Community Brag Posts

We used MDF, drop-leaf lockable hinges for the leaves, and piano hinges. I wouldn't recommend MDF because it wasn't strong enough for the screws and we ended up having to add bits of plywood to reinforce the areas for the hinges. We also put pegboard on the back to avoid things popping out the other end, and I'm planning on getting some hooks to hang crafty things like scissors and glue guns.

Despite the modifications we had to make, I love my little sewing table! It fits perfectly under our dining room table and but has tons of workspace when it's folded out. Perfect for a small, cramped house! The finished project isn't quite as bright yellow as the flash made it seem, but it is still bright and happy!

It was time that my son finally got a real bed. Additionally, he needed a desk as well. This is why I chose the Chelsea bunk system plans. I had to make some modifications that you can see in the pictures. The first modification was taken from GROOVYMOM2000, the chalkboards. I don't have any chalk at the moment so it looks like black paint from the picture but its the spray on chalkboard stuff. The subsequent modifications were made for stabilization. I added supports to the desk before I started finishing the wood with stain and polyurethane because it was WAY too unstable. I thought that the bookcase was going to be okay but once the bed was on top it had more wobble than I felt comfortable with. This is why I added the 45 degree 2x2s to the bookcase corners. I will have to remove them and add some better looking ones in the future but they REALLY made a difference; the bed is rock solid now. The ladder was thrown together last minute with a rather advantageous plan that didn't work out. I tried to incorporate hangers into the cut so it could be removed easily but my jigsaw blade was too dull and ripped the wood to pieces. At this point I just slapped the pieces together and screwed it into the side of the bed. He might have to go a couple months before I decide to build a new one the right way. This honestly turned out to be a lot bigger project than I planned at first. Building the bed was fairly quick and easy but sanding, conditioning, staining, and protecting the wood took almost a week. I am pleased with the outcome but painting the bed would have made a significant time difference. If you do go with stain then let me suggest you stain the guardrails before assembly.

In our new home there was a 46" wide coat closet at the entrance. My wife wanted a place to sit down, take off shoes and put our coats and backpacks when we were home. I found Ana White's plans for this shoe bench and modified it to fit our space. The project took 3 days to complete due to the painting, staining and polyurethane, construction of the bench itself was quick. Previously I added a light switch and two 3" LED recessed lights in the ceiling. The project came out wonderful and I am very pleased. Thank you for the inspiration!

-Mike

These were my first Ana White pieces of furniture. I was so pleased at how fast they came together and how clear the instructions were. These were a Christmas present for my son and after taking a look at your website, he is full of enthusiasm to start building his own pieces. Thanks Ana.

So much fun to make & great for entertaining.

Love this project! I used cedar boards with red mahogany stain. I did adjust the gaps to a 1/4 inch.

We built this from a 4 x 4 left over from another project and 2 - 4 x 4s 36" long from a pallet I rescued from work.  The middle post is 78" long with 3 feet buried in the ground.  The "Fancy Iron Hose Holder" was purchased from Amazon for about $20.  The post cap was a used one rescued from my husband's woodshop.  We layed out the 4x4s on the garage floor and screwed them together, added the hose holder and end cap, and spray painted the project black.  I am going to remove the hose holder and paint it a different color so it will stand out better.

This was my first ever build and I did it on my own, so I'm super proud, but there are admittedly some things I'd like to learn from. The top trim piece is missing because the board was too crooked to attach and I was too impatient to wait to go to the hardware store again! It also stands crookedly. Not really sure why, but if you have any idea, I'd love to hear because I had a great time building it and look forward to my next build, but want to learn from that mistake first! Thanks Ana, I really didn't even know how to use a drill before hand, what an inspiration you are!

Camp Loft Bed modified to fit two twin loft beds in the bedroom with a shared platform step.
Age of boys in bed: 6 and 4

The boys have yet to agree on a stain color...awaiting their decision.

Custom Corn Hole / Bean Bag Toss sets made to order

I love this bookshelf! It was quick and easy to build, the finishing took the longest. I decided to add a contrasting top with pine boards stained with dark walnut. I love how it came out! Now, on to my next Ana White project...

modified the plans by making the top from 4 1x6s and adapted the legs to use 1x6s instead of the 2x4s. The wood I used was higher grade pine than what is called for, but because of the reduced size (2' x 4') I came in at the same price.

Fairly easy and fun build! We followed the plans almost entirely and spent a few hours each day throughout a week working on it, painting it was definitely the most time consuming part. It came together very easily in the bedroom and was done just in time to surprise our 3 year old for Christmas, he loves it! And I love that we can fit another twin bed underneath to turn it from a loft to bunk beds in the future.

Thank you Ana for yout amazing plans for the triple pedestal table and bench! I modified it to work for the dimensions that I needed which brought it down to a double pedestal table and bench. It ended up as a 3'x5' table. I attempted the antique coffee stain technique but it wasn't taking so I just used the stain that I used on the table top instead of the coffee. I LOVE how it turned out!

Leah

Having recently completed the Californian King size Bed, I needed matching bedside tables, these were an obvious choice, but due to the size of our bedroom, I had to downsize on the plan. Although I kept to the spirit of the plan, I made a few changes, other than just size. I made up the table tops and side panels, prior to assembly, much as I did with the bed, I pocket holed and glued the planks together to ensure they stay that way. I also decided to use hardwood runners, and not buy metal slides, because I had plenty of mahogany scrap, and the drawers are small, so it was easy to do. The drawer knobs were obviously bought, but to ensure they never come off, which is usually my problem with store bought knobs, I fixed them to the drawer face, using epoxy to glue the knob to the bolt, before attaching to the drawer carcase. I built these from pine and used a matt oak varnish to match the bed. The full build and more photos are on my Blog

First coffee table build. Plans were perfect! Built for $50, sold for $255