Community Brag Posts

French Cleat Sanding Station

Estimated Cost
Free! I used scraps to make this.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Child's Bench with Arbor

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 19:25

I love the way this bench turned out! And your plans were so simple to follow (as always). Thanks do much for sharing all your plans!!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Modified Ten Dollar Floating Ledges

Submitted by Radcrafter on Thu, 04/16/2015 - 22:33

I love these shelves.  So simple to build and still make a big impact.  I built mine just a little different from the plan.  I used 1x3 furring strips for the bottom and back pieces instead of 1x4's and then ripped a 1" strip from another 1x3 for each shelf to create the front trim piece instead of a 1x2.  The shorter front trim piece gives me just enough ledge to keep the frames from slipping off the ledge, but provides maxium display area for the art work.  

For three shelves just like these you need:

  • 7 -  1 x 3 x 8' furring strips 
  • Special Walnut Stain from Minwax
  • Satin Poly for finish (I also used Minwax for this too)

They were assembled using 2" fiinishing nails and lots of wood glue.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20-30 approx for 3 shelves
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Special Walnut Stain, Satin Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Brandy scrap wood storage bed

Submitted by Nikkit45 on Fri, 08/18/2017 - 17:01

Was really excited to build this when I moved in to my new home. It's such a functional piece! I used different types of wood to cover it instead of staining it different shades. That was a fun puzzle to figure out. Really love it and thanks for the free plans!

Estimated Cost
3-400$
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Varathane clear diamond wood finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

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!

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.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Playhouse kitchen from Modern Vertical Slat Top Console

Submitted by LauraLaura on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 17:21

I've been looking for a simple design for a consol table that I could easily modify to fit in my kids' club house. This one fit the bill perfectly! I also happen to have a pile of 2x4s left over from a closet demo, so I wanted to use those up. I basically built 2 of the consol tables, letting the 2 outer-most horizontal beams extend across and 25.5 inch space and connect the two consols. Then I put in a middle beam and that created the perfect space to set some catering pans in it. Also, I only had 2x4s so I used those for all the pieces, making the gaps a little wider than the original design. And lastly, because I didn't quite have enough wood, I shortened the vertical beams. If you look at the picture, all of this will make more sense! Thanks for the inspiration and direction! ps - I have no idea how to rotate the photos. Sorry!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
none yet, but I think I need to paint it or something so it doesn't rot outside.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Queen Size Bed Frame

Submitted by moosmani on Tue, 04/21/2015 - 19:49

This bed frame is for my daughter’s new house, in the guest bedroom.  She chose the design and got all the supplies to make it.  The wood is knotty alder.  It came out looking fairly close to the inspiration picture my daughter gave me to follow. 

I used the Cassidy bed plan and made adjustments to accommodate the iron piece.  The feet and top caps are made of one routered square with another slightly larger, unrroutered square stacked on top of it. 

Thanks for the easy-to-understand plans.  Everything I’ve learned about building has come from this awesome website!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Steel wool and vinegar, followed by Minwax english chesnut, then wipe on matte poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Bench

Submitted by bilalai on Sat, 09/02/2017 - 12:34

First project. Thank you Ana for getting me started. 

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Wood stain and sealant
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Perfect space savers for my tiny patio

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 10/05/2021 - 08:55

I bought a condo but I didn’t have a lot of space to entertain and grow things so these storage benches were the perfect solution thanks Anna for making such great easy to use plans out there for people of all skill levels

Comments

40" Kitchen Table

Submitted by Brinduss on Fri, 09/08/2017 - 04:07

This is my first fine woodworking project after taking two classes at my local Firestarter FabLab community entrepreneurial center.  

 

I used wormy maple, the top is 40" x 1 1/2" that I used the CNC router to cut out.  The base I used 1" and glued everything to thickness for the the Square X Base Pedestal Dining Table plans, with a few variation.  For the 45's I only made 2x4's instead of the specified 4x4's and the same for the X on the bottom.  Thrilled with how it turned out.

 

Thank you for the great inspiration!

Estimated Cost
$215 for the wood, $170 for the finish.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Golden Oak stain and Rubio Monocoat 2c pure finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic X-Desk

Submitted by jck363 on Tue, 10/05/2021 - 22:15

When the lockdowns hit last year I had to work from home. After two weeks working at the dining room table, I found this plan. Still using it every day!

Kids Country Bench Modified: First Build

Submitted by EllenFitz on Sun, 03/13/2011 - 19:20

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

First project Kids Beds

Submitted by elfranzen on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 17:40

First project decided to do two of them one for a boy and one for a girl. I built and my wife painted. she already has plans for the next project.

Estimated Cost
$80 a piece
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

DIY Bowling Lane

My husband and I were discussing how fun it will be to take our little boy bowling once he is old enough to enjoy it.  From that conversation I got the idea of building a miniature bowling lane.    I was also inspired by Ana White’s #GetBuilding2015 challenge to make use of the large pile of lumber stored in my garage.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Krylon Sea Glass Spray Paint, neon orange craft paint, White Rust-Oleum Spray Paint+Primer
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Outdoor sofa

After seeing how expensive custom cushions can be, I decided to build a custom outdoor sofa around the dimensions of the cushions instead of the other way around.  I took some plans for a chair and modified the dimensions.  I also gave the seat a 7 degree downward slope and gave the backrest a similar angle to in order to keep the cushions from falling over since each section is a single piece (seat & backrest).

I used a jigsaw to round out the corners of the armrest and then sanded them smooth.  I ended up painting it white (hard to see in the 2nd picture) and it came out great.  

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
white paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Dollhouse Bookcase

Submitted by donnas on Wed, 03/16/2011 - 09:24

I built this doll house bookcase for my little girl for her Birthday. And she loves it!
I used white pine. I did not want to use paint. I did 5 coats of clear stain. I like the look of the natural wood and the knots to show.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
clear stain (5 coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

pub height table

Submitted by knich27 on Sun, 06/02/2013 - 16:05

Bar height table witb 4 chairs and 2 benches. My mom wanted a new table big eight to sit 6 to 8 people, I think it can fit 10 though!

Estimated Cost
$500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax red elm gel stain and 5 coats of poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate