Community Brag Posts

After seeing Ana's plans and how Jen Woodhouse at "House of Wood" finished it, I wanted one too! Ana's plan are very thorough and Jen's blog showed a very detailed version of how she completed it. I made a few changes, such as the pull down drawer front to conceal the DVR player and I inset the top rather than have an overhang.
It was quite a bit of work but totally worth it! The piece turned out beautiful.
Thanks Ana!!!! Beth.
Makemeprettyagain.blogspot.com for complete details

Although handy - these are the first pieces of furniture I have ever created. Used only 2X4 and 4X4 pieces - Douglas Fir right out of the lumber yard - not kiln dried wood. First time using pocket hole equipment - was worth getting the premium kit from Kreg's - drilled close to one hundred holes. Other than the equipment, the materials totaled less than $200 for all three pieces. $120 for the wood and another $80 for screws and paint products. Sanded the wood to a 220 finish and applied a Gel Dark Walnut stain and added 5 coats of clear satin from Minwax. Tried the wood conditioner on a test board and did not see not much difference so I decided to go without on all 3 pieces of furniture that I built. Experimented with different stainable wood fillers from Elmer's. Quite happy with the result - just in time for a visit from mom and dad. Total time for three pieces - close to 40 hours but worth it.

I built this slightly modified version of the buffet for my wife.  She LOVEs it and did a great job finishing it with Annie Sloan paint and a wax (she's the finishing expert in the house).  Plans were right on and I'm very pleased with the final product.  Thanks for a great website and plans!  Getting ready to undertake a dining room table now.

I can't believe I made these two picture frames thanks to wonderfully simple plans! We bought a painting in Italy 16 years ago and I was never able to find a ready-made frame beause of the unusual dimensions and I didn't want to pay for a large custom frame. Now I have one! The smaller frame accommodates an 8x10. Both frames are made out of the $0.89 furring strips at Home Depot.

Tilt-out trash/recycling cabinet made with aspen stained with a combo of Minwax Natural and Golden Oak.

Followed the plan perfectly. A little too perfectly, as the table turned out so well that I have To go back and rebuilt the iSideTables ;)

Same as the plan, used Kona stain, but I left it on for 2 coats.

I made this bed for my son and his girlfriend.

I used pallet wood and new pine for this.

I also added two metal strips to the headboard for decoration.

The headboard is connected to the siderails with 2 bolts straight through the side of each leg. The siderails are on the inside of the headboard.

The siderails are connected to the foot of the bed with 2 bolts straight through the foot into the end of the siderails. I added a third fake bolt to balance the look.

Built from Shanty2Chic Industrial Farmhouse Bench Plans

Pine and Main builder for the South Florida Area.

Piece of cake compared to building the table. Added hardware and stain, just have to put on the finish.

This is a loft style bunk bed. the original plan has the bottom mattress resting on the floor. instead of leaving the mattress on the floor we raised it up to the level of the bottom ladder. In the original plan the bed frame is only 48" high and we changed it to 58".

This was my first "major" furntiure project. I used the plans and modified for a 36" fireplace insert.  

Thrilled with how this turned out!!!  Thank you!

Play Deck and Swing

A couple of years ago I built the farmhouse dining table with matching bench, so when I showed my wife a picture of the Corona Coffee Table, she was all about it.  I lengthened the coffee table by about 6"-8" inches to fit our space better.  The entire table is yellow pine.  I used 2x6 for the top. Ordered the legs from Osborne, $30 each plus shipping (searched for other supplier to compare pricing, but had no luck finding that leg anywhere else).  For aprons I used 1x4.  Instead of plywood for the base I used 1x4 furring boards (the furring boards were only aprox. $1.50 each for 1"x4"x6', and they had rounded edges which helped add more texture when completed). For the middle and end pieces of the base I use 1x6.   Assembly was completed using wood glue and the Kreg Jig for pocket holes.  Top was stained using an old t-shirt with aprox. 5 coats of Early American stain,  2 coats of Jacobean, then 2 coats semi-gloss poly spray.  Base finished with 2 coats of Spa White by Amy Howard chalk paint (Annie Sloan competitor sold at Ace Hardware, seems to work the same, still costs around $30+ per quart).  At this point  my wife took over. She roughed up the base with my sander, applied the clear wax that protects the chalk paint, then she went back over the sanded edges with brown wax to complete the aging.     

So I bought this print, sized 16" x 20", from an independent photographer. My husband said I could get it only if I built the frame, so I was on the hook.
I used pine boards and glued and clamped the outside part since I don't have a nail gun. I sanded the really rought parts, but probably could've sanded more. Finished with Valspar's black spray paint and used mirror clips and 1" wood screws. Blue had glass pieces in 16" x 20" for less than $6. Hung with D rings and picture hanging wire.
Time estimate includes time for paint to dry and rigging up all the hanging hardware.