Community Brag Posts

Finally completed a project of my own!

Submitted by veltch on Mon, 07/22/2013 - 07:29

I was looking to make a planter instead of buying one, and stumbled across Ana's website. This planter looked good and simple. I purchased the Kreg Jig Jr, and a face clamp on Ebay. I know I'll be able to use it for other projects/repairs. Home Depot did no have cedar fence pickets, so used what they had, (spruce), and brushed on some left over pecan minwax stain for contrast. I left everything else the raw, didn't fill in the pocket holes, and didn't use glue on the pocket joints. I did glue the fence pickets to the 1 x 3's and secured them with (pre-drilled holes) 1 1/4 out door screws. I suppose if you had some experience, and were not cutting all your wood clamped to a folding table, you could save some time. This took me just over 3 hours. It looks good. I placed my cleat 11 inches down from the top and lined it with that fabric to stop weeds, and poked some holes in it for more drainage. I may go back and fill the pocket holes with wood putty just to keep the bugs/spiders out.
Maybe in the fall after the tomatoes are done I'll give it the once over with some stain or water seal. This is on my back patio, the wife would already love one for mums out front. Thanks Ana White!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Pecan on fence pikets
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Wine Box makeover

I had an old wine box that I decided to shabby chic. I added some manila handles.  Check out my blog for more details and pictures:

http://www.woodworkingfourdummies.com/blog/wine-box-makeover

 

Cheers 

Ian

Estimated Cost
Just had to buy the manila rope.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax dark walnut stain
White paint
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Sliding Barn door TV Console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 04/13/2022 - 05:20

This is my favorite plan that Ana provides! It's easy to modify and adjust to different sizes. Thank you Ana!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Simple Daybed/Farmhouse-Bed-Hybrid

Submitted by uli on Mon, 06/06/2011 - 08:05

I needed a bed for my guestroom and decided to build a mixture of the simple daybed and the farmhouse bed. The back and the front rail are attached with bed brackets for easy disassembling.

Estimated Cost
175 $
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Acrylic paint in antique white
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Guest (not verified)

Tue, 06/21/2011 - 09:42

Dear Uli, I love the daybed you created and I'm planning to build my own next week for our guest bedroom, which doubles as my project room. Could you tell me what height you made the bed? It looks lower than the average headboard height, but higher than the average footboard height. I'd like to make mine close to your, which I think is just perfect.

Thanks,
Sara

In reply to by Guest (not verified)

uli

Tue, 06/21/2011 - 13:30

Thx :-) I've made the panels 19,5" high, and the legs measure 31,5". On top of the panels I screwed and glued a timber, which is a little bit thicker than a 2x4. So the overall height is 33,5". If you like I could send you my sketchup file.

Uli :-)

Guest (not verified)

Tue, 06/21/2011 - 19:42

Thanks Uli,

Those dimensions will be a big help. I've constructed more than 30 pieces now, thanks to Ana, so it's no big deal for me to design my own plans and dimensions now. I'm hoping to complete this project before my sister comes out for a visit. Wish me luck!

Sara

Miss Martina (not verified)

Fri, 08/19/2011 - 23:58

Hi, Uli! Do you think you could please help me out by sharing your sketchup notes for the "Farmhouse-Daybed-Hybrid"? This would really help me to get a handle on building this project.
Thank you from Martina.
P.S.-Though we now live near Palm Springs, California, we lived in Sachsenhausen for nearly 2 years & office was in Wiesbaden. Though I prefer the climate here, I still miss Germany.

Rockin'Robin

Wed, 06/20/2012 - 21:00

Dear Uli,

I am brand spanking new here on Ana-white and I love, love, love your daybed. I would like to give it a go for my daughters. Is it possible to get your sketch up notes? This will be my first build and I am so nervous about trying something without having a plan in front of me. My email is [email protected]
Blessings, Robin

Guest (not verified)

Wed, 09/14/2011 - 07:56

I would LOVE it if you could send me your sketchup file too. I want to build this for my guest room.

Helleni (not verified)

Wed, 08/31/2011 - 14:27

I would love to make this for my son's room. I am a beginner, can you provide the file for me to look at too?

Guest (not verified)

Fri, 09/23/2011 - 12:39

Uli,

I absolutely love this daybed and have been searching for such a bed, even to buy, but have found nothing. My husband is super handy and loves wood-working, so I think I am going to put him up to the task! :) Could you e-mail me your sketch-up file as well? My e-mail is [email protected].

