Community Brag Posts

I built this bookshelf over the summer and finally decided on paint over the weekend. I LOVE how it turned out! I followed the plans for general directions, but my dimensions are taller and wider than the plans. I used 8' 1x6's for the sides and the shelves are about 14". I also added bun thingy's (or whatever they're called!) to the base so that the unit would fit completely flat against the wall. Otherwise you'd have to either cut out your existing wall trim or notch the shelf trim around your wall trim. This was my first time using the Kreg pocket hole jig. It took a little getting used to, so I'd suggest practicing with some scrap parts first to make sure you don't end up drilling the pocket hole completely through the board.

I made this using leftover pallet wood, sanded plywood backer, leftover sliced pebbles from my bathroom remodel and plain old sticks and stones from my backyard. Took all of 2-3 hours or so to cut, sand and glue. The longest part was finding the perfect stones for the family and the layout of the trees. In case you're wondering, that's my wife and me and my three young daughters. This was the perfect piece to finish off our newly remodeled bathroom. This would be a great project for a family of all ages.

The most time consuming part was staining the wood, and getting the Xs to fit properly.  We love how it came out and are making an outdoor bench and end tables to match.

Aiden's Clubhouse.

I can't even believe I was able to build this! Everyone thought I was crazy for undertaking such a huge project. I made it a queen size because my son would always sleep in my bed anyways... so I just gave it to him. The bed took 4 weeks because I could only work on it on Saturday afternoons. The first week, I made a frame with cleats on the wall. The second week I built the house and stairs. The third week I built the slide and did some of the painting. Today, I finished painting and trim.

I did modify the plans and merged the plan for the slide into my plan, which was a last minute addition. As such, I had to "measure-and-cut-as-you-go" build this bed. I would highly recommend to anyone considering such a task, don't do that. Make a plan, cut all your wood, paint before assembly, and stick to the plan. My stairs all lift up, and under the top landing there is also a cut out inside Aiden's clubhouse-you can see it behind him in the picture below. Also under the slide is a cut out for storage. I have not done anything with the inside of the clubhouse yet. Someday...

I designed the bed specifically so that I could take it apart if we ever move... we live in an apartment. The stairs/stairwell are only connected to the rest of the bed with a single screw. The other wall is a bit more difficult to remove, but not impossible.

I learned a few things doing this, that I want to share with you all..
1. The Kreg-Jig is the best thing ever.
2. I LOVE LOVE LOVE power tools.
3. 4x4 sheets of MDF are difficult to carry upstairs by myself.
4. I can do anything.

I hope you all like it. This was my son's 4th birthday present and he really loves it.

It isn't finished yet though. The far wall in the room is about 2 ft away from the bed, and I haven't decided what to do with that side of the bed, so it's still plain. I would love some ideas! What do you think?

With all our changes and renovations, we no longer had a place to put up Christmas stockings. When I saw the idea for a fake mantle I knew this would be a good solution. The wall area I had was only 30 inches wide, but we made it work! The mantle itself was made almost entirely out of wood scraps. We also painted a thin piece of wood with chalkboard paint and used metallic Sharpies to create the grate and logs. That attached to the back of the mantle to serve as the "inside" of the fireplace. The kids added their own version of flames with some colored chalk on Christmas Eve night. Best part is I can store it in the attic until next year!

The Custom Built-ins started out with lots of research, and like many DIY project we looked to Pinterest and Houzz for inspiration. A lot of love and time went into this project. I can't stress enough how important research is. This process is often over looked because DIYers just want to get to the building process as quickly as possible, but trust me when I say doing solid research will save you a lot of stress and time when it comes to building.

I was so inspired by Ana's plans I made two tables, that can be put side by side, alongside each other or used as two separate tables with benches. I also made a bar with granite top...... It was lots of sanding as I did not have a planer at the time, but I love the finished project and get compliments by all that see it. Thank you Ana White.

Cathy B

My husband and I built this kitchen for my son's 2nd birthday and it continues to be a huge hit. We scaled the dimensions up a bit so he can use it longer, and used 3/4" birch plywood with veneer on the ends. The oven knobs spin on dowels, the stove burners are just painted on and we added moulding to the edge of the countertops to give it a nice rounded edge. We used a cheap bar faucet from ebay, hardware from IKEA, and a stainless steel bowl with a rim for the sink. I highly recommend using a flap stay on the stove door to keep it from slamming open, and magnetic catches on the oven and fridge doors. We also used anti-tip furniture straps because these suckers are heavy.

I spent time over my winter break from work to build this for my nine year-old. She absolutely loves it. It is much sturdier than the basic wooden loft I had in college. Now my 6YO wants one! I bought a Kreg Jig, which was a great investment to build something like this. I used a circular saw but next time around would borrow or purchase a miter/table saw for the large number of cuts required. I spent $475 in lumber, screws, nails, paint, etc which was more than I had planned, but we are happy with the result! It took me about 40 hours to build this in my basement. Great project for daddy/daughter time while school was out; she made the majority of the measurements for me! There were very slight issues with the plans but overall it was not too difficult.

I decided since I was doing a lot of wood working projects I needed to have a work table. I came across the patio table on Ana site and fell in love. I now have a great table in my garage for all my woodworking projects.

I modified the tapered planter plans to create a decorative open-bottom well cover. I used cedar picket planks and a 2x4 and 2x2 frame.

Untreated 4x4s are so hard to find around me so I used 2x4s for the legs. To get the legs truly square, I used my table saw to rip about a 1/4" off from each side of 2x4s (making the legs 3" by 3"). This also helped the legs appear to be one solid piece. After sanding with palm sander I applied Dark Walnut Minwax Stain. After the first coat set, I applied more stain to random places on the table to give it a somewhat "worn" look I guess. I finished with two generous coats of Minwax Semi-gloss poly. I like the way it came out. I also built the tryde coffee table, and after doing so I realized that the 2x6 breadboards had a slight angle to them. To fix this on the console table I attached the breadboards more inward toward the center of the table. The level look is just more appealing to me, but it's no biggie. Now I'm working on finish two tryde end tables, and soon I'll be starting a tv stand. Love the plans and the site in general! Thanks!

Using the original plans, I modified them to fit a full size mattress.

custom handcrafted amish style entry bench