Community Brag Posts

DIY Outdoor Furniture

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 06/03/2024 - 09:25

I couldn't see spending several thousand for outdoor furniture, so I looked at what you had done. It was so much easier and sturdier than I thought it would be. Thank you for all you do for the community.
I added the board on the back of the sofa to stop the cushions from slipping through. My wife wanted a fun color so we found a waterproof stain and had it tinted. I thought it came out very nice.

 

Foot stool.

Submitted by CKam0011 on Tue, 08/04/2020 - 20:15

Just got into woodworking as a hobby. This is my first project, pretty happy with how it turned out.

Finish Used
Urethane, trim paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Classroom Couch

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/15/2024 - 13:27

I'm a high school teacher and like flexible seating. I needed something that is very sturdy and can take a beating from teenagers. I used Ana's "2x4 Outdoor Sofa" plan, made it longer, added some extra braces, and here it is! My new classroom couch.

Julie Stanfill

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

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Wed, 03/12/2025 - 06:19

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Kitty Outhouse

My first Ana White project. Built Ana’s awesome small cedar shed as an outhouse for our many cats. The have access to it from inside the house. Great way to keep litter boxes and the mess out of the house. It is stand alone, and attached to the house, in front of a bedroom window. There are two ‘entrances’ as well as two, one-way, escape hatches, if a cat in the outhouse is interrupted by another cat (I.e. a male cat comes in and the female feels trapped) they can exit to the outside (one way so no critters can come inside!). Ana has easy to build plans, great site! I plan on making the square table just posted today for my newly refurbished deck. Keep in mind, my estimated costs and time reflect a LOT of additional features on the inside. The shed itself, very easy, simple, inexpensive. Very little waste with Ana’s projects as well.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
No finish, at least not yet.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

3 Tier Planter

Submitted by ranlim on Thu, 05/18/2017 - 21:24

Love this planter. Used quality pine. Perfect size for the balcony! I use it for fresh herbs... i have have other people wanting one too!

Estimated Cost
17
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Special walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Ice cream cart

Submitted by Markb25 on Mon, 11/22/2021 - 23:52

A friend wanted a tatty old chest freezer turning into a traditional looking ice cream cart for her business. The freezer itself was way to heavy and not really fit for purpose but, after a week of tinkering about with a couple of design changes here and there to accommodate the weight, I don't think I've done too bad a job.

The internal frame is Nordic fir, half lapped at the joints and secured in place with 38mm oak dowels, the cladding is 6mm birch ply finished with paint from the French chic Al fresco range, the writing proved a little challenging on the the eyes and my hands aren't as steady as they used to be but she's happy.

Comments

Foldable Farmhouse Table 2

I recently published my first foldable farmhouse table last week here: http://ana-white.com/2013/06/foldable-farmhouse-table The first one I made was very heavy because I used 2x6 tops and 4x4 legs. I decided to make another one that would be lighter and easier to transport. The plans are basically the same just instead I used 1x6 for the top and put 2x4s together for the legs. I also shorted the length by about a foot. The only issue with making the table shorter length is that the legs don't fold completely flush. You could easily make the legs short enough to fold flush, but then the table was a little too short from the ground up for us. The same as before I simply used kreg joints to join the top boards together. I then made a 2x4 frame and attached it to the bottom. I made each of the legs separately by joining 2x4s together and sanding everything down. Everything was stained before putting the legs on using Miniwax Dark walnut stain. I used 2 coats of Miniwax water based clear coat to seal it. A notch was cut out on each of the bottom 2x4 supports on the legs and I glued in a small piece of wood cut to size. These are so I can put in a 2x4 support board under the table so that the legs do not fold in on themselves when it is standing up. The legs are just attached using door hinges you can buy in packs in the hardware section. Be careful when screwing into the 1x6 top not to use too long of screws or else you will over screw and have them come through into your table top. Table design was by Amber Veatch Designs and photographed by Andi Mans Photography

Estimated Cost
120.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Sand to finish and then used Miniax dark walnut stain followed by Miniwax water based clear coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Freddyflis

Tue, 07/07/2015 - 06:41

We have built something very similar and we have a good bit of wobble at the top, even though the stretcher down the center of the table is holding solid in there and secred with clasps. Were thinking of some sort of sliding pin into the top of the leg to the apron. Anyone run into this before?

Seasonal And Holiday

Convertible Classic Bunk Bed

Submitted by sharonw on Mon, 06/22/2015 - 22:24

I modifed the Classic Bunk Bed and Cubby designs to create a convertible twin over full bunk bed. The bottom full-sized bunk can be rotated to be parallel to the wall (when my son sleeps there) or perpendicular to the wall (for when we have guests so they don't have to climb over one another). Changes I made were:

- I moved the ladder to the end of the bed to make room for the full-sized mattress.
- I added 1x2 treads to the ladder to make it easier on the feet.
- I raised the height of the top bunk. Finished height of the bed is 68" to add head room on the bottom bunk for taller people.
- I built 2 custom cubbies (full dimensions of each 37.5" x ~13.5" x 11.5") to support the added width of the full-sized bottom bunk. These cubbies can also be rotated to support the mattress in the perpendicular position for use as a guest bed (see pictures).
- I built an additional support that fits onto the back of each of the cubbies when they are turned to support the perpendicular guest bed (see pictures).
- I changed the end support rails for the bottom bunk to 1x12s that I painted to match the bed to be used as night stands when the bed is rotated to be a guest bed (see pictures).
- I used wood thread inserts and 1/4"-20 connector bolts (from Fastenal) to assemble the bed, so it would be easy to disassemble and reassemble.

Funny story - When we went to move it to the second story bedroom from the garage where I had finished it, the long sides wouldn't fit up our stairs!!! Our stairs have a tight 90 degree turn partway up. After all the hours I put in building and finishing it, I almost cried! Fortunately after using a straight edge blade to carefully cut through the paint, we unscrewed the upper most rail and were able to just barely get it up our stairs. I was so thankful I hadn't glued those boards on!

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
1 coat primer, 2 coats Olympic ONE in their standard Black (satin), 2 coats Minwax polycrylic (satin - although I thought it looked shinier than I expected). All applied with a Purdy 3" angled brush.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Garden Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 04/03/2022 - 09:31

Second project ever! Came out pretty nice in my opinion!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Letter press rustic x coffee table

Submitted by kasiwalker on Tue, 08/06/2013 - 11:34

I used the Rustic x coffee table plan and modified the top. I used 2x2's to make a frame and a router to make notches for plywood under the letters and glass to fit inset on top. The letters are antique letterpress blocks that I obtained on ebay and at antique shops.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Aged Oak.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Cedar deck box

Submitted by JMG on Wed, 07/06/2022 - 19:47

I had to modify these plans to use what I had on hand. I used left over cedar fence pickets (planed down and sealed) and adjusted the size to fit all my outdoor cushions. Overall dimensions are 49" wide x 28" deep x 26" high. I also used 2x4's instead of 2x2's because that is what I had in my shop. I added 1x3's around the top to fit snugly instead of using hinges (again trying to use what I had on hand). We get A LOT of rain in the summer so hopefully the cushions will stay dry. I also added some screen left over from the screened in porch to the bottom before adding the "floor" to keep bugs out. I just stapled it to the frame before adding the floor boards. I did add a piece of treated 1/4" plywood under the top in hopes of keeping the rain out.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Outdoor sectional

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 10/02/2019 - 04:17

Made the outdoor sectional. The coffee table was made out of left over pieces!

Estimated Cost
$260
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We used a semi transparent stain applied with brush. We would recommend a hand sprayer instead.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

16ft x 5ft farm table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 10/29/2019 - 18:43

This table was created using a variety of plans. It can seat up to 20 people comfortably. The table top was built with 5 pieces of 2x12. The legs were a combination of 4x4 posts and 2x6s. 2 coats of Minwax Weathered Gray was the stain and then 3 coats of varathane semi-gloss finish. We sanded between each coat of poly.

Estimated Cost
435.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane semi gloss poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Seasonal And Holiday

Redwood 2x4 Outdoor Sofa

Submitted by jsutton78 on Wed, 08/03/2016 - 09:22

This is my attempt at the 2x4 outdoor sofa.  The entire sofa is made out of 2x4 Redwood, so the cost was a little high at $150 for the wood.  I'm still waiting on cushions, but I went overboard and bought them custom made so the total for those came out to $520.  Overall, I could have easily bought a complete set online but hey, this is more fun!

