Community Brag Posts

In love with my new miter saw stand and work benches

Submitted by seahawklvr on Fri, 11/27/2020 - 05:58

We purchased a fixer up house that requires a complete gut but the property came with a detached shop! I quickly realized I needed to get the shop cleaned up and organized so it would be easier and more efficient to work on projects for the house. I am a beginner as far as I am concerned and even though this was rated as an intermediate level build, as long as you take your time, it’s definitely doable for a beginner. The plans called for staples but since I just had a Brad nailer, I just used that and it worked fine. I did have one fail, and that was that I had a 1x2 to hang my clamps on but I placed it too far near the outside of the mobile work bench and when I went to store the work bench under the miter stand, the clamps prevented it from sliding in so I had to reposition it. Other than that, it was perfect and as soon as I save up for my Ryobi table saw then I will position it on one of the work benches. Because of the raise in the cost of lumber dut to COVID, the cost was probably twice as much as it should’ve been but I still feel I couldn’t have purchased a huge miter saw station and two mobile work stations for less than I spent on building this. Besides, I can be proud that I built this myself!

Estimated Cost
$325
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Marquee #MQ6-22 Gateway gray in satin enamel
I found it more cost effective to purchase a 6 pack of handles vs purchasing 4 individual handles. Now I have two spares for a project down the road.
The Caster Wheels were Moogiitools 3” locking from Amazon and were @$50 for 8 wheels. Very smooth and heavy duty
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Craftsman playhouse!

Love how this turned out!! Thank you thank you Ana!! Plans were great, I think we got it done for just about $250! 

Thanks again!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

A twist on Modular Family Entryway Mudroom System - Pullout Rolling Bench Cart

This is a twist on the Modular Family Entryway Mudroom System - Pullout Rolling Bench Cart . There have been many posts on the net for a mudroom locker set such as the one I have. In our case we had a mudroom with a closet, not much room to move when sliding the doors open, and as well we have kids that need a place to sit in order to put boots/shoes etc on. I took advantage of my husband's work assignment out of the country to rip back the closet,to 20 inches deep and open it up and added a bench for seating, baskets above for out of season/rarely used stuff, and used rolling cubbies below, but in my case I wanted storage bins instead. My thinking was so that I could make it look clean pretty quickly by just chucking every thing in to the bin... These are tall enough for our boots. In the bottom of the bins I put a piece of outdoor carpeting, then a plastic grid, and over that another layer of outdoor carpeting so if the footwear is wet it will drain and dry-no biggie to vacume or sweep out. Best deal: I can simply roll them out of the way when I want to sweep underneath! I measured cubby space to basket size above, and made the bins below after doing the bench and middle supports, to ensure a good fit. The bench top is an old piece of pine board I sanded, stained and used 4 coats of marine varnish so it would take lots of wear and tear.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
minwax walnut stain, and marine varnish benchtop
behr marshmallow paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Mobile Kitchen Pantry

Submitted by webjr on Wed, 01/07/2015 - 19:56

I made a version of the "DIY Rolling Pantry - Classy Clutter" project, but I sized my shelves differently than in the original photo. This is an easy starter project for just about anybody. It is full of counter-sunk butt joints and can be constructed in a single afternoon or evening.

We couldn't apply any finish because it is too damn cold.

The frame is 59"x26" to match the size of my fridge (minus the door). Add in the casters on the bottom and it matches my fridge perfectly.

Materials Used:
- 4, 1x4" select Pine boards
- 1, 4'x8' sheet of Red Oak plywood
- A bunch of 1 1/2" wood screws
- A bunch of nails

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None at the time. It is too cold to finish in my garage shop right now.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

webjr

Thu, 01/08/2015 - 13:33

To be perfectly honest, other than some stuff in shop class in middle school and the quick work table in my garage, I hadn't done any woodworking in my life. I have the tools, but I never just sat down and did it. It was a learning experience. I can't wait for my next project.

