Community Brag Posts

Took a weekend when I got time off of work. Would do things differently the next time and love the kreg jig. Will be buying the kreg jig clamps soon.

Used plans for Alexia bench.

I used leftover 4 x 4 pine we had for the legs.  I bought some paneling and moulding to dress it up.

I also used leftover flooring for the drawer faces.

I love this apron, perfect for hiding pencils from my husband.

Just started woodworking. This is my first ever build. Surprised with how sturdy this bench is. 

For my first build I am super proud. Plans were very understable & made it easy to build. Definitely looking forward to building more things! 

When my sons outgrew their twin sized beds and primary colored room, I had already fallen in love with Ana's storage bed collection. I was happy to see that a full size bed was included in the plans. Building it yourself means you can adjust any plans to fit your room exactly, and I planned to squeeze storage out of every inch of their 11.5 foot wide room. The first adjustment I made was to make the headboard taller, so that their pillows would not rest against the small hutch with doors. I also added height to the cubby hutch, making it a 9 cubby unit. The entire bed unit is 92 inches tall. The center tall bookcase is actually two 47 inch tall units stacked. I have watched too many home improvement shows where tall units are built off site only to not fit up stairs or around corners. The center unit is 94 inches tall and 19 inches wide, filling the wall exactly with only an inch of wiggle room to spare. I also added drawers to the open cubbies in the bed base. This was my first time making drawers, but Ana has instructions on the site, so it was no problem.The sides of the bed base facing the walls are just open cubbies as in the original plan. Beadboard paneling faces the drawer fronts, cabinet backs and the face of the headboards. Did I mention how much storage these beds have? The hollow headboards are not accessible once the center bookcase was in place, but that didn't stop me from filling them up. I had 6 Rubbermaid bins (18 gallon) in our basement full of stored Hot Wheels, Little People and other sets. All of the contents fit in the headboards alone. I also put some large saved toys in the under bed cubbies that face the wall. Yes, the Little People Garage will fit! My favorite modification was added an extra crosswise 1x3 that ties together a large section of the slats that support the mattress. This makes an easy lid allowing that you can lift to access even more storage under the mattress. We store their camping gear and off season clothes under the mattresses. I can't total the hours, I worked on this project on and off for about 9 months. When the building was nearing completion I started looking for bedding so I could match the paint colors to the bedding. I painted all the plywood back panels before attaching them to the cabinets. This was especially a life saver with back of the 9 cubby unit, as there are four colors in this section. After painting, everything was glazed with Valspar Translucent Color Glaze in Mocha. When this layer was dry I coated everything with a protective coat of Minwax Polycrylic. If you are wondering about dark circles are at the top of the unit near the ceiling, I had a great idea to use solar landscaping lights up there for a soft lighting effect. It looked great for a few nights until the batteries wore out. There is not enough natural light in the room to charge them. They have since been replaced with a couple strings of cheap colored lights. They are shoved way back towards the wall where you can't see the wires, but are on a timer, so at night they give a nice glow on the ceiling.

I've built a lot of things...mainly corn hole boards for friends and family but this is my first furniture build. My wife's Valentine present! Now I'm thinking my new big screen tv sure could use a nice Apothecary media cabinet.

I tried to make a similar sand box as yours but as space was limited I decided to only make a 1 seat version.  As a first attempt of making something proper I think it turned out well.  Base frame is made of 4 x2s and the lid and seat contruction it pallet wood planed to make it nice and smooth.  Granddaughter loves it.

Rustic table plans with slight modification of the width and the legs were mounted differently for a little added flair. So many finishes to choose from....

I altered the plan a little - this is 40" square.  I edge-glued planks for the bottom level, so I had them sit on top of the aprons instead of inside them.  Note: if you have top and bottom aprons attached to the legs before you put the bottom in (that will sit on top of the apron and not within), you can't get it on in one piece...oops. :) The most difficult part was the herringbone - figuring all the dimensions, cutting everything precisely, getting all pieces to fit, and finding a way to attach it to the framing boards and support in underneath.  I love the table, but I'm very frustrated with the finish.  It's so blotchy, and I tried to do everything correctly to prevent that (see info on the finish).  With every project I learn a few things...

First attempt at a project of this size. 7 middle, armless sections, and 4 corner/end sections. Increased the height of the backs and gave them a slight recline. Didn't have the effect that I wanted. Learned lots of lessons over the course of the month or so I was working on this. 1. Spring for the premium boards instead of the terrible ones you have to pick from for the common boards. 2. Use a stop block on your miter, and cut all your boards before starting assembly. Uniform cuts save lots of frustration. 3. They make outdoor use pocket screws. Who knew? We will see how long the first couple of sections hold up over time. 4. Stain REALLY doesn't stick to glue. Seriously, not even a little. Watch the over application and sand if it you have to. 5. Cushions are EXPENSIVE! 6. I HATE finishing. My wife stained the last 7 pieces.

Taking a break from building for a bit. It's summer, and I'd rather spend it at the pool than  sweating it out in my 100 degree garage. 

I loved the bed by plan, and now love it more that I have built it.

Sandbox with lid, painted first, then assembled. I had originally planned to alternate the colors on each board, but partially assembling it into the 5 large pieces and then painting made the process much more manageable.  

First large build I did by myself. Took a long time because I pre-drilled for every screw. Gave this table and bench to my brother. Made new table in hours- no need to predrill except for the 1x4 on the bottom.

I made this dresser for a young lady who has never had any furniture unless it came from IKEA. Time to mix it up a little.  She was very delighted. The bulk of the dresser is poplar plywood with decorative birch trim.  I had trouble matching the paint color she wanted so I experimented by buying paint as close as I could find to the shade of grey she wanted and then mixed it with paint I had in the shop until I got the desired result.  I'm  no master at mixing paints.  I simply got lucky.  I traced out the decorative top using my wife's China serving platter and then routered the edge. Turned out OK and my wife was none the wiser.

This bench is the first project I have built from Ana White's plans, and I love how it turned out! The cutting list and instructions were very easy to follow. The most difficult thing about this project was the staining and painting, which I admit I have never been great at. I built this bench because my fiance and I needed additional outside seating on our patio for a party we threw, and I literally built it the day before! A week after the party I gave it to my fiance's daughter who wanted it as an indoor hall bench for her house. At first I was sad to give it up, but I figure I can easily make another! Thank you so much, Ana, for the fabulous plans you provide!!