Community Brag Posts

Front porch bench

Submitted by Shane90019 on Sat, 04/26/2014 - 13:31

Second project. I built this bench for my front porch. This was a practice project to get comfortable with pocket screws before I attempt a large table for my back patio.

Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rust-olem Wood Stain Kona, Cabot Semi-gloss Spar Varnish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Vintage Doll Cradle

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 07/27/2016 - 09:59

I used leftover plywood (1/4 inch) instead, but would only recommend it, if you plan to paint the cradle (due to splintering when you make your cuts). I also used my nail gun instead of screws, which worked fine since the wood is a lot thinner and lighter. The cradle is very sturdy and my 4-year-old loves it. Thanks for the awesome plans!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Posted on Facebook, now have requests to build for others

Submitted by Doig on Mon, 05/18/2020 - 20:28

started with outdoor sofa, and ending making 4 chairs, loveseat, and 2 coffee tables

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Austrailian Timber Oil (Jarrah Brown)

Comments

Doig

Mon, 05/18/2020 - 20:29

Love the look, posted on Facebook and had requests to build for others. Made my Mother - in-law 2 chairs and a coffee table for her birthday.

Under Stair Dog House

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 01/23/2024 - 09:30

Under staircase unused space now a puppy palace!

Handy kandi

Pool Storage Lockers

We had pool toys and nerf guns all over our porch! I decided to build a locker system for all of it! I already had the bench, so I modified the plans a bit to fit around it. I also added extra hooks for wet towels and goggles to be hung up to dry. Some of the hooks are large bolts that we had laying around the tool shed. They actually hold wet towels in place better than store bought hooks ;)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

WattsUp Front Porch Bench

Submitted by WattsUp on Mon, 04/28/2014 - 14:09

This was my first project. It was really easy to execute. I thought that I would have a hard time with the strips, but it was not what I imagined at all. It turned out very well.

Estimated Cost
$40.00 for 5 yards of fabric. I already had the pressure treated lumber.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Covered the pressure treated lumber with water resistant out door fabric.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Adirondack chairs and 2 x 4 couch

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 07/30/2016 - 12:09

I made this couch and chairs using Anna's instructions. I think they turned out nice.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Thompson's water seal.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Hidden desk apothecary

Submitted by BrookR on Thu, 05/21/2020 - 17:44

Loved this project, it has been on my wish list forever. It was my first time building drawers. We used red-oak wood for the hardwood legs and also for the little trim piece right above the leg. I stained the entire piece with golden oak stain and used red oak stain on top of that for everything except the faux drawer fronts and hardwood. This brought the pine 1x2s to a matching shade with the real red oak. If I did it over again, I would stain the drawer front and chair back pieces prior to assembly because I taped them all off when I applied the different colors, which was a pain. I bought the apothecary drawer pulls on amazon. I am beyond happy at the way it turned out. I even modified the top center drawer so I could put my printer in it. I cut a hole in the drawer box and put the bottom drawer front piece on a hinge so my printer paper could come out. I added a latch to the inside of the drawer to keep that flap shut when not in use. Thanks so much, Ana, for another amazing plan!

There were a few errors to the plan, as follows:

Plan calls for 7 -2x2 @ 8' but you actually need 9.

As for additional cuts, you will need:

4- 2x2 @ 20-1/4, not 2.
4-2x2 @ 23-1/4, not 2.
8 -2x2 @ 14-1/2, not 2.
8- 2x2 @12-3/4, not 2.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
See description above.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Wood Entryway Bench with Cubbies

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/29/2024 - 11:58

We followed the Essential Entryway Bench plan and modified it slightly to fit our home. We used a 35 degree miter cut at the corners of the trim, and finished the top with a dark walnut wood stain. The accent between the two colors is our favorite part!

Built from Plan(s)

Beginner Bar Stools

Submitted by pchireah on Sat, 07/14/2012 - 13:20

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!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
I have no idea. I had to purchase everything from saws to nails to wood glue and wood. Also I bought the wood in multiple stages. Wood in NYC is too expensive, but I probably spent around $100 on wood for all three stools.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
on the top, Antique Walnut gloss stain and poly in one, sanded down after the fact and Ultra Pure White, paint and primer in one - two coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

My first project turned out great!

Submitted by kaylynn119 on Fri, 05/02/2014 - 08:17

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! ;-)

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark walnut stain and fast dry polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Redwood 2x4 outdoor sofa

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 08/03/2016 - 09:16

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.  

 

 

Estimated Cost
$670
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Redwood stain (still need to finish with a gloss sealer).
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Benchright Round End Table

Submitted by RGWood on Sun, 05/24/2020 - 08:01

I built this table for my mother-in-law. I added a brace/frame for under the top. That helped me with the angled legs. This table takes a beating at their house as she watches kids all day long. The plans produce a very sturdy table. The whole table is Dark Walnut stain and Satin Poly(oil based).

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
50.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut stain
Satin Poly(oil based)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Under Sink Shelf

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/05/2024 - 09:03

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.

Beadboard Fillman Platform Bed - Our First Project!

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 :)

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We chose to distress the finish (I'm still coming to terms with this a bit!) first painted with Valspar's Dove White (a match to IKEA white) and sanded, brushed on and immediately wiped Minwax's Provincial stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

FANCY X FARMHOUSE TABLE

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.

Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
steel wool, tea bags and vinegar
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Shoe Dresser (smaller to fit our hall)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 08/07/2016 - 13:02

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.

 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Under a 100 canadian dollars - hard to be precise because we used stuff from other projects.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I always hand sand my stuff. I use 80 grit wrapped around a block of oak and sand til i'm happy. then i go to 120, then jump to 220. i hit it with zinnser sealer, sanded with 220, and did another coat of sealer. more 220 sanding. the inside was brush painted, two coats of Tremclad Matte Black rust enamel. The outside was sprayed with two cans of Tremclad Red Rust enamel.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Beginner coffee Table

Submitted by mpjacob08 on Mon, 05/25/2020 - 09:23

So Fun!! My first ever wood build!! I’m completely addicted now ha! Thank you so much! I’m learning so much from watching your videos.

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Golden Oak with one coat of shellac spray and Varathane oil based polyurethane to protect from liquids
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

mudroom locker and bench unit

built to fit mudroom locker and bench unit using a combination of Ana's plans

Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
1. Zinsser cover stain primer
2. Three coats Benjamin Moore high gloss white enamel
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

brelza

Sat, 03/23/2013 - 20:48

I LOVE the look of this. Cannot wait for us to get our addition done to add something like this. Definitely a need with 5 kids in the house!

Planters

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!

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
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