Community Brag Posts

Jewelry Box 2

Submitted by yhaas on Thu, 12/17/2015 - 20:58

I built this as a Christmas gift for my office partner/best friend.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50 (bit of a guess, more if I add finishes which I already had, less if using scrap wood)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used wood conditioner, then stained with Goudey stain in Rosewood. Next was a shellac washcoat, followed by glaze in Van Dyke brown, another washcoat, and finished with 2 coats of Tried and True varnish oil, then another 2 of Tried and True original wood finish. Knobs and felt were from Lee Valley.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

4X4 Truss Table and Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 02/09/2019 - 14:46

My daughter moved into her first apartment and asked me to make her a dining room table. I used the plans found on Ana's website and made a slight modifcations. I used 5/4" pine boards to build the tops and regular douglas fir 4x4s and 2x4s for the bases. All screws are hidden exept the lag bolts I painted black and used to bolt the end trusses to the center truss which gives it kind of a industrial type accent. Thanks to Ana White and Shanty 2 CHIC for the great plans. My daughter loved the table and bench and she is going to find chair for the other side of the table. 

Estimated Cost
Approximately $275 for the table, bench and misc stain, screw, sandpaper etc.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Stain and Poly Mission Oak in Satin. Two coats on the bases and three coats on the tops. Used a pre stain conditioner prior to applying the Stain and Poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Kids Adirondack Chair

Submitted by Kassidy_D on Sat, 01/07/2023 - 21:12

Turned out okay, still have some learning to do!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Dress up center with a Texas twist

Submitted by charbeary4 on Thu, 09/22/2011 - 21:07

This dress up center was made by me & my hubby for our daughter's first classroom. We used old shutters for the ends and added a couple inches to the bottom & front/back boards to make them all match up. We used the "get your duds on" & Cricut vinyl to make it work for all the cowboys & cowgirls in her class! The shutters open & close giving them an added interest and a teaching moment to bring in recycling!

Estimated Cost
less than $20.00
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint, left over from a previous job. I watered it down to match the shutters, 1 part paint to 2 parts water & Vinyl for cuts outs & letters. I used my Cricut with A Child's Year & Old West cartridges
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Dollhouse

Submitted by samueldodd on Mon, 12/21/2015 - 06:04

The house is 48" high and 36" wide and 28" deep. It has 3 floors with a total of 10 rooms. Floors were made to look like hardwood floors and stained. Was fun to build and my granddaughter cried when she saw it. Due to the size of it, I installed wheels on it also. I made it from a picture on Ana White of Kidkraft Chic Dollhouse 2011-12-06 Paint all your pieces before you assemble. It makes it a lot easier than trying to paint afterwards.

Estimated Cost
$100,00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Roof was painted with oil based Red( because that is what I had on hand. The frame and walls and ceiling were painted white. The floor was made to look like a hardwood or plank floor and was stained with minwax Special Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Christmas gifts

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 02/16/2019 - 16:59

I made 6 for my nephews & niece for Christmas. Great project!

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

Ten dollar ledges

Submitted by Redbow on Thu, 10/03/2013 - 13:40

Built three 10 dollar ledges of fir for a tall, awkward area over our stairs. 3.5, 4.5, and 6 feet long. Looks great and finally can make use of that space. I initially bought red oak but decided it was too heavy (and too expensive at $90). Still need to putty the screw holes.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None. I like bare wood.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Farmhouse King Bed

Submitted by Lantz198 on Thu, 12/24/2015 - 12:15

My bed frame dimensions were 76 wide by 80 length. So that is the inside demension after assembly. My headboard posts were cut to 54" and footboard posts were cut to 24". Headboard panels are 31.5" (14- 6" boards) and footboard panels are 15.5" (14- 6" boards). My posts were made from combining two 2x4s together. I plan on mounting the metal bed frame to the inside of the bed rails. I enjoyed this project greatly.

Estimated Cost
$166.25 unfinished. $185.00 painted.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Glidden Interior White with Satin finish
Two coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modern Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by Strong1233 on Sat, 02/23/2019 - 06:20

Made legs 16 inches to bring to height suitable for the mattress I had.  My first project ever using Kreg K5.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$180
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Wood Finish Penetrating Stain - Classic Gray 271
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse mini end tables 20” top

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 01/15/2023 - 19:20

I built the farmhouse bed and needed side tables. These worked out great. Very easy to manipulate sizes to make larger

Comments

Doll Bunk Beds

Submitted by jmr977 on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 06:51

My daughter has really been getting into American Girl Dolls so I went on the official website to see if I could find some accessories for them for her birthday and YIKES - that stuff is expensive! So I went on Ana's site and found plans to make bunk beds. My daughter has four dolls so I figured we could build two sets at a fraction of the cost we could buy them at.

This was our first furniture project so we had to buy everything, which makes the project more expensive than if you have scraps laying around, but still totally worth it. My husband and I built two of these in about 3 hours. Sewing four of everything probably took another 2-3 hours.

I made the blankets reversable - flowers on one side, strips on the other so she could mix and match as she liked. I think I am going to make a reversable pillow for each bed with the blanket fabric, but I haven't gotten that far yet. I totally misunderstood how much fabric to buy - I thought it was 1/2 yard for mattress and then another 1/2 yard for the blanket, but it's not, it's 1/2 yard for both so needless to say I have a TON of fabric left over. Since this project went so well we are going to build a doll table and chairs for Christmas so I figure I can use the left overs for placemats, etc. and carry the theme through the set.

I love the way they turned out and I can't wait to give them to her for her birthday!!!

Estimated Cost
$20 per bunk bed (roughly)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Primed with a sandable brown spray primer and finished with a high gloss spray brown.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

King Size Farm House Bed

Submitted by Pembat on Sun, 10/06/2013 - 20:29

After searching for several months for bed frames in stores and seeing the garbage that costs way too much, we found this site and built the King Farmhouse Bed.

Primered with Kilz paint. Finished with two coats of Behr White Linen. Then we distressed the edges with a palm sander, and knocked down some of the paint in areas, and applied a brown glaze. After we achieved the look we liked we did two coats of polycrylic.

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Dream dollhouse for Lila

Submitted by ambro on Sun, 12/27/2015 - 17:42

I built this for my daughter's Christmas present this year. It was a fun project that you can do in a weekend if you hustle. The size a girth of this dollhouse is surprising.  Do yourself a favor and take measurements of doorways and hallways to make sure it will fit. It is nearly the size of a Lazyboy chair when finished. The best part of this project is the unlimited number of ways it can be customized.  Scrapbookpaper for walls , painted walls, carpet for floors, tile flooring,  stained flooring and so on. My daughter loves it and yours will too.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain was a light oak from minwax. I bought rough Lumber and sanded it down to 220. I recommend anyone to spend extra money and get better quality or even oak 2x2's. It would have made this dollhouse pop. I bought paper from a craft store. They carried the paper that looks like wood paneling and bricks. I simply added a mantle made from a 1x1 by glueing and nailing it into place. I placed a piece of carpet from a bath mat on the bottom floor with heavy glue. The roof is a piece of luan paneling that I cut out and painted. I made the stairs a little different in that I angled the ends of some 1x2's and added 4 steps to each one. I predrilled holes and put in a finish nail and added glue to make them nice and tight. My daughter loves it. You have no idea how big this dollhouse is and how heavy it is until you get started. If you have small doorways you should consider assembly in the room it will be in.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Laundry room copy

Submitted by rpagan24 on Fri, 01/27/2023 - 02:27

Version of your laundry room make-over !

Comments

Farmhouse Bedside Table

Finished Ana White's farmhouse bedside table. I used antique drawer pulls from old furniture. I used table top clips to attached the top to give the wood room to breathe as seasons change. I also put in two blocks as drawer stoppers so the drawer didn't go too far in.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$16
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Paint (Color Belle Grove..can't remember company), used Orange Beeswax on the sides of drawer and inside of table to make gliding easier. The stained wood is Minwax Provincial.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Surprise Birthday Bunks

Submitted by bigguygonz on Tue, 10/08/2013 - 17:35

As our youngest daughter's 2nd birthday was fast approaching, we were looking for options to eliminate the crib + twin setup we had in the girls room. I had always been a fan of the L-Shaped Bunks Arnold and Willis shared in "Diff'rent Strokes." The problem was that all the comparable beds at furniture stores were pushing $1000 for that sort of set-up, we didn't really need a twin bed for the 2 year old, and were a little worried with the two year old on ladders and falling off the top bunk while playing/sleeping with her 7 year old sister.

And so in doing my search I came across the junior loft plan from this site. At first, I disregarded it, since I had never taken on a project like this before, plus with only one bed and short railings, it didn't fit our needs. I kept going back because i loved the design. Then I recalled my father and I doing something similar when I was a young teen building a loft bed around a bookshelf/desk combo that my uncle had made. I figured if he could do it, so could I.

So I started tweaking with the plans. Flipping the stairs to the other side... easy. Increasing the rail height to double... no problem. Adding a toddler bed frame based on some mattress sizes I got off amazon... just some simple math...

Then $150 in wood, fasteners, paint, etc. another investment of about $250 in tools, and I was good to go. Over the next 3 nights, I slaved in the garage by myself, measuring, cutting, measuring again, PH drilling, then started sanding and assembly on Sat. By Sunday, I was ready to move the pieces up to the room for final assembly and paint, and about 20 man hours later, we had this beautiful beast and just in time for her birthday.

We had dropped our daughters off with their aunt for a few hours to get it set up, and when they came home the look on their face was priceless. Sure I could have spent less time and a little more money, but I have to tell you the feeling of accomplishment and our daughter's collective excitement made the whole thing worth it.

I'm super grateful to Ann White and her amazing site, and I'm looking forward to my next project, since my wife is now working on a list of stuff for me to make...

-JG

NOTE: The assembled bed came out incredibly sturdy with 2.5" PH screws & glue, however since it's carrying precious cargo, I added two 4" lag bolts (3/8) into each of the posts for a little added stability.

Estimated Cost
$150 in materials + $250 investment costs for tools
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Paint - Milestone Color
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Modern outdoor 2x4 chair with modification

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 03/08/2019 - 13:31

This chair was made off Ana white'smodern outdoor chair with modification to add back support. Without the back support the back pillow would keep falling off.  The cushion are 25x25 but very thick for comfort.

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

Comments

Brittsiana

Sun, 08/16/2020 - 10:03

Does anyone know what degree angle this is for the back support?
I would like to add it to my newly finished chairs I made over the weekend. The pillow keeps falling down.