Community Brag Posts

My husband and I are doing a bit of remodeling in our 150+ year old farmhouse - over time we have amassed a not so small pile of old lumber. We hated to see it go to waste so it has been our hobby to try to find ways to reuse. Small projects. Finding this website was a dream. My husband and I are NOT natural carpenters but the plans we found here were perfect for us. Clear, simple, un-intimidating. I've been meaning to make the Library Console Table for a while and before the weather got too yucky to work outside I knew I had to get to it. It cost us zero to make, however, since it is all old barnwood - no two pieces were alike, the wood was a bit warped, dinged and splintery. But with enough sanding and the right paint I think this will be adorable. Husband does not want me to paint it and I might not have but we were forced to use some plywood (we also had a small sheet on hand) and I hate plywood too much to leave it exposed. We'll see.

What I LOVE about these beds is how every piece is flat when taken apart for easy assembly/disassembling and moving.

I saw Ana Whites video for this project on YouTube and thought it would be perfect for this space in my half bath.

Still working on part 2 and part 3 of this project. We've been eyeballing this project for awhile and are so excited with the results! We love that we can potentially use these as bedside tables in the future.

We wrote out how we did everything on the blog: http://thehuth.blogspot.com/2012/10/madison-changing-table-part-1-side-…

With all my left-over oak plywood laying around from a previous project and the need for a new coffee table, I decided I could easily utilize what I had on-hand to build the iTable (we've begun referring to our breakfast nook as the "indoor lumber yard", as it's full of scraps that I KNEW would be useful :) ). I rip cut the plywood to 5 1/2"-wide boards and cut to size for the center of the table. All I had to buy were the oak boards for the four trim pieces on top and the 6' 4x4's for the legs (I also used the rip-cut oak plywood for the skirts since the edges are not visible).

I sanded the project down with 80-grit and then 120-grit sandpaper. I used Rustoleum Kona stain (this was my first time using a non-Minwax product, and I have to say that Kona from Rustoleum is my new favorite color). I sealed the project with two coats of Minwax Polycrylic Semi-Gloss on everthing but the top of the table, where I applied three coats.

I built both the table and bench fron the "fancy x farmhouse" plans. All said it was about $140 in wood and another $100 or so in clamps and tools that I needed.

Small refrigerator stand with storage.
One 4x8 sheet of plywood
Depth 19”, width 20” , height 42”
May work with less stress if width 21” for this size refrigerator.
4 caster wheels

This was my first build and I learned a lot, like it’s better to just invest in some decent clamps at the beginning of the project rather than waiting until near completion. Anyone with any experience at all and with more than 2 clamps could have finished this project in a fraction of the time. However, I enjoyed every minute of it. This project took a week to complete only because of the wait time between finishes. The bookcase itself went together surprisingly fast, especially once I got more clamps. The hardest part was making it square. This plan was the perfect solution for my thermostat placement problem. I had been searching high and low for DVD storage to fit within the confines of my space. It had to be low profile to leave the doorway clear and it had to allow the thermostat on the wall to be accessible, yet big enough and wide enough to fit all our DVDs. This puzzle design couldn’t have been any more perfect. I was so excited to find it. I just made a smaller version. It expands to exactly the space I need. Many thanks to Ana and this wonderful website! I have spent countless hours studying and reading on this website. I am now thinking about building in every spare minute I have!

This was a great plan to follow. I made a few modifications such as adding a back wall that I painted with chalk paint so my daughter can draw to her hearts content. I also added a bit above the door so we can post messages such as her name or "girls only". I decided to skip the stairs being storage thinking it would simply be a junk collector and added a small step at the top as she found it a bit too high to get into her bed. Finally the painting took sometime as I used cabinet quality paint for durability but it's a bit tricky to work with. As a final touch I installed LEDs from Costco on the interior ceiling and back top rail all controlled by a remote with over 20 colors to choose from and adjusting brightness. Can't wait for my next project.

I started with the intentions of making the exact rustic X console shelf, but when I was looking at all the brag posts, I found one that had the two tone color. The individual used doug fir and only stained the shelves. Once I saw that, I knew what I wanted to do.

I purchased all doug fir 2x6s and 2x4s and ripped down the 2x4s. Built the same way, except when I was done I like the way it looked without the Xs, so I decided to keep it that way. Once thing I'm very glad I did was stain the shelves prior to building the shelf. I did all of my cuts, drilled all my PHs, sanded my shelf pieces, assembled my top, and stained the top and shelves. Once that was done I sanded all of the other pieces and started buliding the frames. When it came time to install the shelves, they were dry and it worked perfect.

After it was all built, I used a varathane satin clear coat over everything. The stain used was Minwax Espresso, 1 coat, let sit for no more than 3 minutes (just the time it took to brush it on).

My mother lives with me and we loved the Pallet Shelf Project and made a back door shelf/coat rack. Then, task maker that she is, she decided we need a spice rack in the kitchen, and viola. Still needs another coat of minwax, but should be ready to hang tomorrow! Thanks Ana!

This was my first project which was at our daughter’s prompting with a gift of a Kreg Jig. With her marriage and husband joining the military it has been moved several times. The great thing is that it structurally it is as solid today as when built. Even though I don’t like painting I could not turn the request to sand and repaint. Now I have added a miter saw and installing a dust containment system to our garage along with a side yard full of pallets. I used http://ana-white.com/2011/12/plans/hillary039s-locker-cabinet-charging-… to make the project.

Made of 100% reclaimed southern pine with oxidized vinegar/steel wool for the finish. 

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.

This project was super easy to follow the instructions. We did have to rip a couple of the boards for the paneling on the back to make everything fit together with no gaps but it turned out beautiful!