints. The table probably took me like 5-6 weekends and the benches another 4...

My kids already managed to put some dents in the table, but that just makes it look more rustic.

fire pit bench

After building the Cabin Bunk system for my 5yo son, my wife wanted a buffet for our foyer. It took ma a Saturday to build and about $150 in materials.

Built using the plan except for removing the back angle supports and creating a top that resembles a live edge look.  Most of the build is done with pocket hole screws, glue and nails. 

We needed a way to store our 6 month old's toys in our main living area. We were previously keeping them in a pack and play and that wasn't going to cut it. We decided this plan would do the trick. It works even better than we anticipated. Built exactly the same as the plans with the same finish as well.

The 4-foot "classic beadboard" wall shelf is simple and cheap to make and it looks great for hanging pictures or decorations on the wall. The project requires only about $10 in materials, but it does required more advanced tools such as a chop saw, table saw, jig saw and router. Comparable shelves sell at between $60-$80.

I can build the project is about 1-2 hours, but it may take longer if you don't have all your tools set up. The plans are free on my woodworking blog at: http://www.jrlwoodworking.com/

You can also make the shelf in 2-foot and 3-foot lengths, simply shrink all the horizontal dimensions by one or two feet.

The wood came from a 60-70 year old barn that was torn down out on a friends property. The wood was fee and materials cost around $175. Took a couple weekends to build. 

My daughter loved Crate and Barrel Atwood bed so I built her this bed that is very similar.