Community Brag Posts

Cedar planter for $20

Submitted by aimercruz on Tue, 03/17/2020 - 14:45

This was my first project using my circular saw and Kreg jig, so I wanted to try something that was not too difficult. It probably took me longer than most as I had to read all the directions on my saw and Kreg jig. Both are super fun to use.  Ana’s plans made it super easy! After assembly, I decided to paint it as it needed to be weather/waterproof. I used Behr waterproofing stain &sealer in slate. Love how it turned out! Thanks for the easy to follow plans. 

Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Waterproof & Stain sealer. Color: Slate
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

DIY Rustic Coffee Table with Custom Finish

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/29/2023 - 19:41

Great coffee table by April!

For the Finish:

First I lightly burnt the wood. The base is minwax in ebony. I actually sprayed water on the wood and used a damp cloth to apply. 

The top I used random spots of regular satin paint in grey, a couple shades of blue and an olive green and a chalk paint white. Then sanded it down removing most of the paint and stained it with minwax provincial.  And went over some of the edges with the ebony. 

Entertainment Console

Submitted by Klem413 on Sat, 05/19/2012 - 14:35

My husband made this from ordinary pine, modifying it slightly. Eventually he will add doors to the middle. It was spray stained with Minwax polyshades. He took a couple of months on it cause he got busy doing other things but finally finished it!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
100.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Bombay Mahogany
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Corner Bookshelf

Recently, I wanted a redo of my mismatched furniture in my sewing room. When I was planning what to do, I decided I needed storage for my sewing books and a place to put my printer. I searched your site for plans (as usual). I found the corner bookshelf that was almost perfect. I had my boyfriend build it for me, but it needed to be just a little taller and a little wider to work with my desk. It turned out fabulous! Thanks for all the great plans you have. They are great inspirations!

Estimated Cost
Unknown - we used some pieces we had and had to get some supplies
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I finished it with whited paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

My farmhouse bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/02/2016 - 11:07

Simple and easy to build from plans provided

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
No finish yet we are torn between a dark stain or a white chalk look.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Table Top Puppet Theater

Submitted by melfosson on Tue, 05/22/2012 - 14:26

My son's kindergarten teacher had a table top puppet theater on her "wish list" from an online store - but it cost $70 and I knew there's no way i could buy that. But just one look at it made me realize I could build my own. My son and I built it in just a couple hours and then took some extra time for sanding and spray painting. I had all the kids in the class sign their names on the sides and I used chalk board paint on the top sign so the kids can write their own show title or time, etc. There's a place to keep the chalk in the back. We presented this gift to my son's teacher at the end of Teacher Appreciation week, and it was a huge hit!

PLANS: http://www.tools4moms.com/2012_05_01_archive.html

Estimated Cost
$0-$15 (I only paid for spray paint because I had the wood scraps)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Spray painted all the boards separately before assembling. Use different colors to give it a fun look.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Rustic X Bench

Submitted by Linda7 on Thu, 03/06/2014 - 14:52

I built this bench for my son and daughter-in-law for their front porch. The plans came from The Handbuilt Home, and I followed them exactly. My daughter-in-law thought it would be cool to burn their brand onto the seat, which added a very personal touch, I think. Very happy with the way it turned out. Thanks for the easy-to-follow plans, Ana!

Estimated Cost
Can't remember; maybe $35
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Miniwax conditioner followed by two coats of Minwax "Ipswich Pine" stain. Used three coats of spar varnish, sanding lightly between coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Simple Modern Outdoor Sectional

I had been wanting a patio sofa for a long time and while googling prices for the 1,000th time I found a link to Ana White's wonderful website. I can't say how grateful I am to Ana White. The fact that she puts all of these plans online for free and asks nothing in return speaks to her character and what a kind and generous person she is. Helping people build things and helping them learn at the same time! Anyway, I followed the plans explicitly and purchased the cushions at Ikea.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Polyshades Black Gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Coffee Table [Modern Farmhouse Collection]

Decided this table looked like something a moderately skilled person could handle and I was right. I made one modification because I couldn't find any straight 1x10s and I didn't want to use plywood since it can look wrong when staining. I decided to go with an 8 ft. 2x10 instead but then accidentally bought a 2x8. Realizing this after cutting all the boards to length, I fixed my screw up by squaring up the long edges of a 2x4 and adding it up the middle of the top and bottom shelves using pocket joinery like the standard plans. The table turned out a bit heavier than the standard plans would have, but it has a very solid feel. My wife loves it and I am looking forward to adding the end tables.

Estimated Cost
$45
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
2 coats of Danish Oil Dark Walnut and 3 coats of Varathane Ultimate Polyurethane Clear Gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Providence bench

This is my providence bench made from left over scrap wood from our new deck. I used 4x4's for the legs. This bench is SOLID! It is also huge! We had five 6-7 year olds on it last night with room to spare.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
free from scrap
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Still drying
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

spiceylg

Wed, 09/26/2012 - 13:50

Hello. Great build. Love the chunkier legs. Question. Was it only the dimension of the end leg supports that were affected by the mod to 4x4s?

