Community Brag Posts

Little Kids picnic tables

Submitted by montero65 on Thu, 06/23/2016 - 09:42

After discovering these plans, I was excited to build one of these tables.  But my little one was not big enough yet, so I've been building them for friends.  When their kids hit 2, I give them a table for their birthday.  All the kids (and parents) have loved them.  Photos showing tables #1, #2, and #4.  Built #5 and #6 this week.  If I can go back and add in a photo afterwards, I'll post table #6 in blue.  Next up, table #7 for my little one.  I might tweak it a little so I can add an umbrella, too.  Thanks for the great plans Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
About $40-50 in materials, as I'm using the "select" pine from the store. Their non-select stuff is usually kind of junk, but it means the tables come out nicer.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Break down the table, sand all the pieces, then prime with Kilz, and finish with exterior high-gloss paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

2 Seater Bench with Table in the Middle

Modified the bench from the plans I got from DIY Pete to curve the back like an Adirondack. Bench given to a Disabled Vet and his wife.

Rob L.

Comments

Adjustable Bookshelf

Submitted by Booooozle on Tue, 06/05/2012 - 20:13

This was the result of another weird space in our house. Our bedroom is actually the smallest bedroom of all four in the house, it's actually intended to be a nursery or a private office off of the Master Bedroom. When we moved in I just couldn't find a layout that I liked for our bedroom to be in the master bedroom, also there was only a single crank out window in that room & while the house's venting is set up for central air there is no unit attached, so there was no way we were going to be able to stay in that room. So we moved into the smallest bedroom of the house & turned the master into our enormous walk in closet, which I just love & the small bedroom is actually very cozy & easy to keep cool/warm. The only problem is there is an outcropping into the room from the old chimney. Well I filled the space under the window with our storage bench but didn't have shelf to fill the other one so I made one from left over wood from building our bed frame. I also had pegs from some shelves that were lost in a basement flood years before so I just measured out & drilled the holes for adustable shelving!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Cal King Farm Bed

My shopping list
5 1x8
2 2x6
13 2x4
2 2x10
8 1x4

I ended up not using the 1x3 like in the original plans and instead use an additional 1x8. I finished it with an ebony stain.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Rust-Oleum Ultimate Wood Stain Ebony Oil Wood Stain &

Minwax Oil-Modified Gloss Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Painted Tryde End Table with Shelf

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 06/27/2016 - 01:00

A white spruce base painted with hessian chalk paint and waxed with furniture wax over the top. Topped off with a section of oak block kitchen counter waxed with dark oak wax

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rust Oleum Hessian chalk paint with furniture wax over the top
Old Oak Kitchen counter top with Briwax dark oak wax
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Barn Door Bookcase/ Side Pantry

Submitted by BmoreITguy on Wed, 04/22/2020 - 05:57

This took a lot of time and money but I like the way it looks. We have 4 kitchen cabinets and one drawer and no room for more so storage is tight.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Same as Ana’s
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

BmoreITguy

Wed, 04/22/2020 - 06:00

Why is my picture sideways? Ana, one of the most frustrating things with this build was the mobile version of your site. Very laggy, typing lags, pages crash in the middle of typing or viewing and persistent ads are a nightmare

Fireplace Mantle with Milled Wood

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 12/04/2023 - 11:16

Your plans were so helpful.  I used rough cut lumber from a white pine we harvested and milled ourselves, so had to do a bit of figuring, and also increased the height to 48”. I just love it and your plans made it so much easier.  

love.amandamarie on Instagram

 

Seasonal And Holiday

Dad Wins Again!

Scrap wood comes in handy when you need to build something quick. Our other end tables are in the garage because our little one likes to tip them over. So this was a quick fix, but we might use it as a writing/ coloring desk later.

Estimated Cost
free, scrap wood
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

babysteps

Sun, 06/10/2012 - 17:27

making the shallow desk-like cubby in what is wasted space in most end tables.

patrickhosey

Mon, 06/11/2012 - 22:56

Glad you guys like it. I know my wife is happy with it. I don't know what steals the remotes more, the baby or the couch.

Upper Cabinet Awesomeness

Submitted by romanweel on Fri, 04/04/2014 - 15:01

This is the sequel to my first kitchen cabinet build, the awesome base unit to the right of the stove. It's another custom design to fit the space (and replace some horribly inefficient metal cabinets that, while cute, really looked like they belonged in a different kitchen). And my first time working with maple and edge banding! Thank you, thank you, no applause please. I'm calling this project "intermediate" skill only because I chose to router the doors and install cup hinges. Otherwise, they're just big boxes on the wall, for real.

The carcasses, shelves, and door panels are all Purebond plywood. The face and door frames are 1x2 and 1x3 maple. The french cleat used to hang the two pieces is also plywood (more on my blog about that). Unfortunately, I don't know enough about wiring to add/move that outlet so that the microwave cord could be hidden...but at least the microwave itself is off the counter! It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.

The wineglass storage is a sort-of take-off on a few other plans on here and some pieces I saw down in Amish country. It's a little rough-looking outside of the cabinet into which it is installed because I didn't design that element very elegantly. Plus I kept changing things on myself mid-stream.

The concealed cup hinges...were totally intimidating. And at first I bought into all the hype about "you HAVE to use a drill press or you'll RUIN your doors", but in the end I just eyeballed it with a plain old forstner bit, and all 6 doors turned out fine! Plus, I got to use Blumotion hinges...you physically cannot slam these doors!!

