Community Brag Posts

It was a straight forward project and the plans were excellent and easy to follow. We did purchase the Kreg Jig and that takes a little practice to get it right but it does make an extremely strong joint. We applied three coats of paint and one coat of stain on the top. This is for our German Shepherd and he loves it. It took us three or four days just because we worked on it a little bit each evening.

I know this is an older project on this website. However, I only recently happened upon this treasure trove of plans. As such, what better project than a new table and matching bench for the family? I made some adjustments to the bench as a result of the comments section. Essentially, I shortened the bench so it would slide between the legs of the table (65" instead of 72" as the plans call for). I also moved the stretcher supports to the inside of the table legs and shortened the stretcher (70" instead of 74" as the plans call for) to give a few more inches to push chairs in. I had every intention of staining the entire project uniformly. My wife really enjoyed the contrast between the dark and light, you see which idea I kept! The legs are a natural stain with clear coat. The tops are Minwax jacobean stain, I did two coats and a light sanding to expose some of the grain under the darkness of the stain. The cutting and assembly of the table and bench was rather quick. I would estimate 3 hours total of cutting and assembly. However, I spent a good amount of time on the sanding and staining. I would have been able to complete the finish quicker if the weather hadn't turned cold for about a week and slowed my dry times down. Finished the stains with a couple layers of polyurethane satin finish.

Solar eclipse in our living room!

Brazilan Walnut flooring for table top and Pine for feet and supports. 

I built this floating bench (and shelf with towel pegs) for our pool change room. I was so excited when I finished it all by myself! It’s super sturdy and I’m so happy! Thank you Ana!!

Was a fun project!  Took only a few days.  I hand painted the typographical using the method mentioned on the graphic fairy's website.  Thanks for the post!

This is our third bed built from Ana White plans. My husband has built the loft bed and a daybed. This is by far our favorite. When my dad cleared his farm 18 years ago, he milled all of the lumber and it has been sitting in a barn waiting for special projects. My husband cut down the large beams to make the post and my dad had some of the cherry boards milled into bead board, which we used in the headboard and footboard. I love the way it turned out and I hope my daughter cherishes it. 

The farmhouse toy box project is wonderful. The first one I made I thought it’s easy enough that I had my 8 years old grandson come over and basically make it himself with a little help from grandpa. Thanks Ana for a great plan. - 

The end result of this project was incredible. The table is 3ft x 6ft x 31inches - Built with Tennessee tobacco farm wood. I used KREG for all the joining, even the legs. Finished it with the one and only Annie Sloan Paint/Wax combination.

Overall, these plans were easy to follow.  It took me a little bit longer to complete, and definitely needed someone to help attach the bed rails to the headboard and footboard.  We stained prior to putting the bed together, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to get the bed into the house.

For the night stand, the plans call for 4 boards across the top, but it definitely takes 5 so keep that in mind.  I used pocket holes to attach the front and back of the top piece to the night stand, and then did nails to attach the sides of the top to the sides of the night stand.

We built three base units-each with different storage options and used the corner desk plans. Then created our own long desk top using a 6ft long board and using a jigsaw to create an open space for the sewing machine. 

I've been a fan of Ana White’s Round Farmhouse Table for years, always intending to build it, but life kept getting in the way. Last year, after we remodeled our kitchen, my wife mentioned she wanted a 5-foot round table for the dining room. I immediately thought of Ana's design, but with no space to work on it, the project was delayed. That all changed in January when I discovered our community's Woodworking Club offering a 6-week class where you could bring your own project. I jumped at the chance!

While Ana White’s plans are geared toward simple tools, I was fortunate to have access to a fully equipped woodshop and guidance from a former high school shop teacher. With these resources, the Round Farmhouse Table became my personal project—and I decided to make a few custom modifications to fit my vision.

Leg Design: I didn’t want the legs to look like basic 2x4s. My instructor suggested ordering rough-cut poplar and shaping it myself. With $150 worth of poplar delivered, I learned to use the jointer, planer, and tablesaw to mill the pieces I needed for both the legs and tabletop.

Seating & Structure: Since I wanted the table to comfortably seat six, I was concerned the original four-leg design would interfere with the chairs. So, I reimagined the table with three legs instead of four. This led to a big departure from the original plans. I created a hexagon core using 1x6 and 1x2 boards, and I even learned vCarve Pro to design a custom core base on the CNC router.

Mobility: Knowing we might need to move the table in the future, I designed it to be disassembled. The table breaks down into five pieces—the tabletop, three legs, and core base. Two bolts per leg securely attach the top to the base, making it easy to take apart and transport.

The tabletop was finished with a whitewash and sealed with TotalBoat Halcyon poly. I stained the legs with a deep Graphite color, finishing them with a satin poly spray for a smooth, polished look.

This project was a blast, and I couldn’t have done it without the inspiration from Ana White. Thanks for the great plans, Ana! - Scott Fosseen

This is the perfect chair height for my 5 year old son. Was easy to build for a novice, and after a lot of sanding, I stained + varnished and it turned out quite nice, to match with the desk I made which we can see in the picture background. It does take 3 of the 2x2x8 instead of 2, but at $2.5 each... Total cost of approx. $7 since I made the seat and back rest out of the scrap I had. I'm thinking of making swivel stools for my kitchen out of the regular height plan. I also cut the seat a little larger to have about 1/4" overhang all around except at the back.

This bench is great! I was surprised how nicely it swings. I used rope with overhand loop knots to secure onto quick link hooks. Made it for my husband for his birthday but my whole family enjoys it daily!

This is my third project from Ana's website. I absolutely love to build and can't wait to do more! 

I modified the plans to accommodate a new baby to the family. Height was adjusted to match existing bed. After 4-years I just added a removable floor for stuffed animals and to help with transport and clearing dust bunnies. I added rope lights by extending under bed lighting previously installed.