Community Brag Posts

As soon as I opened Ana's new book I fell in love with the bench on page 33. When I met her in Chicago she said she was going to draft a new set of plans, and of course she didn't let me down! I followed her plans to a T! The size was perfect for my "mudroom" and this was technically my first project since I insisted on not having my husband's help. It was also my first time going to the hardware store and purchasing the wood...I think that part will take some getting used to!

After I had it built I decided that I wanted to make everyone in my family a "cubby" inside the storage area. I just used some scrap 1x3's and glued them into place. I then stained it with Minwax Dark Walnut stain and then used oil based poly (3 coats). The entire family loves the new bench and my toddlers LOVE their "cubbies". Thank you again Ana!

Custom built media console with distressed black finished and chestnut stained top. features adjustable shelves and full-extension drawer. This is not a build from one of ana white's plans. I built it from scratch but just wanted to share.

- Brad

dark gray stained farmhouse hall tree

I built this bench to fit a foam matress that I had (kids are sleeping on it in my bedroom when they wake up at night).
The matress is 63 inches by 20 inches and the foam is 4 inched thick.
The bench is only 15 inches off the groung in height.
1 - 2x6
7 - 2x4
fabric
foam
staple gun
Kreg Jig
Glue
Mitre Saw
Miniwax Jacobean stain

Loved the version Ana shared and then added a belt holder at each end. Also routed the edges each end to add something more. Used Mission Oak stain.

After a floating shelf fail, I threw this one together with scraps. Time investment below includes waiting for paint to dry and hanging it up.

Easy to build! Some woodworking experience is definitely a plus when completing it over the weekend.

Thanks for the plans!  This dollhouse is great, my daughter loves it. I changed the plans slightly to make an 'open floor plan on the bottom and added a column in the front for support. 

I had an old aluminum Pepsi cooler that had been sitting around collecting dust for years on the back porch, after seeing these cooler plans I was inspired to create a cooler stand the would show off the cooler and make it useful again.  I built the whole thing using scrap lumber I had.  Took two days to complete, Thanks for the post!

Made this for my daughter. Took two days to make and four days to paint. Great weekend project. 

The need for a proper workbench in my garage/shop is a must, but. So is space! I already have a fold down workbench I’ve made with ¾ inch pipe & a door, but. I just need something that can handle all my tools. So, I stumbled upon these plans from the Family Handyman & couldn’t find a reason why this wouldn’t work in my shop. It has room for storage, can easily accommodate my tools & most importantly fold up to store. Easy to build too! Make sure you read all the plans first as some of the materials could be pricey, but well worth it. Technically it’s taken 2 months to build this bench, as I operate on a firefighter/teacher’s budget & during the holiday season no doubt. I ordered all the shelf standards & brackets through Amazon, $210.00 for those alone, but they hold so much weight to support your tools I figure it’s worth it. The rest materials (wood, screws) were purchased at Home Depot for around $150.00. The plans called for ¾ inch ply & it was $45.00 per sheet. However they did have a smaller thickness for $22.00 per sheet & was only a 1/32 inch thinner. I plan on topping all my surfaces with some ¼ inch tempered hardboard later on so I knew it would work. That also left me adjusting my screw size to mount my brackets. Due to the reduction in thickness of the plywood all my #8-1 inch screws needed to be adjusted to ¾ inch so to not screw through the ply. I also hit the molding isle to nab some pieces to use as furring strips to use under the shelves before attaching the brackets. This way I can sand each strip to match before mounting to make sure it lined up flat with the center top. One more thing; where it says “drill 1/8 inch hole in brackets make sure you use 1/8 inch pop rivets. I barrowed a pop rivet gun & was handed some rivets as well. Popped two & they had to be trashed because the rivet size turned out to be 5/32. So I stepped up in drill bit size & it all worked out. As I said, I’ll be topping it with some ¼ inch hardboard. I also plan to run it’s own electrical with an outlet on each post. I hope you all enjoy & this can help!

This is my biggest build yet! I combined plans from this site and then modified them slightly to create two twin storage beds, a corner headboard unit with cubbies, and a secret hideout underneath!

The beds are two benches - I left off the headboard and footboards to allow for a secret passageway for my girls to access the space under the headboard unit. I also left the backing off of the benches on the wall side of each bed so that they can be used for storage. (I also left the backing off of one of the cubbies on the room-side bench to allow additional access/exit points for the hideout.)

For the hideout, I followed the Corner Unit plans, except I stopped the headboard pieces at the level of the beds rather than making them go all the way to the floor. 

I added trim on the edges of the headboard unit - partly to cover imperfections, but I love the look of it! 

Now the girls have a secret hideout (complete with a light and pillows for lounging and reading), the space under the headboard unit is not wasted, and MOM did it all! :) I'm so proud of this project and I love the example it sets for my girls that powertools are for everyone! 

This kids art center went together very well! The kids haven't stopped playing on it.