This was my first time building a chair. The plans were so easy to follow. The kids size fits an average child up to about age 5 or 6. If I were to build again I would add a bit of height to the backs so they could fit them even longer. My granddaughters aged 3 & 5 just loved them.
I always have leftover pallet wood lying around. So I decided to whip of a beam ledge as a gift. I ended up wrapping it before I even got a final photo but it was finished in a dark gel stain. I think the next time I make one I will apply a simple Tung oil finish so all the wonderful character can remain.
I did a shortened version of the Farm Table, I only had room for a six foot table. I wanted to give it an old-looking feel, so I beat it up a bit and stained it with an ebony stain, then a jacobean. I plan to paint the legs black.
We wanted a bench for our daughter for our front porch, both for sitting and for storage of her rain boots, outdoor toys, etc. I'm definitely a beginner woodworker so I wanted something easy I could tackle in a couple of days with only basic tools, so I chose the Kids' Country Bench project. I liked the version posted here by a user named Jenny Anne, who modified the bench to make three cubbies rather than two on the bottom shelf, so I did the same thing.
It was easy, and the bench turned out great! I used no power tools except for a cordless drill to do the 40+ pilot holes & woodscrews. I don't own a jigsaw and I want to learn hand tools anyway, so I used a coping saw (a kind of miniature hacksaw) to do the curved cuts on the trim & the legs, and used heavy-grit sandpaper to smooth out the wobbles (there were a lot of wobbles).
For the rest of the cuts I used a Japanese-style pull saw (a cheap one from Ace Hardware). Cutting all the boards to length with a handsaw was probably the hardest part, and I had a tough time truing the edges. Next time I would probably use a miter box and miter saw to get perfect 90-degree angles, but I got better as I went along, and was able to finish the edges pretty well with a wood file and sandpaper.
I wanted to stain it a deep red color, but my better half insisted on a clear stain, so I used clear Polycrylic, four coats on the top & outsides, and three coats on the inner & undersides.
The bench feels pretty sturdy and is definitely strong enough to take my 3-year-old's weight. The trim on the front and back acts as a brace, so it's got some structural integrity. I don't know that I would trust it to hold an adult's full weight for very long -- I probably won't be dancing on it or using it as a stepstool or anything, but for a kid's bench it's solid and level.
The whole build probably took me four sessions in my "workshop" (i.e. my basement), at probably 2-3 hours per session. With woodworking it's definitely true that you learn by doing -- I gained confidence as I went along and am excited to try some more advanced projects!
Shrink size and make double truss small coffee/project table. Select Minwax NATURAL BEIGE water base stain and got very warm, peachy color.
I built the console table and liked it so much I decided to modify the plan to make a whole set. I made two side tables , and a coffee table. This is also the first time I installed drawer hardware. I was a bit intimidated but after watching a “how to” video from Anna it was pretty easy. I’m working on finishing the coffee table now. The stain is weathered oak. They’re finished with gloss lacquer.
I used Ana's plan to make this pie hutch...in about 45 minutes (except for painting)!! It was lots of fun and my daughter helped paint it afterward. She still plays with this almost every day!
My husband and I made this for our daughter's 6th birthday. She loves it! It took us about a week to complete it. We were able to reclaim the room we had her toys in, since this gave her more room to play in her bedroom. We used wood shims for the shingles, and we made the windows a little narrower than the plans.
Wed, 05/29/2013 - 15:24
You did an amazing job on this bed. It is gorgeous! I have no idea why this posted twice. Sorry!
sand box with seats
I used Ana's tilt out trash bin plans to help me build this fabulous center for use in my kitchen. I love the way it turned out!
Sat, 04/18/2020 - 19:04
Can i get the dimensions from you? I’m wanting to create the exact same thing with two bins and drawers.
Greeting from from Queensland, Australia.
I decided to make a couple of wooden planter boxes for our garden at home, after watching Ana's video on the “Easy Build DIY Planter Box” made from cedar and painted white. I downloaded the plans, and then converted the measurements to metric. I did make a couple of alterations from what was shown in the video. Whilst I do not have a workshop at home, I attend a local "Men's Shed" where there is a large range of woodworking machinery available to use. Firstly, I used rough sawn treated pine 150mm x 25mm boards, which I dressed and cut down to size. The dressed timber looked great once I stained the boxes. Secondly, I have made the boxes without legs, so that they sit directly in the garden, and are filled with potting mix soil.
After making the first 2 planter boxes, my wife asked if I could make another couple. After that we decided another 3 planter boxes in a different part of the garden might be nice, so I made these the same. Then I made a longer planter box of the same style for vegetables and herbs.
Thanks so much, Ana, for the great plans and video, as well as the inspiration. Mind you, my planter boxes took a lot longer to build than the time you indicated in your video, but that is fine.
Cheers Noel
Wed, 10/06/2021 - 10:10
WOW, love them mods and how you were able to convert to metric! Thank you for sharing!
This is my first ever build. Now I have cut wood all my adult life, trim wood and straight cuts for husband. As to actually build something all on my own, this is a first. I started small, and have other things in mind to build up too (excuse the pun). I did have my husband drill the holes with his Kreg Gig. It might look like old barn wood but that was a happy mistake. First I used oak stain, then black stain, white paint, red and turqouise paint. And sanded like crazy, again, Happy Mistake!!
We wanted a farmhouse dining table but didn't want to be confined by 4 corner legs or supports at the end of the table so I combined the farmhouse top from this site with another farmhouse table base that I found at shanty2chic through a link on this site. We couldn't be happier with how it turned out! I didn't follow any of the plans exactly but adjusted them so we had a table that fit well in our dining room, still fit several guests and was a good eating height. The bench was also modified from the plans I found at shanty 2 chic.
Wed, 04/29/2015 - 12:28
Here is a link to the plans I used for the table base: http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2014/05/restoration-hardware-inspired-dini…
And for the bench: http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2014/06/diy-benches-for-my-dining-table.ht…
I made some modifications to the table length/width to fit our dining room space better which is just a matter of preference. I then changed the length of the bench to fit our table. Other than those small changes which didn't effect the integrity of the plans, these are what I went by.
Wed, 04/29/2015 - 13:34
Thank you so much! This is exactly what we've been looking for. I love that the legs/base are completely under the table so not to interrupt or block causing wasted space.
Fri, 05/08/2015 - 14:56
We are going to build this same table for our house. I'm curious where the chair came from that you used with the table? Thanks!
Project was super easy to build, and fits a TON of books and toys. Perfect for our nursery. Stained in Minwax Classic Grey with a satin poly finish.
Built these chairs and stained them a solid white. They looked great in front of the house and complemented the gray of the house perfectly! Will definitely make these again (super easy!!) Thanks Ana for the plans!!
This was our first project to build. It was a great experience and a fun project to do as a family. We chose to make the tabletop out of red oak so that it could take a beating but the base is pine utility boards just as suggested in the plans. My husband has woodworking skills from school days and I have a fair amount of finishing skills. We had some pitfalls getting familiar with the Kreg jig but now that we are our second project was a breeze! We already made 1 of 2 modified bitty benches to go with the table.
Ever since I saw the beautiful rustic X console table, I knew I had to have one in my house. And I finally built one all by myself!! Thanks to Anna and Hilary. I am so very happy with my console table.
I made this for the April Cent-Sational Salvage Challenge where you had to incorporate a kitchen utensil that you purchased at Habitat ReStore into your project and spend no more than $15! I used a kitchen sink- it's the only kitchen utensil my ReStore had! I used 2" x 4" for the entire project and left the sink unattached so that it can double as a kids water table later. For the finish, I used a light blue latex paint, gave it a sanding to expose the wood, then wiped with Dark Walnut stain. This gave it the old barn wood look. This little stand allows us to pot our plants somewhere other than the dining room table, push the dirt into the sink and down the hole into a bucket. No mess! Plus, it's pretty cute and I made it for a total of $5! $5 for the sink at Habitat ReStore and the 2" x 4"s I saved from a construction site dumpster. Win, win.
My husband built this for me. The doors were a bit frustrating for us as beginners. I really thought he was going to end my life over those doors really. I am very happy with the end result but it did sit inside of the house for over a month without doors. LOL I love this cabinet so much though. It's my favorite piece so far.
I've built four of these tables over the years for grandkids. One has already outgrown the table height so I rebuilt the frame and added longer legs. I modified it and use mortise and tenon joints, which has held up great.
