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Our home is small, about 1600 sq/ft, so I am on a mission to create as much out of the way storage as possible. It feels like a loosing battle, but I suppose with 2 young children most mothers feel like this with or without more square footage. You might wonder why I don't buy furniture to solve my problems? My answer to that question is that most of the furniture out there is too expensive, it doesn't fit the space available, and just doesn't suit all of our needs. Most importantly, I know that I can make it myself, build it better, and use quality materials. No particle board here, thank you.

So, my storage solution for my boys books was inspired by the Ana Whites Flat Wall Book Shelves (http://ana-white.com/2010/04/plans-wall-book-racks-easy-and-inexpensive…). I wanted to maximize my storage and make a good use of space in our already cramped home.

Please visit my blog for a complete DIY on my version if you are interested.

Only our second wood working project (after the x console table) and it was a success! Next time, we would do the doors differently as we made them with 1x 3's and 1/4'' plywood and we had to cut the shelves down about 1/4" so they doors would shut flush. Next time we would do the 1/3's as a frame and surface mount the frame then put the 1/4" ply wood on behind it. Absolutely loved how it turned out though!

I made this day bed with dividers for a friend who requested it mirror the farmhouse table. I think it turned out wonderfully! I replaced the 2x6's with 1x6's to cut down on weight since it was being fit for his 5th wheel trailer.

Made these side tables for our master bedroom using the wood from 3 wooden pallets. The pallets took about 45 minutes each to disassemble and the plank sizing required us to ripped the boards to 3 different uniform widths.

I used 2x12 instead of 2x4 for the base and four 2x6 instead of six for the seating area. So this modified version is higher and narrower compare to the original plan.

built from your plans, with a small change to dimensions and a roundover bit on the legs for a softer look.

Did them for a friend that owns a bakery.
I don't have access to new lumber unfortunately.
The bulk of what I make is pallet. That's why there are four instead of 3 slats.
Same plan though. Pretty easy to follow.
I did add some handles to make it easier to move
since they will be brought in and out daily.

I changed the design a little, using 4x4's for the legs, eliminating the side X's, and tried to save a little money by cutting the top 2x6's so that I could use the same board for both the top and bottom shelf, so i didn't have to buy the 2x12's recommended in the plans for the bottom shelf.

I used Rustoleum Sunbleached for the finish, then covered in 2 coats of brown wax, let it dry for a day, then removed some wax with Motsenbockers Paint and Varnish remover, which is Biodegradable and low VOC. I think this really gave the wood the look of old reclaimed barn wood.

Finished building this table with the plan provided by Ana White! Worked out great. I stained it in a with a transparent deck stain in natural sequoia. Happy to help if anyone has any questions!

Tips: Definitely cut as you go. If you get the angles are off in the center when all the long pieces connect is it makes each top piece larger or smaller.

One thing led to another, and we got a rescue dog – Arthur. The good little guy finds the apartment too big to stay alone when we are not around, and it is a recommended practice to have a dog crate so that the dog has a confined space of its own.  The options to buy were hopeless, and the cheapest ones were just made of metal wire. They look horrible inside the house and it looks like a prison cell. There are nicer wooden ones, but they cost few hundreds of dollars. So, I put my DIY hat on, and thought of building one for our new buddy!

Material Used:

• 1 sheet of 4ft x 8ft, ½ inch thick Plywood
• 3 lengths of 1.5 inch x 1.5 inch x 8ft lumber
• Small pack of ¾ inch wood screws
• Small pack of 1.5 inch wood screws
• 8 90 degree metal framing angles
• ½ qt latex based wood primer
• 1 qt wood paint
• 2 Brass hinges – 270 degree
• 1 lock
• 1.5” brush and 6” roller

Refer my blog post for all step by step instructions and optimal material usage.

Love Ana’s 2x4 patio loveseat sofa sectional, it was easy to follow. I have made 3 sets for my close neighbors.

Plans are from the Rustic X Coffee Table. Since my miter saw only can make miter cuts up to 55 degrees it was too tough to make exact 60 degree cuts. My wife and I decided to put columns on the sides of the table instead of X's. I think the table looks really good without anything on the sides as well. Also, we added some addition table top supports with two, 2x2s, placed horizontally across table.

I was inspired by this workbench post to create a workbench, especially since I needed one! I painted it with exterior paint and added wheels. I also added extra wood around the bottom to make it sturdier.

This was my first attempt at the leaning bookshelf project.  I decided upon a modern-contemporary look by using white laminated 1x4s and opted for dark wood staining to give the shelves contrast.  It was my first time using a compound miter saw, as well as intensive wood sanding and staining.  I struggled with cutting the white support beams into the directed 5 degrees, and just made my best guess with a hand saw (however, I will try to improve upon this for our next set, since the additional cost of a second bookshelf is only about $50.)

I also learned about the trick of a 5-point shelf leveling (one for each corner, and the center point) in order to get a truly level shelf.  Creating the jig in order to space out the distance between each shelf is a really good idea to help implement all of the setup.  

Overall, I really enjoyed this project and wanted to thank Ana for her inspiration and plan details.  

I look forward to reporting yet another success on our second bookshelf (and following writing desk) soon!

Built for my daughter!

This was my wife and I's first Ana White project. We are now hooked, and loved spending time together building something we will enjoy for years, and our dog mindy of course was the first to test our beautiful bench out!

Thanks Ana,

Steve & Courtney