Simple Garage Shelving
Easy, fast and affordable garage shelving!
Built from Plan(s)
Community Brag Posts
Painted Modern Farm Bench
I built this bench the day before Thanksgiving. I used scrap 2x6's left over from building our son's bunk bed. I shortened the plan to 43 1/2" total length to fit my space and accommodate the boards I had. The top of the bench is 4- 2x6 boards instead of a 1x12 board. The legs are 2x4's instead of 2x6's. I wood puttied all screw holes, sanded, painted 2 coats of Behr's decorator white, and applied 3 coats of Polycrylic.
After using it over the last few months I have noticed some of the pine knots have bled a little yellow into my finish. If I were to do it again, I would prime all knots with Zinsser cover all primer.
We really enjoy this bench and are happy with how it turned out. Although unfinished at the time, our Thanksgiving guests were impressed that I could whip out a bench by myself. Thanks Ana!
Estimated Cost
scrap wood, screws on hand, paint on hand, 1 qt. polycrylic on sale $8
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
2 coats Behr satin paint and primer in one, Decorator White and 3 coats satin Polycrylic.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Turn a Fence into a Garden
This was an easy project that should help provide us with fresh, pesticide-free produce for many years to come. Thanks, Ana! xo
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Porch Swing - I LOVE IT!
I've been wanting to build this swing for a year now, and finally it's completed. I LOVE it! The modern design is perfect for our front porch as our home is more of a contemporary style. It was the first project I've done using the Kreg Jig Kit, which is AWE-SOME!
I modified the plan a bit: I made the swing 52" long, and used 1x4's for the back support instead of 2x4's. I also upgraded the top and back 1x4's and 1x6's to poplar wood so the grain would be finer. The plan was simple to build. Thank you for your blog and providing plans! There are other things on your site that I look forward to making.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain and polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Comments
Sun, 04/12/2015 - 06:29
Very Nice!
That porch swing looks great! I have to say that its a great addition to an already sweet looking porch area you have there.
Reclaimed wood dining table
Built this for my wife from warehouse floors from the Mare Island Naval Station. 150 plus year old planks. Doug Fir. Hope it will become a family heirloom!
Estimated Cost
$700
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Classic Gray and Dark Walnut on the top. White wash on legs.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Nightstand
We made this out of walnut we milled a couple years ago. We didn’t stain just used Dixie Bell Gatorhide to seal it with. Not sure why the pictures turned sideways when they uploaded.
Built from Plan(s)
Comments
Bright red sawhorses!
Not too much to say here! We badly needed sturdy sawhorses for our garage. I've used them on almost every Ana White project I've made and they are fabulous! They are covered in drips, spots, nicks and stains from all of my projects, but that's what I love most. Each splotch reminds me of that particular project. Sounds silly, but it gives them character! :)
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Red semi-gloss paint that I had on hand.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Perfect End Tables
A collection of different sized perfect end tables for my mother.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
kids bench
I built this bench for my niece on her birthday. It as easy and fun to build. My niece and everybody at the party loved it.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$12
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar Simi-gloss white
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Live Edge Oak Bench
I found this oak character slab at a local lumber yard and fell in love with it. I loved it so much I bought a second one. After torching the slab using the Shou Sugi Ban method, I scraped away the charred surface and used tung oil to complete the finish. I added two more coats of tung oil allowing at least 24 hours in between each coat. The legs are made from rough cut pine from the same lumber yard (these guys take good care of me!). I also used the same charring method on the legs and feet along with tung oil. Check out all the detail and character of the edges! This bench could easily be used as a coffee table. It is approximately 6 feet long and 30 inches tall.
Comments
Pallet Shelves
I love pallet shelves! Here I have three different sizes with three different finishes. It is amazing what 10 minutes, a jig saw, and a piece of sandpaper can do!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$0-$10 depending on finishing
Finish Used
Finish varies between heavily sanded to no sanding at all.
You can apply a stain and/or top coat.
You can apply a stain and/or top coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Kids Country Bench
We wanted a bench for our daughter for our front porch, both for sitting and for storage of her rain boots, outdoor toys, etc. I'm definitely a beginner woodworker so I wanted something easy I could tackle in a couple of days with only basic tools, so I chose the Kids' Country Bench project. I liked the version posted here by a user named Jenny Anne, who modified the bench to make three cubbies rather than two on the bottom shelf, so I did the same thing.
It was easy, and the bench turned out great! I used no power tools except for a cordless drill to do the 40+ pilot holes & woodscrews. I don't own a jigsaw and I want to learn hand tools anyway, so I used a coping saw (a kind of miniature hacksaw) to do the curved cuts on the trim & the legs, and used heavy-grit sandpaper to smooth out the wobbles (there were a lot of wobbles).
For the rest of the cuts I used a Japanese-style pull saw (a cheap one from Ace Hardware). Cutting all the boards to length with a handsaw was probably the hardest part, and I had a tough time truing the edges. Next time I would probably use a miter box and miter saw to get perfect 90-degree angles, but I got better as I went along, and was able to finish the edges pretty well with a wood file and sandpaper.
I wanted to stain it a deep red color, but my better half insisted on a clear stain, so I used clear Polycrylic, four coats on the top & outsides, and three coats on the inner & undersides.
The bench feels pretty sturdy and is definitely strong enough to take my 3-year-old's weight. The trim on the front and back acts as a brace, so it's got some structural integrity. I don't know that I would trust it to hold an adult's full weight for very long -- I probably won't be dancing on it or using it as a stepstool or anything, but for a kid's bench it's solid and level.
The whole build probably took me four sessions in my "workshop" (i.e. my basement), at probably 2-3 hours per session. With woodworking it's definitely true that you learn by doing -- I gained confidence as I went along and am excited to try some more advanced projects!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
About $150 total, but that included some tools I needed for my workshop. It would have been much cheaper for just the lumber and glue.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Clear Polycrylic, applied with synthetic-bristle brushes (brushes can be cleaned with soap and water between uses). Four coats on outer faces, three coats on inner and under sides. Two hours' drying time between coats, 24 hours' drying time after final coat before use.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Rustic X for a dining room console table
I made this all by myself, using a borrowed R3 kreg jig. It took me about four days, working several hours a day, in between babysitting sessions when the grandparents had my kids. I'm proud of how it turned out. I planned to put a back and solid sides on it because I need it to function as a bookshelf for the kids' books, but I couldn't figure out how to attach my panels and in the end I liked the airyness of the X sides.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$80
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Leftover Paint & Minwax Provencial Stain and Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Modified 4x4 Beam Table
I modified the plan I got from this site to better fit the size we wanted (a bit longer) and to fit the style we wanted (without angled picnic table style legs). Sorry pics are sideways or upside down. They weren't on my end...
Built from Plan(s)
Comments
Our version of the Tryde Collection
I left for work one morning, and came home to a coffee table and two end tables that my husband made while I was gone. They are absolutely beautiful and complete my living room. He found the plans easy to read and the projects themselves not hard at all.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Mix of Minwax Early American and Golden Oak
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Wood Toy Box
This is a great beginners project. I wanted something that would match my living room and still be functional for my daughter to get her toys out . We have a full tutorial at our blog.... www.Ahouse-2-Home.com Also , if you have any questions please feel free to leave us a comment! Thanks!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Chestnut stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Comments
Sandbox
sand box with seats
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Mantel storage bed
This is a queen size mantel bed with storage as cubbies only (also Ana White). The paint is Eider White from SW (white with grey undertones, no yellow) and water-based poly since I really didn't want any yellow in in.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Eider White
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Rustic X Collection Farm House Coffee Table
This table turned out exactly as I had envisioned. I've gotten so many compliments over it. I'm now ready to build the side tables. I like how simple and clear the plan is for this table. Thank you Ana for such a simple but amazing piece of furniture. I'm a newbie at woodworking :)
Built from Plan(s)
Comments
Kids Country Bench Modified: First Build
My husband and I put this together to fit a spot that was just slightly off of what standard furniture would accomodate. Looking for something simple as a first build, we went with the Kids Country Bench and made some changes along the way.
We made 3 cubbies on the bottom shelf for extra storage and a little extra stability, since our boards were more bowed than we preferred. We also removed the front and back aprons. In the front we just attached a 1x2 that we ripped into a 1x1 as a trim piece. In the back, we centered a 1x2 to give a slight lip in the back.
I don't have a jigsaw, so we used my FIL's Scroll Saw. That was interesting ... but the sides turned out ok. Not perfect, but ok.
I was hoping to finish this with a high gloss product, but since the boards we ended up with more 'rustic' than I anticipated, I decided to embrace that and go with a distressed finish. I used a spray primer, and then one coat of Sherwin Williams yellow, covered with a dry brush of Sherwin Williams blue. I then sanded the corners and edges and finished with a spray top coat.
We had lots of fun, although it took us a long time. We were only working in small shifts, in between naps. If we had managed to get, say, 3 straight hours to build, I think we could have finished in in that time period.
This was a great starter project, and it's nice to know that we can make MINOR modifications to a plan and not have it fall apart on us :)
Thanks for the inspiration Ana!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Distressed/Dry Brush paint
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
