Community Brag Posts

We needed a coffee table for our new house. I started this project but abandoned it. Fortunately, my wonderful husband took over and finished it beautifully and it's better than I ever imagined!
From the builder:
The frame was very easy to build, but the drawer requires more skill to make sure you build it truly square. make sure to NOTTT build the drawer to fit EXACTLY in the space of your frame. leave 1/16" gap on either side of drawer to allow it to roll on its casters freely and leave 1/8" gap from the top of the drawer to the frame for the same purpose. if you make these plans in the early stage your life will be much EASIER when the final assembly comes together!! also take into consideration when making the plans for the height of your table that you will most likely want to put furniture pads on the bottom to save your wood floors and this needs to be added into the total height of the table so you do not mess up the drawer height. for the knobs I found it easiest to buy 1-1/2" screws and counter sink them from the back of the drawer face to allow for the knows to fit snugly against the faux drawers. and as for the faux drawers i used the slightest amount of wood glue and used my 18 gauge brad nail gun with 5/8" nails to attach the faces to the drawer from the front and then come back with wood filler over the nail indentations to smooth it out before painting.

This was really a simple and fun project!  My wife saw this on Ana White and knew immediately that this was a “must do now” endeavor.   The industrial look of the pipes really fit the decorating motif of our guest bath. 

We used reclaimed barn wood purchased at a local hardwood store.  The wood was, presumably, some type of cedar and was very user friendly; no cracking from screws and cut / glued very well.  We did have to run the stock through the joiner first, however, as the edges were weathered, warped & gouged.  We didn’t sand or finish the wood in any manner and it looks exactly as it did when it was part of a standing barn. 

We used 3 – ¾”  30 inch pipes for the towel racks and 1- ¾” six foot pipe for the top rail.  The pipes were  assembled & painted with Rust-Oleum Universal Metallic Paint & Primer in One – Flat Burnished Amber.  Instead of eye hooks to hold the ladder to the top rail, we decided on pre-painted bronze robe hooks.

After stock was squared, pieces were cut for the border and ladder.  The ladder is 32” wide (x) 48” long with 4” boards.  We chose that length so as to accommodate 2 towel racks with enough space for 4 sets of towels.  The assembly was made very simple by first attaching the  30 inch ¾ ” pipes as they really brought the construct into square.   

The only significant challenge to this project was selecting & cutting stock so all of the exposed edges were weathered facades. 

The project was finished off w/ a small shelf 23 “  wide (x) 30” long w/ shelf depth of 7” hung behind the toilet and a toilet paper holder base.

The bard wood was expensive (approximately) $200 for the project) and we spent about 20 hours building it.  It was well worth the effort.  And, to our amazement, all components finished level to the ceiling and square to each other … better “lucky” than “good”.

This was a simple and rewarding Fall project and is recognized by our guests as both a unique and utilitarian augment to our guest bath.

I built this table in one day and modified the plans to my wife's specs. It is 36"x36" and instead of using the two 1x12s on the bottom I used seven 1x4s cut down to fit and for the top used seven 2x6s which gave it the look she wanted.

Great plans!!!!

This was my first real project. I had a great time building it for my twin brother. I was very fond of the table by the time it was finished and it will be difficult to let it go :) I followed the plans almost exactly, however I added just a bit of trim to the sides and added small feet made from leftover 2x2's. I'm already looking forward to my next project.

My boys were in desperate need of beds and I am always on a tight budget. I have always loved the farmhouse bed design and decided it was time for DIY project. The instructions made everything so simple. And Home Depot and Lowes are always so helpful in making the cuts....I can do it myselft, but I have to say it is nice to unload the wood and start building right away. 
A few things I learned....

1. Not all 1x6's will be 5.5" wide, so just like the instructions tell you....double check

2. You can't stain wood filler...I had no idea it wouldn't take the stain very well

3. Using 2 2x4 to make a 4x4 post is WAY cheaper

Dear Anna,

Thanks a ton for such inspiration and detailed instrusctions! I showed then to my husband and he created a craft station for our daughter.

We used different fittings ( used the ones we could find in the nearest shop). Also, to decorate front pannel we used polyurethane molding left from house repairs.

=Tatiana=

This was our first build, with help from my dad we used the plans for the modern craft table and added a side table for the kids to have their own crafting space and storage.

Mudroom unnit built from own design for a friend to fit a specific space they had.

Finished in a light grey colour.

This was a fun build using the media console plans.  I used ceramic tiles with a wood look in the door panels. Fairly inexpensive build and ended up with an expensive looking piece of furniture. 

I just finished this coffee table and love the finished product. The chestnut used for the table top is over 100 years old and very hard to find. In 1904 there was a fungus that destroyed millions of chestnut trees. By 1950 it is estimated that more than 4 billion trees were destroyed. The fungus still exists and prevents chestnut trees from getting larger than 6″ in diameter. Needless to say this piece is pretty great!

Built this based on the Arts and Crafts Table on Ana White's site. I added a dowel at the back of the table to keep the craft paper close to the table. I also added a removal dowel to hold the roll of craft paper. This dowel may be a little close to the table limiting the paper roll size. I made the table fit very tight so it can be removed when not in use. I use biscits on the table for the edge and pocket holes for the shelfs. This was my first try so adjustments will be made on the next one.

Here's a couple pics of a dartboard cabinet I made from pallet wood. I routed/chiseled in "Odin's Knot" on the door just because I thought it looks cool. Kind of dartboardish looking! I've also included my highly engineered plan!

I saw the Sweet Pea bunk bed and I loved it!!! I was looking for a loft bed with a play house underneath so I modified this to be more what I was looking for. It is about 90% done now. I will post the finished pictures in a few weeks when I have finished. I have a few cosmetic details to finish it up. The little one loves it!!!

Turned an entryway closet into these lockers for my kids.  I used the basic ideas in Ana's Smiling Mudroom for my plans. Lockers are just inside the entrance from the garage.   

Made this for my grandson. His name is Ace and my initials are BD. ABCDE