Community Brag Posts

I fell in love with the Ballard Designs Turin bookshelf. But it was way too expensive and not the right size for my space. So I made up my own version!

Made from plywood with a poplar face frame. For the side panels I just nailed on poplar rails & stiles, then routed a simple cove molding with my router. The base molding and crown molding I bought by the foot from HD. I routed the fluting on the face frame with a hand held palm router and a small U-groove bit.

Made the standard full farmhouse bed with storage, but did a couple modifications. 1) Didn’t use drawers, but wanted closed, not open cubbies. I made the drawer fronts and then attached with full overlay hinges and magnetic catches do they open from top down like a horizontal cabinet. 2) built the slats as two, one piece slat frames which sit on the cleat so that they can easily be removed for the extra long term storage between the cubby boxes. Just lift mattress and the two pieces of slats and lots more space. 

So this was my first project. It's not perfect, but I LOVED how it turned out!! A few lessons learned....
1) I know common sense would tell you to get the straightest boards, which I thought I did. When I went to put them together, a few were bowed. I tried to put those at the bottom.
2) I did end up putting a brace vertically in the middle on the back with left over 1x6. It just added a little more support.
3) Since I'm a beginner, I didn't know better, but go easy on the wood filler, especially if you are going to use any kind of opaque finish.
4) The only other thing I can think of, is unless you have someone to help you out, build this close to where you plan on putting it. I am in the middle of a remodel, so was able to build this in my bedroom. This sucker is heavy and awkward for one person to move when it's finished!!!
5) I built this with my finish nailer (2" nails) and wood glue. (Light on the glue...it expands quite a bit!)

3 boys playing in the sand.

I used 2x8's for box base. I ran into spacing trouble, 1x4's must have been really new, they were about 1/16" over 3 1/2". I had to reduce spacing on each gap a hair to be able to close.

SUCH a great project for my first ever build! The plans were so simple and fun to follow. I altered them slightly to measure 50" long so it would fit perfectly in my entry way. I used the Varathane wood stain in Dark Walnut. Can't wait for my next project! Ana, thank you for giving first time builders the tools and confidence to build beautiful furniture!

I built this Auburn University themed platform bed for our son. It works perfectly for him, and he absolutely loves it. I added a custom "Tiger Eyes" wood logo, which makes this a one-of-a-kind bed.

The construction of the bed was straight-forward due to the great plans I found on this site. The finishing process actually took longer than the build!

I made a few minor tweaks to the plan, such as using a combination of dowels and wood screws on the frame joints, and using a router to put a 1/2" radius round-over edge on the platform boards, and a 5/32" Roman Ogee edge on the top plate of the headboard.

We used spray paint for the finishing process (Rust-Oleum Gloss Orange and Krylon Gloss Navy), followed with a few coats of Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane.

If you want to read more about the build process, you can check out our blog posting at: http://ourhomeourhands.com/auburn-university-platform-bed-ana-white-ins…

wanted a storage chest but didn't want just a chest so saw this in a picture then did my own measurements for what i wanted

This was my third project, and the first one with doors (boy do I have some great opportunity for growth there!). I left off the bottom trim because I wanted a slightly more contemporary look. Thanks for this plan, Ana. It was the perfect size for this space. Things I learned doing this project: next time cut an extra 1x4 to tack in to do the doors, hinges require math, be sure to get the kind of wood filler that dries—not wood putty (sigh), I need a workbench. 

I used the farm house plans for this bed but I made my 4x4 taller because I wanted the post affect, I also added the" \/ " because I wanted a "rustic look. I used 2 different stains to get the old barn wood look. I had a great time making this bed and LOVE it Thanks for the ideas.

My daughter asked me to build this for her for Christmas but wanted it to have a gray weathered look to match some of her existing furniture that I had built.  Very enjoyable build!  Thanks Ana! 

This table is enormous at 106" long made from pine boards and fir studs. A very easy build considering the final outcome, totally doable by any DIYer.

I needed a picnic table for my kids to enjoy summer meals outside and when I saw the plans for the Pirate Picnic Table, I knew we needed it! But it was made for toddlers and my kids are 4 and 6 so it wouldn't work for us for very long. I decided to combine the plans for the Pirate Picnic Table and the Picnic Table for bigger kids. I turned out awesome! And then I finished it off with a nautical paint job to look like a bit of the beach was left in the backyard.