Community Brag Posts

I made this TV Stand for the family that bought the coffee table that I made before. I loosely based the design from a medley of things on the site, but ended up drawing up plans myself in Sketchup.

This took a while because I had to think through alot of the design things - like how to best do the glass panel doors and how to compensate in the plans for some bowing in the plywood.

It is basically a plywood box, trimmed out like most of the things we DIYers do.

My biggest challenge in this project was cost... I severely underestimated how much it would cost me to build it, so I ended up with only $50 profit on the job... Does anyone have suggestion.. if you are building things to sell them how do you price your products? Just curious.

"Cellar? What cellar? We don't have a cellar... Oh, you mean the new sand box! Here, let me get some shade too."

I'm not sure why, but I can never seem to follow plans exactly. I guess that's not entirely true. I CAN follow plans exactly, but I almost never do. Maybe it's some sort of passive rebellion or something, but I usually have to put my own spin on the things that I build. Sometimes it works out in my favor. Sometimes not. This build was a little of both.

I decided to only build one bench in our sand box. This cut down on a lot of supplies. By making it longer a single bench and making it longer, it covers about the same amount of square feet, just in a rectangle instead of a square. When pricing lumber, I noticed that 2x8's were cheaper than 1x8's. So I went with those instead. It can't hurt to beef up the sides a little, right? This required some easy calculations on the cut list. I also decided to use 1x6 fence planks instead of 1x4 whitewood or pine. The fence planks were cheap, and I figured they would look nice in the back yard. They are also naturally pest and rot resistant. They required extra sanding to take the rough off. However, this is one place that I'm thinking the modification didn't work in my favor. The fence planks are not as thick as the whitewood. This combined with the increased length makes the the top pieces feel pretty weak. I put a little support piece under the bench. I'm quite sure the bench would not have held up well without the support.

Because this is an outdoor piece, I dry fit everything, and then stained everything before assembling it, to make sure all of the edges were well protected.

Cost breakdown (not including canopy)
Fence planks $14
2x8x8 $11
hinges $9
handle $2
stain $10

I used the plans for the simple outdoor lounge chair and just made the arms wider, the cushions came from Target.............the dog loves it !

I really loved the look of the benches for this table, so decided to change the top of the table to have a side slat. We painted it to go with our porch.

We needed a new patio table for our deck and I loved this design. I made it out of cedar which worked beautifully and made a few small tweaks:

- Needed it longer and wider so added two more 2x4's to the middle and added 2x6 end caps (as another poster had done).
- I did not add the holes to the cooler covers for uniformity, they slide in and out very easily.
- I used 4x4's as the legs and constructed the table skirting around it. This is a very sturdy design.

Built some benches for seating and they worked out great.

Overall I loved this build and it was fairly simple. Stained with Penofin deck stain (red label) and a spar varnish for protection.

Hope you like it!

A great weekend project...the "love swing"! I used the plan from Ana for the swing seat and added two arm rests from left over 1x6, rounded them off and sanded.

I cobbled together an A-frame to hang everything, made from five 8 foot 4x4s and two 8 foot 2x6s laminated together for the stretcher. Assembled with 1/2" galvanized carriage bolts and hung with 1/4" chain.

Definitely going to want a good miter saw for the A-Frame angles (the top ones are a bit tricky to get everything lined up)

Love it! Thanks for another great plan Ana..and of course..Shanty2Chic!

This is something I didn't know I needed until I built it - just wanted a quick, simple project - now it is finished, I use it frequently (It does hold an adult's weight!). I used radiata pine as per plans, but 3 pieces of cypress pine (fence pickets) for the threads. Very clever design & just a sweet piece of furniture. I like my timber au naturel, so finished it clear.

I've tried this before as a gift for a friend's new baby. I then wanted to do one for myself but change the measurements somewhat. This is 45" long and the same width as the original. I reduced the height to account for the 3" foam cushion. Besides that it's pretty much the same as the toy chest plan.

Building and sanding took about 3 days working after work only. Painting took the longest time.

We combined two projects into one area to create a wonderful spot for reading to the grand kids.

I honestly think Ana is a mind reader. Whenever I need plans for a particular piece of furniture, they magically appear on her site. Of course if she was a true mind reader, everything will be exactly as I need it requiring no modifications. That's what makes her plans so amazing. I can build bigger and better because I've learned to modify her plans to fit my current needs.

This Cart was no exception. I had to make mine a few inches deeper and change the height of the legs and it was a piece of cake. I put this together in less than 2 hours and finishing was easy too.

I did a blog post all about what I did differently including how I constructed a towel bar instead of the pipe. Check it out at www.thepursuitofhandyness.com

The wonderful wife wanted a corner cupboard so I built the one you see in the pictures. Before I go further I would like to warn anyone attempting this project to please follow the instructions in the plan. I didn't and built the frame first but quickly discovered that it is the back and shelves that determine the final dimensions of the frame. I got lucky and the fit was ok. Here are a few things that I did:

1. I filled in the rough joints made by the plywood sides meeting the front frame and back by gluing in 1/4" round dowels. Looks pretty good.

2. With help from Habitat for Humanity ReStore I found the 1/2" thick stone to fill the void made by the door frames. Looks pretty good I must say.

3. I have a trademark called a "Conversation Starter" in many of my projects. Another name is called a mistake or oversight. Look closely and you will see that I grouted in one of the four stone sections upside down and the center jewel is out of place.

4. I could not find decent hardware locally so I went to Kennedy Hardware in Zionsville, Indiana and found the black cast iron hinges and clasp.

5. I did not read the contract with my wife and discovered that I now must repaint the entire dining room to match the corner cupboard. Read before Signing.

Building the cupboard was a fun project that will test all of your abilities and patience. Just remember follow the instructions and keep it square and level in all dimensions.