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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. 

This was built using Ana's plans plus an inspiration photo my daughter took at an antique store in Chicago.  Notice the lower shelf stabilizing the bottom of the table. It also had to break down into sections to be moved three hours north to her apartment in Chicago.  Used lots of glue, and my trusty Kreg jig.  In the background is a tufted ottoman I also built at the same time.

Took the fancy hall tree bottom and added Mimi's hutch to the top. Added a little bead board to the bench and top edges to cover up the plywood, and voila! My wife's Christmas gift. 

I'm really happy with how this project turned out.
To attach the beds together I deviated from the original instructions and instead attached the headboard header to the headboard itself instead of to the feet of the upper bunk as directed. I used 3/4" dowels to attach the two beds, drilling 3" into the bottom bunk (through the header and into the posts), and 2" into the legs of the top bunk. This way the beds will easily come apart. They are incredibly secure, and incredibly heavy!

Was inspired to build this table after a visit to R.H. with my wife and realized a table this size and style would cost us about $3000.

So I decided to build myselft.  With a little help from Ana's plans and my own modifications, I think I got pretty close to the Restoration Hardware Trestle Table.

I bought the pedestals at Osbornewood.com and asked them not to drill the leg holes and ordered it in pine.  That was the most expensive part of the table, about $380 a piece.  The rest of it is Douglas Fir.

I created a template and shaped the feet myself out of 4X8 beams.  I was able to use my jig saw and a Bosch 10" blade.  I made the rough cut with it and then sanded the rest of the shape using my belt sander.

The pedestals have a hollow center and were too tall so I cut them down and created plugs and glued them into the pedestal.  The bottom plug has a large threaded rod and is glued and bolted to the feet, and the top plug was used to create the horizontal supports for the table top.  I too created a template for this and used a jigsaw to cut the shape.

I then used Minwax American English, then weathered oak, (Like in one of Ana's stain posts).  I then wanted to give it that weathered/reclaimed wood look so I add a fair amount of the White Pickling stain.  I wanted a little less of the red tones and more brown...I may sand and refinish it someday, but it is in the house for now and can't wait for our first dinner party.

Absolutely loved this build!  And it has become so handy to have for all the storage it provides.

I adjusted the original plans.  

• Combined the hutch and mail sorter into one unit.
• Stretched it 1 foot taller, spaced that out between several shelves.
• Combined 2 drawer units into one.

One of the projects that I've wanted to tackle for a long time has been adding built-in bookshelves to the sides of my existing fireplace. This fireplace (and I'm assuming the mantel) was original to the house and I wanted to create an addition that would look seamless and tie into the existing woodwork. I began designing a piece above the mantel to give the fireplace some height and then I designed the flanking bookcases to match. All of the project details and free step-by-step instructions can be found on my website at: www.momthebuilder.net

I used 1x6’s as opposed to 2x6’s for the base as well as the 19” pieces thus I cut the length of the legs to 27 3/8 the difference of 1 ½ inch from the plan.  In addition, the plans did not specify as to the placement of the legs on to the 19” pieces and thus I attached the 17 ½ bottom shelf braces and then attached the legs to the top.  I finished the project with MinWax Classic Gray stain which gave it an antique finish followed by a finishing wax.