Craftycraftswoman

Thu, 11/01/2012 - 20:04

I ended up just eyeballing it but the trick for me was nailing the short 2x4 in the center of the legs on each side. The short 2x4 was the only measurement that I remember changing. This bench has been climbed on, jumped on and beat up and is still as strong as the day I built it! Good luck with your build!!

Water table for 3

We have 3 kids and so I wanted them to each have their own place to cut down on arguments. I also chose to make this just a water table because of how close it is to the back door. I'd rather them not bring in a ton of sand each day. Because I wanted to be able to keep the lids on top when they weren't in use, we separated the bin areas so the lids can snap shut. We also made it a few inches taller to fit the stools underneath. It was a simple build, and didn't cost much more than a big box store small plastic sand and water table. Also I found those bins (same brand and size as in original plans) at Walmart with a white lid (which I preferred to the blue) for under $5 each.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
<$85 including toys, bucket, bins, building materials, and spray paint.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic X Console table with Live Edge Top

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 03/28/2020 - 17:13

Made this with my son for his new home. The only deviation from the plan was a solid slab of sycamore for the top with dark Minwax stain. Base was painted and waxed with Annie Sloan Old White paint The toughest part was getting the angles right for the X pieces. Had to eye the line and cut with a band saw.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Annie Sloan Old White paint, clear wax. Minwax Early American stain and Minwax clear satin acrylic.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Coffee Table

Submitted by wahome on Mon, 05/28/2012 - 13:34

I was initially very intimidated by these plans due to the drawers, but I have a great, handy dad who offered to help with the drawers. The wood is all recycled, most of it my dad has been hauling around for nearly 40 years and finally had it all milled this past year. With the offer of free wood, I couldn't say no! The plans worked great. It took a very long time as I have limited hours to work on and my dad is a sanding nut! I am more into rustic, worn look and my dad more fine wood working...so I had to keep assuring him it was just fine like that, and move on already.

Estimated Cost
I had free wood, so in addition to that, maybe $20
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Espresso stain and oil rubbed with Teak oil.
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Easiest Upholstered Bench

Submitted by TLinskey on Sat, 03/15/2014 - 08:51

This was a very simple and fun project!!! One of my favorites!! Plus I learned two new DIY SKILLS......upholstery & tapered legs!!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut, HGTV FABRIC
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Modern Farmhouse bed

Submitted by hummbaby on Fri, 04/17/2020 - 12:59

My oldest son moved out and took his queen size bed with him. This was a problem since we always used his bed as the guest bed when we had visitors. So my wife and I decided it was time to upgrade our own bed in order to solve the guest bed problem. With a new mattress incoming, it made sense to finally do away with the basic metal frame and grow up. My wife signed off on the modern farmhouse design and I was off to the home store to get started. I will say that having guests coming soon made this one of my fastest starts to finish projects ever. I cut everything and my wife did most of the staining. We stuck to what Ana used for stain with the weathered wood accelerator. Quick and easy build. One change I still want to make is to add another 1x6 to the headboard. Currently, one of my pillows ends up wedged between the bottom board, wall, and mattress.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Weather Wood Accelerator
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

DIY Entertainment Center

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 11/18/2023 - 12:53

Built the entertainment center for our new home. Thanks for the great plans.

Comments

Simple Outdoor Dining Table

Submitted by AlexaWoods on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 08:20

This table was made with Cedar but the base was pressure treated wood. The legs were Cedar 4x4s and very sturdy. I used a mix of designs and altered each to fit my needs. Getting the lumber from a lumber yard vs. big box cut my costs in half. Used stainless steel finish screws, Kreg Weather Treated Screws, and Deck Screws.

Estimated Cost
170
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Clear Urethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

BMullett

Sun, 03/17/2013 - 16:23

I love this! I'm planning on starting this project once the weather warms up and I was wondering if you could tell me how you attached the legs to the table top without visible bolts.

Vintage pew bench alteration

Submitted by Wnolan on Mon, 03/17/2014 - 11:16

I needed additional seating for my dining room table and wanted something a little unusual. When I saw the vintage pew bench, I loved it. After looking at the plans, I determined I could alter the arm height so we could use it at our dining table. Now that we have moved, we no longer need it at our dining table, so it now sits in our entry. It has been a great multifunctional piece.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
less than $100.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Miss Mustards Seed's Milk Paint with a clear coat of wax and an antiquing glaze over that.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Ana White

Tue, 03/18/2014 - 10:44

Amazing Pop of Color, Love the Bench! Is that a print or painting, may I ask where you found it?

Wnolan

Mon, 03/24/2014 - 13:25

Thanks Ana! It is a painting. I bought it in South Korea while we were living there.

I may be able to track a canvas down for you, though. You would have to get it stretched...it would be too large to ship. I have a friend who is living there now. ;-)

Kae429

Sun, 09/20/2015 - 16:44

What's the new arm height? I'm going to TRY to adapt this to a 60" bench with two drawers, and the lower arms.

Seasonal And Holiday