The littlest Helper Tower
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I built this Tower from plans found on Ana's site.
Decided to do with a two tone colour.
I'm very happy how it turned out.
All three Grand Kids fit in there and love it.
Thanks Ana
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![](/sites/default/files/IMG_1297.jpg)
I built this Tower from plans found on Ana's site.
Decided to do with a two tone colour.
I'm very happy how it turned out.
All three Grand Kids fit in there and love it.
Thanks Ana
We recently built our version of the Salsa console to use as a buffet/sideboard in our dining room. It turned out beautifully and we couldn't be happier with it! Check out our blog for more details :)
This was my second build (easier than my first project...the Adirondack chair). Its a heavy piece and plenty sturdy as a birthday present for my one year old nephew and his sister and cousins to play on. Bought a plastic steering wheel from amazon.com. the textured paint (Anchor Gray - textured metallic by Martha Stewart was perfect for the wheels). Couldn't find the plans on ana-white but did get them from http://www.morelikehome.net/2012/10/day-26-build-little-car.html?m=1
I built this table back in May so a little late posting. It is the second Modern Farm Table that I've built. The first was built for my sister and this one for my nephew and his partner. I am very happy and so are they with how it turned out. Thanks again Ana for your plans.
We modified the farmhouse table and bench to make a table for our daughters apartment. We made the table 54” long which turned out to be the perfect size for the apartments dining room space. You may also notice we built a dog bowl table to match the farmhouse table style. Love the design!
Thank you for all your instructions for the farmhouse bed. It was amazingly easy since you outlined everything.
After finally getting my husband on the Ana White bandwagon, He cut all the wood for me and we assembled it in one afternoon. We used plywood instead of the planks, omitted the 2x4, using just the 2x6 on top, and we also attached 1x4s to the front of the "posts" that we made with 2 2x4s to cover the seam. I took about 2 or 3 days to sand and stain it and now he wants to build more!
have not put a stain on this yet, waiting to make a pair before doing that
This was my first project, probably a little ambitious for a first project but the plans made it super easy. As soon as I was done with the 4 chairs (two armless and two corners), I immediately made two tables that we have used as side tables, as a single table and as seats. It was dirt cheap to make, probably less than $100 for everything, that’s a complete steal. The cushions cost twice as much as the entire build.
Using the Farmhouse Vanity plans as a guide, I built this enclosed farmhouse vanity out of a neighbor's old cedar fence and topped it with leathered granite and a ReStore sink. The finished vanity is amazing! For more, check out my blog.
I had to modify the plans. The Size is 14" x 48". I also added a shelf at the bottom for shoes. Can't wait to replace the ugly shoe rack at the front door with this! I also used 1 x 4's for the apron. I found 1"x4"x14' at homedepot for only 3.40per piece!! So I was able to build this for less than $15. The wood has more knots than the other 1 x 4's, but if you look thru you can find some good pieces. I'm going to use this same wood to build the outdoor sectional too.
perfect nightstand for our guest bedroom. We love how easy the plans are. It was exactly what we were looking for and the cost to build was around $40.
My 10 year old daughter is always creating. She recently decided that she wanted to do a woodworking project with me. We started by searching online for a design that looked doable and came up with the Fancy Jewelry Box from the Ana White website.
We decided that using the full thickness of 1x stock gave the piece a bit more of a clunky look than we were after. And since I have a thickness plainer, we milled our stock down to just under 1/2”. But that meant that we had to rework many of the measurements on the plan. This also made the drawers deeper and wider. Which is nice. A happy mistake happened when, while rough cutting the individual pieces before milling them down, I inadvertently cut the pieces between the drawers too narrow. We ended up turning them 90 degrees which allowed them to fit. This is why you see the end grain on those pieces. But we like it.
We also altered the plan a bit so that the edges of the plywood on the faces of the drawers and doors do not show. We added a nice border to the top of the box with a curved router bit. We lined the drawers with felt and then added some dividers here and there using some scraps of oak which we sawed thin with a bandsaw.
The original plan was to paint the box, as opposed to staining it. It wasn't until after I had nailed on the top and the drawer fronts that my daughter decided she wanted to stain it. That's why you can see those nail holes!
We had such fun making this Jewelry box.
Sat, 09/07/2019 - 13:43
You did a fantastic job on the jewelry box! It's absolutely gorgeous!
Built these bunk beds from Ana’s plans as my first build. I had to modify a bit but my 8 years old love it! We have a boy girl twin so very fitting they can modify their area as much as they want.
These are beds from Pottery Barn style. Cost us about $700 per bed to build, minus the mattress. These are very sturdy and they have been sleeping in them for about a year and a half, no issues.
I longed for two matching toy boxes to sit at the foot of my boys beds. I loved the idea of a simple/clean line box without a lid that they could throw toys or blankets and pillows in without the chance of any fingers getting pinched. I altered the plans slightly from the ones provided by Ana and finished them off with a satin white paint.
I ran into all sorts of problems building this! I started building it based off the materials I had on hand, not really knowing what it was going to be in the end. I started with the plywood box I hadn't intended for it to be a TV console, at first I was thinking a stand for a 55 gallon fish tank (which I have since sold.)
Once I decided what I was actually doing, it went together fine. I was going to make all three of the central column area into drawers, but I can't afford the hardware for that right now. I made the farmhouse style top and stained it to match the coffee table I made previous. However, I had many issues with finishing, problems with the legs, and after attaching the top accidentally broke off one of the breadboard ends of the top.
Finishing it was most exasperating. I started out with a mini-roller and white gloss paint. After I got it completely painted, I put on poly, but the poly dried very yellow and completely ruined the finish. I had to sand it almost completely back down to the wood to get it out. By the way, I learned something important about sanding which I will share with you... the cheaper sanding discs (made from clay) are crap. Get the ones made from ceramic. They last considerably longer and get the sanding done SO much faster. I love the guys at Lowes. :)
After I got it sanded back down I got some flat paint and used my sprayer. I love flat paint, it was so easy to get it on evenly. I did water it down quite a bit though. Then I sanded it down to a beautiful very smooth finish with some slight distressing. HOWEVER - flat paint needs a top coat, and I again screwed it up. Not as bad this time though. I used a spray on poly just in some places which gave it a little bit of an aged look, not too bad. Not exactly what I wanted, but doable.
I have not reattached the top with the expectation that I will still need to do more finishing, and it will be easier that way, and I will still be adding large caster wheels instead of legs on the bottom to raise it up a few more inches.
Also, the smaller cubby areas over the doors... they aren't big enough to use a sander to get the insides.
I used invisible hinges for the first time on this project which worked out quite well, and I love those.
I would love suggestions on finishing... if I use flat paint because it's easy to work with, what is a good top coat for that? Or should I stick with gloss paint and no top coat, and try that for my next one? Paint with primer? Still learning...
They say it takes 10 years to become proficient at a skill.. I've got about 8 years of building left before I'll be good at it. :)
Sun, 10/27/2013 - 23:32
Hi There,
I do two coats of primer, and I sand very lightly, just enough so the surface feels smooth. I follow that with one coat of white semi gloss for most of my builds. White hides so many flaws! If I think the project needs a topcoat I will use Varathane Diamond Coat. That's what works for me. Hope this helps!
Val
artsybuildinglady.blogspot.ca
Enjoyed building this. Quite simple but well received. Thanks, Ana. - Dick
While mine is not as good as some of these projects I am pretty proud of it.
I came some 12"x1"x18' (Actual size) redwood planks that were removed from the roof of a building here in town, built in 1876. Essentially these were milled over 125 years ago. You can still see the the blade marks. I did not want to shorten the planks too much so I built this table, just made two frames. I used rough redwood 2x4 and 2x6 for the frame. I made it a little taller.
Its the highlight of the back yard, we have dinners out there regularly now
Sun, 05/19/2019 - 16:42
Sounds like a wonderful table! I'd love to see a photo - if you have a chance to upload!
Tue, 05/21/2019 - 12:41
Is there a way to add a photo here or do I add a "Brag Post"?
Tue, 05/21/2019 - 12:54
Got bored, built a boot room! Thank you Ana White for the plans!
Fri, 03/10/2023 - 13:31
Love the before and after, thanks for using Shelf Help!
Due to limited space and inclement weather, this table took us a bit longer than a weekend....in a perfect world, we would have been done a lot sooner...however, it was completed just in time for Thanksgiving dinner...hence the mis-matched chairs. I LOVE my new table. It turned out even better than I had hoped. Thanks Ana!
Wed, 10/02/2013 - 13:11
I don't know how I missed seeing your beautiful table! What a nice finish. I'm planning to build one for my son and his wife and would love to know how's it holding up. Would you do anything differently?
This is the third smaller sized chair that I've made. This was for my nephew's first birthday. Adjusted the measurements to suit smaller kids. My chair gift list keeps getting longer. I've got another 4 to finish before January.