Community Brag Posts
Cubby Storage Bench - First Project!
This was our first attempt at making furniture and even though the difficulty rating was ‘intermediate’, the detailed instructions made the process less complicated. Our version of Anna White Essential Entryway Bench turned out better than we expected! Once it was built, I stained it grey, painted it white, then distressed it to make it look antique. I added a custom made foam cushion to the top and, voila!
TammyA
Built from Plan(s)
Coffee Table
This is my second build. I used the Benchright plan but had to modify it for one drawer. The Dimensions are 39 long, 25 wide, and 19 tall. I have heard others comment on how difficult drawers are. I thought I would just jump in head first with the kind of drawer that closes flush with the rest of the table - really had some trouble with making it square. I ended up shimming the face onto to the drawer because even though it opens and closes smoothly, it isn't square with the rest of the table...
I had originally planned to make the 20 second tidy up table for my living room and begun purchasing materials. However, I was let go from my job last Sunday, so changed my plans. I took inventory of all the supplies and materials I had on hand and tried to find a plan that would not require any more spending to build... to sell... to pay rent.... and thus the new table was born. And I love it. And I hate to sell it.
I tried to copy the finish on the 20 second tidy up table, and this is how it ended up. I used Minwax Golden Pecan for the base color and Red Oak for the accent color. The colors got a little blended together through the staining process. I really love how it turned out though because it's a nice warm color. The only thing I don't like is the grain in the pine didn't take much if any color, so it's still a bit yellow, which seems slightly out of place when I look at it. I think it will darken with age and look a little better. Otherwise, this was a super fun project!!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Golden Pecan, and Red Oak. Followed by several coats of semi-gloss poly. Final coat was spray on.
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced
Comments
Tue, 03/27/2012 - 04:43
Stain it all! You will get
Stain it all! You will get more money for it stained than painted or unfinished.
Tue, 03/27/2012 - 06:09
Thanks
I will try to do that this weekend... if I can find some money to get stain with. Hehe. I think it would look really great stained with the same method that Ana used on the 20 second tidy up table... rubbing the edges with a darker color... I love that look.
Tue, 04/10/2012 - 04:58
Construciton
This is awesome! I love it. You did a great job. Do you by any chance have the construction process on this? I would love to try it for my "first" project!! thank you.
Mon, 05/14/2012 - 15:30
Thank you! I borrowed the idea from you.
I love the 20 second tidy up table and have plans to make 1 but I've been so busy with work that I've been commissioned to build. Nothing for me for a while.... So goes unemployed life. No complaints!!!
Father and Son Project
The first of hopefully many more projects to come!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Comments
Thu, 01/16/2014 - 05:00
It is Addictive
Get ready to build more because with each successful project comes the need for another one. The hobby is addictive. You will need stations for your new miter saw, band saw, drill press, and of course tool storage. Looking forward to your future projects.
Masculine upholstered bench
This is the second bench made from these plans. For this bench, I altered the plans, decreasing the length from 55" to 36". I'm a little uneasy about using the jigsaw so I did not taper the legs. I love this bench it fits very nicely into our warehouse loft apartment.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$65
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Bedroom bench
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Kitchen Island with Farmhouse Table Top
I’ve wanted a new island for awhile but wasn’t quite sure what I wanted it to look like, until I saw Ana’s cabinet plans for the Momplex kitchen! We wanted a fairly large island, so we did two 24” base cabinets “townhouse style” (from Ana’s Kitchen Cabinet Base 101 post) plus we added a little extra space at both ends, so Hubby could install some electrical outlets and we’d still have plenty of room for the drawers. The old island had power already, so he got the outlets wired pretty fast. Behind the doors are some deep pull-out drawers to hold all the stuff you’d usually have to bend down and reach for. Now it’s so convenient! I built a Farmhouse Table top for it and love it! We built flat doors and trimmed them up to match the island sides and back (also matches our pantry and dining room). This project took us about 40 hours to build and finish, and it was so worth it! Ana, you are a rockstar in our house! We now have a real showpiece for our kitchen, thanks to Ana White!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$550
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Cabinet: 3 coats of Ace Royal semi gloss in Crushed Peanut, sanded between coats. Top: 2 coats Minwax Color Express in Walnut (1st coat brushed on, 2nd coat rubbed on), plus 3 coats of Minwax Oil Modified Water Based Polyurethane in Satin (sanded between coats); and on the drawer boxes, 2 coats of Minwax Polycrylic in clear satin (the clear water base poly doesn’t add any color to the natural pine)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Comments
Fri, 03/30/2012 - 21:14
Absolutely stunning! I'm in
Absolutely stunning! I'm in the process (sooo sooo close to being done) of making a banquette seating area with the creamy colored drawer base and the top stained in walnut. I put the same half round trim on my drawer fronts too. I saw a vanity on display at Lowes with this detail and had to copy it. I love the look! I am also building a trestle table from plans from www.thisoldhouse.com to match. I bought some beautiful matching chairs from Target.com. I can't wait to get it finished. I'm about to go paint the drawers right now. The table components were just primed 15 minutes ago. :-)
Sat, 03/31/2012 - 08:04
Thank you!
Brigitte and Pam, thank you very much for the nice comments! :) I'm having a ball building projects from this site. This is our favorite one so far (we say that every time haha). I have to smile and run my hand across the top whenever I walk past it - I guess when the novelty wears off I'll stop doing that :) Now I'm ready to add those door dampeners to all the cabinet doors in my house (so cool not hearing a slam when you shut them). Brigitte, your project sounds beautiful, can't wait to see the pictures of it!
Sat, 03/31/2012 - 18:57
This is beautiful!
Absolutely gorgeous! I really love the colors. I've never tried the color express stain - and I have to try it now! The top is so seamless. Love it!
Sun, 04/01/2012 - 05:33
Thank you!
Mebohn, thanks very much for the nice comment! You'll love the color express when you try it. Walnut is my favorite and I've used it for lots of projects. I like brushing it on to get a nice dark first coat, and then on this one, rubbed on a 2nd coat (needed to wait an extra hour for the first coat to dry). I used lots of wood glue and Kreg screws to assemble this top (it's 5 pieces of 1x10, 3 across and 1 at each end) and then added 1x4 underneath (around the edges and across the center for attaching) to make it 1 1/2 inches thick. Then a whole lot of sanding :)
Sat, 05/26/2012 - 06:46
Thank you!
Mariah, Thanks very much for the nice comment! I'm really happy with how this turned out. Now I want to re-do all my kitchen cabinets with Ana's plans. :) PS -- I saw your jugsaw puzzle table this morning on the brag board -- super creative!!
Camp Loft Bed
Using the Camp Loft Bed design. I modified for TWIN XL and created it to be taller so my son can grow with it. He has about 6 inches of clearance from his head. Also changed the angle of the steps but going back to the original design since space requirements are no longer consideration. I also used metal brackets to tie in the railing. The desk was built from Kreg Jig website.
Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Cherry Wood Staing
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Simple White Outdoor End Table
Great plan, taught me a few things about glue and stain! Corrected by sanding again and re-staining the spots.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax prestain, Minwax gun stock stain and three coats of Minwax Helmsman, Behr exterior paint and primer on legs
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Farmhouse Chairs
I found a picture of this style of chairs, and I really wanted to make them for my table. I created my own plans and adjusted them until they were perfect. I’ve since made several sets of chairs for other people including this set of 6.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$25
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
After sanding down the chairs, I apply a coat of Preston by minwax. To get the color I wipe on the stain gunstock by winwax. After letting it dry for about an hour, I then wipe on a coat of espresso stain. For the finish, I apply coats of a gloss polyurethane by Minwax.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Comments
Wed, 12/18/2019 - 07:57
I'd love to make these for…
I'd love to make these for my parents, do you have the plans?
DIY Home Gym Storage
Fabulous home gym by Nailgun Nelly!
*Incorporated and modified the grand waterfall console plan
Built from Plan(s)
Cedar table
We made this table that seats 8. I loved the farmhouse table but we needed something that did not have cracks for food to seep into with 4 you kids this was a requirements. Much playing around with idea we made this table with out of Cedar 2x6's and a kreg Jig. The white spot is just extra poly we are filling a hole with. I did not want to use any wood filler We love it. We used legs I found on a old rusted table. In which I sanded them down and refinished them. The chairs we also found in the old storage shed on our property. We cleaned them up and painted them black. We do plan to make matching benches for the table.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150 for total supplies (not counting jig)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Just clear coat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Clara's Table
I decided to dress it up a bit using oak for the surfaces. I then used Provincial stain by Minwax and semigloss poly. The legs/skirt are clear pine and both primed and painted. Rather than screw the seat to the frame from above, I used Kreg joints and secured it from below giving the chairs a smooth final finish.
Estimated Cost
$65
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax stain followed by semigloss poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Wooden Rainbow Toy
This is a copy of a creative toy for toddlers seen on Amazon. I glued two pieces of 21mm plywood (400mm X 200mm) together and then using a jig on the band saw, cut out the rainbow shapes 25mm wide. I made up a drum sahnder using circles cut out from the same double layer of plyywood using a hole saw, with a bolt through the middle, to sand the the inner edges. My wife painted the rainbow colours using acrylic paints as this is what we had to hand (I would suggest rather using using a water-based enamel).
Estimated Cost
R100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Acrylic paint coated with a floor sealer
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Bar Height Outdoor Table
We had this unused lower deck and this bar height table was the perfect addition. We have place now to hang when too hot or it’s raining. My husband and I built it in one weekend and your plans where great.
Julie Moran
Built from Plan(s)
Comments
Sun, 08/27/2023 - 12:48
Stunning table and view!
Love this view and what a gorgeous table to go with it! Thanks for sharing.
Wood Shop Storage Solutions...
It seems like organization is always a work in progress especially in my one car garage shop. Honestly it took years to realize what I needed to customize my space in order to organize things. I've built bulky work benches out of 2x4s and plywood. I've rearranged the work space over and over again over the last few years and finally came up with my own system
The miter station is a life saver. I had one of the fancy ones with the foldable wings but didn't like it. The object of it was to be able to fold the wings down for storage but I never did and it caused other space saving problems. Now I can easily store all of my small tools and woodworking knick knacks all in one spot. You can find plans for these if you google miter station, but take my advice and custom make one that fits all of your needs. There's a spot for my vice and speed square too. Things like that make it count.
The router table is probably my favorite tool in the shop. You can do so many things with the router table. I started out with just a top and a base and worked from there. Now everything router is in the cabinet ready to go.
Everything is on wheels. Us military guys and gals have to move around a lot so we have to plan for that. Now everything can just roll up the ramp and in to the truck.
Take some time and think about the efficiency of your shop space. How does everything flow? Or do you even flow at all? I used to woodwork myself in to a bunch of brick walls and now I don't.
Thanks for checking it out
Patrick
Estimated Cost
a lot hah
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Comments
Fri, 04/06/2012 - 22:05
wow. This is very impressive.
wow. This is very impressive. I love how tall the pieces are so you don't have to bend down, I'm always working with my tools on the ground and it is a pain.
I covet your router table.
And the miter station is awesome. I just may copy that! I love how it houses all of your other tools as well. OMG! It even holds your shop vac, and has a handy ledge for pipe clamps?! I would love a simple plan.
I'm really curious about your kreg jig setup on that work table too.... details please.
Well Done!
Sat, 04/07/2012 - 09:20
Ahh The Ground
You've got to get up off the ground. I did that for a looooong time and my back suffered big time.
The kreg jig is mounted to a piece of plywood. Then I drilled 2 holes in the top corners and hung them on the side of the work table.
The miter station has to be custom made for your shop needs but planning it out is very important. I needed a spot for my vice and a quick spot for my speed square. So I calculated all the space needed for 3 drawers and then just added a few inches. Also measure how high your saw sits and recess your work surface exactly that amount.
Grizzly tools has a good deal on simple router table set ups right now. I'd check that out. Eventually the miter saw will be hooked up to the shop vac. I bought an outlet that automatically turns the vacuum on when I use the saw.
It's just like the other stuff. Start with the face frame and the rest will come to you.
Patrick
Sat, 04/07/2012 - 11:49
Alternate plans
If working without plans makes you twitch, Startwoodworking.com, Fine Woodworking and Popular Woodworking usually all have plans for shop furniture like this. There are enough variations over the years that you can usually find the features you're looking for if you do some mixing and matching. I know there was a very nice router table plan last year.
For the record, I work more like Patrick unless what I'm building gets complex.
Sun, 04/08/2012 - 00:25
Me too! i always seem to get
Me too! i always seem to get inspired by a plan, and by the end of the project, it's totally different than the original because of all of the adjustments I make. I have never even considered building shop furniture before, these photos are inspiring!
Thanks Clay for the link, I will have to go burn some time on that site as well. Someday (when I don't have a leaky garage) I will have a shop worthy of such beautiful equipment.
Great Job again, Patrick!
Sun, 04/08/2012 - 04:06
Impressive
Really nice job on these and oh so practical! And Patrick, thanx for serving!
Sun, 04/15/2012 - 14:24
AMAZING
Uh, this is amazing. Good thing I can tell your shop vac and scraps bin have DUST on them, or I think you might be lying about this somewhere you actually work :) ! I just got around to finishing my work space table. I am planning on doing some major organizing before the heat of the summer hits, and then maybe a router table like this might make it to the top of my list.
Mon, 06/11/2012 - 19:56
Sheer inspiration!
Patrick, with the recent release of your Farmhouse Table, I find myself watching it over and over and my jaw is always on the floor by the end. In a way, the flow and the craftsmanship is intoxicating. My family is in the process of moving to a new home and I am mostly looking forward to organizing the garage space. I need a man cave and it needs a miter saw station and a router table.
Did you construct it all with pocket holes? What material is the majority of the carcasses, face frames and drawer fronts?
Thanks for the excellent pictures and marvelous video!
Scott
In reply to Sheer inspiration! by Scott Kershaw (not verified)
Mon, 06/11/2012 - 22:54
Thanks Scott
The materials are just standard pine boards from Home Depot. White pine for the face frames and drawers and 3/4 pine plywood for the cabinets. I'm glad you like the video and I really appreciate the nice words. We have some new stuff coming up, so be checking back for the router table plan.
Patrick
Tue, 06/12/2012 - 18:36
Thank you, Patrick!
Do you use a table saw for any of your projects? What would you estimate the cost of the miter saw station, alone, to be? For some odd reason, nice 3/4" birch plywood is the same cost as 3/4" pine/fir plywood here is Missoula, MT. An 8' x 4' sheet goes for ~$45. Is your switch for the vacuum the Rockler product like in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LmSVvOnxsI ? Sorry for all the questions. Your station is by far the closest to the what my mind has been imagining and what my garage could handle. Thanks!
In reply to Thank you, Patrick! by Scott Kershaw
Tue, 06/12/2012 - 20:18
Scott
I just bought a used Grizzly table saw. It's pretty new to me so I'm all excited about learning on it. For the most part I used a circular saw with a straight edge. Now that I have a table saw, all that should go a lot faster. The switch is very similar to that one, but I bought it from sears a few years back. The miter station is hard to make plans for. Every miter saw is different so the platforms need to be different sizes to match whatever saw you're using. Then you have to keep in mind the size of your shop vac and design it around that as well.
Wed, 06/13/2012 - 05:31
Used Table Saws
Table saws are something that can last fifty years or more without any trouble, so you can get them used pretty readily. You want to buy a good sturdy saw. Locally the used market is dominated by Craftsman/Sears saws. The saws made before 1962 were made by King-Seeley, a company local to me, and those are pretty good saws (I own one and really like it). The ones made after that were made by Emerson Electric, and the owners of those saws have not had such kind things to say about them.
In reply to Patrick what router table top by jlouki01
Tue, 03/12/2013 - 12:47
router table top
I got that table top at Rockler. It's been great so far.
Tue, 09/16/2014 - 06:30
Length of Miter Station?
Hi Patrick,
I am in the process of desinging a similar miter station, but am curious as to how long your's is? Some of the recommendations call for a full 8 ft long base, but not sure I have the space in my garage for something like that. What is the length of yours?
Thanks!
Thu, 06/02/2016 - 13:55
Miter Station
Hey Patrick. Thank you for providing so many plans to such beautiful pieces. I am about to start working on the router station this weekend. I can't wait to get started. The reason for the message, could you possibly provide the plans for the miter station you created. I am a new woodworker and I need plans to be able to create some of these pieces. I would love to have a garage of similar pieces. Is that something you could provide? I would be happy to purchase it from you. Thank you again for your hard work. - Justin
Tue, 12/12/2017 - 10:25
Mitre saw table
I would also be very interested in the plans for your saw table.
Corner TV stand
After a promise to get a new carpet and TV stand as an anniversary gift, I began a search for a corner stand that would fit a 50" flat screen and hid all of those ugly wires. Craig's List had nothing and the retail options were either cheaply made, ugly or crazy expensive. I stumbled upon Ann's page, and since my son has a wood shop in the basement, I figured why not try to build something. I used the original plan, but borrowed ideas from other brag posts to create a 36" tall model with overlay doors that we think looks great. Next project: bar stools for the kitchen island.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Zinder Primer and Gidden (America's Finest) Semi Gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Entry closet turned bench
The coat closet in our entry was always cluttered with too many coats, oddly placed mittens and hats, and shoes were piled on the floor. This was our solution. After this picture was taken I attached several hooks I found at a local antique store along the rail for the coats or sweaters we wear daily, and shoe bins were added below for each of our three daughters.
Estimated Cost
$20 plus accessories
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Sample paint jar purchased from large chain grocery market
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Garage shelving
These shelving were great for our garage storage.
Built from Plan(s)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
