Community Brag Posts

Desk for a 9-year old

Submitted by b25pilot on Mon, 06/29/2020 - 02:59

With all my recent prowess in woodworking my 9-yo daughter asked me to build a desk for her room. She drew something up, something simple with a shelf for her “phone and tablet”.
I complied and built a 18”x36”x30”desk, just the right size to fit at the end of her bed. I formed the legs using 2x4s and used my circular saw and my multi-tool to create an embedded 3/4x4 “design feature” to hold the shelf up. The top is 3/4” plywood that I had sitting around with wood filler and a lot of sanding (60 grit and 220 grit). Would have preferred a hardwood top but was shooting for $30 total materials cost. My wife and daughter have chosen a color and they will paint the desk tomorrow.

Estimated Cost
$25
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
White Satin Paint

Comments

Reclaimed Wood Outdoor Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/15/2024 - 10:47

I had leftover lumber from building the full size table so I built this outdoor coffee table using the same design just a little smaller.

Connie Breck

Petra's Doggie Day Bed

Submitted by Joni on Sat, 08/25/2012 - 10:33

Yes, my husband and I share our bedroom with 6 dogs and an occasional cat (or 4). Our older dog (Petra) has slept on our bed for over 10 years, and she's getting too old to jump anymore. We didn't want her to feel like she was getting kicked off the bed, so I made Petra her very own bed at the end of ours so that she wouldn't feel left out. I was inspired by MurdaRae's dog bed (http://ana-white.com/2012/06/doggie-daybed), and thought it was genius to use a toddler/crib bed. So I went looking for plans on Ana-White, and came up with a mixture between a couple of twin bed plans. I love that the plans are easy enough to modify my sizes, and come up with exactly the custom solution that I need. This was my first big project using Bri-Wax. The last one was kind of a disaster when the wax changed the stain color to something not-so-great. With this project, I learned to wait at least 2 weeks before attempting to wax it. I was blown away with the results. It is a beautiful subtle satin finish that feels great to the touch. Plus, I can easily touch up all the dog fingernail scratches that will inevitably occur. When I re-assembled the bed in my bedroom, I actually nicked it in a few places. No problem -- slap on some more Bri-Wax! My Bri-Wax was 11 years old, and pure liquid. I tossed it in the fridge (per Bri-Wax's recommendation), and it was as good as new. The only real problem I had with this project was leaking sap from one of the 4x4s. I'm still fighting this today. In talking with Rustoleum/Zinsser reps, they said that no sap could penetrate their "Seal Coat" shellac product. After 5 coats, the sap is still penetrating, but only if I turn it on it's side or upside down. I'm still baffled. I made the mattress cover out of a dog blanket, and made the cushions from some remnant fabric (suitable for dogs and weekly washing), so this was a fairly inexpensive project. It was a success because Petra slept in her bed from the fist night and loved that she had all the room to herself, and no boston terrorists (I mean terriers) attempted to bother her.

Estimated Cost
$65 for Wood, $60 for Crib Mattress, $7 for stain, $9 for Decorative Clavos
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Combination of Minwax Water-based stains: 6 parts Colonial Pine: 1 part American Walnut, followed 4-5 Coats Bri-Wax (Light Brown)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

spiceylg

Sat, 08/25/2012 - 18:41

You did an amazing job! Looks professional and at first glance, you definitely can't tell it's a dog bed.

StacieM

Sun, 08/26/2012 - 10:24

It matches the woods in your bedroom so well and looks great! Also, I love the bolster pillows around the edges. That is something I need to make for our dog bed. Thanks for sharing.

West Elm Knock Off TV Stand

Submitted by Mike F on Sun, 09/18/2016 - 06:50

I did not have any plans for this.  I had the dimensions from the West Elm Website so I did my best to match that.  My sister asked me if I could build this for her and I saw it as an awesome challange.  I used euro style hinges for the doors and the left side shelf is sitting on wood strips nailed in the sides.  There is also a shelf inside the cabinet.  I built the stand and she stained it.  

This was my second time welding.  I used a Mig Welder that my buddy had.  It was a little intimidating at the very beginning but Mig welding is super easy.  You can grind the welds down fairly easy too.  I sray painted it all with a flat black spray paint.  I think it turned out really well.  I had a steel shop her in town cut all the steel to the sizes I needed.  All I had to do was weld and paint.

Estimated Cost
$150-$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
She used a mixture of a few stains.
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Mudroom Storage Lockers and Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/19/2024 - 14:06

I really appreciated your garage/mudroom project guidance. I stumbled on it as I was trying to figure out how to design my project. I basically copied yours!! 😁

You also turned me on to pocket hole joinery. Previously I have used a biscuit joiner and find it very challenging. Thank you, I am a convert!

