Community Brag Posts

Thank You for this Great Doll House Plan!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 04/02/2017 - 19:32

What a fantastic plan.  I made one for my granddaughter.  It has two advantages over the doll house I made years ago.  (1) It can be unstacked and shipped.  This one will be shipped.  (2) It allows the child to restack and rearrange rooms.  My grandaughter loves to rearrange things.  It is an "engineering inclination" according to her mother.  Well, she can rearrange these rooms as many times as she likes.

 

I made only one change to the published plan.  I expanded the rooms to 8" wide, 8" high and 16" long in order to accommodate a piece of furniture my son-in-law had already made.  Maintaining the 2-to-1 ratio keeps everything fitting together well.

 

Thank you again.

Estimated Cost
I used materials already on hand. No cost.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Acrylic Latex Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Simple Sawhorse table 36" height

Submitted by AlexWS on Thu, 02/28/2013 - 13:46

Like many others have mentioned, I wanted a 36" high table so I could use it as a bar. Ana mentioned that it would be too wide at 15 degrees so perhaps 10, after busting out some trigonometry I found that 10 degrees would give you about a 16" base and 15 would give you a 24" base. So, 12.5 degrees it came to be if you want a 20" base.

Many have said it takes 4 2x2's, that definitely holds true with this modification.

Here are my measurements, otherwise the cuts and assembly are the same as the original:

All angles are now 12.5 degrees rather than 15.

The legs are 33 3/4" from end to end

The outside edges of the legs should come to 20 1/4" wide for the base.

The stretcher will stay the same 13 3/4" on the bottom length, just cut at 12.5 degrees.

The stretcher is now 7 3/8" up from the ground, I found it was easiest to measure 7 1/2" up along the inside of the legs and line the bottom of the stretcher up at this mark.

And that's it!

A tip I used was clamping 4 2x2's together to get all the legs even, this only works if you have a sliding compound miter saw. I also recommend doing the straight cuts first and then leave the saw set at 12 1/2 degrees until you finish the project, this will keep cuts consistent.

Other modifications I made were to shorten the depth to 16 1/2" and use 2x6's for the top, I needed a narrow table in the room. I also made the depth of the sawhorses only 15 inches so the top would have a 3/4" overhang in front and back, I think this cleaned up the look some.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Less than $50 for wood, paint, stain and screws
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Jacobean oil based stain for the top. The sawhorses are painted black, sanded and then rubbed with Minwax Jacobean.Minwax finishing paste for the whole thing.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

4x4 Truss Table

I loved this table the second I saw it and knew I had to build it. The only modification I did was adding an additional 2x10 to the table top to increase the width. It is a pretty substantial table but the table top is a really good size (makes folding laundry awesome!). 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Early American with belting sanding all over after the final coat. Matte poly applied in several coats to protect.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Antique Corner Cabinet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 04/05/2017 - 11:52

Wife wanted something that matched the comforter colors but looked a little antique-y. So I made her this!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Chalk paint with antique wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Step Dresser

Submitted by calcowoods on Fri, 02/26/2021 - 12:14

Step dresser inspired by a similar design from a boutique furniture store. We actually made three dressers using various dimensions from large, median and even small versions.

Comments

Benchwright Table

My wife loved the Benchwright table at pottery barn, and I did not love the price. Got a lot of ideas from this site and tried to make it my own. The outside and legs are made from 5"x5" Cypress, purchased from a local saw mill. I used a kreg jig on the entire thing along with lag bolts and glue. It is very heavy and I can jump up and down on it. Bought the hardware from Fastenal. Fun project, took about 16 hours total.

Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Poly - 3 Coats
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

jbayer80

Sat, 03/02/2013 - 20:21

This is by far my favorite table I've seen on here. Wow...its all I can say. I wish it was not in the $400 range.

BTW, that is some serious saw dust. haha

In reply to by jbayer80

chasekirby80

Sun, 03/03/2013 - 05:50

Thank you,
I helped a buddy make on shortly after I made mine. He used 4x4 pine, it looks a little smaller and the pine did not stain as dark, but it is still a very nice looking table. He made it for under $150, so that might be a good option.

jbayer80

Sun, 03/03/2013 - 07:37

That is a great option. Hopefully when its time for a table like this I can afford the 5X5's.

What a statement that table has!

My Rustic Console Table

Submitted by adeath on Wed, 01/07/2015 - 09:21

This is build 2 and I was really happy with how well it came together.  I used Douglas Fir again as it takes the vinegar and steel wool mixture really well.  This piece was hand waxed for a different look than my corner table.  I love the tight grain in the top and how the variations in the grain caused some of the wood to appear almost white while the rest of the top is very grey.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$210.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Steel wool and vinegar mix with minwax finishing paste hand applied.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

TwoCuteKids

Wed, 01/07/2015 - 18:32

Both of your projects are fantastic! I like a wax finish as well, it really draws out the details of the wood grain and is smooth to the touch.

In reply to by TwoCuteKids

adeath

Thu, 01/08/2015 - 08:42

Thanks for the very kind words. I was picky when I selected the boards for the top. I loved how tight the graining was. It was interesting to see how the one board went almost white. I used minwax's paste finishing wax on this particular project. I rubbed it on by hand and then used a orbital buffer to bring out the shine.

bortoro

Thu, 01/08/2015 - 06:16

Both pieces came out great. I would like to know which lumber yard you are using in Houston if you do not mind sharing!!!

kernsbk

Thu, 12/03/2015 - 17:06

Thank you so much for the comment you added about scribing the angles for the X's. After a lot of frustration; purchasing a carpenter's square, a sliding t-bevel, and a protractor; and ending up with cuts I just wasn't satisfied with ... I'm so glad I took the time to page through all the comments and found yours. I wouldn't have been able to finish without it. :) THANK YOU!!!

charid

Fri, 12/04/2015 - 16:01

I've looked through pages of comments from the original plan and still haven't found the comment you are referring to. Do you recall what page it was on? I have two x's that I am ok with but next project I'd prefer a better cut.

Corner Hutch

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/08/2017 - 15:39

I made this from Anna White's plans. Thanks for your idea and the plans. It is made from Mahogany, Pine, and I used 1/4 aspen plywood for the back. I made the face frame (rails and stiles) with the Mahogany, and did mortise and tennon joinery and then attached to the shelving. I made the raised panel doors out of Mahogany also and made the crown moulding as the trim piece out of the same species. The shelving and back board is from pine and capped with mahogany trim on the shelf edge. The door knobs are not yet on in the picture, but I used solid wood round knobs and stained the same colour and located the knobs up near the top of the door stiles.

 

Stained in Dark Walnut Minwax Water based and finished in Varathane Semi Gloss water based.

Estimated Cost
Cost was about $200 in material.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut water based. Finish is Varathane Semi Gloss water based. 3 coats of finish with light 320 sanding in between coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Truss Beam Dining Table

Modified plan dimensions to accommodate 8' long by 4' wide top. Also, added 4" lag screws (just for appearance) to secure beams at base of the legs and center support

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$550
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Top:
Varathane Jacobean Stain + Poly
Polyurethane\Mineral Spirit 50/50 mix (see PMK Woodworking)

Base:
Varathane Antique White Stain + Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Ellery's loft bed

My 7 year old daughter LOVES her new loft bed!!! It was a fun build. Plans were very accurate and simple to follow. Took a weekend to build and about 5 nights to paint.
Next I plan on building a desk and some shelves under the bed. More pics to come!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
about $300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Behr Premium Plus
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Window Pane-style Collage

Submitted by kaufmanj90 on Fri, 01/09/2015 - 16:26

I've been seeing a lot of window panes turned photo frame and really liked the look. We didn't have any extra panes around but I did have a bunch of scrap pieces of 3/4 inch plywood so I decided to make my own!

Estimated Cost
Wood was free, scraps I had laying around.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Minwax's Early American stain first. Then I blotched on some Vaseline to help with with distressing later. I followed up with 2 coats of an Antique White paint I had leftover from another project. After the paint dried I hit it with 220 grit sandpaper.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

X-Bar Coffee table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/11/2017 - 08:11

We built our coffee table to match our farmhouse entry table! I love the tutorials from Ana White! We made changes to the bottom shelf and used 2x2 slats instead of the 1x12 pieces. Also changed the dimensions so it measures about 56x34 (kept the height the same). It complements our living room perfectly! I can't wait to built end tables next! 

Estimated Cost
$87
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Annie Sloan old white for base. Top and "x" white wash, then stained with Briarsmoke. Clear wax coat after then finished with a coat of matte polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic X Desk- T-shaped

A friend wanted a T-shaped desk, but I couldn’t find plans for it, so I was inspired by these plans to build this!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Ebony stain as a base, white paint over it, and then sanded lightly in certain areas for a distressed white look.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Standard Kids Table Design + Lego Top

Submitted by JenBerter on Thu, 03/07/2013 - 10:46

I used the Clara Table design then decided to make the table top into a lego table. I bought (4) Lego Plates from Target at $15 each. Then super glued the Lego Plates onto the tabletop.

*** Note- Make sure that the spacing between Lego Plates is correct. I used different Lego's to connect the different plates to make sure that the spacing was correct.

Thanks for the ideas Ana!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

head and footboards from 140 year old doors ''queen''

i was able to rescue a few doors out of a roughly 140 year old house.  so the idea of a head and footboard came to mind.   the headboard is oak was the front door, and the footboard is pine from bedroom.  these were not taken apart just sanded cut to length and finished.   now everyone around me wants a pair.

 

Estimated Cost
i already had sand paper and polyurethane so i would estimate if buying those supplies $30
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Don't forget the food

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/14/2017 - 18:12

I really didn't want to need to feed/water the chickens too much, but at the same time only having four didn't really necessitate a massive system. I found this video for a feeder (https://youtu.be/pzW4YytXYaQ ), and then bought some sideways chicken nipples off of amazon and <~$20 later it was done. I've since gone in and made the street elbows for the feeder a little longer than he recommends, which has made them truly zero waste. 

Also, a couple of good wheels from Tractor Supply (https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/titan-casters-4-in-rigid-poly…) on the one side and some handles on the other and boom, chicken tractor. 

Finally, I noticed one person that had extended the rungs on the ramp out... my chickens love that and are on them almost all the time. Lastly, I put a quick 1x2 at the top of the ramp to keep the chips from spilling when I move it, but they really like roosting there, now.

 

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Narrow Console Table

Submitted by Ragis10 on Tue, 03/16/2021 - 06:43

This table was very easy to build and a lot of credit has to be given to how in depth the plans were! So much detail.

I wish my 2x4’s weren’t twisted because now I have to shim one side so it doesn’t rock but that’s all on me lol.

Great plans and I plan on making more of these! Thanks!

Estimated Cost
$15
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut
Minwax Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Reclaimed wood full size headboard

I really enjoyed building this headboard. I had all of the wood cut at Home Depot saving some time. Putting the headboard together was pretty simple. First I applied wood conditioner then I used an expresso stain. I then sanded everything and used Rustoleum satin fossil colored spray paint. After the paint dried, I sanded again and applied Minwax express color in walnut. That was it! I love how this turned out.

Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

kshat

Mon, 07/15/2019 - 18:43

This is gorgeous!  I wanted to ask if you used pocket hole screws or not?  The product list calls for them, but never saw them mentioned in the actual plans.  Thank you!

Kentwood Bookcase

A great plan that was so easy to follow!  My hubby and I had a great time building this, even though it took us about a year from start to finish, actual work time on this project was not huge.  The Kreg jig was brilliant and made everything so easy.  

Estimated Cost
I would put the estimated cost at around $400 AUD. Looking back at the project I'm sure we could have cut costs by buying recycled timber.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dulux Whisper White Semi-Gloss
Dulux Colour matched Turqoise Low Sheen
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farm Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/18/2017 - 09:08

We started building farm tables just recently and used the great plans from the Ana White site along with all the helpful other brag posts.  The main construction of the table was based on the plans from here: www.ana-white.com/2012/11/plans/farmhouse-table-updated-pocket-hole-plans along with some other modifications made along the way.  The table turned out great and just wanted to give thanks for the plans and this community.  

We built more than just the picture uploaded if you want to see more versions/sizez you can check them out here: http://backyardcedarsevents.com/gallery/

Thanks for the great DIY website - the projects and plans here are great for everything!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Special Oak
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate