Community Brag Posts

Benchright Farmhouse Table

Submitted by Bergenj123 on Mon, 09/10/2012 - 16:41

A lot of hard work went into this table, but Im so happy with the result. I followed Ana whites plans closely and read all the Blog comments to help out. I made the table one 1x6 board wider and 4 inches longer to fit my space better. I also used a turnbuckle and threaded pipe for the stretcher to make it look a little more like the Pottery Barn Table. I think it gives it more of an industrial look. I used a red mahogony stain and plenty of polyurethane finish. I still have to build the bench, and i'm looking forward to using the plans from this site.

Estimated Cost
200-300 dollars
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
red mahogany stain and a satin polyurethane finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

tommirhea

Mon, 09/10/2012 - 17:44

This looks amazing! And I thought making the farmhouse table notches were tough :)

Bergenj123

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 13:49

Thanks, the chairs are from Cost Plus World Market. They are the verona chairs. Funny you should mention the bench...I'm building it today. I will post it when I'm done.

Bergenj123

Wed, 09/03/2014 - 21:24

The turnbuckle I got from a place called tractor supply and I ordered the pipe from an online hardware company, only because one side is reverse thread and I couldn't find it at a local hardware store 

Flat Wall Bookholders

Submitted by Veronica P on Mon, 07/07/2014 - 20:09

These flat wall bookholders are the perfect little shelves to add storage for books to my boys' new tractor bunk bed. What a great simple plan!

Estimated Cost
Unknown as I used scrap.
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Black paint and a couple coats of poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Pottery Barn Style - Full Size Headboard

Submitted by Oshynlover on Thu, 10/13/2016 - 03:21

My very first big project!  My 6 year old daughter was in need of a new bed and a room makeover so I decided to build her a headboard which then turned into a whole new room!!! 

 

I really wanted it to it to have some dimension to it so I added some moldings and a mini shelf to the top of it.  I basically just designed it myself, based on what some of the $1000+ pottery barn ones look like and spent hours at the hardware store finding the perfect moldings.  

 

For the main backboard I used plywood, however to keep it light I used a sheet of molding and added a round edge to make it seamless.  

 

My my daughter was so excited Mommy built her whole room. 

Estimated Cost
$150 The Moldings added cost but can be made for less than $100 without it. But why would you??? It looks SO much better!!
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Semi Gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Rustic X Coffee Table

Thanks to the beautifully written as well as the example build post by Hilary, I found this project easy to build for a beginner like myself. I followed the plan as written and can't wait to start my next project.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Sixty Dollars
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Vinegar and steel wool as described in the example post. I used wax as a protective finish. Clear mixed with a little brown wax, followed by a coat of liming wax then a final coat of clear wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Work Stool

This was my very first woodworking project! My girlfriend and I built it as a learning experience, and to use as a work stool in our "workshop" (aka garage). The wood we used was pine. We were so happy with the results we've decided to build more. Thank you Anthony DeCesare for posting the plans, and Ana White for many more amazing designs.

Estimated Cost
$35
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Master Closet For My Wife

Submitted by Indy69 on Mon, 10/17/2016 - 17:10

I expanded on the plans I found at Ana White and made this closet.  They are 8' high, and made from Birch plywood and 1x2's from my local Home Depot.  I ended up using 12 sheets of plywood and 18 1x2's.  Sanded and stained with Minwax Jacobean and Satin clear on the unit and semi-gloss on the drawers.  I intalled soft-close drawer slides that I found on Amazon for $120 for 15 pairs which included the rear mounting brackets, which I highly recommend using as they save you a ton of labor and make it much easier to install the slides. 

 

What I like most about my work, is that I found regular hanging rods that were too expensive or just plain did not fit the end sockets.  I used galvanized fence rod typically used for the top of chain link fences, and simply brushed them with 0000 steel wool and then polished them on my buffing wheel.  If you want the brushed look, simply don't buff them.  What was best about using fencing rods, was that it cost about a dollar a foot and was much stronger than buying the actual chrome rods which were over three times more money.

 

For the corners, you will see that they are three angled rods, which you can not buy anywhere.  So, I purchased 1" galvanized electrical conduit. and bent it with a tubing bender.  I simply measured what I needed, and put two 45 degree bends in the rod, installed 1" sockets on each end, and a center rod support for the middle.  These two were polished with 0000 steel wool and then polished to a chrome finish.  They look amazing, and the best part is that it cost $6 for a ten foot piece, which was more than enough to do both corners.  You cannot beat the cost of using fence rods and electrical conduit for closet rods. 

 

I plan to install a small drawer island in the middle later as I require a need for more drawere space. 

 

Thanks to Ana White for the help.  I already have a few more next projects lined up using her ideas here.

Estimated Cost
Under $1000 for everything
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Jacobean with satin and semi-gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

tilt out recycling center

Submitted by amyjeanae on Sun, 09/16/2012 - 08:09

Second wood project overall. First with a power-saw. Just found Ana-White - love it and thanks for sharing it all! I had to change the dimensions of this one to fit the space we needed it for. It holds two paper bags side by side to hold all of our recycling. So much neater then our plastic bin we had.

Looking forward to the next project...

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
sanded all, wood filler in holes on plywood, sanded again, painted plywood (2 coats) and clear polyurethane (2 coats) rest of project.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

spiceylg

Mon, 09/17/2012 - 05:59

You can stain the perimeter and make the door that red to match the door on the right.

carajane

Sun, 11/29/2015 - 11:57

The bottom looks different as well. I'm trying to avoid having to use a jig saw for the bottom. Would you mind sharing if and what modifications you made to the bottom? Great work!

 

Cara

Simple Console Table

Submitted by GR82BNTX on Sun, 07/13/2014 - 19:51

This project was very simple but an excellent experience. With a lot of patience on the finishing, it turned out absolutely beautiful too! The wood cost was higher because Home Depot was out of several of the size boards in the cheap pine and I didn't want to wait till I found them to start. I began the project with our trusty circular saw, but was quickly frustrated trying to get nice square cuts (and even lengths) so back to Home Depot we went. We came home with more wood, a 12" Sliding Compound Miter Saw and a Kreg Jig, which increased my cost just a tiny bit. But boy was I a happy girl! Especially since they are all mine (maybe I'll share w/the hubby and kiddo)! :o) After that, it went together very quickly. I added a 1" apron on the bottom shelf which hid the bracer - just tapped it in with the finishing nails. I also added screw-in padded feet, which means it sits nice and even and I don't have to worry about it scratching the floor (or the bottom of the table getting damaged). The only thing I did not enjoy was filling in all the pocket holes from the Kreg, which took forever. I definitely learned how important pocket hole placement is, as I ended up having to paint the legs instead of staining them (as originally planned) so I could hide all the huge holes. But it turned out better than expected so I'm happy this happened. I also recommend attaching the top, the top bracers and the bottom shelf after sanding and filling all the holes if using a Kreg. I actually attached both the top and the bottom shelf after I'd stained and painted. This allowed me to get in all the crevices and kept the stain out of the paint and the paint out of the stain! A few touch ups once I attached the top and put in the bottom shelf and voila! Sealed it with the wax and am thrilled with the finished product. And the best part is, my son is finally interested in building and even started his own table! Thanks to Ana's site, our build list is growing every day! There are just not enough (cool) hours in the day to build during our 100 degree Central Texas summer!

Estimated Cost
$50 +/- $700
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Miniwax water based stain in Onyx
Latex flat paint in Buttercream (had on hand from a room paint - would've preferred a satin or maybe a semi-gloss
Miniwax paste finishing wax
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Rolling Cubby Bench in Maple & Walnut

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 10/19/2016 - 09:54

I loved these rolling cubby plans, so I used them to build one of my own! I needed a bench that could "nest" itself within some open shelves, but be pulled out to provide additional table seating. 

I built this one from maple and walnut, because I like the bright, white color of maple against the brownish/gray of walnut. I very much dislike shiny or dark woods, so I went for an ultra matte wax finish. I used a liming wax for the maple to keep it bright and white (maple tends to go yellow when finished with a "clear" or "natural" finisher), and a clear wax for the walnut. 

I found some non-marking casters on Amazon, but that was the tricky part. The bench needed to be high enough to create ample storage, yet not too tall that it was uncomfortable to sit on. SO I went with s smaller caster, but needed to use six to support the weight of the bench and three occupants. Final bench dimensions are 19" H x 47" W x 17 " D. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200? The walnut really drove up the price, so I reduced the ratio of walnut to maple.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Liming Wax (on Amazon), Natural Wax. No stain! Stain is bad! Don't use stain!
If wax isn't a strong enough finish for you (ie you have kids), you can always use a regular glossy or "satin" finisher of your choice, then apply wax on top of it to keep the matte look. Most finishers will yellow or darken the maple, though. For the bright, white finish that I wanted, liming wax was the only thing that worked.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Pantry Door Spice Rack

Submitted by JakeZFW on Thu, 07/16/2020 - 16:50

This is a great project to clear up space in the pantry. I followed the Ana-White plans for the upper rack and then decided I needed more space for my larger Costco spices. For this I followed the plans for the top 23” but with 2 shelves. I gave myself extra depth by using 1x4’s instead of dowels. I work very slowly, so both portions took me about a day apiece with sanding, painting, etc. My favorite tool is now the Kreg jig. Totally worth the $40.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$80
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar interior paint to match the inside of the pantry door
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Outdoor Playhouse

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 06/03/2024 - 09:05

I had just retired and wanted to make a playhouse for my 2 year old grand-daughter. I always wanted one as a kid and wanted to build one for my kids but never found the time.
This was made mostly out of scrap wood that couldn’t be used to build a house and I was lucky enough to get permission to take whatever I needed. Learned a lot doing it. Thanks to my boyfriend for letting me borrow his nailer.

Cindy

Mom's Train Table - our version

I was planning to make a train table trundle for my son's bed, but once I saw this plan everything changed. I'm so SO happy with it. Modifications: 1) We took off the bottom shelf because hubby likes to stretch his long legs out underneath. 2) We used laminated pine project panels for the top, they cost more, but they were already the correct size, and the finished look of the top would be nicer. We altered the design to make the panels go lengthwise. So far so good, neither have bowed whatsoever. 3) we used inset handles from Lee Valley with an antiqued finish. I had yet to lacquer this when I took the photo because we couldn't wait to get the trains in there! I have since done 3 coats of minwax Poly to protect it from little hands, crayons, etc.... We're hoping this table will graduate cars, then to legos, and then....who knows!? Thanks to Ana and all the contributors here.

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150 with the hardware
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Stain in Golden Pecan, one coat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Toilet step stool

This was my first project at building some sort of furniture. we wanted a stool that really fits out toilet bowl shape, the height, etc. and 2x6's worked perfectly. I could have bought 2x12's for the sides, but it would have cost significantly more and with the inside support board it is plenty sturdy.

I bought 2# 2"x6"x6 foot coarse pine boards from Home Depot (not the expense Select Pine boards. They cost about $6 each. Then I bought a 100 count package of Kreg 1.25" coarse screws.

Cut lengths
2 @ 15 3/4" for lower sides
2 @ 10 1/4" for upper sides
5 @ 14" for steps and fronts
1 @ 12 1/2" for inside support

I used my Kreg Jig and connected all the pieces along with wood glue. I sanded the whole thing down after and tried to round/smooth the corners.

Estimated Cost
$17
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
none yet.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

pADDY1957

Tue, 03/01/2016 - 10:29

Does anybody have plans for a potty seat. I would like to build a childs chairs that has a ptty

Cornhole game

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 10/22/2016 - 14:52

Built this for my son in law. Texas A@m cornhole game and a bonus washer game with the left overs

Estimated Cost
35.00! in plywood and two by four. That also is for paint and stickers.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

King farmhouse bed

Submitted by Lilbitmojo on Sun, 07/19/2020 - 12:48

LOVED building this bed!! Been wanting a bed frame forever and came across this. I will say, the only thing I would change (if I build another) is using brackets to attach the support slats.. I wanted to cry when I had to drill through the front of the footboard 😂😂 and attaching them to the head of the bead proved challenging as well, just because the thing is so massive!! I’m fairly new at this, so, I must say... not too shabby!! Thank you Ana White!! You are my spirit animal❤️

Estimated Cost
$300

Comments

Back