Community Brag Posts

Ana Whites site is always my first stop for inspiration, she always has good designs and diagrams. I usually use her plans as a rough guide, and then tweak them as needed.

For this table, I made it 42" square, and adjusted the height. 

The main difference is I built this from PT pine, and cedar as this is going to be an outdoor table, and I would like it to last.  I painted the frame with 3 coats of exterior semi gloss paint, and used Helmsman spar urethane for the top. I did not stain the wood, as I love the color variations of natural cedar.

I also used galvanized carriage bolts to connect the legs. This increased the costt, but I wanted to be able to remove the legs.  For more in depth connection details see my blog.

The table turned out quite well, is very sturdy and has gotten quite a few compliments, thanks Ana for the inspiration to build cool stuf! I love building STUFF!

This was my first attempt at building and I learned a lot such as if you drop pine, it cracks in half - and - when cutting with a jigsaw, cut inside the lines....you can always trim more off, but you can't put it back - and - my dogs can distress a piece of furniture faster than I can if I put it under "thier" window....whether I want them to or not!
This was a great beginner project and gives a fast, satisfying result. As you can see, it has become the cat's bench...can't get a picture of it without him, he lives on it!
Just a couple of notes: I cut the legs more according to the plan diagram than the pretty cuts Patrick made on his...I wasn't ready for that. Also, I didn't have my glasses outside with me, so my measurements on the legs are probably not right. I made the top shorter because I wanted it for a specific space (which didn't work out, see note about about dogs and distressing....ugh!).
Also, this probably should have taken me just an hour or so, but I had my Kreg jig set all wrong and first had shallow pocket holes (see note above about pine breaking when dropped) and then made them too deep (learned to use wood filler)! That's when I finally got my butt into the house to get my glasses to read the dang directions (again!).
Thanks Patrick and Ana for giving me such a great, easy beginner project!

This project started on a Saturday and I moved it into the house the following Friday. All that being done with two little cherubs running around and making demands of me every 10 minutes. Super easy build and my first time.

This was one of my first builds ever! I'm hooked! 

We built our patio furniture with your outdoor chair and couch plans! Thank you thank you! 

Candice

Building the desk was pretty straightforward. I actually saved a little money going with the 2x6s (4 of them was under half the price of a pine project panel) rather than the panel which I actually brought home first. I went with the 2x6s instead because it felt sturdier, and the straightest panel I could find was a little warped (which I didn't want to force).

My biggest piece of advice is, if you don't have a wood planer, DO NOT use a Kreg Jig to assemble the top first. 2xWhatevers just don't seem to "lay" the way you want them to if they're all connected together. I built the legs, added supports and then used glue and 2" finish nails to secure the top, butting them up as close as I could (there's only very minimal gaps, ~1/16 or less) It is SOLID. I filled in the nail holes with Elmer's stainable wood filler. After staining, I used a tiny artist brush with the stain on the filler so it could penetrate a little longer. Worked like a charm!

We decided to go with a color stain on top because it's going in a craft room/office so we wanted it to be bright and fun to get our creative juices flowing. The walls are a light gray so we figured we could afford some color :)

This project was meant to be a birthday present for my niece; however, after showing it to other people, there are now multiple people that are interested in having their own, understanding that I will be able to make it for much cheaper than buying an equivalent project from a store. It was a fun project and took little time to complete with minimal resources required....and for cheap

Barnwood fancy x farmhouse table.  

My husband and I modified this bed quite a bit to make it work for our 4 year old grandson. We made it 60” tall and it holds a crib mattress and spring base. Considering it is for a 4 year old, we did add a brace on the back of the bed, so it could be anchored to wall studs to prevent tipping.
After the painting was completed, we had to head home, so I will share “completed” photos later. By the way, he loves his “Big Boy bed”!

I built this for a friends upcoming baby shower! She has yet to receive it so I hope she loves it. It was super easy to build, even the fancy scrolling at the bottom of the sides was relatively easy. I can say that only because I'm an experienced builder, but for someone new to this, it could be daunting. Just go slow and try it out on practice boards first!

So easy and fun!

Built my wife’s the bench she wanted. We’re very happy with how it came out.

We modified the farmhouse table plan and made office desks from reclaimed lumber! Check out the full post on my blog: http://livingvintageco.com/category/do-it-yourself/woodworking/.

My husband and I took two plans, the Mantel Moulding Headboard, and the Chestwick Platform Bed. We made some slight modifications which are as follows.

For the Mantel Moulding Headboard I wanted it to be a tall. The original plans called for the headboard to be 61 1/2 inches. We made ours so that it sat at 74 inches. We also made the width of the headboard 60 inches so that it was a perfect fit for the base.

For the Chestwick Platform bed we used 2X12's. Since we decided to make the headboard taller, I felt that the 2X8s wouldn't have been aesthetically pleasing. We used heavy duty top corner plates to screw in the bun feet.

Mounting the headboard: Due to the size of this headboard, it is recommended that you attach to a stud in the wall behind headboard to prevent forward tipping. We used french fleat picture hanger with wall dog mounting screws (200 lbs), read instructions. We attached two vertical 1X2's to the back of the headboard for added support, since the headboard rests on the platform bed. After the headboard was properly secured to the wall, and resting on the platform bed, we then installed four mounting brackets. 2 heavy duty corner brackets, and 2 mounting brackets. The heavy duty corner brackets are long enough to screw into the mattress supports, the platform bed, and the headboard (see pics).

This was our second project, and we couldn't have done it without Ana's help.

I followed Ana's basic table plans but modified it to have legs in the middle (6 legs instead of 4). I used ballisters/ banisters found out our local Habitat for Humanity Restore for the legs which helped cut down the cost. 

I couldn't see spending several thousand for outdoor furniture, so I looked at what you had done. It was so much easier and sturdier than I thought it would be. Thank you for all you do for the community.
I added the board on the back of the sofa to stop the cushions from slipping through. My wife wanted a fun color so we found a waterproof stain and had it tinted. I thought it came out very nice.