Community Brag Posts

My husband and I built this for our son's bedroom using all five of Ana’s series of plans for the cubby wall system. We did pretty well, especially considering that it was our very first building project. We made the media component of the wall unit the same width as the two sides since we didn’t need it to fit a wide screen TV. My hubby was thrilled that the drawers went together beautifully. The doors turned out a little “off” -- luckily the room has a beach theme so this piece fits right in with the beach shack look!

I designed this desk and created a building plan using Google Sketchup. It has 2 file drawers, 2 smaller drawers, 2 large adjustable shelves and a pullout shelf in the bottom, 4 small adjustable shelves on the top and a large space for a computer monitor. The large door drops open for a large work space. When you're done, put the door up and you have a beautiful piece of furniture!

I consider myself an advanced-beginner when it comes to building. I have just enough knowledge to get me by. If you have time, patience and the right tools you can build this too! It took me 10 days to build, working as much as my kids would allow.

It took me countless hours to perfect the building plan - probably just as much work to design it as it was to build it :)

I really scrounged around to build this desk. I used a large beam my friend cut up into 2x2's for the main posts/legs, pine furring strips for the side boards and around the top for moulding (lots of scraps I already had), 3/4" plywood for the inside dividers/panels & desktop, 1/2" plywood for the drawer boxes, drop-down door & top, 1/4" plywood for drawer bottoms & backing-board. I used 3/4" pine boards for the drawer faces and small doors on the bottom. I used drawer slides from an old dresser I found by our dumpster and vintage knobs I bought online. The other black hardware (hinges, pull handle, and clasps for door) I bought from a big box store and is categorized as gate hardware.

Final pieces for my walnut living room set.  C-shaped end tables that fit perfectly over the arms of the couches. They aren't large. Just enough to perch a glass of wine or snack plate when relaxing at the end of the day.

I made this easy and cheap Christmas tree wall shelf to add character to my guest bathroom.  I went through all my wood stash and found enough wood to build this project with! 

Make sure to pay attention to the long and short point directions in Ana's plans.  Since I was hanging this above my toilet, I didn't need the hooks so I just omitted the bottom piece all together.

I ended up using wood glue and a nail gun to put everything together so it went really quickly. 

I painted the whole tree with green chalk paint and distressed the edges with sandpaper.  Hung it up with L brackets in a stud.

Fun and easy project!  Thank you Ana!!

The design is good, it all goes together nicely. Mid-stream, I decided to use some Mahogany I had sitting around to make the face frame.

This was my first experience with drawers and predictably I had all kinds of self-inflicted problems. Most notably placing the bracket backwards and then I foolishly convinced myself I could put the top on before I put the drawer face frame on. (I could have but I would have never aligned it correctly)

I finally came together; it fits well in the intended spot & my wife likes it.

I have a small kitchen with no room for a table and no storage space. When I saw the plan for this kitchen island i knew it would fit perfectly in our space and a project my husband and I could work on together. It took several days in total, but we had to work around the kids, so probably could be done faster if need be. It is made out of white pine, including the top and legs. We probably spent around $150, but we looked at several similar islands going for over $600 and not even made with wood. We are so pleased with the outcome. We cannot wait to get started on the bunk beds for our son.

Thanks Ana White!

My husband and I have never built anything.  We decided to build our teenage boy a desk, as I could not find anything I liked online.  The project was pretty simple for amateurs to follow.  The cutting and assembly was done in a day.  We decided to add the drawer and pull out shelf for the printer.  Really, figuring what color to stain it and the staining process was the most tedious.  We routered the drawer sides and the top of the desk for a nicer look.  So proud of our work and the fact that this will last our son for years to come.  

This was built as a nightstand/charging cabinet.  I made it a little deeper for more stability. I also replace the 4-5 drilled holes with a corded electrical/usb outlet that allows you to both plug electri cords and usb cords for electronics (about $10 online). I added a center 1 X 2 and magnet closers on the doors. I used unfinished wainscot for the center of the doors.

I made 4 Simple Lounge chairs and 3 Ottoman/Accent tables. They are made out of 1x3 and 1x2 furring strips. I was worried about how sturdy they were going to be but, in the end they turned out PERFECT!! We absolutely LOVE our new set!

I built this for a friend of a friend. They had seen a similar hall tree on line that ran between $300-$500. It was made of a mix of materials, including mdf and veneer. It was for newlyweds so I did the finishing (something I really hate) and I made the cushion. I had the mirror cut at a local glass shop, and had it cut a bit shorter than how it appeared in the picture they gave me - I was afraid someone would toss somthing onto the cushion and it would end up hitting the mirror.
They seemed happy with it. I hope to get a picture of it in place so that I can add it to my album titled "Look what Gramma made when she could still do things".

This is my first project! My friend and i were debating what to gift our friends for their anniversary. This was perfect. Good first time beginner project. 

I enjoyed making this project! My wife loves the table and benches.

We made this for my daughter's bedroom. There was not enough room for a canopy, so we adapted it a bit.

This table is SOOO great, and I get tons of compliments on it. It was easy to build as well.

I did have a problem, in that I made it to use outside and outdoor tables are shorter than indoor tables, depending on the chairs you use. I had to cut apart the legs after I had them built, which was a pain, but was completely my fault. 

For an outdoor table, make your leg uprights 18-1/2" - all other leg cuts are the same.
I made mine 17-1/2" and used 2x4 material for the feet (my 1x4's kept splitting). You will also need to adjust the length of the center angle pieces, which I laid out after the legs were assembled and the horizontal supports were attached.

You can see from the photos that the unfinished legs are according to the original plan. Once the center was cut down to the new length, the angled pieces make more of a true X.

I also flipped the base upside down to attach the top. I used 2 1x1 'stringers' cut at the same angle as the top of the legs, centered the base on the under side of the top, and screwed through the stringers to the top 2x10s. I used nickels to space the top planks for drainage. I then screwed the stringers to the side legs from the side. You won't even see them unless you're sitting on the patio - standing or sitting in a chair, you don't notice them. But then there are no screws showing, nothing to patch, and it's sturdy to pick up and move.

Built this for our dining room. Added two feet to the length. Neighbors started talking and now I've been commisioned to build a table and bench!

Turned leg coffee table from pine.  I also built matching end tables (shown in another post).  :)