Community Brag Posts

Farmhouse table with walnut top and breadboard ends.  Edges of boards were put together with tonque and grove.  I use a router to do that and I used a router for the breadboard ends.  I have the ends held in with three dowls. The walnut made this an expensive project.  The wood for the top was around $600. 2 by 6 pine boards could be used instead for a lot less money.  I wanted to try something that required more advance woodworking skills such as tongue and grove and mortise and tenon.  It took awhile and I had plenty of mistakes tyring to get it right. I have built similar tables using pocket hole screws but I found that the boards tended to seperate and or crack over time. I did not use glue on this table top as I want the wood to be able to expand and contract without splitting. 

Though I'd spent a few months crocheting a baby blanket, my mother also wanted something special and lasting as a gift for a future new family member. She tried to think of something unique, but kept coming up empty. I went online to help her, and looked for newborn items. Unfortunately, I just kept running into toys, toys, and more toys. Ones that would be "grown out of" quickly, too. It was late at night, and very quiet, the time when your brain is calm and sometimes things just dawn on you.

Why not a toy BOX? (And one already "worn in," so that it could take a lot of play throughout the years.) I knew right where to look for a plan--Ana White's website! It ended up being a gift for him from both of us, and while he's a little too young to notice it now, we hope it grows with him and brings him years of joy.

Thank you, Ana, for sharing your talent and helping us (and so many others) create something truly special. That old blanket can wait until Christmas!

Modified Farmhouse style bad. Used lighter wood for headrest and footrest. Changed measurements for Lithuanian size of mattress (200x160cm). For headboard panel were used pallets wood so it was necessary to paint it right. Also Added some trims for decorating edges.

Lots of modifications - first, from a safety standpoint, I wanted more exits on the lower bunk. I built two versions of the front, so they can get in and out on both sides. I also added a ladder on one side because I'm not going to build the stairs for a few weeks. I have a firefighter friend who has warned me of some safety aspects, including not to put this up against a window. There's 3 feet clearance from this bed and the window. So, still to paint and decorate it, but that will happen later.

These were such a gratifying project to build! Used a 1x4” for the top front frame and cut a curve in it to give a Craftsman vibe. I really like the look of the retired IKEA Norna bookcase and that inspired the 2x2” framed base painted in a contrasting color. I also finished the top with a full 1x2” frame with mitered corners to make it look more “finished.” If I were to do it again, I’d cut the top plywood shorter to create less overhang on the sides. Eventually I’d like to paint a design in white paint on the top!

I made this this February for my daughter’s birthday. I did not use Ana’s plans for same desk since at the time I did not know this site existed. I made my own plans that were influenced by Ballard design and Pottery Barn catalogs. It took me many nights though if you have the time it should not take more than a weekend to make.
I added a keyboard shelf using special slides hat I found at HD.

I made it out pine and plywood from HD. I trimmed the bottom with a trim and painted with primer and high gloss White Dove Valspar paint.

Great, fun project. Only used a Kreg jig, Skill Saw and Sander. Super easy.

I built the coat rack along with the mail sorter and rustic bench for the long hallway to the garage since our new house doesn't have a mud room. I modified it to a length of 6'.  All but a couple pieces are made from poplar.  I burnt the stained pieces with a torch, then put a quick coat of Special Walnut on them.  The painted pieces are Rustoleum Weathered Wood.  Hooks are from Home Depot.

We loved the Tryde coffee table, but thought a more industrial look would fit better in our apartment. We saw some black iron pipes at Home Depot and decided to use these for the legs. It turned out great and looks really good with the rest of the furniture! Thanks for the plan!

So my sister's house is on a rural, sandy lot. Did I mention sand...lots of sand. Her tile doesn't react well to sand-covered shoes , so they needed a place for guests to take off street shoes to replace them with spa booties. I offered to build them a storage bench for that purpose.
I modified the bench to make it shorter as per my sister's request. She also wanted the lower shelf modified to place a boot tray on it to catch the sand. I suggested replacing the lower shelf with rails to place the shoes on so the sand could fall off onto the boot tray. We nailed finish nails into the legs under the rails and slid the tray onto them. Now she can remove the tray easily to dispose of the...sand.
The finish on the body matches the mirror, which hangs above it. The lid of the bench was stained to match the finish on the doors, posts, etc. I used wrap around inset hinges from here: http://www.rocklerpro.com/product.cfm?page=5135&rrt=1
I checked this as a weekend project because of dry time for stain and poly.
Thank you, ANA for the awesome plans.

We added additional trim to the top and also a thin trim across the front of the shelves to hide the raw edge.  For paint, I used a grey chalk paint and then wiped an antique white chalk paint over it. I had stained the edges before painting and lightly sanded the paint off of the sharp edges so you see minor amounts of exposed stained wood. 

My wife, Krafty Kimmy Paperkrafts, needed a shelf to place in her booth at a local store. Obviously made out of pine, I burned and stained it for her. This weekend I'm making a ladder shelf to match.

This was my first furniture build & the plans were a great help. Learned a lot along the way, made a few minor changes (1x4 on front of seat gives a little overhang) & had a lot of fun with the project. Our 2 kids are equally proud.

I built this above toilet cabinet for my son and his wife for Christmas.  They needed a little extra bathroom storage.   Turned out pretty good.

Used 4x4's for the legs to make it more "beefy" and therefore had to add an extra 2x6 on top. Also used a 2x4 for the upper side trip instead of 2x2. Used a dark walnut stain and several coats of clear gloss polyurethane.

This project was a true labor of love by a first timer. We are first time homeowners and built our home, which was completed spring of this year. Like most wives, I wanted all the bells and whistles in this home. The bells and whistles add up, and next thing you know, we're eating most of our meals on our granite island upgrade, instead of a new dining set. My husband took it upon himself to purchase tools off of Craigslist and research online for modern farm table plans. He came across Ana's site and loved how she broke everything down in her plans. This was the plan he used http://ana-white.com/2009/11/plan-modern-farmhouse-table-knock-off.html The cutting, sanding, and putting the table together took about four to five hours, but staining and waiting around made the project about twenty hours. Also, everything cost $50 on our end, whereas, the West Elm table I wanted is $700. I'm one happy lady, especially since I think our table looks way better than the one from West Elm. I'm excited to report that my husband is currently refurbishing chairs to go with this beautiful table! Thanks a million for your easy to comprehend plans, Ana. You're the best. Here is a post where I featured my favorite piece of furniture http://www.AnnieAtoZ.com/2013/09/diy-modern-farmhouse-table.html

American Girl Doll House

I had to rescale the Ana White plan to an overall length of 72 inches. All joints are Kreg pocket holes.

The most difficult component was engineering the barn door slides. I used:
1/8” aluminum flat bar for the door mounts
1/4” aluminum flat bar for the fixed bar
Polyurethane spacers from Lowe’s
Lind Kitchen Mute Pulley block from Amazon.com 4 each

The pulley blocks were disassembled and only the wheels and axles were used. Thin poly washers from Lowe’s were used as shims to take up play after being mounted to the flat bar.