Also, is there room to put a trundle underneath...this is a must-have for us. Do you happen to have any plans for a trundle? If not, hopefully my husband can come up with something for that!

Thanks so much for sharing your great idea and plans!
Amy

Siobhan (not verified)

Tue, 11/08/2011 - 17:56

Hi Uli,

Would you email me the plans for this bed please? It's perfect and exactly what I have been looking for!

Thanks so much,
Siobhan

kharrel

Wed, 12/28/2011 - 20:50

Hi Siobhan, I was wondering if you could possibly send me the plans for this bed in a Word document or through email. I tried to access the plans you attached above but my computer wouldn't allow me to open it. Also, I saw where someone else asked if a trundle would work with this bed and if you had plans for that, if so I would love to see if we can try to tackle that project as well. My email address is [email protected]. Thank you so much!...you have inspired me!!!!

Cheri (not verified)

Mon, 01/02/2012 - 09:58

I LOVE this bed. Would you mind sending me your sketch up and plans as well? Thanks so much and have a blessed and happy new year!

Jenny Briggs (not verified)

Mon, 01/30/2012 - 06:12

Hi, your bed is beautiful, could you please send me your dimensions, I would like to attempt, making this but kinda do an L, with a twin, and then a toddler mattress, at the head, the smaller mattress, would be like the short side of the L! Very new to this, but I would like to give it a go!

Guest (not verified)

Sat, 02/04/2012 - 09:35

Uli,

I love this so much and as others have said...it is the exact height I think I would need. This is my first solo project (without help from the man in my life) and i would love all the help I can get. Could you send me your plans for the hybrid? email address is [email protected]

Thanks much,
Raven

RachaelA (not verified)

Thu, 04/12/2012 - 10:31

Do you have a mertials list you used to buy the wood, etc for this bed. We are wanting to build a similar bed and add a trundle drawer underneath. Any guidance you can provide would be great!

Rach

RachaelA (not verified)

Fri, 04/27/2012 - 10:54

We figured it out and added one more layer to the project. We are combining the simple daybed, farmhouse daybed and trundle. So far so good.

Kris Frye

Wed, 02/25/2015 - 20:15

That's exactly what I want to do. I cannot download Google SketchUp, (It requires Windows 7 or newer. I am still running XP.) so I cannot access the plans provided. Could you please share yours? I also need the bed to accommodate XL twin mattresses (upper and lower beds). I could make those adjustments to your plans if need be.

Judith (not verified)

Wed, 05/09/2012 - 01:39

Hi Uli, I just love your bed, I'm new to building your own furniture but since I saw your bed I wanted to build it so I'm doing it. So far I have made the laterals and the back panels and now I'm putting it all together. I have some questions and maybe you can help me... you used bed brackets for the back panel, how did you put these so that they won't be seen? did you put them in the top and bottom of the panel?

Thank you very much

Judith

kad050209 (not verified)

Thu, 06/28/2012 - 10:14

Hey! I love the way you used the farmhouse bed for this daybed. It's perfect for what I'm looking for. I wanted to make my daughter the farmhouse bed but, we always wanted a daybed at the same time. This is perfect. Do you have any plans you can share with me so I can start making this? Thanks! [email protected] is my email if needed

SerinaDee (not verified)

Tue, 07/17/2012 - 10:26

I absolutely LOVE this bed and it is exactly what I want. I know many people have asked for the sketches, sooooo if anyone has received them, could they please forward them on to me??? (of Uli, if you see this and you have them) I would greatly appreciate it. You should definitely post this as a plan post because I'm sure many others would love it!

my email is [email protected]

THanks so much in advance!!! :) :) :)

Jason Lebo (not verified)

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 12:58

Hi Uli,

Outstanding work. I am going t make this for my 2 year old son. Quick Question.

I am confused about how to attach the posts to the panels for the head board. I assume you drill in from the far left and right of the posts? Do you use wood putty to hide the holes later? Could you use pocket holes? Or would that not be as structurally sound. Any advise would be appreciated.

From the instructions:

Now attatch the 4x4 posts to the panels. Make sure you pre drill half way through the post and use the 4 1/2" screws. Line the top edges of the panel and the post, keeping everything square as shown. Screw into the panel where it is sandwich 3 boards thick. Put at least 6 screws in each post.

Renee Glaze (not verified)

Fri, 10/12/2012 - 20:37

Can you send me a copy of the plans for the daybed. Does it have a regular mattress or just covered foam. Thank you

Val Manchuk

Sun, 04/07/2013 - 10:27

This is a great idea for a spare bed in our home office. Under bed drawers would be a good place for oir storage, too.

josie.a.richard

Sun, 09/28/2014 - 06:43

I LOVE this. Could i please get a copy of your sketch/plan? I am very new to this, and I don't think I could recreate one myself just yet!

