Community Brag Posts

Laundry Dresser foling area and hanging shelf

Submitted by sandrabees on Tue, 06/19/2012 - 13:15

more details on my blog. I built 2 of the laundry dressers. adjusted the placement of my baskets due to restrictions in the overall height of my unit (I have a ironing board cabinet built into 1 wall that I still wanted to be able to open and use :) I used MDF, but it was a bear to work with and next time I would spend the extra $$ on birch. i painte the bottom in a semi gloss. and plan to add the doors (which will have a beadboard backing) they will be painted white with a dark walnut glaze. The top and shelf /brackets are all done in a distressed finish with ebony and mahogany stain mixed then 2 coats of poly very sturdy even filled!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$140
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
white semi gloss paint, (will be glazing with dark walnut as well),
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Sherice

Tue, 07/15/2014 - 20:27

Very cool rendition of the original plans. I like the folding area, awesome job!

thewife

Fri, 06/26/2015 - 00:00

I have been wanting to make the laundry basket dresser but am holding off because we are moving. What color did you us on the walls, I love it.

Dog Food Storage Box

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/29/2024 - 12:00

I've been searching for a pet food bin for a while now, and started looking for something cuter than an ugly plastic bin. I found a few things on Etsy but none were big enough and also cost a lot of $$$. I took the Modern Cedar Outdoor Storage Bench plans, and modified the size to fit large bags of dog and cat food from Costco, or pet food bins. I'm 55 years old and have fixed things around the house, but this was my first time building something.
I am so happy with how this turned out! I found the dog bone handle online and my daughter painted the paw prints. Way cuter than what I found online and I built it using reclaimed wood I had laying around - my only cost was the handle. Thanks Ana!

Heather Durand https://www.facebook.com/pinkprincesshc

Triple bunk bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 09/18/2016 - 09:01

Thank you for sharing the plans for this. I really liked how out breaks down into 8 pieces to move. I felt the plans were lacking a bit of detail, I ended up downloading the sketch up app for $10. That app helped a ton! Due to lack of detail and not thinking ahead I ended up putting a couple bolt holes in bad spots and had to wood fill and move them. I also didn't understand what mirror image of left and right side were. Lol. I laid down the left side and carefully assembled, then I made the right side to look exactly like it. Lifted the left side, looks beautiful, lifted the right side and looks like a million screws. Lol. I also had to add additional wood to make it work since I essentially built the side inside out. I think I put the slats in a little closer then the plans suggested, I ended up cutting a few more if you notice the gap in bottom bunk slats. I also purchased "backpack strap" from ace hardware and laid it across the slats. I screwed the end slats and stapled the middle ones to the strap. All in all, a great project and it will last for years. Thanks for sharing. Built from http://www.ana-white.com/2013/06/plans/triple-bunk-staggered-beds

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$275 for wood and bolts.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I built this for a friend who wanted it delivered with unfinished wood, I would have used either, varnish or high goods paint for the kids bed.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Grill Station

Submitted by JDillen on Sat, 07/05/2014 - 15:32

Grill station

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Kona
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

For my soon-to-be niece

Submitted by mikeanddad on Tue, 12/20/2016 - 07:46

Thanks for the great plans! I built this toy box with my dad for my soon-to-be niece.

We followed the plans closely, but added four additional parts:

1) Added 3 inch foam, batting, and fabric on the top of the toybox

2) Lined the interior. We used 1/8 inch harboard. We cut the harboard to size, used spray adhesive to attach the fabric to the harboard, and then attached the hardboard to the toy box with loctite adhesive.

3) Added two handles to the side

4) Used a vinyl sticker pruchased from Etsy with my neice's name on the front

We used semi-gloss paint and finished the toy box with sem-glass polycrylic (brushed on, not the spray can).

Enjoy!

Best,

Mike

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Custom Garage Shelves

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 10/12/2024 - 09:44

This is a combination of the Ultimate Garage Shelving Plans (https://www.ana-white.com/woodworking-projects/ultimate-garage-shelving…) and the Best DIY Garage Shelves (https://www.ana-white.com/woodworking-projects/best-diy-garage-shelves-…). We mostly followed the Ultimate plans but didn't add the metal supports. Instead, we had shorter spans and were able to attach the shelves to the upper part of our metal storage shed. Simple plans, easy to understand, took a weekend for two adults to complete.

