Community Brag Posts

The benchwright table.... This is my 3rd project. I was very intimidated by the angles and bevels but they turned out to be not nearly as bad as I expected. This table is not made to Anna's dimensions.... i wanted the table to be able to fit 8 chairs so I added 10 inches to the length measurements, I also wanted it to be wider so I added 11 inches to every width measurement (which equaled 2 extra 1x6 boards for the table top) In hind sight i think i would have either made the table a little taller or used a 2x4 for the stretchers instead of a 2x6 because the space for your knees with the 2x6 is a little tight. Before finishing i distressed the table with chains, nails, hammer, and screwdriver gouges. I still have to add some details...... I want the stretcher to have the turnbuckle like to pottery barn version and I have not found the right size pipes or turnbuckle yet so that will come sometime in the future. I also still have to add the bolts to the breadboards. Now to find some great chairs (don't mid my awesome patio folding chairs that are currently in use lol) I think im going to go for the mismatched painted chairs, maybe in a fun color like blue or red?

When we first moved into our new home one of the first things that I built for it was this custom gate that resides at the top of our stairs. We needed this to keep the baby from falling down and keep the dogs out when need be. Overall it was a great way to separate the two areas. It is also inexpensive and easy to build. I used a pneumatic nailer for all of the joinery on this one so it was quick to build as well.

Didn't know what to do with the center open square.  I didn't want to use plywood, so I used 1x3 slats for a Mission style bed look.

I am not a fan of the unfinished, raw look of the two boards meeting on the sides of the headboard in this plan. So I filled with wood putty and sanded (a lot).

This headboard is very top heavy. I wish I would have tried using 1X4's instead of the 2X4's like I read someone else did.

Followed the directions for the simple outdoor dining table. Mine is still unfinished. Plan to paint and primer it white. There were some errors in the plans. Do not screw the top framing together with butt joints and still expect to be able to put the leg bolts through. They will hit each other. It was only a real problem for me on one of the legs but if I had knownthere would be a problem I would have found another way from the start.

used triple pedestal plans and modified. I laminated all the leg pieces to look like one piece, also did top in 3" thick top.

I used your plan to create a breeding pen for my little brother's millie fleur d'Uccle. I am using it as a 4H project. Thank you so much for the plans.

We have received so many compliments on these. Hub built 2 of them. Such a great look!

A x console table made to fit in recessed area near dining table. This was made out of scrap and left over blue pine. Top, middle and bottom shelves were joined with biscuits and kreg screws. In order to get more dimension out of legs I made out of 1x that were ripped at 45 and then the 4 pieces were joined with biscuits. Was stained with white mini wax

I took Ana's beautiful Tryde Coffee Table plan and readjusted it to fit my needs for a kitchen table. It measures approximately 32" x 32" x 48" and I followed the plans provided almost to the tee. I didn't include the 2x2 table supports since the table seemed sturdy enough, and drilled straight into the top of the table and just covered the screws with Elmers stainable wood filler. I kind of rushed the project due to lack of time, and only really did one coat of stain of the Dark Walnut. It actually turned out really well, and had some of the texture of the wood show through the stain.

We have a small rustic cabin that needed a clean, functional outhouse.  We followed Ana's plans, but with a few modifications to include a Solar gray polycarbonate roof to let in light.  We also decided on cedar board & batten for the siding.   We look forward to many years of use. 

I was recently divorced and decided to fully transform my bedroom. It's not quite done in this picture - but the bed is! This is Ana's King farmbed, and it's amazing.

Pretty simple to build. I would suggest when notching the main body and the front piece, to notch the main body only about 1/2 an inch and the front about 3 1/2 inches. The body is very thin, so having it notched all the way down can, and did, cause it to break. Just a suggestion though.

Also the plan does not include the braces for the body to attach to the rocking legs. I just measured the base of the scooter wheels and added about 1/2 inch. I cut that width off the end of the remaining wood.

I didn't make any changes , his orginal design was great. Hope these pictures help others. I tried to link to the modified-simple-outdoor-dining-table but wasn't able too.

First, this table came out amazing because I started with amazing plans.  I went off the plans for a few minor tweaks and also added some accents that are not part of the original plans.

Our table is 100" long due to the size of the room.  This allowed me to keep the three pedestals and still have the table look appeasing to the eye.  Kept it at 40" wide and 30" high give or take a 1/4".

The two tweaks from the plans I can remember at this point are my long rails at the sides of the table do not extend the length of the table.  The two end pieces are 40" instead.  This is because I didn't buy long enough 2x4s and only realized this once I got to those cuts.  Not a big deal, I'm actually happy with the result.  The second tweak is no inner rounded edges.  2x4 lumber is rounded on all four edges.  Within the interior of the table, I wanted flush contact with all pieces.  Since cutting one edge off of a standard 2x4 would bring it to about 3.25" wide thus effecting the overall width of the table, I decided to rip down and plane a 4x4 then route the out edges to get that round edge back, but on one side.  

As for the the add-ons that the plans didn't call for...  For one, I added accent lag bolts spray painted to a similar color of the table at the four corners of the top and two on each leg kicker.  These bolts are for esthetics only.  The six bolts going through the legs into the 2x6 lock the 2x6 and the legs into place so they can't slide apart.

Lastly, I created wide wire wheel using a lag bolt and 5 5" brass fine wire wheels to give the table a distressed weathered look.  This is difficult to see in photos but in person looks really nice.  My favorite feature of the table.

Lastly, I stained the table with White Wash Pickling.  As soon as I finished spraying and wiping, I went to the briarsmoke then vigorously wiped it away to bring out the white underneath, especially on the knotted areas.  

Overall, I couldn't be happier with the table.  I want to thank everyone who posted photos of their tables.  They were all an inspiration me and my build.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me any time!

Thank you,

Jerry

I moved into a new house and needed a new chicken coop. I am retired and not a woodworker but these plans were easy to build. Thanks Ana.

I made a more narrow version of this bookshelf. I needed a place for the thicker books to go, so I left the top shelf open. This bookshelf has made it so simple for the boys to clean up after reading. Even my four year old knows to put his books back!!! YESSSSS!

This was our first project yet, and we plan to do many more! We did the bulk of this project in one weekend, and took our time with the finishing touches. We added trim to frame the outsides, using solid 1x2 pieces, and added just 4 feet to the bottom so Roomba can fit under there and do his job! The stain we used was used in other projects by Ana, and we love the rustic feel!

This basement storage room was packed with 10 years of junk and smelled like funk! Divided into 3 piles, burn, donate and keep. Now with sealed and painted walls and epoxy'd floors we hope to use this as a storage/craft room. Next on the list is a craft/storage/wrapping station for the other corner. I also built a small stand that the artificial tree is sitting on. Due to condensation (humid Michigan summers) we don't want anything to sit on the concrete.