Thanks

J

Outdoor furniture and coffee table

Submitted by jnovotny on Wed, 07/24/2013 - 10:48

Thanks to Anna's plans online I was able to create these nice pieces for my house.

Estimated Cost
500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Colonial maple and dark walnut stain for the cofee table. Traditional cherry for the outdoor furniture.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outdoor Sectional

I just finished my very first Ana White project. I am absolutely in love with it! I already have plans to add on and build a coffee table to match!!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Triple cubby inspired part 2

Submitted by willowpond on Sun, 03/04/2018 - 15:13

I started with the triple cubby design, resized it to fit my space, made it desk height (30"), added shelves and doors.  It was my second project based on the triple cubby.  In the process I used a multitude of Kreg items - the rip cut, the pocket hole jig, the hinge jig, the cabinet knob jig, and the corner clamps.  Next up:  queen size drawer bases for my son's bed.

Estimated Cost
Domestic birch plywood (very high quality) - $70; moulding - $10; hinges - $33; cabinet knobs - $8
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White latex paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Christmas Tree Shelf

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/21/2022 - 12:17

Ana, here is one of five Christmas Tree shelves I have built. Very easy to make, great gifts.
Al

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Expanded Cube Shelf

Submitted by ehansen25 on Fri, 07/26/2013 - 08:32

My husband and I needed more room and storage in our small one bedroom apartment. In order to get both we needed to get rid of our big hutch, desk and tv stand. So when I saw these cubes shelves I thought they would be perfect, then I saw TRACYSMITH's brag post a decided that was perfect! I painted it and did some organizing and it was probably the best decision we have ever made!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I used a 2 coats of paint and primer in one, in a really, really light grey color (sorry I don't have the exact color). I just use a regular paint brush to apply.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Curved Bench

Submitted by stevez8420 on Sat, 08/08/2015 - 13:41

I followed your idea but i think my bench is a touch smaller. I decided to add arm rests on each end, I kept the top beverage ledge or "Bever-ledge" as I call it and ofcourse I added rope lighting along the underside. This was my first ever DIY project.

Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used a Cedar Tone semi-transparent finish which turned out a little more orange than i though but it still looks good!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Nightstand

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/21/2022 - 17:03

Nightstand with Minwax Early American Stain

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Planter Box with Trellis

My husband built the Planter Box with Trellis for his mother for her birthday. We planted one of our rose bushes in it. They are pink teacup roses and should look fantastic against this bright white backdrop once the buds blossom.

This was a great project that was easy to cut up beforehand and put together the next afternoon. I think I want one!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50 with exterior paint
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
White exterior Valspar paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

mmhmakeover

Tue, 07/12/2011 - 03:59

Thank YOU, Tina! The plan was so easy to follow and we were just amazed that this thing came out looking almost exactly like the picture. Often times, we are not so lucky and "modify" the project at the time, or "modify" our expectations when it looks a little different. Not so with this one. It's perfect!

Our new dinning table!!!

OMG!!! I'm so in love with my new table!!! I had to make a few changes due to the size of my dining area. I built it a bit big for the space I have in hopes of moving soon and having a formal dinning! I shortened the length of the table and also changed up the x to have the same angle as the original table... I decided to do a natural stain using tea, vinegar and steel wool to "age" the table I then mixed a brown wax with a clear wax to warm it up just a tad... Thanks ana so much for the amazing plans!!! Can't wait to start on another :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
110$ including staining supplies
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
After table was built I sanded the crud out of it then sanded some more ;)... I pre mixed my vinegar and steel wool in a huge mason jar not sure the size maybe close to 50oz i used 1 and a half pads of the 0000 steal wool i also washed it in some soapy water before adding to the vinegar to remove any oils that would keep it from oxidizing... i let it sit for about 25 hrs and it was plenty strong i tested it on some scrap wood... I brewed 4 large black tea bags Walmart brand in about 20 oz of water let that sit for an hr or so then squeezed out the bags... I painted the tea stain on all the wood and let dry for about 4 hrs... Pine has very low levels of tannins which the steel and vinegar react to... The tea puts tannins into the wood... If you use a hard wood you won't need the tannins I suggest testing to see how dark it turns. After the tea stain had dried I started painting on the vinegar steal wool mixture (pull the hunk of steal wool out and make sure to stir the mixture regularly). Sat back and watched it do its magic after the table had dried I waxed it... The table was very blue grey which in a modern house would have look amazing but I have very primitive taste and furniture so I wanted to warm it up just a tad I mixed briwax clear, Annie Sloan clear, and just a very small amount of briwax Tudor brown sorry I can't be more specific on ratio. It was just a light tan color...'I applied the wax all over waited for it to dry and did an additional coat on the top then buffed it out I just a cheap white rag..: it took a lot of wax make sure you make enough... The wood really soaked it in...
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

