Community Brag Posts

This little dresser kicked my tushy! It was my second project and I was feeling confident coming off that first one and boy was I brought back to reality quick. If the measurements and cuts aren't perfect and I mean perfect it takes a lot to fix it and make it work! But I finally got everything worked out and it looks pretty great in my little foyer I think. I stuck to the plan everywhere but the 1x2's that go across the "drawer" parts because my wood had a slight warp to it I needed a 1x2 running vertical up the back to keep my shelves even and therefore the original 1x2's wouldn't fit. You can see it in the open picture. I used jute webbing in place of the 1x2's to keep the shoes in place. The front is quarter inch ply added to make it look like a dresser with cabinet. I took someone else's idea to use the ply from the brag post and found a dresser to emulate. That part was actually pretty simple! I love this site for that very reason, so many great ideas in one place! I painted the inside a barn red for a surprise pop of color and that's that.

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!

Reader Build

Made my version of the Tryed table out of bowling alley maple which came with a purchase of nicer wood a while ago. The maple has random nails in it so instead of making it nice I just ripped it on the table saw leaving all the saw blade marks and holes etc. I thought I was gonna end up burning it but it turns out I have use for all this stuff! The construction is easier than the plans given. I omitted the inside supports. Just a top, 4 legs, 4 side skirts. Use pocket screws for skirts and legs, and 90 degree brackets for table top. Getting crooked distressed wood to glue up / line up nice nice is not as easy as using straight wood. The table top is tricky to glue up without squeezing out glue, so let it happen. Don't be tempted to wipe it off right away. I waited till it hardened then used a properly sharpened floor/paint scraper to scrape away excess, leaving a bit of distressing behind. You can't sand it much because you will erase the distressing. Crooked distressed wood doesn't glue and assemble as well so you must accept that it's not perfect. Believe it or not it took me 16 hours to complete this using: cheap table saw a very good quality DeWalt mitre saw Kreg Jig, drill bits and screws drill biscuit jointer to join the table's bread board ends (can use Kreg jig instead) lots of clamps glue floor/paint scraper (NOT A PUTTY KNIFE) measuring tape pencil COST $0

I have a friend who is a wedding coordinator, and she was doing a Gatsby themed wedding, which needed a marquee frame for a chalkboard picture she wanted to make. She couldn't find a nice (suitable) old frame to drill into, so she asked me to put something together for her.

Taaa daaaa!

The chalkboard comes out so she can put a 24" x 36" poster in there for an entirely different look. The whole thing is self-enclosed so that the wires aren't all sticking out the back.

I think it turned out pretty great - what about you?

There are more details about it on my blog.

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

Happy Easter for the grandchildren. Your post inspired me....thankyou. I was happy with my
outcome.

Check out the bar stool also. I thought the inset being stained added a little touch. I use this as my desk. I get compliments all the time!

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.

I built this bed a little higher so it will last my daughter a lot longer.
Such a great way to get back all that floor space! The 2x4 frame makes it super strong as well.

Diane

This potting bench is my first project, and I am so happy with the way it turned out. I was a little nervous to paint it purple, but I think it looks pretty good. I originally planned to deviate from Ana's plans, but decided not to go overboard for my first project. The plans were straight forward and easy to follow, it only took me a couple of hours to build. Looking back though, I would have gone with a different wood (I used cedar), because I used conditioners and sealers and primers etc... and the cedar grain doesn't come through over the paint, and isn't really worth the extra cost for what I did with it. Overall a great beginner project. I am looking forward to many more.

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!

This was my first project building furniture. It was a fun time!