I'm super proud of this project, and my mother-in-law (in whose kitchen they reside) is thrilled. Btw, the crown moulding is not yet installed, which is why the trim pieces up top look so funny.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Sherwin Williams ProClassic Interior Acrylic Latex Enamel, plain old white
Polyurethane on the shelves (which in retrospect should have used polycrylic...they turned out a little yellow, which is unfortunate)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Farmhouse queensized bed

Submitted by SteveS86 on Thu, 06/30/2016 - 19:12

I built this bed step by step from the Mom's fancy farmhouse bed - queen sized. I have no experience of building things before this, but bought a miter saw and nail gun. Banged it out in a weekend. More time was spent painting than assembly. I reused the slats from my old IKEA bed. In hindsight, I wish I had a way to even the boards better before assembly, like a planer.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$175 -$200 with paint
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Benjamin Moore Aura - Chantilly Lace. 2 coats of Zinnser 123 primer and 2 coats of paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Garden cutie

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 04/26/2020 - 16:18

My honey built this farmhouse potting bench in a few hours. I needed it to store all the junk that was laying on the ground. It's so cute!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Early American minwax
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Shabby Chic Farmhouse Table

Finally got a chance to try my hand at whitewashing and I just love the outcome!

Estimated Cost
$70.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I first used a steel wool and vinegar mixture and then whitewashed over it. You can find a tutorial on my blog here http://sawgrasshome.com/?p=1717#

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Brooke B. (not verified)

Sat, 11/17/2012 - 13:12

What were the final dimensions of your table? I've been wanting to modify the plans so it will fit in our space as well. Thanks so much!

johnzaci

Wed, 07/24/2013 - 06:49

Hello I ahve seen your post here. I liked it, but one thing which i want to make sure that, these same things i found much expensive here on the http://www.biglovestyle.com/
I am not confirm what makes you to keep low:(
By the way, I am a little bit late to read your post. :(
Last Sunday me and my wife has changed all the old furniture and replaced it with the new.
I hope next time i will go to your shop first:)

Farmhouse King size bed

Built entirely from 2x4 - 22 studs altogether - the tricky part was cutting a rebate into the trims so that they look like 1x4 from the front. adjusted plans to suit australian king size mattress & made everything lower & used plenty of kreg screws to put everything together (inspiration from plans in the book). here studs are sold 'rough headed' - so there was an insane amount of sanding - not helped by the fact that I was a novice to the belt sander. Took the best part of 4 weekends to get it all together

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax 'Puritan Pine' stain plus 2 coats of satin polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

My first planter box!

This planter box turned-out looking great! I put it together the first go-round using all kreg-jig screws, but couldn't get the pieces to sit flush with each other, so I took everything apart...and used star-drive screws instead of nails). I have decided that I hate nails.

I used the kreg jig to attach the 4 posts, but then used brackets to attach the rest of the panels -- this worked well! Once I put the slats in the bottom, it was very sturdy.

 

TIPS: don't be afraid to alter the plan. If you like working with brackets, use them!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
n/a
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Beginner Farm Table & Benches

This was my first time building anything! The plans were so easy to follow along! Once I master some things like this, I can work on fine tuning things a bit more so I can build some more intricate plans. Thanks so much for your website! My kids are loving the BBQ's outside at the table!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I haven't added a finish yet but will be soon.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Beryl

Tue, 06/02/2020 - 15:09

re the farm table. your cut list calls for 8 2 x 4 at 28 1/2 inches but the plan actually only needs 4 of them. The pics do not show you doubling the 2 x 4s for legs. Am I missing something.

Custom Garage Shelving

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 12/19/2023 - 17:43

I have to say, this turned out phenomenally for me. I set up my whole garage with new shelving, planned it all out so I have very little plywood waste by altering the widths a little. This is by far the best carpentry project I’ve ever completed. Thank you for the great video, and I love the Kreg jig. That made a big different too. Over 2 years since I installed them, and they are all still solid, level, and plumb.

Chris from Maine

Cabin/Simple Bunkbed

Submitted by Ballowe on Fri, 06/15/2012 - 21:41

We built this bed in the Cabin style, but we wanted to be able to stack it Simple style. It turned out beautifully!!

Finish Used
Sherwin Williams Fruitwood
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Family Project

Submitted by brennamae on Wed, 04/09/2014 - 18:39

My husband and I loved this idea but we don't have much wood working experience. My brother and sister in law were visiting and we decided to make this project together. Our son loves Turtles and we already have a bunch of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle "stuff" so we thought that would be a great theme. The guys cut all the wood and assembled and the girls did the painting. Then my brother in law who is super talented added in the details.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse King Bed Frame

Submitted by mshelley on Wed, 07/06/2016 - 20:59

I decided to build the Farmhouse King Bed. I liked the look of the frame and am happy with the outcome. This was my very first piece of furniture I've ever built. Already started on my Farmhouse Bedside Tables!!! 

Estimated Cost
$200-$250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I used a Stone White paint, True Turquoise and a dark stain to let the trim pop. Finished with a semi-gloss clear coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Bench Reclaimed Wood

Submitted by grarob1956 on Fri, 05/01/2020 - 18:42

I used the Ana White plans from the Large Porch X Back Bench. However, I downsized it to 2X2 instead of 2x4's for a lighter project. I used the wood I salvaged when I replaced my fence. It was about 15 yrs old. I cut off the rotten parts and used the good parts. It was pressure treated and still in very good condition. I cut down the 4x4's to 2x2"s via my table saw as well as the framing of the 2x4's. I used leftover treated 2x2's from a pergola I recently completed for the X back. I used leftover fence planks for the seat. The only cost I incurred was 3" screws and wood glue. I had a gallon of the paint in my garage that I had purchased at Walmart a few months back for another project for $7.

Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Latex Paint turquoise
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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