Community Brag Posts

Entryway Bench and Storage Shelf

Used your plans to do these for our mudroom I just remodeled.My wife loved them.Took the original plan and modified it to fit the corner.The bench ended up being white with a grey top.And for xmas my step mother made cushions for it.Love your plans.Thanks

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Gloss white
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Balustrade Coffee Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/28/2017 - 16:29

Balustrade Coffee  Table made of cedar and pine wood. Approximately 49.5 length. Stained in special walnut and white painted chalk paint base. Used dark wax to distress base and legs. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
2 coats of special walnut stain for top. 2 coats of polyurethane for top. Base has white chalk paint base with dark wax to distress.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Lovin the Drawer dividers

Finished this in no time and wow did it create a lot of space. I was able to get rid of my knife block because there’s now room for my knives in my drawer. Thank you Ana for sharing your wood work with us! This was well worth the $25 I spent!

Estimated Cost
$25
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Fireplace Mantel and Surround

Submitted by BeingHome on Sat, 02/23/2013 - 16:47

With a desire to decorate a mantel for the holidays, my husband and I decided to build a fireplace mantel and surround. This was our first building project.

Inspired by the faux mantel at Blue Roof Cabin blog and with the drawn up plans from Ana White, this mantel was fairly easy to build.

I (we) are very happy with the results. Since the plans were adapted to fit around our existing fireplace, the completed dimensions are 66 1/2 inches high x 74 3/4 wide. Total cost came to $130.81

For more details about the building process, please check out the tutorial.

Thank you.

Julie

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Ultra (paint and primer in one) in ultra white finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Craft Table

Submitted by 3grlsmom on Thu, 01/01/2015 - 16:47

We modified the original plnas to convert one set of front shelves into thread storage.  We used  1/4" wooden dowel cut to fit 2 spools of thread on each.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint (not finished in picture)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Tennessee Titan themed helper with horn and wheel

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 03/30/2017 - 18:16

Made this for my 14 month old, this was my first ever attempt at making/building anything! Hand painted and assembled with inspiration from the Tennessee Titans. My son loves standing in it by the window watching the trucks go by our house so I added his own jungle gym steering wheel and bike horn. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
~$150. The paint bumped up the cost and time
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Gloss paint with a polyurethane finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic X Console

We made this table following the Rustic Console Table plans. We bought all the supplies at our local lumber yard so the cost was about $60 for the project. This plan turned out so great that we even made the matching side table:) It is sturdy, useful and plain and simple great for the space! This is a fun one to make!!

Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Stain in Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

jbayer80

Mon, 02/25/2013 - 18:22

I plan on making this "X" set as soon as I finish my sons toddler room. Can't wait to start.

Yours looks amazing!

Babbling Brooke

Wed, 03/06/2013 - 12:26

Thank you:) We had a blast making it and learning as we went:) It is a sturdy table! We love it and it has led to so many more projects. I hope that you have a great time making it too:) And good luck on your sons room...that is always a work in progress here too.

Harriet Higher Chair

Thank you so much Ana for this plan. Our 2 year old is too big for a high chair and will not use a booster seat. He wants to be like his older sibilings and use a real chair. This was perfect because it is a real chair (no booster seat) and then we put a Mickey Mouse  on the back and he absolutely loves using it now. 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$30 I think. Used some scraps for back and seat so probably a little less.
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
White paint and then just used a mickey mouse cookie cutter we had to trace and then painted black.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

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

Birds and Soap cooler with a twist

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/22/2021 - 05:30

My dad has been looking to buy an outdoor soda cooler for the summer, and when I came across this plan I knew I had to make it! The design is so pretty, and the plans are very easy to follow. It is time consuming to complete but the end result is worth it! The biggest challenge I found was getting the spigot to attach to the cooler. Make sure your cooler lid is glued in level too because I learned the hard way it is a pain to fix after the fact! I personalized it to my dad's favorite soda and photo shopped him into a vintage moxie ad because it's something he would get a kick out of! He loved it! Thanks for the plans!

Estimated Cost
$150-175
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used a dark stain with polyurethane finish. I wanted it to look rustic so the stain was applied a little messier for an uneven look.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Ana White Admin

Mon, 02/22/2021 - 11:30

The sweet build and customization is what building is all about! Thank you for sharing, he is a proud father indeed.

Rural School Bus Shelter

Submitted by Medeek on Thu, 02/28/2013 - 09:02

Rural Bus Shelter with 3/12 shed roof, designed to keep your kids out of the elements as they wait for the bus. Shown with log siding and 2x trim. Can be constructed on a slab on grade or remain portable with pressure treated runners and wood floor as shown.

Upgrade further with electricity and insulation for those really cold and dark climates (ie. Washington, Oregon, Alaska, B.C.).

I will make the plans for this shelter freely available to all that are interested.

Estimated Cost
$1200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Very good idea to stain and treat the siding which will greatly increase its longevity and attractiveness.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

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

Coffee Table [Modern Farmhouse Collection]

Submitted by vcollin2 on Fri, 02/26/2021 - 13:43

This coffee table was my second woodworking project. I changed the dimensions for a square instead of a rectangle. New dimensions are approximately 40in x 40in. I had to use 1x8x8 kiln dryed boards instead of 1x10x8. As I am new to wood working , it was a learning curve that the 45 degree angles were a beveled cut and not mitered. Overall I thought the plans were easy to follow.

Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Briarsmoke
This stain turned out much darker than Ana’s table. It is a much darker grey.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Media Console

I have been wanting to build a media console for a while and finally got around to doing it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Miniwax dark walnut and 3 coats of poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

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

Rustic Rolling Wooden Dresser Variation

This is my take on the Rolling Rustic Wooden Dresser. I did not use the wheel and extended the sides to increase the height.

Used the edge glued project panels from Lowe’s for the Top, Side and Drawer Faces.

Biggest cost increase is the inclusion of the much more expensive drawer hardware. My wife likes the self closing under drawer mounts that run $25-$30 a pop.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)

Wooden Lantern Tree

I wanted a tree feature in my living room, but I also needed a lighting source. I saw this coat tree and decided that I would make it into a lantern tree with some hand-built, simple wood lanterns. The result is an inexpensive standing "lamp" of sorts, using scrap wood and 2x2s. I have plans for adding a punch of color to the tree, but for now, I love the clean lines and the unique simplicity of this piece of solid wood furniture.

Estimated Cost
$3.70 using scrap wood, under $10 otherwise
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Olympic Semi-Gloss White (straight off shelf)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

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