Community Brag Posts

This is my second project. It's a coffee bar to free up space in my kitchen countertop. It has quite a few imperfections but I am very proud of the finished product. Can't wait for my next project!

Made this table over the long New Years Eve weekend. Whole lot cheaper than the table from Pottery Barn.

My Mini Farmhouse Bedside Table. I used oak and created a more mission style look.

Built the week of Thanksgiving 2016, this is a slightly modified sideboard without the top drawers and with increased height so the top drawer inside the center cabinet rolls out at a height of 29" and works as a sewing desk.  The lower drawer slide holds the vinyl cutter and neatly slides out of the way when the laptop is put away after cutting is complete.  Up inside the center console just behind the door catch is a pair of LED work lights that light up the sewing area.  The cabinet is finished with a blue milk paint and a few layers of poly over the top.  Hinges were sourced at Home Depot and the knobs were found at Hobby Lobby. A 3/4" x 3/4" piece was added above and below the doors along the entire length of the piece to hide the lights and give the doors a more framed look.  Routed out a rabbit frame for 1/4 ply cut in 3.5" strips for the door insets.  Kreg jigged the entire thing together.  Brad nailed only the front bottom trim.  Everything else is screwed or screwed and glued in place.  Tip for the DIYer: make sure if you use a drywall square that it is actually square.

My wife has been dropping hints about this pedestal for a while so I decided to use my Christmas break to build it. Before making this, I measured the area I was using and decided 28"x58" was what I needed, the 60" would've been too big. I was also tempted to bring the width to 24" due to the ease in buying precut plywood at those measurements. But, the 28" is better for the width of the machines. I used 3 2"x10"s on the top because they were cheaper than buying 2 big sheets of plywood. I could either buy a 2' x 4' sheet or a huge one, and I would've needed 2 big ones for the dimensions of this pedestal. They made the pedestal very sturdy, and heavy. The boards also fit just perfectly with the width of 28". The trim on the front is from 2 1"x 3"s. I glued and used a nailer to tack them. Instead of the recommended 11" for the legs, I went 14" just to bring the washer/dryer to a more desireable height. I had some regrets while I was trying to heave the washer up there. But with 6 boards and a kitchen chair, I was able to get it up there. After I was completed, I realized the thing was a little wobbly because I failed to square it up while I was building the frame. I went to the local hardware store and bought some "feet" that screw into the bottom, kind of like anchor screws for a wall, and are adjustable. They were only a few bucks. In order too distress the front of the pedestal I used 80 grit sandpaper by hand. I thought I would want white underneath, but it turns out i like how the wood peeking through looks. I did read that if you want a different color underneath, you should paint it, then put candlewax on the spots that you want to peek through, then paint it with the next color. As a precaution, I screwed a few angle brackets in front of the machines. One thing that i didn't anticipate was the dryer vent. It was initially coming straight out of the wall into the dryer. When I had the dryer raised up, the pedestal was pressed up against the wall, and blocked the vent. So, I had to cut the drywall and add a tube to raise the vent up. Since we will be painting our laundry room soon, this wasn't too big of a problem.

My first big project. 

My husband and I really enjoyed working on this together. We had a bunch of leftover engineered hardwood flooring. It worked out great for this project! We staggered the boards in the chevon pattern and took it all the way down instead of reversing it (since it seemed like so much more work and I thought the mattress and pillows would cover it anyway), so it was simple to piece it all together. I love the look. We made the bed with detachable railings, which was necessary - because this bed is HEAVY. Thanks for the great idea!

I built this for my daughter's room, to give her a little more play space. I did end up altering the plans slightly for stability. I added backs to the bookshelf and to the desk. If I had to do it again, I would not use the turned feet, it is a weak point in the design. Instead I would have continued the 2x2's to the floor. It got cold on me, and I am waiting for warmer weather to paint her ladder.

We fell in love with the look of this bed but at $600 it was out of our budget.  The heavens opened and the angels sung when we found Formufit furniture grade PVC.   It even comes in different colors!  We used 1" but I would recommend 11/4" to make it a bit more sturdy.  We glued most of it together and chose to omit one section out of each of the headboard and footboard.  Another note, because the PVC slips in the fitting about 1" you need to add 2" to each measurement.  We did not and it turned out just fine but we were 2" shorter than the measurements.  We also used four 3' sections, 2 four way in the center and added two more legs and caps as the formufit doesn't come in longer than 5' and we wanted more stability.  The wood slats will be put on when our split ring hangers get here as we couldn't find them in out town.  Total cost was about $150 because we used recycled pallet boards for the mattress platform.

Made for wife before our first grandbaby's baby shower 

My first build after getting a Kreg Jig for my birthday! I built this workbench as a Christmas gift for my two sons - 3 and 1. It took much longer than it should have, mainly because I could only work on it 10-20 minutes at a time when I could steal a break from the kiddos. I'm really happy with how it turned out - I based it on a bench that I saw in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog. Now I just need some pegs so they can start hanging their tools!

What goes here?

This is my version of the hidden desk. This desk is completely made out of solid wood. The stained wood is pine and the natural wood is a mixture of oak, cherry and maple.  I still have to add shelves and door pulls but otherwise its done.

I made this step stool in around four days. It took longer because of the five coats of paint. It has two coats of paint and three coats of finish. It should stand up to many years of use. With the storage area empty, the lid dropping closed can be somewhat loud. I added felt bumpers underneath the top step to dampen the sound. It's light enough for my 18-month old to push around.

The jigsaw cuts weren't always perfect. I filled any gaps and countersunk screws with wood filler. I used a mouse sander to smooth everything out after screwing it all together. The longest part was the painting. I painted every surface, hidden or not, to protect the wood and hopefully make it last forever.

I didn't list an estimated cost because I had to purchase several tools, including a jigsaw, sander, and countersink bits. It was probably user error, but the countersink drill bit was a pain to use. The locking nut couldn't be tightened enough to keep the adjustable drill bit in place.

We made these toy chests for baby shower gifts.  We followed the plan for the most part.  We skipped the notching on the front of the chest, and opted to upholster the top.  I added names to the front as well to personalize them a bit as well.  Overall, it went pretty smooth, once we got going.  The plans were clear and easy to follow.  This was our first build off of plans from Ana-White, and I think they turned out pretty nice! 

My husband and I decided that the best way to keep our guest bathroom makeover on a budget was to build the vanity ourselves.