I probably took this project on at a bad time (final semester of college, planning to move for my first job, and getting married) but this was my wedding present to my wife. I modified the plans and made everything (except for the drawer boxes) out of white oak cut from my father in law's farm. The headboard, footboard, and drawer faces are edge glued planks. I made the corner posts by gluing 2x4s together (actual dimension of the post is 3x3). I used threaded inserts to make it come apart into 4 pieces (headboard, footboard, and drawer boxes). This thing is HEAVY (the headboard alone probably weighs ~150lbs) I learned a lot during this project and these planse were a great guideline!
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax English Chestnut (233). I used a basic brush on polyurothane. Knowing what I know now, I would probably go back and use General Finishes. I used a combination of seal-a-cell and and Arm-R-Seal. I used that combo on a crib I build a few months ago and I am really happy with the look and durability of the finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate