Community Brag Posts

A new crib for a new baby. The foot and head board can be attached with the side rails to put together a full sized bed. In theory,  this should be the only bed they need for their little dude with just  a few additions (new footboard). 

We built our daughter a cabin bed from the Ana White websit.   Plans were for a twin size mattress and we converted the width to accomodate a full size mattress.  After completing the Cabin bed and installing the full size mattress is when we discovered that the plans have an error in the length of the the cabin bed.  Plans call for 71 inches in length when 75 inch lengths are what all mattresses come in unless you are getting an oversize one which measures 80 inches in length.  The good thing is we purchased a 9 inch memory foam mattress which compressed enough in lenght to fit. 

Love these shelves.... Best part about them is they were completely free but add such a great country feel to my country style kitchen...

I inherited the guts of a piano, and just had to make them into something funtional.  I am a musician, and these piano hammers were great inspiration for my next build.  I made a box out of 2x8s, braced them with 4x4's (which also added height) and attached some metal 2 1/2 in casters.  I set the hammers inside the box, and topped it off with plexiglass.  A functional work of art to be enjoyed for generations!  

Made it a little taller and a little deeper.  

To celebrate my daughter beginning Kindergarten, I built her a school-appropriate bedroom. Inspired by the Junior Loft Bed on the Walmart.com website, I modified Ana's Chelsea Bunk plan by changing the height and adding a built-in desk unit. The bed is 27.5" from the floor to the bottom of the siderail and has an overall height of 43". The desk section has a custom-built cabinet designed to fit her oddly shaped computer unit.

The room is divided into separate "nooks" with an overall emphasis on reading (she LOVES to read). There is the reading nook with her bookcase and comfy chair, a dressing nook with her stool and mirror, her study nook with her computer and school supply cubbies, and her sleeping nook.

Other modified Ana features in this room include the dollhouse bookcase, flat-wall book holder, numbered cubbies on the wall, and the vintage step stool.

My wife and I were expecting our first so we had to downsize from a queen to a full. While my wife was away for a week on a trip, I put this together. She always talked about a canopy bed and I think it turned out nice. I made a few modifications to Anna's design. The canopy is higher, I used edge support for the bed and I used dowels for everything with the exception of the lag bolts connecting the canopy to the bed. This was my first furniture project (other than shelves).

I somewhat followed the general context of the plans for the bottom, but I added bracing and general durability changes to the plans. As the original builder did not take thought into the event of moving/ un- assembling, warping, expansion or durability. I used kiln douglas fir  (4x4, and 2x4) and kiln dried pine bread board tops. All bracing joints were predrilled and then screwed in with 4.5 or 2 inch screws, as a kreg jig joint should not have stress- I want this table to withstand someone leaning or in the instance sitting on the tabe to be safe- a 1/2-1.5 kreg screw would not work. I also changed the bread board to a 1x10- as most of the 2x10 at the stores were warped or chemically treated. Underneath we added bracing with an additional 2 2x4 beams, with cross beams in the middle to prevent sress. We opted not to have breadboards, as I did not want to mortise or tenon joint the ends. We followed close to the plans- but inforced stronger bracing to withstand weight applied to the table and easy dissasembly. :)

My cost was a little higher - but I did not want chemically treated pieces or warping. There was additional cost in 4.5 inch screws, and brackets but under 50 dollars. 

Followed the plan, adjusted the height to accomadate a trundle bed in the future. Tapered the edges of the 2x6 material for a shaker/craftsman look. If you cut the board at a 25 degree angle the 2x6 material will rest right in line with the 2 x 4 material below. Be sure and add 2 to 2 1/2 inches to accommodate the taper edging.

Used Minwax gunstock stain to match the furniture and three coats of fast drying gloss poly.

This is the greatest website ever! Thank you so much Ana White! Anyway, this was my first project. Our family room was a mess - shoes everywhere, coats strewn, you name it. We don't have a mud room - you just walk in from the garage to BAM, the family room. So the mess needs to be contained and organized and the Braden Shoe Drawer, Locker and Mail Sorter/Phone Charger was our answer! I would have loved to have done the locker-mail sorter-locker layout but space is limited in the room so I was only able to make one locker. I did make a 3rd drawer, per Ana's awesome wood cutting instructions and that drawer is in a storage closet. So, pay attention to her cutting instructions - she knows what she's talking about! I had some left over wood (1x10) and used that as a divider in the shoe drawer to keep each kids' shoes separate.

My husband built the seesaw and I applied the finish and covered the seats. This project was very easy and built in one weekend, including drying time for the stain. I used Minwax stain in Classic Grey and did not use a clear coat over the stain. I bought the canvas seat fabric at Hobby Lobby for $5.00 and used 2 inch foam cushion, which was about $3.00. I had some left over ribbons from another project that I tied to both sides of the handles to make the seesaw look festive for the birthday party! The project ended up costing about $50.00 in materials. My daughter Cwen loves it!

A few weeks back, my niece asked it I wouldn't mind building a Toy Box to auction off at a benefit she's holding this Saturday (December 5th - 2015). She and her husband are adopting 4, count 'em FOUR orphans from Latvia, so naturally I was more than happy to oblige. I didn't use any specific plans per se... I just used some pocket hole cabinetry I've seen on this site and others, as well as some pictures I found on the internet of different toy boxes and blanket chests for inspiration. The final project cost about $55 all in, including lumber and hardware. I used 1x3s and 1x2s for the frame, one 4x4 sheet of 1/4" plywood for the panels, and one 3/4" x 16" x 8 foot project board (which I got for $11 and change!) to use as the bottom and lid of the chest. For hardware, I used a couple of box hinges, a lid stay so that the lid both stays open on it's own and closes softly (gotta save those little fingers, y'know ;) ), and a cool wrought iron knob I found at Hobby Lobby for about $2 (gotta love the 40% off Black Friday Deals!). Oh... I also picked up a little quote plate from Hobby Lobby too, just too add that extra touch. ヅ Stain is Rustoleum American Walnut with 3 coats of satin poly.

UPDATE:  The auction was yesterday and the chest sold for $330!  ヅ

I pretty much followed the original plans.  I added a chamfer on the outside corners of the posts and on the top boards on the head and foot boards.  I also stained these to match the nightstands.  Since I used a foam mattress, i built a platform by gluing/screwing a 2x4 inside the side rails.  Then I set 1x6s on the 2x4 to support the mattress.  

I use the free version of Sketchup to design the bed and estimate materials needed.  

Lessons learned

• Take extra time to figure out how to connect the side rails to the head and foot boards.  I thought i could use a sliding lock but this wouldn't work for my design.  I improvised using 3x7 tie plates and screwed the two components together.  For the headboard, I lined the 2x4 with the inside headboard post.  For the footboard, I bent the tie plate 90 degrees and screwed the 2x4 to the footboard.  It worked very well.
• I would recommend chamfering the outside top of the side rails.  I didn't and my wife complains that she  bumps her shins on it. 
• Top boards are 1x5s, which in my are are only sold at home depot.  The other wood is readily available.

It's not that difficult of a project.  It is time consuming, though.

This is a shelf based on the fighter planes from the pre-WWII era. I built it for my son's nursery. I stumbled onto Ana White's plan "Plane Old Shelf", got inspired, and it evolved into what it is. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Created from recycled decking timber

I built these out of necessity to keep my tipsy Christmas decorations from blowing over. The last couple years I spent a lot of time picking these trees up off the ground. I like how they turned out and were relatively easy to build.

I was excited I got to use my Kreg Jig for the first time, which looked more difficult to use than it actually was. Although these are cedar planters I used all pine from big box orange. Some leftover from the farmhouse queen bed I built and the rest I purchased.

The finish didn't turn out as grey as I would have hoped using the steel wool and vinegar, but I still like the aged look. I added the "x" detail in the front afterward and instead of staining my wife thought it looked better natural. Either way I would have been happy. I will be able to use these year round in some capacity.