Community Brag Posts

Fancy X table

Submitted by Lukilla on Thu, 10/28/2021 - 17:01

We had a good time building this table. We made it smaller (6 feet) than the original plans, and also changed up the breadboard a little bit. We are a military family so made it so it assembles/disassembles with carriage bolts instead of screws. Hopefully that helps it hold up over time with frequent moves.

Varythane golden oak stain on the top and rustoleum charcoal chalk paint for the base. Sanded lightly and a light touch of the paint on the tabletop to create a distressed look.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

I love reclaimed wood!

Submitted by melaniesue on Mon, 03/28/2011 - 21:45

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
FOR FREE
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
I made my own version of milk paint and stain and stenciled a bird I drew, then heavy sanding to create the, "old look". I have tons of pallets, my neighbors are always dropping them off at my house, my RV pad is a WRECK from all sorts of old wood, and pallets. I love it, but I am looking like a hoarder, I.AM.NOT!

I also made this table out of an old shutter my neighbor dropped off for me, I took it apart, and that was the hardest part, other than the sanding... so much sanding! I finally got out the belt sander, which I really try not to use. The table is not quite finished, it's still wet in the pics, and not attached, I am painting the bottom white, and adding one more coat of stain on the table top. My number one rule, sand, sand, sand!
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Rustic Sideboard

Submitted by Chopper on Sun, 06/09/2013 - 18:59

Rustic Sideboard Project.

We had so much fun doing this! Took about 3 weeks with significant effort.

We only made it with the center drawer. The cabinets were enlarged on the outside to account for this.

We didn't tack the backing on. We routed in 1/4 inch in the back to inset the entire back. Very simple and easy.

The finish was fantastic. We did the following (Sanding heavily between each step):
-Minwax Provincial Stain
-Miss Mustard Seed Luckets Green (1 coat)
-Minwax Furniture wax.

We used the same hardware as on the website. Lowe's and Home Depot don't care a lot of inset hinges and I was concerned about ordering on line.

The plans were great and the project came out fantastic. Thanks for the plans and guidance!

Estimated Cost
400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
-Minwax Provincial Stain
-Miss Mustard Seed Luckets Green (1 coat)
-Minwax Furniture wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Rustic X End Table

Thank You Ana White and The Friendly Home for making the Original! These end tables are a little different because I decided to make an "X" with 2 1x2s on each side (from top to bottom), to give it a little different look and depth. It was pretty easy to make!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Corner Desk for Craft Room Sewing - DIY

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/23/2017 - 11:02

 

We made this sewing/craft table by combining plans from the modular office. It was a big job but SO worth it! We love your plans and use them all the time!

Submitted by Candace Ann Williams

Comments

melkaye

Wed, 02/19/2020 - 13:49

Could you tell me how much extra did you add on to the one side? And how did you fit your sewing machine in there? 

Farmhouse desk

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 11/05/2021 - 16:02

My first “big” piece of furniture! I have over the last year realized I had a little sawdust in my blood! My dad is a 3rd generation carpenter, he is the youngest of 5 boys and he is now 79. I started with a couple of quilt/blanket ladders for my daughters, then graduated to a headboard. Then last Christmas I surprised my dad with an oak bookshelf (because oak is the best 😉) I knew that’s what my dad loved. It brought him to tears! So, then my daughters began showing me pictures of desks, tv chests, etc and I gained a little confidence with each piece.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Three 4'x8' Raised Cedar Beds for $45 total.

Submitted by amberhibbs on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 13:41

I finished these last weekend and finally took pictures.

I found 44 5' cedar pickets on craigslist for $30 and built these raised beds. I built them according to Ana's instructions except I made them bigger (4'x8'). Since my boards were 5' long I couldn't span the entire length and went with a brickwork style overlap so there wasn't one seam in the center or a weird off-center seam. And, of course, I blogged about it.

Estimated Cost
$15 per bed, $45 total
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
None.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Master Bedroom closet organizer. Before and After.

Submitted by jmtlaw5 on Tue, 06/11/2013 - 08:40

The closet had a divider when I moved in. I removed that. It opened up the room nicely. I modified the master bedroom closet plans just a bit to fit my needs and space. The closet divider had to first be removed which opened up the room nicely.
It is roughly 94 inches wide, 18 deep, and approximately 84 inches tall.

I used Soft-Close drawer slides. I also installed motion lights under the top to both add a touch of something special and simply because it was kind of dark with the floor being black wood and the closet system stained black. I sanded it to 400 grit smooth by hand. It soaked up over 4 coats of minwax polyshades ( black) applied with a brush and then rubbed smooth with a soft cloth.

Estimated Cost
master bedroom closet
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
polyshades by Minwax, black.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Our finished project

Submitted by Jmetom on Thu, 05/14/2015 - 12:11

For the grandkids

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Building-At-Home-Mom

Fri, 05/15/2015 - 06:08

This project is awesome. How did the grandkids like playing on it? Do you have building plans for this?

