Community Brag Posts

I didn't make any changes , his orginal design was great. Hope these pictures help others. I tried to link to the modified-simple-outdoor-dining-table but wasn't able too.

First, this table came out amazing because I started with amazing plans.  I went off the plans for a few minor tweaks and also added some accents that are not part of the original plans.

Our table is 100" long due to the size of the room.  This allowed me to keep the three pedestals and still have the table look appeasing to the eye.  Kept it at 40" wide and 30" high give or take a 1/4".

The two tweaks from the plans I can remember at this point are my long rails at the sides of the table do not extend the length of the table.  The two end pieces are 40" instead.  This is because I didn't buy long enough 2x4s and only realized this once I got to those cuts.  Not a big deal, I'm actually happy with the result.  The second tweak is no inner rounded edges.  2x4 lumber is rounded on all four edges.  Within the interior of the table, I wanted flush contact with all pieces.  Since cutting one edge off of a standard 2x4 would bring it to about 3.25" wide thus effecting the overall width of the table, I decided to rip down and plane a 4x4 then route the out edges to get that round edge back, but on one side.  

As for the the add-ons that the plans didn't call for...  For one, I added accent lag bolts spray painted to a similar color of the table at the four corners of the top and two on each leg kicker.  These bolts are for esthetics only.  The six bolts going through the legs into the 2x6 lock the 2x6 and the legs into place so they can't slide apart.

Lastly, I created wide wire wheel using a lag bolt and 5 5" brass fine wire wheels to give the table a distressed weathered look.  This is difficult to see in photos but in person looks really nice.  My favorite feature of the table.

Lastly, I stained the table with White Wash Pickling.  As soon as I finished spraying and wiping, I went to the briarsmoke then vigorously wiped it away to bring out the white underneath, especially on the knotted areas.  

Overall, I couldn't be happier with the table.  I want to thank everyone who posted photos of their tables.  They were all an inspiration me and my build.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me any time!

Thank you,

Jerry

I moved into a new house and needed a new chicken coop. I am retired and not a woodworker but these plans were easy to build. Thanks Ana.

I made a more narrow version of this bookshelf. I needed a place for the thicker books to go, so I left the top shelf open. This bookshelf has made it so simple for the boys to clean up after reading. Even my four year old knows to put his books back!!! YESSSSS!

This was our first project yet, and we plan to do many more! We did the bulk of this project in one weekend, and took our time with the finishing touches. We added trim to frame the outsides, using solid 1x2 pieces, and added just 4 feet to the bottom so Roomba can fit under there and do his job! The stain we used was used in other projects by Ana, and we love the rustic feel!

This basement storage room was packed with 10 years of junk and smelled like funk! Divided into 3 piles, burn, donate and keep. Now with sealed and painted walls and epoxy'd floors we hope to use this as a storage/craft room. Next on the list is a craft/storage/wrapping station for the other corner. I also built a small stand that the artificial tree is sitting on. Due to condensation (humid Michigan summers) we don't want anything to sit on the concrete.

This was my first time building anything, since the tool box I made in wood-shop in highschool! I made the stools about 3" shorter than the plans to accommodate our low counter height. Otherwise, I really had no idea what I was doing, but learned a lot through the process. Also, I don't really have a great work space, other than the 10'x10' second bedroom in our NYC apartment. At least all the dust can stay in one place. Looking forward to my next project of an outdoor table for our terrace - I'm hooked!!! Thanks Ana for making this so accessible. Some of my friends now want to come over and build projects for their apartments too!

Didn't turn out identical to the plan. I changed some measurements to work with her porch and the space I had to hang it, but all in all I'm more then pleased with it! ;-)

This is my attempt at the 2x4 outdoor sofa.  The entire sofa is made out of 2x4 Redwood, so the cost was a little high at $150 for the wood.  I'm still waiting on cushions, but I went overboard and bought them custom made so the total for those came out to $520.  Overall, I could have easily bought a complete set online but hey, this is more fun!

My one concern is the back support.  I'm thinking of building something angled in, but haven't thought of the best approach yet, that will still look good.  

We live in an old house with lots of windows in the kitchen but not much storage space. Having previously tackled a kitchen island with the help of ana-white.com, I knew that the Under Sink Kitchen Organizer Shelf would be a much simpler project. We already had the tools and screws, so I picked up a couple of 3-foot 1x8s for about $7. The organizer is 20 inches high, 15 inches wide, and 7-1/4 inches deep. The shelf is only about 6-1/2 inches deep because I used 1x8 for the back, but it works.

These plans came at just the right time for us as we needed to move our toddler to her first twin bed! I was set on beadboard for her room, so I modified the plan slightly by gluing the sheet of beadboard to the plywood, adding the molding to frame the beadboard and also adding a couple of inches to the legs. The thickness of the beadboard did not allow the back of the headboard to be flush with the legs, but it really isn't noticeable.

This bed is easy to build and extremely sturdy! We spent much more than the $75 listed on the plans, using both pine and poplar as we shopped around checking out our local retailers. Our local furniture store's least expensive solid wood bed was much scrawnier and $250 plus delivery, so we still came out ahead! The mattress is a 14" memory foam mattress bringing it much closer to an average bed height, but still very accessible for our 2 year old.

The bed only took a couple of evenings to build and the headboard came together in just an afternoon! However, most of that with a 2 year old, so it could come together quicker if you are sans kiddos :)

I built the table some months ago and my wife loved it so we decided to build a set of benches to go with it. I gotta say though i will never build these suckers again. Man there were so many cuts!!! The stain was steel wool, vinegar and tea bags and i used a rub on polly. The funny thing is I built both of these benches for a total of 30 bucks! I found all the wood laying around. I hope you all enjoy. Sorry about the horrible pictures I guess if I am going to be uploading pictures on here a better camera other than my smartphone is in order.

Loved a shoe cabinet at Mobler Furniture, but hated the 300 dollar price.

Figured Ana would have a plan: She Did. We used the Shoe Dresser plans but I built the gables in one piece to eliminate the need for separate feet. The overall length is only 38 inches. I built it counter height.

Because we used wood that we had laying around from previous projects, the drawers, and the unit are made of pine, while the top is made of oak. Total cost for the wood was 30 canadian dollars.

Rather than buy catches, I ran an extra support rail under the top, which made attaching the top easy, but also served as a "bump" for the closing door - it adds a satisfying clunk when closing the doors. I did the same for the second door too.

The handles were purchased for a project in our previous house and used here instead.

We used paintbrushable Tremclad matte black for the interior (23 bucks - used less than half the tin.)

We used 1.5 cans of spray Tremclad red enamel for the exterior (8 bucks a tin)

We hit it all with two coats of Zinsser sealer first  - 14 bucks, used half. 

Total hit was well under a hundred bucks.

Took me a couple days to work out the details, a day to construct, and about three days to paint, one for the undercoat, one for the black, one for the red.

My plants are still really little here and I modified the planters to sit right at the bottom of my windows and fit a 12" pot exactly. Love them!