Community Brag Posts

Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/23/2020 - 11:24

Did the farmhouse bed and modified it just a bit to create 12” of space between the floor and bed to give us a bit of storage underneath.

Estimated Cost
$20”
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
2 coats Grey water based semi solid stain, white dry brush, 2 more coats of water based grey to blend the white in. Finished with 2 coats polycrylic matte water based.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

My Wife's Christmas Present

This project was tough using pine since, from the big box store it's hit or miss on getting long boards that are straight. But clamps and sanding worked affectively. There were a few little nuances but for the most part it turned out great! It took me a while since it's cold here and the stain/polyurethane took a little longer than I would have liked.

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Red Mahogany
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Office Desk

Submitted by kaileelev on Mon, 12/01/2014 - 12:33

My husband is finishing up his last year of graduate school and needed a big desk for all of his engineering homework. 

We changed the plans a bit by making the shelving unit a bit narrower (just wide enough to fit our printer), adding a second shelving unit (which then made the whole desk longer) and making the desk deeper so it would be easier to fit more stuff on top. We also added a sliding shelf so we could pull out our printer. 

It ended up being about 72" long, 24" deep, and each shelving unit was about 20" wide. 

This desk ended up driving up crazy. Drawers are SO difficult to get exactly square and perfectly lined up. The left one turned out a little bit crooked but we gave up on it and left it like that. This is the major reason I ranked this project as intermediate. In my opinion paint is more difficult than stain, because it filled in some of the gaps between the wood pieces but not all of them. 

Our maple plywood for the desk top took our stain kind of funny so I spent a lot of time trying to sand out the messy parts. The polyurethane also went on funny, but when I finally had the third coat perfect and ready to go, someone left a paint can on top of the desktop before the poly was completely dry. I had to sand out the mark and start all over again with the poly. Argh. 

Even with all the frustrations, we ended up very happy with this desk. If you look super close you can see the little mistakes, but from a normal distance the desk looks great! My husband can spread out with all of his homework!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
About $115 with all of the paint, stain, poly, etc.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I used an off white colored oil based paint for the base of the desk. For the desk top I used MinWax Prestain and then two layers of Minwax Provincial stain. I ended up doing a total of four layers of Polyurethane on the desk top because of a mistake I made partway through.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Rustic X desk

Xmas gift fir my daughter at college. Modified the standard Rustic X desk. Made this at 42 inches long , no lower shelves and added a small upper monitor shelf.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Weathered gray
Minwax polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

6 Cube Bookshelf

Submitted by mickeyjazz on Sun, 02/03/2013 - 12:05

Hubby and I were tired of seeing our shoes lined up on the wall when we walked in the house. We also wanted something that we could store our snuggies in when we aren't using them.

This was a GREAT weekend project for us to do together!!!

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I used the Red Elm Gel Stain from an earlier blog post on your site. LOVE the color!!!!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Wood Mail Sorter with Santa Box

Great quick project. Made two so that I could give one as a gift. Used chalkboard paint so I could change box names. Made bottom box a Santa box for the Christmas season. 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Used a dark walnut miniwax stain and a polyurethane varnish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Mimi's Faux Mantle

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 03/10/2017 - 04:51

Built this using Anna White's "MIMI'S FAUX MANTLE" but instead of using crown molding I elected to use STONE TILES in neutral tones and finished the surround and mantle in white giving the piece a nice soft appeal.  The building plans were easy to follow and took about 2 days to complete the whole process (because of drying times) not to mention how reasonable the cost was.  I already had the tiles,  adhesive, and paint from left over projects.

Estimated Cost
Cost was more than reasonable. I already had the tiles ,adhesive, and paint. Total cost was approximately $66.00.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Behr White Semi-Gloss Enamel paint purchased from Home Depot (I had the paint from a previous project). Use any tile of your choice since these were left over tiles I had on hand. When tiling use an appropriate tile for the space and glue with tile adhesive. I let mine sit overnight and grouted it the next day using a sanded grout in Bone (purchased from Home Depot) #832.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Half Moon Baby Cradle

Submitted by calcowoods on Thu, 12/31/2020 - 10:40

Built for my first Grandson Lucas. Made of pure bond poplar plywood and white pine. Templates were made of cardboard for a circle (20" radius) and a circle (14.5" radius). Placed small circle inside the larger circle to create a half moon shape. Identical sides were cut from the plywood. Extensive use of Kreg pocket holes to attach (25) 16" boards to the plywood sides. Each board requires 2 pocket holes (1 1/4) on each side. Added a base to the cradle for stability and attached plywood cloud shapes to cover base and add a decorative touch. Frame installed and attached rails to the inside supporting 30" by 16" infant mattress.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Behr Vanilla Ice Cream; White for clouds
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Paulamclaw

Tue, 03/29/2022 - 15:31

Hi,
Where do I find the plans for this? My daughter just told us she is pregnant and I want my husband to start making this 🥰
Thank you so much,

Farmhouse Table, Bench, and Extensions

Submitted by lphair on Tue, 02/05/2013 - 00:11

My second farmhouse table, and much easier this time around! Like the first one I built, this one was modified from Tommy's plans (see link below) which was modified from Ana's plans on this site.

