Community Brag Posts

My daughter sent me a copy of your plans for the Little Helper Tower with the question, "can you make this?", to which I said a hesitant "yes. I decided to modify the plans so that instead of just making two ladders and holding them together with 6 sticks of wood, to make the sides also with vertical 1x2s, then use barrel nuts and furniture bolts to hold it all together. This gives you four pieces and a platform once it is disassembled should you ever need to take it apart.
I took some rough African Mahogany and Sapele and planed it to thickness (3/4") then cut to the required dimensions (1x2, 1x3, etc). I used a biscuit joiner to make slots and then glued the horizontal pieces, using the wooden biscuits, to the vertical pieces. I could not get myself to attempt lining up dowel holes, which would be a stronger attachment. I know this is not the best for a vertical application, but I used Titebond II wood glue and am confident it can take the weight of my grandson.

This project followed the plans at http://ana-white.com/2012/03/plans/kentwood-bookshelf with a major customization twist. The backing is actually made from a photo op wall I built for our daughter’s wedding. The wall was ten feet tall the bookshelf backing is from some of the lettering boards.   

When I recently moved into a space with a kitchen and living room attached, I quickly realized that I wouldn't have room for a full size dinner table. I had seen extendable kitchen tables but none fit the bill, I was looking for something more compact. I also liked the idea of a bar / island with storage underneath, and I had noticed some had a drop leaf on 1 side which would be useful – but why not have 2 leafs for more dining space? When I decided to build my own table to fit these requirements it was difficult to find any plans out there, especially with drop leafs. Through lots of experimenting and research I finally built what I had envisioned: a kitchen island / bar with cart storage and two folding table leafs which expand to about 3^1/2 feet squared of eating / drinking area. I went through this trial and error process so you don’t have to, find more pictures and instructions here: http://bacheloronabudget.com/diy-drop-leaf-kitchen-island-cart/

This is my first attempt at a furniture project. I customized the Twin Farmhouse Bed plan to use leftover v-groove paneling for the planks and pre-primed MDF for the trim and headboard/footboard caps. I used pine 4x4s for the posts, cheap 1x4s for the rail supports, and 1/4 in white paneling ($10) under the mattress. Trim was nailed using standard 16 and 18 ga nailer. Used Spax screws for attaching the posts to the 2x6s behind the paneling and trim. Spray painted using Krylon paint primer and gloss finish. Spent a little extra on multiple coats of spray paint, but the finish was well worth it. The v-groove paneling required hand painting in the grooves for better white covereage on the final coat, but MDF soaks in the paint so it required more coats than the pre-primed trim needed.

I made my shelves 16 ft by 6ft by 2ft - added another plank to each shelf to increase the width. I compensated for the slope along the garage wall by offsetting all the screw-in points in the front legs half an inch. This thing is HEAVY.

I anchored the unit to the wall by securing 2 scrap 2x4s to the studs - 1 at the 2nd set of legs and 1 at the far right legs - and screwing the unit legs into the 2x4s. This way, I didn't have to line the unit up precisely with the studs.

This project was tough using pine since, from the big box store it's hit or miss on getting long boards that are straight. But clamps and sanding worked affectively. There were a few little nuances but for the most part it turned out great! It took me a while since it's cold here and the stain/polyurethane took a little longer than I would have liked.

This is a chair I made from the Super Easy Adirondack Chair plan from your website.

Hubby and I were tired of seeing our shoes lined up on the wall when we walked in the house. We also wanted something that we could store our snuggies in when we aren't using them.

This was a GREAT weekend project for us to do together!!!

I fell in love with a Printer's Collection media cabinet at the Pottery Barn, but I couldn't afford the $$$ price tag. So I decided to build it myself. Theirs was made out of pine but I made mine out of birch. It wasn't very hard to build, it just had a lot of pieces.  I made 3 pieces, the center being 3 sections, and 2 shelf sections on the ends.  I thought it turned out great and fits our space perfectly.

Built this using Anna White's "MIMI'S FAUX MANTLE" but instead of using crown molding I elected to use STONE TILES in neutral tones and finished the surround and mantle in white giving the piece a nice soft appeal.  The building plans were easy to follow and took about 2 days to complete the whole process (because of drying times) not to mention how reasonable the cost was.  I already had the tiles,  adhesive, and paint from left over projects.

My second farmhouse table, and much easier this time around! Like the first one I built, this one was modified from Tommy's plans (see link below) which was modified from Ana's plans on this site.

Before I put everything together, I used a 1/2" round-over bit on a trim router to round the edges of each piece individually, then sanded each piece individually. After everything was routed and sanded, I joined it all together--it kind of reminds me of Lincoln Logs now!

One other thing I did differently with this table, is I filled in the cracks with a darker wood putty. I love that it has the plank lines without the crevice for crumbs, etc. to fall into.

I finished with Rust-oleum Early American stain and Rust-oleum poly in semi-gloss.

I'm having trouble linking the plans, so again--these are modified from the Farmhouse Table Update Pocket Hole plans on this site, and also from this site: http://tommyandellie.com/?p=2582

I needed something to get the camping stuff, toys, strollers and everything else organized and up off the floor of our unfinished basement so my boys can ride their trikes inside over the winter. This was perfect! Just changed it slightly (made it deeper) to accommodate some larger items. Thanks again Ana!

Made from some scrap oak I had. Made to fit the 2" thick oak top that a co worker was going to throw away...couldn't let that happen!

I basically stuck to the plans, but I shortened the length of the table just a touch, and lengthened the bench to fit just inside the legs. I also used 2x4s for the legs, tapered them for aesthetics (similar to some other posters), and reinforced them with "L" brackets to reduce the wobble. We finished it with Semigloss white paint, Minwax Honey stain, and Minwax Gloss Polyurethane.

If I can make this table, just about anyone can.

We started this late 2013 and finished it June 2014. We used an old IKEA bed hardware for the middle support for the full mattress. We had to use Hemlock Fir "white wood" for the 4x4's (found at Menards in Wisconsin). We used Satin polyurathane from Minwax and allowed a month for the fumes to die down. My boys and guests seem to enjoy the bed. 

I moved to a new house and the table I had was way to big. I decided to make one. I found a picture on here of one I liked. I made some changes to the design and built it myself!