Community Brag Posts

Loft Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/23/2016 - 11:03

This took me 4 days to sand (by hand), prime and paint so daddy and papa to put together the bed she's always wanted.

Estimated Cost
approx. $150, for wood, screws, paint, and Kreg Jig.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Faux Mantle

Submitted by Lady Goats on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 12:26

Built a fireplace using Mimi's Faux Mantle plans - I think it turned out great!

Built from Purebond plywood because I can't find straight boards in bigger sizes in my area (EVER!) and used fir 1x's for everything else.

Finished with three coats of Behr paint/primer in ultra white. I will not buy Behr again. Personal preference.

Estimated Cost
$90
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Paint/Primer in one - ultra white
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Hexagonal Side/Cofee Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 06/27/2016 - 08:07

I tried this as my first ever project after going through different plans and technique. I did great (I think :-) ) until end and think i screwed up with staining. There is dried glue left on the surafce which i thought i sanded but appeared as soon as i stained.

Feed back / comments on the design and please suggest a way to fix the staining issue.

 

 

Estimated Cost
70 $
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Spice Rack

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/25/2020 - 20:10

Change out the dowels with some molding and stained. Wife loves it!

Built from Plan(s)
Finish Used
Minwax stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Doll Crib Gift

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 12/05/2023 - 07:38

I built this doll crib for a girl we are helping make Christmas special for this year. It's all materials I had on hand (thanks scrap pile!). I love how it turned out. Loosely based on the fancy doll crib plans.

Built from Plan(s)

Navy Trainer

Submitted by Jake on Sun, 06/10/2012 - 13:01

A lady I work with at Driscoll Children's Hospital is giving birth this week to a boy. Instead of the traditional gifts I thought he should have an airplane and the Plane Old Shelf caught my fancy.

I made a couple of minor additions to the design with the addition of the traditional red and green navigation or running lights on the wing tips and a bright yellow axle. The wheels, cowling, and buttons are from Hobby Lobby. I took a small piece of bass wood, soaked and bent it and then let it dry overnight to form the propeller.

In South Texas the color scheme means something. The wing tips,tail, and cowling of the single engine trainers the want-a-be Navy pilots fly carry this color. They are everywhere.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
One coat of primer and then two coats of Rust-O-Leum white.black or orange spray glossy enamel.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Factory Cart Coffee Table

Submitted by dhynd on Fri, 04/04/2014 - 21:44

Made two tables with my sister in less than six hours! During this time we also went to the store, took many breaks and even ate lunch! A fun project that develops tons of confidence :) Made out of pine, used 3" steel casters, stained in espresso, and didn't use wood glue. Ate sushi on them tonight! Also.....a perfect table for sitting on the floor and coloring, using a lap-top, or toss some pillows on it for a sleepy pup. Super neat!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$95 for TWO tables
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Espresso Stain with Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic X Coffee Table

We moved into a new house with exposed dark beams and white railings. Plus, we were gifted a new white couch, so the wife wanted a new coffee table. I loved this project and decided to do it a little different and try the dual finish look to go with our furnishings and house. We love the finished product. Assembly was a snap. As always, the staining and clear coat step took the longest.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Red Oak Stain with clear gloss finish for the top. Plain white gloss paint for bottom frame.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Wardrobe closet

Submitted by jd4300 on Mon, 04/27/2020 - 04:58

Built this based off the french wardrobe closet. Thanks for the inspiration. Lots of sanding and painting

Estimated Cost
250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Interrior swiss coffe.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Oudoor table- Tiled tabletop

I built a regular table, then added half inch plywood to the top. Once the plywood was screwed and secured, I began tiling. I glued the tile down, waited 24 to cure then grouted!! I added aluminum trim to finish the top. I used Ceadar to make the legs only and used pressure treated for the rest.

Finish Used
Varathane: espresso colored stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Simple Patio Lounge Chair and Love Seat

Submitted by Sparrelts on Mon, 04/07/2014 - 10:41

We used Ana's "Simple Lounge Chair" plan, used a few pallet boards with some scrap lumber we had laying around in the garage, and made an awesome patio set for less than $75! The only cost we had was in fabric for the cushions, which was an added embellishment we chose to do We purchased pillows from a local thrift store, and even a couple at a local garage sale for $2 each... added our own special flare to make it match the fabric, and wahlah!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75 for a matching chair and love seat
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
We chose a paint that matched our patio & the fabric we chose.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rolling saw horses

Submitted by Craig P on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 07:26

Your saw horse plan worked great for a wooden boat project I'm doing -- the 3" wheels (with one locking) enable me to move the boat around the workshop or even outdoors for heavy duty sanding. 

I added blocks of 2x4 to the legs for more surface for the wheels and I extended the cross pieces to 4-feet long as the old AuSable River (MI) guide boat is about 40" wide.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60.00 (a lot of the cost is in the 3" wheels..)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None, though thinking about putting some finish on them as they'll be getting wet when I wash down the boat...
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Custom Toy Boxes

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 12/26/2023 - 11:15

I made these toy boxes for my two grandsons for Christmas. They have been laser etched with their names and a special note on the inside of the top lid. "Always remember you are braver than you believe, Stronger than you seem, Smarter than you think and Loved more than you will ever know. Love Papa and Lita.

Jim Greaves https://www.facebook.com/jim.greaves.180

Built from Plan(s)

outdoor daybed combined with sectional

Last year, I found these plans and with the help of my brother we modified them so they could be used with or with out cushions and to add storage underneath the day bed. I found the cushions on clearance from Crate and Barrell and managed to get them all for around $250. I finally finished staining the furniture this past weekend and thought I would share the finished result. The shade is a $8 curtain that we stretched across the top. We have had a lot of good times using this furniture!!

Estimated Cost
$500 (half are the cushions)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Sikkens solid stain. Oxford Brown
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Sturdy and Well Made - Excellent plans to follow!

Excellent plans and a great build! We had a blast and LOVE our new table that will go in our new house once built.

We have now stained the benches but have not taken any photos. We also added the brackets shown in the photos.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Log table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/07/2016 - 07:20

A table that I made out of a slab of rough wood, end cut from a mill. The rounded sides of the coffee table legs were made out of round fence posts cut down the centre & placed on the sides of cedar boards. I painted my wife  & I on the legs "2 old crows". I had sufficient wood left over to build a side table.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Cutting Board Kitchen Island with Trash Can Drawer

My first foray into pocket holes. Keys are taking your time and making sure everything is square. Turned into a nice Mother's Day gift.

Estimated Cost
$125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Cutting board oil and wax for top. Varathane weathered wood accelerator grey for cabinet. Cabinet was sealed with lacquer.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Custom Mug Stands

Submitted by vendo on Tue, 12/26/2023 - 13:39

These are fun and easy handmade Christmas gifts. Easy to modify hardware and finish to get different looks depending on the mugs you choose to pair with it!

Built from Plan(s)
Seasonal And Holiday

Fancy Picnic Table - Definately worth the extra little effort!

Submitted by mlmerrel on Wed, 06/20/2012 - 10:30

Needed a table for our deck, but didn't want to spend the $400-500 on sets at the store. Followed the plan for the most part and it was fairly easy to build. The only thing I did differently was in building the ends was put the "X" supports in after making the "I" shape in case I was off with my cuts.

Spent an hour cutting all the pieces on a Friday night and about 3 hours assembling Saturday morning. Table was ready to eat lunch on!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$90 (thanks to the Veteran discount at Lowe's)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None, yet... plan to stain at the end of the summer once the wood dries out.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

mlmerrel

Thu, 07/05/2012 - 12:05

I did not use a Kreg jig because i dont havd one and I didn't try to hide my screws. I did pre-drill all my holes so that I didn't split any boards... and my dad is a carpenter so he helped me attach the 2 cross pieces (which is the only part I had trouble with) to the ends, which we did by just angling the screws in. I will try to take a few more detailed pics in the next few days so you can get a better idea of how I did it.

I Rub (not verified)

Mon, 07/02/2012 - 03:37

Hi, great build !
Could you please explain how and from where did you screw the curved pieces at the bases ?
same question for the table top boards ?

Thank you!

In reply to by I Rub (not verified)

mlmerrel

Thu, 07/05/2012 - 12:03

If you look at the first drawing I have attached it will show you where to screw the curved pieces in. I screwed through the 1 x 4 to attach the smaller curved piece. Then I would screw through the larger curved piece into the smaller curved piece to attach it.

The table top pieces I screwed in from the top into the side pieces that you build first. I used 2 screws per board per side. The 2 boards in the middle should have screws at least 2 inches in from each side. The 2 boards on the end will have one set of screws 2 inches from the side that is next to the boards in the middle. The second set of screws will end up in about the middle of the outside boards. I'm going to attach another drawing to explain. Let me know if this helps.

I Rub

Mon, 07/09/2012 - 11:22

I plan on building the table this week, will use your advice. Much appreciated.

Gus (not verified)

Sun, 07/15/2012 - 16:20

Thank you for posting this. I started the project yesterday and I started with putting the cross braces on first and it did not turn out leveled. I thought that I would try to put it together first and then add the cross braces but was scared if it would hold. Thanks to your post I feel more confidant about it. I am going to make a run to the big box store and start over. Its okay because this is my very first build and I am just happy with my first 45 degree cut with my new circular saw ;) I guess its a learning process.

Thanks again for your post,
Gus

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