 

My one concern is the back support.  I'm thinking of building something angled in, but haven't thought of the best approach yet, that will still look good.  

Estimated Cost
$670
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Redwood stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Great weekend project...the "love swing"

Submitted by Don Ellery on Mon, 05/19/2014 - 15:49

A great weekend project...the "love swing"! I used the plan from Ana for the swing seat and added two arm rests from left over 1x6, rounded them off and sanded.

I cobbled together an A-frame to hang everything, made from five 8 foot 4x4s and two 8 foot 2x6s laminated together for the stretcher. Assembled with 1/2" galvanized carriage bolts and hung with 1/4" chain.

Definitely going to want a good miter saw for the A-Frame angles (the top ones are a bit tricky to get everything lined up)

Love it! Thanks for another great plan Ana..and of course..Shanty2Chic!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200 ish..including the A-Frame... the hardware and chain can be pricey!
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr exterior weatherproofing stain - Chocolate.

Just 2 thin coats, dries fast...second coat can be applied later the same day.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Carpenters Daughter

Mon, 12/12/2016 - 17:09

Could you please post the plans to build the a frame as well? I really love what you did and would like to copy it! Great Job!

Don Ellery

Wed, 07/19/2017 - 11:31

Hi! I wish I could, but I didn't take any notes on the angles or lengths when I made this and I left it with the house when we moved. 

Mud Kitchen

Submitted by Noyehx4 on Mon, 07/20/2020 - 12:48

This was my first build, like ever. I am very proud! Props given to my hubby who is a carpenter by trade. I went back and forth on stains and paint colors at home depot. He didn't rush me and was awesome the entire time! He actually picked up the supplies, and is now a fan of the self tap screws! He thought he knew where everything in home depot was, but he had to ask to find those LOL. He wanted to use his new nail gun, but I wanted to follow the plans. The plans are awesome! We decided not to add an oven door just yet. Likely will soon. (Avoiding pinched fingers for now) I also have the knobs for the front, but it was hot and since I had only just stained them, they needed time to dry and second coat yet. (I kind of forgot about them once I finished them with my new dremel) We purchased the hose kit from the kitchen section at home depot. It came with everything, I searched market place and even posted asking if anyone had a used one for sale. No luck. This was $20 and came with everything, the guys at home depot showed me what adapters to get to ensure that it would hook up to our garden hose, and we grabbed those too and they worked perfectly! I messed up cutting one of the angles for the shelf the wrong way, but there was enough scraps for my husband to help me fix it. It was a fun build, and so rewarding to see our kids playing with it! I used my dremel 4300 and it wasn't powerful enough for the thicker wood, so my stove tops are thinner, but he actually enjoys setting them up and spraying them off the table with his hose! I painted the brass hooks green when we were painting the kitchen so they would match. The pots and pans came with the little tote and the apron chef hat and pot holder. It was a perfect finishing touch. *Edit to add photos kitchen hose kit from home depot, reading comments, others had a hard time finding adapters. I suggest taking what you have with you to home depot so they can show you what adapters you need. We needed three because we have a quick attachment on the end of our garden hose, (for our sprayer) now little mans mud kitchen can be connected and disconnected easily!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover 2X Enamel Spray Paint and Behr Semi-Transparent Waterproofing Exterior Wood Stain and Sealer
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Clubhouse based on Ana's Plan

Submitted by MattSl on Tue, 05/03/2011 - 09:18

I used Ana's plan as a base.

I changed it from 8x8 to 8x12, made the 4x4x8's to 4x4x10' for a higher main platform and swing platform, and added a 12' long monkey bar set to the other side. Also, an 8' climbing wall and a plank walkway to accompany the two slides.

For the clubhouse, I used Hardiplank 4x8 sheets for the siding and an EZ-Framer kit for the structure itself.

The slides I purchased from Lowes, monkey bars from Amazon, and the swing frame braces from Amazon as well. The swing kits I got from ebay.

Estimated Cost
1500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Seasonal And Holiday

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