Again, great work!

Planter

Submitted by Kravgirl on Sat, 11/11/2017 - 16:48

Added an X on the sides and a mitered 3 inch top frame.  Added some color to make it fun and tropical for the lanai.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Used home made chalk paint for the color and then used three coats of polyurethane on the chalk paint to seal it.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Chunky square coffee table

Submitted by Lukilla on Sun, 11/14/2021 - 11:16

We decided it was time to upgrade our coffee table situation. We absolutely love the chunky series Ana White has, and can't wait for the other pieces to be released.

This great easy build basically took about a morning to complete. Special walnut with espresso accents.

Happy build8ng!

Comments

Farmhouse Night Stand

I got lucky with this one. Most everything came from a broken dining room table that i got for free. The legs are old staircase spindles from a salvage shop that i got for 8 dollars. So 8 dollars plus the spray paint put me at about 20 dollars for this. Not bad.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Black spray paint undercoat and red spray paint on top sanded down
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic Wood Cooler Box made from Pallets!

Watch the video on how I did this project here: http://youtu.be/IoP2cKN2WeY

For this week's woodworking project I'm building a Rustic Cooler Box from used Pallets. The project was a lot of fun to do and pretty simple! By just using some old Pallets that were free I was able to build something that will get a lot of use. Plus, by using the Pallets I think it turned out really cool looking!

How to video http://youtu.be/IoP2cKN2WeY

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40 for cooler and accessories. Pallet wood was FREE.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Outdoor Polyurethane. Wood was left natural.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Wounded Marine

Fri, 06/14/2013 - 05:14

That is way to cool. I love your idea for the sides. It adds a lot of texture and cleans up the look of it. I enjoyed watching your videos. You have a lot of talent and I like your work man.

Stevens

Wed, 11/27/2013 - 04:02

Awesome way of doing a pallet cooler. Keeping the cost minimal your way of finishing it was really good. Personalizing such coolers would be interesting!

tedgray86

Fri, 10/17/2014 - 10:30

Cooler looks amazing!!  Well done!  What is the black ring inbetween the hose bib and the cooler?  I am looking for something similar to hide the PVC coupling as its white and my cooler is stained.

 

Thanks

Ice cream cart

Submitted by Markb25 on Mon, 11/22/2021 - 23:52

A friend wanted a tatty old chest freezer turning into a traditional looking ice cream cart for her business. The freezer itself was way to heavy and not really fit for purpose but, after a week of tinkering about with a couple of design changes here and there to accommodate the weight, I don't think I've done too bad a job.

The internal frame is Nordic fir, half lapped at the joints and secured in place with 38mm oak dowels, the cladding is 6mm birch ply finished with paint from the French chic Al fresco range, the writing proved a little challenging on the the eyes and my hands aren't as steady as they used to be but she's happy.

Comments

TV console table

This table was built using the plans for the "Simple, Cheap and Easy Console Table".  I adjusted the size (made it shorter and wider) and added shelves.  I made it with oak, so it wasn't cheap, but it goes better with the rest of our furniture. 

Estimated Cost
$125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
minwax honey oak stain and 3 coats of polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

2x4 Sectional

Submitted by cshaley on Sat, 06/15/2013 - 14:47

Outdoor sectional made using Georgia M's 2x4 modifications. Found some nice studs at Home Depot that worked great. Filled in any knot holes with stainable wood filler, and after sanding they looked like much more expensive lumber. Used Kreg 2.5" blue-coat outdoor screws and chestnut brown decking stain. Cushions are from Wal-Mart online clearance... Went to find the link, but they're all sold out. Looks like I lucked out!

Estimated Cost
$100 materials, $150 cushions
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Thompson WaterSeal (Chestnut Brown). Two coats, applied prior to assembly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic 4x4 Bench

Submitted by AlexO on Thu, 05/21/2015 - 08:27

Modified the Cherished Bliss plan a bit to include Carriage bolts instead of pocket holes and I notched the top of the legs to make a shelf for the top.

Legs were cut at 18" and the top is 40". The two center 4x4's are connected with two internal (and smaller diameter) carriage bolts and glued together. The end 4x4's are glued and then a 1/2 x 6" carriage bolt with a pre-drilled "Head" hole (using 1" paddle bit).

Very easy to make but this baby is heavy!!!

Estimated Cost
$50-$75
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Clear Watco Dutch Oil and Varathane 3x Poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Rustic X Coffee Table

Submitted by nellybean on Sun, 12/17/2017 - 09:14

 I built this in my studio/loft apartment. Great beginner weekend project. My first of many. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Vinegar/steelwool oxidation with Vermont Natural Coatings poly-whey clear satin
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Queen Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/05/2021 - 06:07

I saw the Ana White Farmhouse king bed and used it as inspiration. I made a few modifications and adjusted the measurements to fit a queen bed.
Thanks for the inspiration!

Comments