Eco office work space
We (my husband and I) were in desperate need of a better work space, and this was perfect.
We (my husband and I) were in desperate need of a better work space, and this was perfect.
Well saw a project here and inspired me to get my sons elbows away from me, so i built this oversized table, Inspired by a Simple outdoor dining table design.
anna-white.com/print/247
hmm its a bit to high also lol time to build some chairs and or a long tall bench :-)
Thanks Anna
Took about a week working an hour or 2 a day, but for my first woodworking project I think it turned out pretty well!
This was such a fun and easy project to do. The bench is super sturdy and I stained it with ready seal in the color redwood.
Our entryway is always a disaster and a little dysfunctional in design.
In hopes of improving the mess and making some room to sit and put your shoes on, we have made this bench that will slide in the width of the wall (approx 58.5"). It has room below to throw shoes and we can add a couple of hooks and storage cubbies above next to the window. This seemed to be the easiest, quickest and least costly solution. The only drawback (and it is the room not the bench) is that when the front door is open, it isn't easy to grab your shoes or coat (if they are behind the door) and go.
As far as making it goes, it was fairly simple. We finished the wood (with the exception of the polyurethane coat) prior to building it. The stain is ebony and we decided to use nails instead of spending more money on a fancy pocket hole screw get up. Because it is a small area and the bench is the width of the room, I was a little concerned that it may not fit. But it was perfectly made to order!
Tue, 06/07/2011 - 11:13
Looks great - perfect for your space! Thank you so much for sharing!
My first project building a piece of furniture and using stain! When I saw this desk on your website, I knew I wanted to make it for my wife. I got lucky and found this NEW chair on craigslist for $40, which we easily recovered with a fun print. About our X-desk... the frame I built out of lumber per plan except customized the overall length of the desk. With so many pieces of wood butting together, I used a tube of ALEX clear paintable caulk on all the internal edges to give it a tighter appearance. This would not have been possible if we stained the bottom of course. The caulk did a fabulous job of closing all the gaps - or making them appear closed. Next, put a good coat of bulls-eye primer then latex top coat. Hindsight: since we knew we wanted to distress the paint, we should have perhaps skipped the primer. It made it really tough to distress areas and nearly impossible to do so without having some areas of white showing instead of just wood underneath.. Still turned out fine, but for next time : ) For the top, I debated several options but ended up using a piece of ikea birch butcherblock that I bought a couple years ago and never used. the piece was not quite as wide as we wanted for the desk, so I used some kreg jig pocket drilling ingenuity to widen it with some cedar deck boards, which have the same 1" nominal thickness as the butcher block. Worked out nicely. Stained it with Minwax Early American and finished it with Helmsman Spar Urethane. We are very happy with the end product. Thanks for the inspiration & direction to make this happen!! My next project is a refurb of a $20 maple end table I snagged from craigslist. Will keep you posted. PS. Not sure why my thumbnail photos show up sideways, but when you click on them, they open in the correct rotated orientation
Pretty fun and easy weekend project. Decided to go with Pine shingles instead of cedar based on availability. First time roofing, and it is apparent. We have had many strong storms since, and it is waterproof - so at least I have that going for me!
Overall, I am very happy with this shed, and I should have taken pictures of the inside. I have two 5 level shelves on the side walls, and a garden tool rack on the back wall. I have been able to clear a lot of space in my garage thanks to this shed.
Also, the beer bottle opener and cap catcher were a must for me when I work in the yard!
The plans are excellent! Don't hesitate to build this shed if you need it!
I love you and your site and have learned tons from it. Last week I picked up this old bookcase on a website for free. I then worked on it to turn it into a BBQ-help table. I'm very happy with it and hope the weather in Norway will soon be hot enough to get out in the garden and BBQ!
Love and best wishes,
Pauline
Thu, 04/21/2022 - 15:10
This looks great, we are so ready for summer too! Thank you for sharing.
The online plans for this table were far too long for our room, so I took the plans to Sketchup and shortened them to fit our space.
Having done so, I had to adjust the board-shopping list and I goofed up and ended up with a slightly shorter 2x4 for the table top!
So, I cut that board in half, and added a squared-off 2x4 piece and set it in the center of the table with the grain going in the same direction as the breadboards (fixed in with pocket-hole screws). It turned out very nice and the center square gives a little extra interest to the center of the table. (can't really see the center in the picture, sorry).
We LOVE our 'experimental' finish technique! The table looks amazing and very expensive.
The outdoor photo of the table was taken as I waited for the ebony-wiped stain to dry -- before the semi-gloss polyurethane. The Polyurethane darked the whole piece up just enough to make it take on a deep rich look.
I often get the remark "YOU made THIS?" !
Wed, 05/02/2012 - 15:32
How was your experience with using spruce? Did it split any? it looks beautiful!
Reference plans:
http://ana-white.com/2010/05/furniture-plans-loft-bed.html
http://ana-white.com/2011/04/fire-truck-bed
The plans for the loft bed were accurate and easy to follow. Used pine, primer and paint. My kid was inspired by the INCREDIBLE Fire Truck Loft Bed (http://ana-white.com/2011/04/fire-truck-bed). Thankfully the Monster Truck can be taken off with a few screws once he outgrows Monster Trucks (giving it 2 to 22 years).
I did go back and anchor the bed to the wall in 4 places (he likes to bounce). In addition, anchored the ladder to the floor. Added 2 additional 2X2 under the bed for a total of 3 spines to support the planks and a thin piece of particle board (used for backing in book cases) to help distribute the weight over the planks. Blame it on over-protective parenting. Also added a shelf between the bed and wall to hold his music stash.
This plan inspired me to buy a used drop leaf cherry cocktail table and make the storage bottom with wheels. The oval deisgn of the cocktail table helped it fit in my daughter's small apartment kitchen, which is a pass through to the bedroom. She also really needed the additional storage space. Thanks so much!
Made this table for my sons girlfriend for her makeup and to use as a table for her laptop.
Much to our dismay our tiny town is not host to any sweet antique shops. So when I began designing our new guest room, I knew that I was going to have to BUILD two bedside tables. Thanks to Anna, that is much more of a possibility for us than I ever might have imagined.
So, I decided on one bookcase and one vanity. For the bookcase I adapted the Parson's style bookshelf plans. But instead of going the modern route, I stained it ebony and painted over with a white satin paint--and of course distressed. Simple, affordable, and quite cute. You can see many more photos at www.thereadinggirl.com.
Tue, 06/14/2011 - 04:31
I am about to start one of these, Reading Girl, and was a bit concerned that it could be too modern for our shabby chic style but no you've done it and it looks great.
Thanks for the inspiration all the way from Botswana.
In reply to awesome look by theothermrsbell
Tue, 06/14/2011 - 08:04
Well thank you so much for your kindness, all the way from Texas-USA! I wish you all the best of luck with your creation--I am sure it will turn out great!
In reply to Question by Kate (not verified)
Mon, 07/11/2011 - 13:55
Thanks, Kate! I bought this set at an antique store! I hope you can find one, or at least something similar! GOOD LUCK :o)
My wife saw the farmhouse table and wanted me to build it so bad, that she sold our current dining table the next day! Looks like we had to do it! Just love this table and the plans were so easy to follow. We modified the legs and a few other things, but all in all we are so happy with the results. This is only my third build, so im learning as I go, but we couldnt be mroe happy with the results!
Thu, 08/13/2015 - 10:09
Thank you for sharing your amazing build! Love the finish!
In reply to Absolutely Gorgeous! by Ana White Admin
Thu, 08/13/2015 - 10:17
Thanks! My wife picked it, i just applied it..haha
Thu, 12/01/2016 - 17:13
LOVE the table! Where did you purchase the legs?
In reply to LOVE the table! Where did you by kimd17
Sun, 12/25/2016 - 12:38
Thanks! Bought them online from osbournewood.com. I'm in the process of building another for my mother in law because she loved it so much!
Overall I am very pleased with this project and I deviated from the plan with the drawer fronts and the slides as well.
Bult this for my wife from Ana White plans
I'm a beginner, I had only made the play kitchen, Mom's lego table and a workbench before I took on this project. I had so much fun making this. I made tons of mistakes, but it's all repairable. My daughter loves it.
I have a build in chalkboard and fishtank in there. And check out the remote control fireplace.
Thank you SO much for the plans, Ana. You've made some awesome childhood memories for my kids.
(More photos and info on my blog post)
Wed, 11/23/2011 - 09:19
From someone that has done a loft bed, I can appreciate the time and effort that went into it. Keep up the good work!
JM
I made the canopy doll bed for my very first project. I had only ever put together particle board furniture kits before this. The building went pretty smoothly, but it would have been nice to have more clamps or an extra pair of hands. I built the bed and sanded it in one afternoon. I painted it the next day, and sewed the bedding the day after that. It was really fun to build and my 6 year old daughter loves it! I can't wait to start my next project.
In reply to Pet bed by Haleycopter
Fri, 10/11/2013 - 13:36
I am sure it could work as a pet bed with a couple adjustments. You would need to have a solid piece of wood for the bottom and you might need to adjust the size depending on the size of your pet. The bed is very sturdy. My kids tend to give their toys a lot of abuse and it has held up great.