Don Arrowood

Parson Console Table

Submitted by lee12477 on Mon, 08/27/2012 - 16:18

Thank you so much for the plan. I created a console table by adjusting the dimensions (finished table is 54 x 18 x 30) and omitted drawers. Used Modge Podge to adhere raffia to table (this was the most time consuming part of the project). Finished with a clear coat of polyurethane. Based this project on a table I originally saw in the HGTV Green Home 2010 master bedroom. http://hgtv.sndimg.com/HGTV/2010/03/03/GH2010-105_03-master-bedroom-wid…

Built from Plan(s)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

simplyelle

Sat, 06/22/2013 - 13:45

I'd been wondering on how to attack the covering of my desk with fabric. I'd toyed with the idea of Modge Podge but was not quite sure on its adhering capabilities. Around here, it gets so humid that the adhesive on my 3D Command strips melts and things fall off the walls. How has it held up thus far? I'm attempting to cover mine in upholstery fabric.

The Two Step

Submitted by jonnymac on Sun, 06/22/2014 - 19:59

I can't take credit for the bed, just the steps. After my friend purchased a new bed for their daughter, she needed some helping getting into it. The plans for these steps were great and easy to build. Very sturdy and lightweight for kids to move around.

Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
White latex paint. 2 coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Made by mj

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 09/22/2016 - 08:15

First ever project. Just testing my skills and all materials were low grade.  Next project will be better grade wood 

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
First project will use better quality wood on next one
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Window Bench With Storage

Our daughter's room has built-ins on either side of the window. I always wanted a window seat to sandwich in between, but couldn't find one with the right dimensions.....THANK YOU ANA WHITE! I used her Entryway Bench plan and just changed the length and depth to fit the window. I didn't add the side and back supports on top, but I bullnosed all the edges to make it look more finished.
I built this in one afternoon and even used cedar fence planks (left over from my husband's fence project) for the backing....love the extra charm of those planks!
We also had some molding left over, so I worked that in to the bottom for a little extra detail.
Haven't painted it yet....just enjoying it's usability until I decide on a color. It's super durable. My three year old sits on it (to read), stands on it (to spy on the neighbor's cats) and tosses those baskets in and out all day long.

Estimated Cost
$35
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Doll Table on One Side Checker Board on other side

I have come across several tables and chairs for doll furniture and decided I wanted to make something a little different.

I made a basic table and used 64 1 1/8 inch squares.
32/32 painted red/black and the other sides painted pink.

table is pretty popular around town so I decided to test Ebay and my website www.funwithdolls.com and I actually started selling a few.

Wayne

Estimated Cost
20.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
buy the squares and checker pieces, it will save you lots of time.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Sectional

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 09/25/2016 - 01:37

Mostly the same. Made smaller spacing for the seat (used 1x4 for spacing) and gave it a back (18" 15% miter) hand formed the front seat board and a bit of an overhang also hand formed the tops of the seat backs and armrest idea was it would be comfy with or without cushions. Ow and it's all construction grade lumber that I water sealed. Thanks for the idea!

Estimated Cost
$126.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Thompsons clear water seal applied as I was assembled
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

2x4 Outdoor sectional

Submitted by GandyFarm on Sun, 07/05/2020 - 19:28

Loved this project. The third one I have completed from Ana’s projects. Took about 3.5 hours to complete both. I used 2x4 cedar. I did add an additional piece on the back of both sectionals as I found the cushions I bought would slip down the back.

Estimated Cost
$350 without cushions
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Craft Table by Southern Chic Love

This is my very first Ana White build! I needed a table to go into my craft room and stumbled upon Ana White. What an AMAZING site! After browsing and finding many projects i would like to give a whirl i finally decided on this modern craft table. My husband and I have worked together on many different projects and decided we would try this one. The plans were very easy to follow although we did make a few mistakes along the way. I painted it white and finished with several coats of poly. All in all we love it and have a list of other builds to do next.

Make sure to check us out at SouthernChicLove.Blogspot.com!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100-$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used basic laytex white gloss paint finished with several coats of poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Loft Bed

Submitted by JesseM on Tue, 09/27/2016 - 13:07

This project was for our 4 year old daughter.  We wanted to get her a loft bed, but I wanted to make sure the rails were really tall so she didn't fall out.  So, I took some inspirtation from loft beds on this website as well as looking at pictures of beds you can buy.  I also added the drawers within the stairs because I wanted to utilize the storage potential.  That was the most difficult part as I'm not particularly experienced in making and installing drawers.  Off to YouTube tutorials I went and it turned out quite nice.  I had to build it in three different parts to get it in her room.  It's the actual bed portion, the stairs, and the side wall.  Once I got it together, I left the screws showing that I connected it with, which I hate, but when we have to move it out of there, I didn't want to go through a ton of trouble.  I used Kreg pocket holes for all of the vertical bed slats which caused a ton of work plugging the holes, cutting off the excess, sanding, and then sanding again and again.  But, it was well worth it.  We have made her a cozy little nook underneath the bed and added a light since these pictures.  Overall, it was a fun project

Estimated Cost
$500-$700
I used maple plywood for the walls which shot the price up a LOT
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
White paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse Console Table

Submitted by boneill on Mon, 07/06/2020 - 20:31

Modified the size to 60” length , 12” depth , 36” height . Went with satin white frame , Minwax classic grey stained top with 3 coats of poly clear coat satin (quick dry).

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax classic grey with poly 3 coats quick dry
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

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