Community Brag Posts
First Project--Garage Workbench
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Made a work bench first so I could use it to make other projects. I will probably add to this a miter saw bench since I just have mine on top of my bench right now and it takes up way to much room. This was so much fun and I am so happy I attempted this!
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Farmhouse table meets turned leg coffee table
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This was my first project and I LOVE it. We desperately needed to get a new table for our kitchen, and thanks to Ana... here she is. I love it. I cannot wait until I build more things. The Handbuilt Home is ear marked for many projects. I am such a geek, I have not only the book, but the digital version as well. This is so helpful because the digital version is on my phone and I have it readily available when I go to the store. I cannot recommend this book enough. Ana exudes confidence and that helped me to pick up that circular saw. NO FEAR! Ok, I was petrified that first cut, and probably all of the other cuts too, but it didn't stop me.
This table was so time consuming because I have three children and those little stinkers take up at lot of time. I am positive if I could have dedicated a day or two just to this project, I would have been done sooner. I underestimated how much time needs to be dedicated to sanding and staining and sanding and sanding :) I also underestimated how heavy this table is. I needed help to turn this table right side up.
All in all, I could not be happier with the finished project.
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Garage Storage from Rescued Lumber
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My daughter and I used these easy plans to build these two shelving units for the garage. We altered the plan slightly.The sizes that I used were determined by the lumber I had available as we used rescued lumber for this project. The height on each is 5' (tallest 2x4's we had) and the length is 64". All I had for 2x4's were 48" pieces so we used some other rescued lumber for the shelves. We used whatever we had. So they are made from misc lumber. The 2x material made for the strongest shelves. Depth is 17" as in original plans.
We added additional brackets for support under a couple of the shelves. We also attached to the wall to avoid tipping. I absolutely love these. So useful. No more unstacking each tote to find out what's in the bottom one. I LOVE IT! Thanks for the plans.
We completed these in one afternoon.
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Fancy X Farm House Table
Great way to turn inexpensive pine into a beautiful piece. Our wood was quite wet so we were extra careful to keep it tight and straight. Once the top was assembled, out came the torch! The torch provided an instant partial drying of the wood causing a great bonding and snug fit. The flame brought out the grain in various colors. We opted to use polyurethane as a finish.
Of course we had to make benches to match!
Rocketship Bookcase
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Pretty much followed the steps as outlined in the rocket bookcase plans. Googled astronaut and spaceship stencils and free hand drew those on construction paper. This bookcase is heading to my 3 year old son's room and he's pretty excited to fill it with toys and books.
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Comments
Simple bunk bed
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!
Comments
Mon, 01/07/2013 - 13:05
Lovely! Love that the ladder
Lovely! Love that the ladder and bedrail are pink!
Farmhouse Bed
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My boyfriend and I made this bed in about six hours on a saturday. The instractions were easy to follow and I am in love with this bed! Its very sturdy and i get tons of compliments on it!
Comments
Fri, 10/31/2014 - 13:44
Good work. This color paint
Good work. This color paint looks awesome up against the brick work.
To fit the whole family
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First table build. Took the farmhouse X and just made it for the dinner table. Took me a long time, learned a lot and bought more tools then needed. Having a little problem when the kids lean on it moves down just a touch. Any info to help that much appreciated.
Used red mahogany for stain and glaze coat for top. First time for epoxy also. Legs are cracked slate.
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Comments
Tue, 11/03/2020 - 12:35
Awe, the happy face!
Looks great, thank you for sharing! I am not sure what exactly you mean by moves down a touch when the kids lean on it...
Wed, 11/04/2020 - 15:59
Little one in picture is not…
Little one in picture is not heavy enough but if push where she is it will move down or rock just a little on both sides.
Fireplace Facelift Built-In Bookcases
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
Comments
Built in Armoire (linen cabinet)
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I modified the original plan so that it would fit in the area wher my old linen cabinet was. I also wanted the drawers to be visible.
Comments
Rectangular Industrial Coffee Table
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I modified this plan from square to rectangular to fit my space. It is exactly what was needed! Modified size: 27.5" x 55"
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Matte Poly top coat
Comments
Sat, 11/07/2020 - 11:19
Love the rectangle version!
Looks perfect in your space! Thanks for sharing:)
Barn Wood Vintage Pendant Lights
We had a dark corner in the living room that was needing some light. I had two vintage pendant lamps (amazing thrift store find) and leftover barn wood from my farm table build. I decided to build a frame to hang the lights in the corner. For less than $10 I have a completely unique lighting solution.
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DIY Entertainment Center
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Get behind the scenes on this entire project broken down step by step on my blog; http://www.lifewithfingerprints.com/2014/10/the-entertainment-center.html
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Comments
Corner Cabinet
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built to fit messy corner. wife loves it there!
Comments
Farmhouse Table for patio
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We LOVED this project for our patio! The cost in lumber was minimal. The design is simple and lovely. We can fit 8 comfortably by adding 2 chairs at the ends of the table in addition to the benches. Thank you for these plans, Ana!
Comments
Turned Leg Farmhouse Table 6' x 3'
My husband and I decided to tackle this as our second woodworking project together. We have been wanting a larger dining table that would comfortably seat 6 people and easily squeeze in 8 if needed. We decided to build Ana's turned leg farmhouse table, adjusting the dimensions and choosing slightly different legs. These variations better suited our dining room space.
We purchased the "Modified English Country Dining Table Legs" in soft maple and 3 1/2" diameter from Osbourne Wood Products, which totaled $136. The rest of the lumber was made up of pine boards from Lowe's, which totaled around $40-$50. When assembling the 1 x 10 boards to make the top, we used a biscuit joiner to help our slightly bowed boards stay flat. Once the table was fully assembled, we painted the base in Lowe's Antique White (satin finish) and stained the top using Minwax's Special Walnut, then applied at least two coats of Minwax's polyurethane in satin finish.
We made a couple of mistakes along the way which actually worked out for the best, giving the table some rustic character. Being relatively new to woodworking, we neglected to thoroughly wipe the 1 x 10 boards of all wood glue before the glue dried, making it difficult to remove later with sanding. Some wood glue remained, which showed up later once boards were stained. We ended up liking how this turned out to give it some charm and more of that 'handmade' look.
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1. Sand top completely first using coarse 80 grit and then fine 220 grit sandpaper with electric sander (we used Porter & Cable square orbital sander from Lowe's).
2. Wipe entire surface of table thoroughly using damp cloth. Let dry completely.
3. Apply wood conditioner to entire table using brush (we were lazy and only applied to the top). Let dry completely - overnight is best.
4. Apply special walnut stain evenly to tabletop using brush. Wipe excess using old cloth. Let dry completely overnight. Repeat this process until desired depth of color is achieved (we applied two coats).
5. Lightly hand-sand top with 220 grit sandpaper to prep surface before each polyurethane coat for better adhesion. Clean surface with damp cloth after each sanding and allow to dry before poly. Repeat this process as needed for durability. (We applied only two coats).
Painting Base:
1. Apply two coats of Antique White in satin finish using angle brush. Let dry in between coats.
Barn with lean to
When we wanted a barn for our children to play in and use for their farm we discovered that nothing could be found to fit our fancy online. So with the use of some pictures of old barns and basic ideas we started on our very first wood project. Our tools consisted of a sawzal a table saw and cordless set of tools. Many hours later we have this to show for it. We used lots of scrap wood and bought only the hinges, latches and one sheet of plywood so our costs are skewed from someone trying to do it with new material.
Tall planters (yay!)
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Made the tall planters to her exact measurements. Used fence pickets but stained them with an orange cedar stain. Put 'em near the fire bowl (and near a quickly made set of AW's Adirondack side tables). Took me a full day to measure, cut, nail and stain. I'm a novice so, this project challenged and pleased me! #speedsquareangles
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