Community Brag Posts

Wanted to build a new bed for my daughter and ran across the fancy one on here...I'm not too great at mimicking design shapes so I made my own. Stained with white country and a high gloss finish. I love it! Thanks Ana for making such easy to follow plans. It took me 3 days from start to finish. I use all rough cut lumber ran in a planer. Can't wait to build more!! I shrunk the plans down to fit a twin size mattress.

This is my first attempt at recycling old furniture. I'm pleased with how it turned out with the slight distressing on the corners.

These modern style shelves are easy to make and can be used for a myrid of things. We are using them primarily as DVD storage, but they will work for books, small toys, and other display items. 

My daughter likes movies and by likes, I mean she loves movies!! Her world, much like many other 4 year olds, revolves around Disney characters. At this point she is hung up on Toy Story, for the second time. When next week rolls around, who knows who or what it will be next.

My wife and I have been buying her Disney movies and all other various cartoon movies since she was first born. The problem with that is, you start to run out of places to store them after a while. Our dvd storage racks have been overflowing for the last couple years and we finally decided enough was enough. I had to build some more storage, preferably in her room this time. This would alleviate some room for us and put the movies where she could more easily access them. I knew I wanted something colorful and not too complicated, I was pretty happy with what we came up with. 

You can check out the rest of the article and the instruction here and get the plans here.

We built your farm table following your instructions for a table on our back deck. It was our first project and we had no clue what we were doing, but it turned out wonderfully! We have already received many compliments! Very excited to do the benches next!

took my time and followed the plans with the exception of modifying them for a king size bed. Turned out great! Thanks a lot.

My FIRST furniture making project ever! Previous woodworking project was a sorry-looking wall shelf made in high school shop class. The plans for this project were VERY easy to follow! Thank you, Ana!

Once I set up the sectional on our screened porch, I realized I really wanted a coffee table. So, I used the Accent Table for Simple Modern Outdoor Sectional plans as a guide. I lengthened the side and underneath supports to accommodate a longer top (46 1/2" for side supports and 45" for underneath supports) and made 13 top slats, instead of only 6 for accent table. Finished coffee table measures 48" length x 23 1/2"width x 17" height and used 7 boards, plus a scrap 17" piece leftover from sectional pieces.

Project Costs for 4 armless sections, 2 corner sections & coffee table (Maryland):

40 1x4"x8' common boards
2 boxes 2" dipped wood screws
1 box 1 1/4" dipped wood screws
bottle of wood glue
Quart of Kilz outdoor primer
Quart of Benjamin Moore "Ben" Low Lustre Exterior paint in Bittersweet Chocolate
Four Rolston 2-piece and Two Rolston 3-piece replacement outdoor cushions in Beige from Target (now discontinued). (Biggest chunk of cost, $520)

TOTAL = $~765

P.S. Find and buy the cushions first! It took me a long time to find them online. And when I went back to reorder more, after I decided to make sectional bigger than I originally planned, they had discontinued the corner sections. So, I just used a 2 piece cushion for one end. I actually like the way it looks (see pictures).
P.P.S. Our dog especially loves to sleep under the sectional...

I had fun doing this project, it was pretty simple.  One of the boards said wrong on the plans, but I like my finished project!

This is my first project and I really enjoyed making it. I just tripled the measurements for the bench.

This was our first attempt of any form of woodwork. The plans were easy to follow and after each step in the process of building this table, we became more confident in what we were doing. The great thing about this table was that with the exception of the wood used for the table top, we were able to scrounge around from various construction sites, the wood needed to complete the project. Most of the wood for this project was wood that was destined to a land fill so it was nice to salvage what materials we could to save our environment. Thanks Ana!

Some built-in bookshelves finished using milk paint. 

General Finishes 'Lamp Black' base coat + 'Driftwood' top coat, sanded down so 'Lamp Black' showes through. Yellow Ochre Glaze coat to add an aged look, then a quick coat of polycrylic for protection

Ready to grow my own vegetables.

Jeff DeVries

I finally completed all of the pieces for the Eco-Office Desk! Needless to say, I love it! Once I bought the Pure-Bond Plywood for the middle desk and desktop, I wish I'd spent the few extra dollars and used the same materials for the end cubbies. The wood in the Pure Bond is beautiful, and there is really no comparison to the other plywood. I *may* redo the end cubbies in the future, but for now I'm looking forward to using the space.
For the finish on the middle desk and desktop, I used the Satin Minwax Polycrylic, and it looks great. Couldn't be happier.

This was the first thing my husband has EVER built. He's the kind of guy that's better with his mind than his hands, so this is a huge accomplishment for him.  We truly love this piece and are proud to have it in our home. 

We would like to add crown molding to the top in the near future. Also debating on adding a shelf in the middle to raise the TV so that the TV will sit in the center of the opening. 

This was the first piece of wood work that I have worked on since I was 19; however, your site is so filled with such beautiful work, that I just had to make something.

Luckily we were in need of an entryway--a place to sit and tie shoes, hang coats, and have cubbies to store hats, mitts, scarves, as well as my gardening tools!

I modified your Braden Entryway Collection to fit the space I had, but I hope you agree that it turned out quite nicely, despite my novice alterations.

I'm very fond of the look and smell of bare pine, so the piece is only finished with Tung oil.

Thank you so much for such a rich site, and for an incredibly detailed 'how to,' I don't think I could have managed without it. I also couldn't have managed this without prednisone. I have Lupus, and normally I can't move very much without very severe pain, fortunately the middle to weeks of this prednisone journey left me feeling like superman! Lupus is degenerative so this may be the last piece I make, so I am inordinately fond of it!

The only drawback was that i had to borrow (and purchase) bar clamps, which I found indispnsible.

Many thanks again,
Jennifer

Work table for our laundry area

After searching the town high and low for a 10" high wooden stool, I decided to make one. Ana had the perfect stool pattern to modify for our needs - A little shorter, a little wider.....et Voila!

It's the perfect height for little ones to reach the taps in the bathroom, as well as helping out in the kitchen from time to time. And, the cedar smells wonderful.

Finished height: 10"
Top measures: 11.25" x 16.5" (2 boards, cut 16.5" long + a space in the middle)
Footprint: 12.375" x 17.375"

I also lined up the rails (instead of staggering them), similar to the Harriet Higher Chair plans. The joint will be weaker, but I prefer the cleaner lines on such a short step stool.

Thanks Ana for the great plans!