Community Brag Posts

2x4 Little Car

Submitted by carongirls on Fri, 01/30/2015 - 06:04

Super Easy.  Warning the finished car weighs a ton so build in the room you want it in.

 

Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

2 X 4 Adirondack Chair

I decided to try to do some chairs for my backyard , guess what ........ i end up with very nice chairs.
It's very comfortable and looks great. My friends already asked me to do some for them.
Thanks Ana White for the great free plan.

Estimated Cost
$60 Canadian dollar
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Waterproof Stain and Sealer
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse Style Rustic X Coffee Table

Submitted by petesveen on Fri, 03/22/2013 - 07:43

Ana's design caught my eye and I had to build one that was similar. I decided to modify the top because I really like the look of breadboard style tops. So the main difference is that I cut the top boards 41" long and added two 2x6 pieces for breadboards (about 27-27.5" long). So the total width still comes to 52". Turned out pretty cool!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$45 for wood - Stain/poly extra
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I distressed it with nails, a hammer, some scratch marks, and a saw blade. I then used a vinegar/steel wool mixture to bring out the distressed areas a bit more. Then followed with 1 coat of dark walnut stain (applied with towel) and 3 coats of semi-gloss poly. I applied the first two coats with a brush and then lightly sanded between the second and last coat. The final coat was applied very thin using a towel.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Courtlh

Sat, 03/30/2013 - 23:10

I have been looking through the brags to find one that had a color to go with our new couch...turns out you have the exact same couch as me!! It looks awesome! Now I have an awesome example to follow :)

$ 55 Fancy X Desk

My husband & my version of the fancy X desk.  I had a 1/4" glass top to make my writing area nicer

Estimated Cost
$ 55 plus cost of glass top if you like it $ 80
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

roadtripmom

Thu, 02/05/2015 - 10:11

That desk looks incredible and the glass top really adds a beautiful element. This plan definitely going to the top of my list. You are a whiz at styling the space too !

Provincial Colonial Hybrid (Mortise and Tenon) end table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 17:35

I built this for my girlfriend who specifically likes french provincial finishes but colonial farmhouse structure. There is absolutely no metal/screws in this build, frame assembled with mortise and tenon joinery and drawer is assembled with splines. I finished traditionally with a danish oil treatment for the top, and the frame/drawer was painted with Aubusson Blue chalk paint, corners sanded, then graphite washed, then waxed with a traditional paste wax and hand buffed. This is the first time I've built without pocket screws or modern finishes and I am hooked! It did take me four times as long though, so it's not for every project. Just the ones that are for someone special ;)

Estimated Cost
TOTAL: $207

Select pine: $110
Danish oil: $8
Paint/graphite wash/paste wax: $74 (plenty left for other projects)
Drawer pull (Rockler): $15
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Danish Oil, Aubusson Blue chalk paint, graphite wash, soft clear paste wax
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Urban barn coffee table

Submitted by shwetzh on Tue, 04/20/2021 - 18:59

Found the plans on this site and built this as a Christmas gift! They love it!

Estimated Cost
400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Farmhouse table with epoxy finish

This is my first big woodworking project. That being said, there were a lot of mistakes that were made. In the pictures you can see the beginning stages when I was making the base cuts and assembling the table top. The picture with the dark top and natural legs was the beginning of one mistake. I bought gel stain because it was the color I liked but I had no idea how to use it correctly. Because of this I left the stain on and it was waaayyyyy too dark. I had to sand down the entire top and redo it. After fixing that I correctly stained the base, extensions, and bench. The extensions I made are not in the photos because I forgot to make the cuts to slide them in. I'm supposed to do that this weekend... After staining I polyurethaned the base, bench, and extensions to give them a nice shine. The table top I finished with Liquid Glass two part epoxy. That gave the top a super hard surface that shines and makes the normally soft pine top, rock hard. I figured this way when my daughters do homework on it they wouldn't leave their writing indented in my nice, new table. I hope you guys like it and I plan to do many more projects and post my results here. Thanks for taking the time to check this out.

Estimated Cost
$300-$325
Finish Used
Minwax hickory gel stain, polyurethane, and 2 part epoxy acrylic finish. The gel stain must be applied and then immediately wiped off. The polyurethane may need multiple coats in order to achieve an even finish. The epoxy must be poured on and spread evenly. Remember that if it drops on something and it is allowed to dry that it will usually rip up whatever material it is on our you will have to sand it off. USE DROP CLOTHS.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Dollhouse Bookcase

Submitted by pde00311 on Fri, 02/06/2015 - 09:29

With another baby on the way in a few months, we decided to move our 2+ year old daughter across the hall into her first big girl room. I built big sister the Kendal Extra Wide Dresser, Traditional Wood Toddler Bed, Letter A Shelf and a Dollhouse Bookcase and matched the colors with her new comforter, lamps and princess canopy tent from the Land of Nod outlet.

This project was actually an afterthought. I built the other three projects, painted the room, installed all the accessories, and then we discovered that there was nowhere to put her books. Because I had been spending so much time building, after reading the plans, I really expected this bookshelf project to go smoothly with my Kreg Jig. However, different aspects of this project took some extra time. For instance, joining the A-frame of the roof took some trial and error with pocket holes, nails, screws and a lot of wood filler. Also, for the side windows and doors, cutting straight lines with the jigsaw, cutting, building and joining the 1 x 2 trim pieces, joining the trim pieces to the bookshelf, and then painting the trim took a lot of time and trial and error (again, thank goodness for wood filler). Notwithstanding, at the end of the day, the shelf is great, our daughter loves it, and it really completes the room.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Pine Grove, White Fur and Pink Bellerina paints with Minwax Polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

pde00311

Tue, 02/24/2015 - 12:58

Thank you Ana! Your website has helped fill up our new home and inspired a really fun hobby over the past few years. When I get a chance, I will bragpost some of my more recent creations.

My floral chicken coop

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/26/2021 - 19:25

I’m so thankful I found Ana White’s site, like, 10 years ago. She’s inspired me so much and helped me to know I could build stuff! This is far from the first thing I’ve built but it’s absolutely the most complex! I was able to find a bunch of wood free locally from a construction site (they posted it online) and some friends had some old plywood they were kind enough to give us. Even with most of the wood covered, the cost of hardware and other supplies still took us over $200. I worked on it during the day for the last few weeks around our homeschooling schedule, so it did take quite a bit of time. I also had to modify it to work with the wood I had and I wanted to make it bigger inside. But it’s finally finished and our little chickies seem quite happy so far!

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Exterior white paint, honey colored sack stain
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Farmhouse Table

Submitted by rangers_31 on Wed, 03/27/2013 - 21:18

This is my first ever wood project. I helped my dad frame his basement a couple years ago and figured that a hand built table would be a nice piece of furniture to have as my wife and I begin to start a family. I've been gathering tools for a few months to begin making furniture and I chose to start with this piece.

I had read that a few people found that the 2x6's on the table top caught crumbs so I picked up a cheap, used table saw and squared off the edges so that the table top would be more consistently flat.

For the legs, I wanted to use 4x4 untreated posts but could not find them so I used the table saw to cut down the 2x4's so that, when screwed together, they formed 3x3 legs. I then used a 0.25 inch round router bit to sound off all the edges on both the legs and all exposed edges around the outside of the table.

I finished with two coats of early american stain and in between applied a distressing technique I picked up from one other blog post.

I am 95% happy with how the table has turned out. Structurally is it very sound. If I was to do it over I would have screwed the entire tabletop in with pocket hole screws to eliminate holes on the surface.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Early American (2 coats)
Vintage Photo Distressing Ink - rubbed on between coats to accentuate the grain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Full over Full Bunk

Used the Farmhouse Style bed plan and stacked them, two headboards for the bottom bed, two footboards for the top bunk bed

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

Comments

Rustic X Sofa Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 05/08/2017 - 09:28

Was very simple and the plans we very well laid out!

Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Do not test the seating until all table is comlete (humor at my expense)

Fun build. Thanks Ana. I made the mistake of installing one set of seat boards and testing the strength. I weigh over 300lbs. No harm no foul but you can probably figure out the rest. On my backside soon after.

Looking forward to building my next 2 without this mishap.

Jim

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
behr stain mentioned in plans and spar urethane poly exterior by minwax

Comments

Loft beds

Submitted by marquez313 on Fri, 11/15/2019 - 10:55

How I Spent My Spring Break Well, it was a long week but I finally finished. I made 2 complete sets of loft beds for my oldest son and my daughter. The plans were great and easy to follow. A few notes; the actual width of a 1 x 8 is 7.25 inches (not 7.5) and a 1 x 12 is actually 11.25 inches (not 11.5). I noticed this when constructing the legs and putting the optional shelf supports on the large bookcase. It's not a huge deal, it's only a quarter of an inch. Also, if you are going to assemble and paint in the room, paint the interior of the bed area BEFORE attaching the slats. That added a lot of extra painting time for me. I made a few modifications as well. For the desk, my wife suggested that the width of a 1 x12 was a bit narrow, so I cut a 1 x 6 and biscuit joined it to the desk front. I cut a 22.5 degree angle on the end that meets up with the small bookcase that is attached to the desk. The straight edge lines up with the face of the other small bookcase, like a puzzle piece. I then covered the desk top with a piece of plexiglass to make the surface smoother and to hold picture (slide under the plexiglass). In addition, I bought an LED light system (about $40 from IKEA) and installed under the 2 top shelves of the large bookcase. Really cool effect and the kids love it! Overall, I am very happy with the project results. Looks great, very solid and lumber on cost about $400 for 2 complete sets. Just need to put in some sweat...

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Satin finish latex paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Slatted double vanity - FINALLY finished!

I was a bit over my head with this one but I am so far very happy with the project. It is not quite finished. The marble was installed last week and we are awating the plumber to come back to hook up the sinks. I will install the second slatted shelf once the plumbing is in. Will post finished pictures soon. The mirror is made from 6x6 posts from the lumber yard. We had a friend cut them to size using a band saw. We made the mirror frame based on a picture I found on Houzz.com. The mirror glass was something I picked up off of craigslist for next to nothing and removed from the original frame. It is HEAVY (~200lbs) and attached to the wall with metal brackets. We purchased the sinks/faucets on ebay. 

 

Estimated Cost
For the vanity alone: $200-250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Hilary's vinegar/steel wool solution to age the wood, then sanded and finished with the vermont natural coatings polywhey in satin.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Truss beam table and benches

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 05/11/2017 - 10:39

We added Ana's truss beam base to an already-existing table top that we had DIY'd years ago (our very first project!). We made the benches per her plans as well and now we all just love it! The whole thing is big, sturdy and beautiful. The only thing we didn't do were those two pretty beams that come down in the center - my hubby liked how simple it looked without it :) Loved this project! (And love how my three kids crawl all over it! Memories!)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Dark Walnut stain and then a weather proofing varnish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Pallet Shelf

This was my first time using my jigsaw. Easiest project ever, and I love the result!

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Lily-Mae's Changing Table

Submitted by Charles R on Sat, 02/14/2015 - 20:11

Made whith Pine, Changing Table fitting with Kendal wide dresser.

Estimated Cost
100-140
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Primer + white semi-gloss paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Fancy Farmhouse Headboard with Modified Trim

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/14/2017 - 17:02

Fancy Farmhouse Headboard with Modified Trim. There was a lot of trial and error as this was my first ever project, but now I'm hooked! We only needed a headboard to attach to our King platform frame. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Made chalk paint using Extra White by Sherman Williams.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project