Community Brag Posts

We made a modified (and scaled down) version of this dollhouse. Check out our blog for a complete list of details, plans, dimensions, furniture plans, and a downloadable sketch-up file to help you in building this. SUCH a fun and wonderful project. This was a Christmas gift and we are hoping it will be around for years to come! Thanks Ana.

http://www.thoughtcomics.com/projects.html

Have fun! We are beginner builders but it took us quite some time to build this. 20 Hrs...??

Email any questions!

I used old gumwood and pine for the table top. Just finished renovating 1930’s house and saved some old wood from the baseboards, fireplace mantel, etc. Used craigs jig to connect them for table top. I was only ¾ inch thick, a bit too thin for my liking, so I added bottom frame from new ¾ inch pine then enclosed the whole table top with the 1.5 inch frame from old wood leftovers. Legs all new 4X4 fir beams. Came out quite nice and definitely unbreakable! Thanks for the plans, Anna! 

This project was completed in a weekend. I was really proud of the result. 

As a Notre Dame fan, this was a tough one, so I charged extra for having to stomach the OSU red. It was a long build, and by far my most ambitious piece of furniture since the customer wanted it to be full size (as opposed to twin). They were very happy with the finished product (especially the desk top w/logo, which was a surprise).

Most of the joinery was done with a Kreg jig, I used dimensional lumber for the support & cabinet grade plywood for the shelves. Thanks for looking.

Great little project that doesn't take much time. We'll be using it on our fireplace mantle this Christmas season.

My husband and I built this bench for a wedding gift.  We love the plan, so easy to follow and alter measurements to adjust size.  We finished it with a whitewash finish.

I built a breakfast bar into an existing wall shared between our kitchen and living room. I built it on the taller side of average since I wanted to have room to install new electrical outlets above the counter on the kitchen side. After the project was done we went to buy bar stools to use with the new bar and found that even the "tall" stools were too short to work. Research into extra tall stools showed that what we needed was going to $400-600 each! Luckily my wife found these stools on your site and we were able to make three of them for around $115. Also, they are much sturdier than anything we looked at to buy.

I used MDF and Pine for this build. 

I used a pneumatic door lift for the lid so that it will stay open and not fall on little heads or fingers.

I hand painted the stars and text.

Thank you for such clear and fun plans. This coffee table is the first piece of furniture I have built and I can't wait to make a complementary side table and console. I used the Minwax Dark Walnut stain and three coats of Minwax oil-based polyurethane, and sanded between each coat. I made the end pieces of the tabletop with leftover 2x2s and then added the center support beneath the tabletop before securing or to the frame to help keep it flat. 

My daughter sent me a copy of your plans for the Little Helper Tower with the question, "can you make this?", to which I said a hesitant "yes. I decided to modify the plans so that instead of just making two ladders and holding them together with 6 sticks of wood, to make the sides also with vertical 1x2s, then use barrel nuts and furniture bolts to hold it all together. This gives you four pieces and a platform once it is disassembled should you ever need to take it apart.
I took some rough African Mahogany and Sapele and planed it to thickness (3/4") then cut to the required dimensions (1x2, 1x3, etc). I used a biscuit joiner to make slots and then glued the horizontal pieces, using the wooden biscuits, to the vertical pieces. I could not get myself to attempt lining up dowel holes, which would be a stronger attachment. I know this is not the best for a vertical application, but I used Titebond II wood glue and am confident it can take the weight of my grandson.

This project followed the plans at http://ana-white.com/2012/03/plans/kentwood-bookshelf with a major customization twist. The backing is actually made from a photo op wall I built for our daughter’s wedding. The wall was ten feet tall the bookshelf backing is from some of the lettering boards.   

When I recently moved into a space with a kitchen and living room attached, I quickly realized that I wouldn't have room for a full size dinner table. I had seen extendable kitchen tables but none fit the bill, I was looking for something more compact. I also liked the idea of a bar / island with storage underneath, and I had noticed some had a drop leaf on 1 side which would be useful – but why not have 2 leafs for more dining space? When I decided to build my own table to fit these requirements it was difficult to find any plans out there, especially with drop leafs. Through lots of experimenting and research I finally built what I had envisioned: a kitchen island / bar with cart storage and two folding table leafs which expand to about 3^1/2 feet squared of eating / drinking area. I went through this trial and error process so you don’t have to, find more pictures and instructions here: http://bacheloronabudget.com/diy-drop-leaf-kitchen-island-cart/

This is my first attempt at a furniture project. I customized the Twin Farmhouse Bed plan to use leftover v-groove paneling for the planks and pre-primed MDF for the trim and headboard/footboard caps. I used pine 4x4s for the posts, cheap 1x4s for the rail supports, and 1/4 in white paneling ($10) under the mattress. Trim was nailed using standard 16 and 18 ga nailer. Used Spax screws for attaching the posts to the 2x6s behind the paneling and trim. Spray painted using Krylon paint primer and gloss finish. Spent a little extra on multiple coats of spray paint, but the finish was well worth it. The v-groove paneling required hand painting in the grooves for better white covereage on the final coat, but MDF soaks in the paint so it required more coats than the pre-primed trim needed.

I made my shelves 16 ft by 6ft by 2ft - added another plank to each shelf to increase the width. I compensated for the slope along the garage wall by offsetting all the screw-in points in the front legs half an inch. This thing is HEAVY.

I anchored the unit to the wall by securing 2 scrap 2x4s to the studs - 1 at the 2nd set of legs and 1 at the far right legs - and screwing the unit legs into the 2x4s. This way, I didn't have to line the unit up precisely with the studs.