janaeku

Sat, 08/02/2014 - 20:53

Hi Camille,
I love the color you ended up with and am attempting to replicate it. Can you tell me why you used two different brands of clear wax? Could you just mix the clear Briwax and the Tudor Brown? Also, how long did it take before the steel wool started to rust. It's been in about 8 hours and so far nothing.
Thanks!
Janae

Simplest Stool

Submitted by DWeen on Tue, 08/11/2015 - 17:34

I modified the Simplest Stool plan for this project to use some old threshing floor boards that I had leftover from another project. I like the blocky and chunky look it gives it. We chose to distress these stools to make them look as though they've been around for awhile. The stools didn't take long to build, but since the finish needed time to cure between coats, the overall length of time for the project was about a week. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax 'Early American' with two coats of polyurethane. The legs and rungs were painted with Behr semi-gloss white paint, and distressed using Minwax 'Early American' stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Made by Shanna Rae

Submitted by shannarae on Sun, 03/11/2018 - 20:26

A Christmas project for my sister

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark walnut with Poly top, painted body
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Bedside Table--Rotated :)

Submitted by sbenington on Fri, 04/22/2022 - 11:06

I needed a side table and liked the Farmhouse Bedside plan. It took some thinking and calculating, but I modified and rotated the layout. Pocketholes are now my best friends! Unfortunately staining this piece was a challenge. It may be re-stained or even painted in the future. Thank you for the plans and inspiration, Ana. :)

Comments

Chicken Coop with Run

Submitted by Jen Marzen on Fri, 06/17/2011 - 02:10

My husband and I live on a small hobby farm and are growing/raising a lot of our own food. We decided to venture into working with chickens. We wanted to start out small so we got 6 chickens and needed a home for them. We found a kids play house one day while shopping and got the idea of modifying it into a chicken coop with a run. We took off with this idea and with quite a bit of modification and some extra building materials we were able to raise it up in the air and attach a run so our chickens would have a nice home to protect them from preditors and the emements and not to mention one that looks good in our yard!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Cedar deck stain and white outdoor house paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Heather Dalton (not verified)

Tue, 02/21/2012 - 19:08

Are the plans available? I have Black Copper Marans and Lavender Ameraucanas and I really need to separate the LAs from the BCMs and this would be perfect!

madrona (not verified)

Tue, 02/28/2012 - 10:21

I'd also love the plans!
Great job - it's beautiful!

guest (not verified)

Tue, 02/28/2012 - 10:22

I'd also love the plans - thanks!

Eliza B (not verified)

Thu, 05/31/2012 - 10:02

Can you please post the plans you used? I have 4 week old chicks that need a coop. Thank you very much.

Jen Marzen

Sat, 06/02/2012 - 15:22

Sorry guys there are no plans for this coop. My husband and i just "winged it" and built it without any plans.

It is a play house that we found at Mills Fleet Farm and we modified it to make it a chicken coop. We put together the play house based on instructions from the box (with a few of our own modifications to make the window on the ground etc.) added some chicken wire to the doors and bay window, added some 4x4 "stilts" and a floor to get the house in the air, and constructed a frame around it with 2x4's and wire fencing to make the run

Sorry I dont have any plans to give you guys!

Seasonal And Holiday

Modified to a 3 ft square table from this plan!

Submitted by herzo1852 on Wed, 07/31/2013 - 10:13

I am currently making the matching 2 seater Loveseat (making 2 of them) so I wanted a square table to go in the middle of the 2 sofas to make it look nice, so the rectangular table was not quite what I needed.

I used 2x3's for the legs and adjusted the side measurements of the square table for the extra width.

I didn't want to paint it, so this is Rustoleum Kona stain with polyurethane (clear semi gloss) over the top to protect it from the rain - which you can see was exactly the kind of weather I had about 10 minutes after it was put outside!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum "Kona" stain (from Lowes), and a clear Minwax polyurethan in semi gloss - applied the stain with a foam brush and the clear polyurethane with a good quality brush (less hairs fall off the quality brushes!).
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate