Community Brag Posts

http://ana-white.com/2011/06/large-modern-porch-swing-or-bench

I wanted a place to sit and watch the koi in my pond. I have a bi-level home and the bottom of my deck is about 5' from the ground; the support posts are 6'3" apart. The joist layout made hanging a 4' swing absolutely perfect. So, I took the simple design and modified it to be shorter to fit my space. This swing could hold a small car - I just hope the chain and connectors I bought will! I used treated wood and plan to use an opaque stain for lower maintenance when it has dried out (3 weeks). Now, to pick the color! Love this plan! Thank you!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75 using treated wood
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Plan to use an opaque stain for vibrant color and low maintenance once the wood has dried
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

John Deere Themed Boys' Closet

Submitted by Veronica P on Fri, 05/30/2014 - 16:14

With a new baby boy on the way, my big boys (1 & 3) are moving into a big boy room. They requested a tractor room so here's the first project, the closet.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200 including baskets and John Deere green paint for the walls (half a gallon of which ended up on my carpet thanks to my little helpers. Oops)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
MDF was pre finished, John Deere green walls, marigold yellow on accessories.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Truss Shelves Homeschool Room

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 09/01/2016 - 12:27

I have not built a project in a while but we needed shelves for our homeschool room.  I decided to pick something and build it so we started with this one!  I love working with my hubby doing these things and he still loves me after we're done ;) so I guess we did alright!

It looks great in our room holding our games and will add some books soon.  Thanks Ana for empowering me to go again in building!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Red Mahogany Stain and Minwax Poly Wipe On Clear Satin finish
I would stain the boards before attaching next time. If you want a very smooth finish, use a regular polyurethane. I like the rustic feel of this finish on this wood. It looks great in our homeschool room!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

2x4 outdoor sectional

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 06/14/2020 - 03:57

My husband and I made 2 outdoor couches and one armless. Tweaked the plans a little. The armless one is 10 ft and we made it from pressure treated. The plans were easy to follow and change to suit our needs!

Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Easy School Organizer Shelf

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 03/18/2024 - 10:51

Was super simple to make. Got our bookbags out of kitchen chairs. As suggested in plans we used 2x3. Its plenty deep for notebooks. Love all your plans. Thanks!!

 

my first project :) a workbench for all my other projects!

Submitted by lucywilson on Fri, 08/10/2012 - 08:23

* I have tred EVERYTHING to get this picture right side up!!! So sorry it is upside down! This was my first every woodworking project and I am very pleased with the result. I have used it many time since for other projects now too. The plans were easy to follow and although it took me some time it was easy to make. Very sturdy and a great size to work on. I made it out of wood from orange and stained it with weathered oak stain.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$70
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
weathered oak
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Kentwood Bed

Submitted by aclayton on Mon, 06/02/2014 - 08:23

I built this bed for my two year old son and it is super sturdy! I used some Rockler bed rail hardware to attach the rails to the headboard/footboard for easier disassembly later. I attempted the tea/vinegar/steel wool staining technique with fairly good results. The plywood turned a little more gray than I wanted though. I spent around $100 for all of the supplies (wood + pocket hole screws), but a huge chunk of that was the 3/4" Maple plywood, and I only used half of the sheet. So, I guess the actual cost of the bed was closer to $75. Luckily, I'll be able to use the rest of the plywood for some beds for my daughters. This bed was super easy to build and my son loves it!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Tea/ Vinegar/ Steel Wool mixture
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Ikea inspired outdoor storage bench and panel

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 09/04/2016 - 20:22

This project is based on the outdoor storage bench at morelikehome.net, which was based on an Ikea outdoor storage unit.  I used 100 year old lath that I recycled from a remodeling project.  The lid of the bench lifts off, it will eventually hide the timer for a drip irrigation.

Estimated Cost
less than $30, really just the cost of glue. I used recycled lath thus no cost for the wood. I found some old drawer pulls in the garage, and put a patina on them.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Preserva, Redwood color, purchased at Home Depot
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Portable work table

Submitted by nestico on Tue, 06/16/2020 - 18:47

This is my first build. I thought making a work table would be the ideal first project. I'm very happy I came across Ana's Youtube channel and website. I made some rookie mistakes with the cut list. I t was my fault but a good learning experience. In the past I have dreaded any kind of woodworking project. I became very frustrated using the garage floor or some makeshift work table. This sores nicely in the garage and is very functional. I did add a handle on the side of the work table to carry it to the work site. I'm looking forward to many new projects.

Estimated Cost
$30.00 That includes lumber and hardware.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Unfinished

Tall Pallet Entryway Table

Combination of the Farmhouse table (http://ana-white.com/2009/12/plans-farmhouse-table-knock-off-of.html) and the simple, cheap, easy console table (http://ana-white.com/2009/11/plan-simple-cheap-and-easy-console.html).

I wanted it taller so that I could make rolling crates to push underneath and might add a shelf later on to maximize storage potential. I kept the lengths of the pallets except for the side supports which I just cut in half, I wish I had cut a little more off the side supports making it so that I didn't waste as much pallet wood cutting the wood for the table top but I love it nonetheless and I have bonfire wood for our next get together. Right now I'm enjoying it since it's my first Ana-White project.

I used two free pallets I scored on a yard sale group on Facebook, lots of sanding, and I had the paint (one coat to keep it rustic) and screws on hand so it was a free project. I only received one splinter (should of been wearing gloves) and added an embellishment with chalk board paint (stating the year that my husband and I met since he just left on deployment). It took me 5 hours (I told you it was a lot of sanding) over the weekend. Fun project, can't wait to get started on the next one :)

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I used a combination of latex paints, colors: sunflower yellow and brownie brown, with a little paint thinner and brushed it on.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Flat Book Shelf How-to

Our home is small, about 1600 sq/ft, so I am on a mission to create as much out of the way storage as possible. It feels like a loosing battle, but I suppose with 2 young children most mothers feel like this with or without more square footage. You might wonder why I don't buy furniture to solve my problems? My answer to that question is that most of the furniture out there is too expensive, it doesn't fit the space available, and just doesn't suit all of our needs. Most importantly, I know that I can make it myself, build it better, and use quality materials. No particle board here, thank you.

So, my storage solution for my boys books was inspired by the Ana Whites Flat Wall Book Shelves (http://ana-white.com/2010/04/plans-wall-book-racks-easy-and-inexpensive…). I wanted to maximize my storage and make a good use of space in our already cramped home.

Please visit my blog for a complete DIY on my version if you are interested.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Reddish oops paint from Lowes and 2 clear coats
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Sideboard/Hutch

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/05/2016 - 19:38

Only our second wood working project (after the x console table) and it was a success! Next time, we would do the doors differently as we made them with 1x 3's and 1/4'' plywood and we had to cut the shelves down about 1/4" so they doors would shut flush. Next time we would do the 1/3's as a frame and surface mount the frame then put the 1/4" ply wood on behind it. Absolutely loved how it turned out though!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/18/2020 - 19:25

First table build! We modified the plans with no breadboard ends since we live with lots of humidity and wanted to allow the wood movement. We also used 4x4s for the legs. White chalk spray paint legs and custom mix of special walnut and weathered oak stains. We LOVE it!!

Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)

Tryed Side Table- Pallet Redux

Submitted by haystacks2 on Wed, 08/15/2012 - 17:38

Made these side tables for our master bedroom using the wood from 3 wooden pallets. The pallets took about 45 minutes each to disassemble and the plank sizing required us to ripped the boards to 3 different uniform widths.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Jaclyn Lieneck (not verified)

Fri, 09/14/2012 - 15:06

Do you have a blog? I commented on someone's blog and they sent me to this site, but now I cannot find their blog!!

Outdoor Sectional

Submitted by diychica on Fri, 06/06/2014 - 16:40

I used 2x12 instead of 2x4 for the base and four 2x6 instead of six for the seating area. So this modified version is higher and narrower compare to the original plan.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Redwood transparent stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Coffee Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 06/21/2020 - 18:14

My first project and it was so much fun to build! I had no problems cutting the wood and getting it sanded and ready to go. I made a mistake putting it together and didn't realize it till several steps later. Luckily it was easy enough to unscrew it and go back and fix it. I was brave on the gray/light walnut colors I chose but I like how it turned out. Glad I tackled something easy for my first project. Now I'm happily looking forward to my next one. Thanks for the great plans!

Estimated Cost
60
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain is one part Golden Oak and one part Dark Walnut
Gray paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Pallet Wood Planters

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/01/2024 - 09:40

Did them for a friend that owns a bakery.
I don't have access to new lumber unfortunately.
The bulk of what I make is pallet. That's why there are four instead of 3 slats.
Same plan though. Pretty easy to follow.
I did add some handles to make it easier to move
since they will be brought in and out daily.

Yun

Rustic X Coffee Table

Submitted by FatBobK2 on Sun, 08/19/2012 - 05:54

I changed the design a little, using 4x4's for the legs, eliminating the side X's, and tried to save a little money by cutting the top 2x6's so that I could use the same board for both the top and bottom shelf, so i didn't have to buy the 2x12's recommended in the plans for the bottom shelf.

I used Rustoleum Sunbleached for the finish, then covered in 2 coats of brown wax, let it dry for a day, then removed some wax with Motsenbockers Paint and Varnish remover, which is Biodegradable and low VOC. I think this really gave the wood the look of old reclaimed barn wood.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$45
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Sunbleach, and Brown Wax
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Jutka (not verified)

Mon, 10/22/2012 - 20:36

I looooove how this turned out. I am straight up stealing this. Keep my flings crossed that mine turns out as well as yours did!

amycourts

Sat, 08/03/2013 - 09:25

LOVE what you did here. I was wondering if I could do the same thing - use 2x6s for top & shelf! That'll make it a little easier to narrow it as well. And I'm ditching the X's also. They just don't appeal... so you know, just write up new plans for what you did, eh? :) Great job!

amycourts

Sat, 08/03/2013 - 09:26

LOVE what you did here. I was wondering if I could do the same thing - use 2x6s for top & shelf! That'll make it a little easier to narrow it as well. And I'm ditching the X's also. They just don't appeal... so you know, just write up new plans for what you did, eh? :) Great job!

amycourts

Sat, 08/03/2013 - 09:26

LOVE what you did here. I was wondering if I could do the same thing - use 2x6s for top & shelf! That'll make it a little easier to narrow it as well. And I'm ditching the X's also. They just don't appeal... so you know, just write up new plans for what you did, eh? :) Great job!

amycourts

Sat, 08/03/2013 - 09:33

sorry for the extra comments. One other thing - For the bottom shelf: It looks like you used 2x4s to attach to the 4x4 legs; is that right? What did the dimensions of your table end up being? And, if you don't mind my asking, what *would* they be, if you eliminated one of the top 2x6s? Thanks!!

Djun Finney

Sat, 03/28/2015 - 13:22

Hi Bob, your table looks awesome, what did you do for the base support under your top and bottom pieces? Thanks !

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