Community Brag Posts

Open Bench Hall Tree

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 03/18/2024 - 10:45

My husband built this coat rack and it is amazing and beautiful.i love it. I know the hooks look crooked in this picture but they are definitely straight.

Tracey and Wilbur Fawbush

Built from Plan(s)

Huge butcher block cutting board - my very first build ever!

Submitted by kendikat on Thu, 08/09/2012 - 14:37

This was my very first build ever! I enrolled in a beginning woodworking class at the local community college and our first assignment was to make a cutting board. All that was required was a super simple cutting board with some wood strips glued together then cut into a shape of some sort. But I decided that if I was going to bother making a cutting board, I was going to make something awesome and useful. I wanted to make a butcher block style cutting board. My boyfriend's only input was that he wanted something "big enough to hold a tri-tip". This was the result! It's made of PC maple and measures 23-1/4" long by 14-1/2" wide and 2-1/4" tall with the feet (1-1/4" thick cutting surface). It took me way longer than most of the other people in the class, but I love it. For this project alone, I had to learn to use the table saw, the compound miter saw, the planer and jointer, the router, an assortment of machine sanders and palm sanders available in the school's shop, the glue scraper (oh goodness I hate glue squeeze-out), and how to do clamping set-ups. At the very end, I finished it with mineral oil, and we broke it in with an amazingly delicious prime rib at New Year's ;D

Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Mineral oil, just a regular bottle from the drug store. Apply a liberal coat, allow to soak in, apply again, allow to soak in, and so on, until it goes for at least a few hours without absorbing any more, then wipe off the excess.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Old Deck Wood Laundry Crate

Submitted by dmcarwin on Mon, 06/02/2014 - 07:56

I have been in love with Ana's laundry dressers since she first posted them. When I helped makeover my sister's Closet/Laundry room I knew she had to have one! Only problem? We were out of funds. I wouldn't let that stop me!! With some free old deck wood I modified Ana's laundry dresser into a rustic awesome laundry crate! Talk about bringing cute to the laundry room, this totally fits the bill, and it is of course useful. She uses the top as a folding station too. To make it taller I cut small pieces of the deck wood and stacked them for feet, which I love! Then I added casters so she could roll it around the room. For a full tutorial check out my blog post, you won't be sorry!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Free! (ok, I spent $4 on casters, they were on sale at Harbor Freight)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Three coats of poly on the top.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

My Fancy Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 09/04/2016 - 19:19

I loved this bed and after making Ana's fancy farmhouse table for my daughter, I couldn't wait to try this.  It turned out beautifullly and even accomodates our three labs.  Extra support added underneathe, of course! Love it!

Estimated Cost
$125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White roughed up
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Easy Farm Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 06/16/2020 - 17:08

Used watco danish oil. Table will be used outside not sure how the danish oil will hold up by itself. May add polyurethane or if it falls apart I’ll build new next years. Also added diagonal supports at the bottom because it swayed a bit

Estimated Cost
75
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Watco danish oil light walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Craftsman Frame

Submitted by pde00311 on Tue, 06/03/2014 - 08:50

Our new house has an imposing exposed brick wall over a fireplace and mantle. To fill the big wall, we wanted to post enlarged pictures of our baby/family, but did not want to spend to money on a massive frame. Executing these plans turned out awesome. We blew up a photo, had a matte and glass cut to size, and then I built the craftsman frame to fit around everything. The framing probably would have been better/easier if I had a router to cut out an indent on the backside, but I ended up framing the photo/glass/matte inside some plain molding I nailed to the back.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Ipswich Pine with Polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/05/2016 - 15:12

Farmhouse table and benches

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
early American 230 stain with semi-gloss white paint and clear semi-gloss polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Rustic "X" Coffee Table

Submitted by Meagan84 on Wed, 08/15/2012 - 16:12

This table was super easy to make and is solid as a rock! I'm very happy with the way it turned out. It is the first piece of indoor furniture I have made. I did need 3 2x2x8's instead of two though. I don't know if it was my inexperience or what, but that is the only thing I had trouble with.

I finished it exactly like Hillary did, with the steel wood vinegar concoction, but mine came out much more brown than hers did. It wasn't exactly what I had planned, but in the end I'm happy with it. I guess that's one of those things that can't be controlled.

I can't wait to build the end table to match!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Hillary's oxidizing method starting with strong tea, then adding a coat of steel wool and vinegar mix. Then used Minwax Finishing paste wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Hillary (not verified)

Mon, 08/27/2012 - 22:41

Gorgeous, Meagan! It did come out a lot more brown than mine. That is so strange. I guess with oxidizing you never really know what you're going to get! I go a bit crazy with scraps before I oxidize and I experiment with more or less vinegar to tone down the effect. Anyway, yours is really beautiful and looks super square and sturdy. You did a great job.

Dining Table

Submitted by coutney58 on Fri, 06/06/2014 - 07:43

This is my first major DIY project and was relatively easy if you follow the instructions (I have done the crate coffee table and turned an old coffee table into a bench).

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Min-Wax dark walnut and 6 coats of poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

X rustic End table

Submitted by Joep_erez on Wed, 09/07/2016 - 01:01

Heres the X Rustic End table I made with Annas plans. I used 1x6's instead of 2x6's and added a middle shelve. Hope u like...

Estimated Cost
40
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Espresso/ polyurithane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Fathers Day Gift

Submitted by vtmama on Sun, 06/21/2020 - 17:56

This was my second bigger builds. It came out beautifully and I am so proud to have built this for my husbands very first Fathers Day. Easy to build.

Estimated Cost
100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Special walnut Minwax
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Truss End Table

I had trouble with this project. I wasn't sure of the terminology, off square and such. It went well, I ended up not putting the truss part on due to not paying attention when cutting the wood.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Rust-Oleum Ultimate Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Double dog coffee table crate

I LOVE the way this turned out! I used truck bed liner for the floor and the sides because one of the dogs is still a puppy and truck bed liner is TOUGH and waterproof (in case of accidents)! I made one side of the crate huge and one side small to match the size of our dogs. The really nice thing is that you can't tell by looking at it that it is two different sizes inside. This looks so much better than those ugly wire or plastic crates.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$85
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I primed all of the wood except the lid. On the interior I sprayed truck bed liner over the primer. On the outside I used Beyer high gloss "parchment paper" color. (I used high gloss so dog dirt, dander and fur would be easy to wipe off). I used Minwax wood prep first and then I stained the top with Minwax espresso. It took about 3 coats of stain to get the color I wanted and 2 coats of paint after the primer.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Leaning bathroom shelf

Submitted by Jill Marie on Fri, 09/09/2016 - 13:30

I saw this plan and immediately decided to make it!  My mom had been telling me for a while I needed a shelf in the bathroom she uses while visiting. She was coming the next day so decided I needed to hustle to surprise her. I left the lumber store at 8pm and finished painting the assembled shelves by 11pm. The next morning I moved shelves to the bathroom and when she arrived later that day she was so surprised!  She loved it! Thank you so much for the idea! 

Estimated Cost
$11 for lumber (I purchased 2 pieces 1-1x6 @ 8ft and 1-1x10 @ 8ft and cut to size). I already had nails, wood glue, and paint (you could purchase a sample size for $3 @Lowes and have enough for this project ).
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Scenic view colored paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Modern Farmhouse Coffee Table

I built this coffee table with off the shelf lumber and finished with Varathane Sun Bleached and Weathered Gray Stains, and Minwax satin polyurethane. I applied a fairly even coat of the Sunbleached Stain and added a few streaks of the weathered gray. I used 1 ¼" pocket screws instead of the brad nails. I used a hammer and a couple of finishing nails for the braces.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Sun Bleached Stain
Varathane Weathered Gray Stain
Minwax Satin Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

High Loft Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 04/07/2024 - 18:10

I built this bed a little higher so it will last my daughter a lot longer.
Such a great way to get back all that floor space! The 2x4 frame makes it super strong as well.

Diane

Turned Leg Coffee Table

Submitted by maryjacob on Mon, 08/20/2012 - 18:57

Okay, don't mind the husband and the pooch in the background there! I fell in love with the Pottery Barn version of this table (actually, I've fallen in love with everything from Pottery Barn, if we're being honest here), so I've been wanting to make this coffee table for quite awhile. I found the legs on ebay for a really low price, so I splurged and bought premium 5/4" thick pine planks for the table top to make it look more substantial. This table was so easy to assemble using pocket holes. My husband and I both love how it turned out!

Estimated Cost
About $130 for all wood and finishing supplies
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stained with a mix of Minwax English Chestnut and Minwax Dark Walnut, then finished with 3 coats of Minwax Clear Satin Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Leaning Shelf

Submitted by Wayoff on Tue, 06/10/2014 - 19:26

This was my first project and we think it turned out great..Thank you for sharing your plans and showing that anyone can do this.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
50.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Chocolate Fudge Truffle satin paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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