Seasonal And Holiday

X - Farm House Table

I modified this plan just a little on the ends, and I can not tell you how pleased I am with it! I did run into some issues with lining the boards up properly due to imperfections (and not laying the boards out ahead of time in the store because I was rushing at closing time), but in the end, I decided to add a wood filler in between the boards and everyone just raves over it. I could not imagine it having come out better. I would not do it any other way. 

Thank you Ana!! 

PS... I have a wonderful idea for a loft bed, but the plans are not provided. I know you would do it justice.. how do I submit the photo????

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Satin, Custom mixed stain, stainable wood filler, sander.

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

jeffross

Sun, 01/07/2018 - 07:22

My appologies if I'm missing it but are there build plans for this table.  I would really like to build this for a friend but I'm not sure my skills will enable me to free style this. Thanks in Advance.  Jeff

cjtrunk21

Fri, 05/29/2020 - 11:50

Did plans over get posted for this table? Love the design. Thanks.

Extra tall bar stool

Submitted by Jbonacci3 on Sat, 01/26/2013 - 12:18

I built a breakfast bar into an existing wall shared between our kitchen and living room. I built it on the taller side of average since I wanted to have room to install new electrical outlets above the counter on the kitchen side. After the project was done we went to buy bar stools to use with the new bar and found that even the "tall" stools were too short to work. Research into extra tall stools showed that what we needed was going to $400-600 each! Luckily my wife found these stools on your site and we were able to make three of them for around $115. Also, they are much sturdier than anything we looked at to buy.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$115
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Painted frames with Valspar paint + primer (black). Padded and covered seats with a canvas material.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Breibee23

Mon, 11/11/2013 - 23:53

This is a saving grace... We didn't want to spend 600-1400 on extra tall bar stools that actually look good and this plan rocks as a stand in :)

Drop Leaf Kitchen Island

Submitted by Boab on Wed, 03/01/2017 - 19:01

When I recently moved into a space with a kitchen and living room attached, I quickly realized that I wouldn't have room for a full size dinner table. I had seen extendable kitchen tables but none fit the bill, I was looking for something more compact. I also liked the idea of a bar / island with storage underneath, and I had noticed some had a drop leaf on 1 side which would be useful – but why not have 2 leafs for more dining space? When I decided to build my own table to fit these requirements it was difficult to find any plans out there, especially with drop leafs. Through lots of experimenting and research I finally built what I had envisioned: a kitchen island / bar with cart storage and two folding table leafs which expand to about 31/2 feet squared of eating / drinking area. I went through this trial and error process so you don’t have to, find more pictures and instructions here: http://bacheloronabudget.com/diy-drop-leaf-kitchen-island-cart/

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
-Minwax Special Walnut Stain
-Minwax Wipe-on Poly
-White Paint (I used Rust-oleum Linen White)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Engine 23 Fire Truck Bed

Submitted by brandon1 on Sat, 02/16/2013 - 22:54

I have always been interested in some kind of projects and just to see what I can do with my hands. I am a father of 3 and hardly have the time to sit down must less pull off a huge project but I set aside some time and worked on this late at night after the kiddos went to bed. I came across this site when my wife was on pintrest one night and have been hooked ever since. I was at work one day and saw all these different projects that I wanted to do and that's when I ran across this bed and I could not wait to start working on it. I called my wife and sent pictures of the plans and said meet me at Lowes we got a project to work on lol. I had a blast working on this and yes I did run into a few problems here and there but overall it came out great. When I went in I originally was going to follow plans to a T but decided that I would make changes here and there as I went. Due to height contstrictions in my son's room I lowered the overall height by two inches which worked out perfect. I did build the steps but I also made the back where it would come apart for east movement. I only used actual pine boards on the steps and the rest is 3/4" MDF board. I ripped everything on a table saw to exact width and length and drilled all my holes with a Kreg Jig. Alot of people are afraid to use MDF but believe me I could shake that bed as hard as I can and it doesn't even budge one bit. It is heavy duty built for a monkey child like I have. The project overall took around 30 hours from start to finish. My only suggestion would be to paint every step of the way instead of waiting to paint until the end like I did. If you have any questions about the build feel free to ask and I will help out the best I can. Thanks Ana for the plans and thanks to atouchofarkansas for the original inspiration for you guys have gave my son years worth of enjoyment. Can't wait for the next project to start.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
375.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Valspar Premium Paints
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

King Size Farmhouse Bed with Dog Stairs and Storage

Submitted by jkjackson on Sun, 05/30/2021 - 15:21

We have a frosty faced blind girl and an aging tri-pawed that we wanted to be able to continue snuggling with us so we adapted the Farmhouse Bed with Storage to make it a king size. We made the drawer boxes deeper which allowed us to get rid of our dresser to create more space in our room. And we added a flight of stairs for the pups.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
General Finishes White Wash with Arm R Seal Oil Based Satin Finish top coat. (If you want the white wash to be more white and less amber, use water based.)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Growth Chart Ruler

Submitted by pde00311 on Mon, 03/02/2015 - 07:40

I followed the instructions at 517 creations to make this: http://517creations.blogspot.com/2011/04/ruler-growth-chart-pottery-bar…. It was relatively quick and easy project that I made to chart my daughter's growth on her second birthday (and our little ones' future birthdays). I printed the numbers off my computer, made an indent with ball point-pen and then traced with a paint marker. It took a little patience and concentration, but I drew the lines and numbers without barely making a smudge.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Ipswich Pine with Minwax Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Patio cooler/Grill cart!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/22/2017 - 14:06

Great project! I'm new to wood working and have been looking for simple but challenging builds. Needless to say this fit the bill... This grill cart was a great starter build and ultimately became a Father's Day gift!  My Pops loved it! 

I did add a couple of custom pieces: a foldable table top extension and towel bar... things Dad will undoubtedly need as he's an outdoorsman who loves to BBQ!

Thanks for the idea/design plans! 

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Semi-gloss spar urethane (3 coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Live Edge Oak Bench

I found this oak character slab at a local lumber yard and fell in love with it. I loved it so much I bought a second one. After torching the slab using the Shou Sugi Ban method, I scraped away the charred surface and used tung oil to complete the finish. I added two more coats of tung oil allowing at least 24 hours in between each coat. The legs are made from rough cut pine from the same lumber yard (these guys take good care of me!). I also used the same charring method on the legs and feet along with tung oil. Check out all the detail and character of the edges! This bench could easily be used as a coffee table. It is approximately 6 feet long and 30 inches tall.

Comments

Kids table with chairs/storage

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 12/27/2021 - 19:33

I love woodworking and trying different techniques...Thank you Ana for the detailed plans!..My niece loves it

Comments

Batmobile full Bed

Submitted by bbcarey on Mon, 08/03/2015 - 10:12

My son had a 'lightning Mcqueen' toddler bed- but we needed to get him into a little bigger bed.  We had a spare full bed, and Batman is his current favorite... Since there aren't Batman full race car beds- time to start planning and building from sketchup!  Took me about 2 weeks of evenings (after the kids go to bed) and about $110 in materials.  The model is available in the sketchup warehouse at:

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=u6b750a53-37a4-4d52-9d31…

 

For the wheel covers I ordered online at Amazon for $25 for a set of 4.

For the Wheels both HD and Menards make a 18" wood table top for ~$7 that I just cut the middle out  with my router to fit the wheel covers.

The slats to hold the bed (made to fit both box spring and mattress) were just 1x4 pine boards from menards.

The body was made from 3/4 MDF, though you could of course use plywood. 

I used a projector to project the image from sketchup onto the board to get it transferred- else it would have been 50+ pages if printing..

For the logos I just used a minila folder as my stencil and cut out the logo.  Needed to touch up the 'tabs' to hold the logo in the circle after pulling off the stencil.

Estimated Cost
$115
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
High gloss Latex paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

In reply to by Ana White Admin

bbcarey

Fri, 01/29/2016 - 21:18

I give you credit when people ask how I got started in woodworking because until I found your site and my first project (library cart) then 2 helper stands for my kids and other friends kids and it just went on from there. The skils taken from this site and learning Sketchup have brought a lot of nice furniture to our home as well as a sense of confidence to me!! Thank you!

MoxieMan13

Sat, 09/12/2015 - 19:10

My son really wants this and I promised him that I would make it.  Do you have a PDF or anything of the outline of the batmobile?  Thanks! 

Woodlandfox

Sun, 02/21/2016 - 14:29

Thank you so much for the greatest idea ever!  We stumbled on this and believe it will be the perfect next bed for our son, however, we cannot download any of the files.  Do you have a PDF of the measurements or any other form you can upload so we can make this bed?  Thanks in advance!  Great work!

SDonahue9807

Tue, 12/06/2016 - 07:23

I apologize if I am just missing this, but... do you have step by step instructions on building this bed? I see the pictures of each part and its corresponding dimensions, but I cannot located instructions on assembling the bed. 

 

Thanks!

Class/School Auction Projects

Submitted by jendon on Tue, 05/03/2022 - 15:32

This year my 2nd-3rd class built the Modern Park bench for the school auction. They sanded, stained, and set the screw for the seat and back.
I also made two Adirondack chairs with matching stain.
Both projects had two coats of poly and really shined. They were a hit at the auction and the kids and families really appreciated the experience and final products.
Thank you Ana for making plans simple to follow and new skills learned each time.
Blessings,
Jennifer

Comments

jendon

Mon, 05/16/2022 - 18:33

My students really enjoyed it and many picked up a tool for the first time. I like planting seeds in their heart and mind for the future!! Blessings, Jennifer

jendon

Mon, 05/16/2022 - 18:33

My students really enjoyed it and many picked up a tool for the first time. I like planting seeds in their heart and mind for the future!! Blessings, Jennifer

Rustic X beach beverage center

Submitted by one wolf on Tue, 09/08/2015 - 06:52

We used old dock wood for the surface of our X table for a nice beach house beverage center (sand bar!).  We adjusted the size to fit our space (a little longer and wider) and used additional studs for the shelves instead of 1" shelving, glued and PH/PS together.  To cut the X pieces I just held the 1x1 on the end of the table where it goes and marked the lines. Then I clamped a guide board at the correct angle on the table saw to make all the cuts, starting a bit long and shaving off until it just fit.  

 

With all the pocket holes and screws I wouldn't consider this a beginner project. Some additional steps and pictures in your description would help also.  End result is really nice.

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Patina wood from an old dock for the surface and the base is painted flat gray.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

L-Shaped Triple Bunk

Submitted by mommy to 3 on Sat, 09/01/2018 - 20:21

We recently had our 6th child and needed to rearrange our kids' rooms.  We decided to put our 3 oldest girls together and wanted a triple bunk.  We used the classic bunk plans, but increased the height to allow for a middle bunk.  We wanted L-shaped to give each child some headroom.  We used pine wood, common board and select pine.  We finished it off with two coats of Behr interior latex paint/primer in one, satin finish.  Finished dimensions--height from floor to base of bottom bunk, 10 in.  from floor to top of top rail, 79.5 in.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$350 for wood/screws
$40 for paint
~$500 for tools--this was only our second build and our last build only required a drill.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Behr interior latex paint/primer in one, satin finish. Color is "classic silver"
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

bcheese06

Tue, 02/18/2020 - 20:41

This is exactly what my boys need in their room. I'm having a hard time grasping how you did the middle bunk. Is it just the top bunk chopped right before the horizontal slats of the bottom bunk? tia

Baby Doll Crib and High Chair

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 12/25/2018 - 20:06

Love getting to watch my daughter play with stuff that i made her.

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Farmhouse Writing Desk with Turned Legs

Submitted by kwildman on Mon, 01/07/2019 - 08:53

I modified the Small Old English Style Farmhouse Dining Table plan to build a writing desk.   I used five 1x6 boards for the top for a width of 27.5 inches.   I made my desk 56 inches in length.  I put the drawer on the long side like a pencil drawer.   I did use the legs that Ana recommended in the plan.   I love how it turned out.  I used dark walnut danish oil and dark wax for the finish.  

Estimated Cost
225
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Watco dark walnut danish oil and Minwax dark paste wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

kwildman

Fri, 10/04/2019 - 21:46

Thank you!  I used Watco Danish oil and I used Minwax dark wax.  I've tried alot of different wax brands and I always come back to Minwax.  It dries the hardest in my opinion.

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