Before I put everything together, I used a 1/2" round-over bit on a trim router to round the edges of each piece individually, then sanded each piece individually. After everything was routed and sanded, I joined it all together--it kind of reminds me of Lincoln Logs now!

One other thing I did differently with this table, is I filled in the cracks with a darker wood putty. I love that it has the plank lines without the crevice for crumbs, etc. to fall into.

I finished with Rust-oleum Early American stain and Rust-oleum poly in semi-gloss.

I'm having trouble linking the plans, so again--these are modified from the Farmhouse Table Update Pocket Hole plans on this site, and also from this site: http://tommyandellie.com/?p=2582

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rust-oleum Early American and Rust-oleum semi-gloss poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Ornament

Submitted by spiceylg on Tue, 12/09/2014 - 06:28

I will be getting together with my girl's group and exchanging ornaments, which are supposed to be handmade. I was determined to use only what I had on-hand. I didn't use a plan and this is what I came up with. I did have to go buy the bling, sparkles and a hook but I had everything else. I'm pretty happy with it. By the way those pedals are made from wood biscuits! Not sure why this is uploading sideways as its not sideways in my file.

Estimated Cost
Minimal.
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar sample paint jar for background, sorry don't know color. Sharpie paint pens in red and silver for lettering.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Industrial Closet Organizer

Submitted by jvos on Sun, 03/12/2017 - 13:16

I originally built this for a small closet in an old home.  When I moved, I took it with me and was able to rearrange it to fit in a traditional closet.  The center section is a modification of a toy storage plan that I use to store folded clothes.

Estimated Cost
I used 1/2" galvanized pipe and that alone was $80. The lumber was probably $20-$30 more.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
unfinished
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Twin over full bunk bed with stairs

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 01/03/2021 - 10:00

Liked the plan took way longer to sand and get everything cleaned up than it took to build.

1x3 slats for under the bed.

Made it extra high just full 8’ boards for the posts and added extra railing and dropped a 12” twin in.

It’s super sturdy, used scraps to add a headboard where the stairs are.

Turned out well

Comments

Rustic Table and Bench

I basically stuck to the plans, but I shortened the length of the table just a touch, and lengthened the bench to fit just inside the legs. I also used 2x4s for the legs, tapered them for aesthetics (similar to some other posters), and reinforced them with "L" brackets to reduce the wobble. We finished it with Semigloss white paint, Minwax Honey stain, and Minwax Gloss Polyurethane.

If I can make this table, just about anyone can.

Estimated Cost
150.00 for lumber,
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Honey Stain, Minwax Gloss Polyurethane, and Semigloss White Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

shelbyautumn

Mon, 11/07/2016 - 11:29

Your table is beautiful!

Do you remember how you tapered your legs? I'm trying to figure out if I can do it without a table saw.

Thank you!

We made 4 snowflakes

I really loved these my son 13 and me made 4 to hang on our fence they turned out so great! The nieghbors thanked me becuse they get see them everyday!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Corner Bookshelf

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/14/2017 - 11:41

I took the plans loosely from what I saw here, but adjusted the size to fit my needs. I had a bunch of old wood that worked great for a rustic look (nail holes and all), so my only costs on this project were the hardware and some nails for my nailgun. I finished it off with some paint and stain I had laying around, to give it a little character. Great project for under $15 (for me, at least).

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$15
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Gloss white paint (oil-based), dark walnut stain for antique effect. After the paint dried, I rough-sanded some of the edges, then followed that with the stain. I wiped into the edges that were sanded, and in most of the corners, then followed up with a dry rag to wipe away any extra. Kept the stain pretty light for the most part.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Indoor Playhouse - I May have gone a little overboard...

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 01/08/2021 - 19:38

Thanks for your amazing Farmhouse Indoor Playhouse plans!
So easy to follow your directions! I may have gone a little overboard.
I used some scrap wood from recent Renos and wood from an old boxspring my parents had.
The kitchen was originally from Ikea with some updates.
The shrubs are silk plants from Ikea and scrap wood.
The only real cost was Paint $30 ish.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Firewood shed

Submitted by Nowak on Sat, 02/09/2013 - 15:53

Build this firewood shed over one weekend and stained it the following weekend. This was my first project and I only received a little help from my boyfriend. Can't wait to start my next project.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

pirate ship teeter totter

Submitted by Grammi Nat on Mon, 12/15/2014 - 12:26

I have 3 Grandson's that love to be pirates so I decided to make them a pirate ship teeter totter. After searching the Web for plans and finding nothing I was looking for I decided to just go for it and see what I could come up with. This pirate ship is heavy duty. I use 2x8's, 2x10's and 2x12's for the frame and seats and 1x10's and 1x12's for the inside foot platform. It's 5ft long, 3ft wide and 3ft high. I had to put some stop blocks on it or it would of been a catapult instead of a teeter totter. (I know this because I climbed on and took it for a ride) Everything is connected using pocket holes and pocket hole screws (Thanks to my Kreg jig) I added a pole up the center and added a pirates flag and puts some swords on the sides. The kids sure have fun on it and so do I.

Estimated Cost
$200.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Red, white and black exterior paint and poly finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Microwave stand/wine rack

Submitted by lacroix19 on Wed, 01/13/2021 - 15:29

Definitely not perfect and it took me a little while! But so glad I found these plans and was able to add my little personal touch to it!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)

Comments