Lydia Daybed

I built the Lydia Daybed for my nephew's new big boy bed. Was a little worried about doing the fancy decorative corner pieces, but just adapted the design a little so it was not such an intricate cut. Everything turned out great and there are a few more pictures on the blog, www.atouchofarkansas.com. Thanks! JM

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
160.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Painted it black
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Farmhouse headboard

I built this headboard a while back but just never got around to posting it.  I distressed the wood, painted it mint green and applied a chocolate glaze. 

 

 

Estimated Cost
$100.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Mint green and chocolate glaze
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Benchwright Coffee Table

This is a replica of the Pottery Barn benchwright coffee table.  I altered Ana's plans slightly by changing the design of the legs to be 2.25" by 2". I added full extension drawer slides.  The finish is a combination of transtint shellac base coat, gel stain, transtint dye, and poly. 

 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

coloradonp

Sun, 01/31/2016 - 18:56

Hi! The finish is absolutely gorgeous. I was wondering if you could give a little bit more detail on which products you used for the finish. I've only used oil based stains and I'm not quite sure what the transtint dye is. Thanks!

Rustic X Console Table

My take on the Rustic X Console.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Wood Finish Oil-Based Slate Semi-Transparent
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

DIY Barn Door Pantry

We have been a subscriber of Ann White's YouTube channel for quite some time. With our kitchen remodel we needed an idea for our pantry. All I can say is thank you Ann White!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Full Size Storage Bed

With a new baby on the way, my husband, Steve and I had to move our 2yr old son out of the nursery and into his big boy bedroom. After casually looking at storage beds and falling over in shock at the prices, I came across Ana’s plans for the storage bed. Knowing that Steve is extremely handy but had not attempted to build furniture before, I started talking him into building this bed. He was sold the moment I told him that we would save close to $2400 by building it ourselves. This was a longer than anticipated project mainly due to Steve’s full time work schedule, my inablility to handle stain fumes, allowing a toddler to “help” build his bed and working around said toddler’s nap schedule. We modified Ana’s plans by adding some trim to the cubby hutch, omitting the doors on the small hutch and sizing everything to a full size bed. We also omitted the shelves on the storage headboard since we weren’t going to use them with the side towers. I am absolutely in LOVE with the final result and have a long list of other projects that we will be building in the near future.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$600
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Paint or Stain Color/Type: Minwax Polyshades in Pecan Gloss

Finishing Technique: Steve primed the wood first with Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner then, added two coats of Minwax Polyshades in Pecan Gloss.

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Tapered plant box

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 18:20

I was looking for an inexpensive way to dress up my deck and when I saw your tapered plant boxes I knew that was the gem I needed. I used pickets from a fence we took down and some 1 inch wood strips. I am planning on making more to line the new fence.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

The Best addition to our home!

Submitted by alifrancis on Thu, 03/17/2011 - 15:05

This by far has been my favorite build.  Our front room is in the process of being revamped, and this is just the beginning.  With our garage now dedicated to building, our cars have been kicked to the street.  This means we actually use the front door now, so I took full advantage of making a piece of furniture that would allow for all the various items that get dumped on the floor when we walk in.  

I love that everyone has a cubby and shelf for the shoes.  My kids actually hang their backpacks up now when we get home from school and my husband can find his keys, wallet and sunglasses now! 

This was one of the bigger projects I have tackled, but well worth it.  I don't think my husband would have ever allowed me to buy this at PB for over $1000

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Primed the whole project with Kilz oderless primer and sanded it to get a nice finished. Painted it using the Martha Stewart Francesca Paint in eggshell finish from HD. I started with a brush but was unhappy with the look and did the rest of the project with a foam roller. After two coats of black, I finished it off with two coats of Minwax Polycrylic in the Satin finish. NOTE: I put three coats on the bench top and the shoe shelves just for more durability.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

My Hubby was busy this summer!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 16:35

This summer my husband built three of your pieces. We are so in love with how they turned out. Thank you so much for your easy to follow blueprints!

Comments

Library Cart - Teachers Gift

Submitted by lollypoppy on Fri, 05/27/2011 - 09:32

The moment I saw this I knew it would be a perfect teachers gift for my daughters teacher. She loved it.
This was only my second project, the first being the 10 dollar ledges. I'm glad I tried a smaller project before tackling the farmhouse bed. I think it helped with just knowing how to assemble a project a bit better.
I used my Kreg Jig and it worked marvelous! Also I ended up not having a jigsaw so I just cut the top at a 35 degree angle with the miter saw and rounded the edges a bit with the sander. I was going to add handles but the top goes up enough that it's easy to manuever without. I also wanted her to be able to fit it in anywhere and was worried that the handles sticking out would just get in the way.
Overall I think it turned out great. Her teacher loves it. Thank you Anna for such wonderful plans!!

Krista

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
35
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
White gloss paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Simplest Armoire as Kitchen Pantry

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS CABINET! It's the perfect finishing touch to our kitchen remodel. We are still waiting on the finishing touch; a hand-polished Hoosier style latch for the doors. We found them at House of Antique Hardware. I will say that this cabinet required "non-mortising" hinges, ones that don't require you to dig out anything in the wood and that don't bulge up together in the space behind the door. These were nearly impossible to find in our town in a small enough size, even with the two big box stores and smaller hardware shops. We had to order them online HardwareSource. These were cheap at this source and we even ordered two styles in case we didn't like one of them. A local shop could order them for us @ 6 hinges for 48$!! The ones we found online came to $17 with shipping.

We modified our cabinet a bit because we wanted it to have feet that were different than the original plan. I have a thing about cabinetry that I can't see under! So, we just made the cabinet flat bottomed instead of having the bottom shelf sit higher and the facade on the bottom front. We also added I-frames to the interior of the doors because we have high humidity where we are and we thought it might help keep the doors keep their shape over time.

After building just the bookshelf part, we kept looking at it like we couldn't believe we built it. It's really beautiful. We do a lot of remodeling, demolition, and rebuilding in our home, but have always been intimidated by building furniture until finding this site.

My husband was so jazzed by our newfound furniture building skills that he built the planter/trellis for his mother last weekend for her birthday right after we finished this project. Pictures of that will be forthcoming as soon as we plant the rosebush in it. Thank you Ana White!!!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
A beautiful Minwax Waterbase Midnight Blue. Washed right off the brush and my hands and looks SOOO beautiful on this cabinet. It took two coats to look the way I wanted and I had to buy two quarts, but have about half a quart left.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JES

Thu, 06/09/2011 - 03:35

This is lovely. The finish, shape and modifications you made are just wonderful. Congrats on a teriffic job! :)

Nicole S (not verified)

Wed, 06/29/2011 - 10:19

We are moving into a home that doesn't have alot of storage so I'm looking into building this. But depends on the cost. About how much would you estimate that this armoire pantry cost to build? PS- I love the look and color of yours! Awesome job!

In reply to by Nicole S (not verified)

mmhmakeover

Thu, 12/29/2011 - 20:14

Wow. Sorry I just realized your question was here! I would say we spent about 120$ on wood and finish products.

It was much less than buying the perfect piece of furniture somewhere else. For us, this piece, in this finish was THE perfect piece of furniture. I still love just looking at it in our space.

mmhmakeover

Tue, 07/12/2011 - 03:55

We used birch plywood for the back and the doors so it was a bit pricier because we wanted something that was already a smooth finish without much sanding. I would say all together with the stain and the Hoosier latch we ordered for it the cost totaled almost $150. The wood cost was about $90, plus we purchased feet, stain, hinges, and a latch.

We LOVE this pantry in our kitchen and although it took a week to build this and have it ready for use, it was worth it to take our time and put care into building something we love. It was our first project and it has inspired us to build a ton of stuff in just a few weeks since.

Good luck!

Console table/shelf/thingy

I gave away our piano and needed something to fill it's spot. I also needed some storage. I knew right where to look and eureka!! there it was, the Simple Rustic Modern Console plans.

It was inexpensive, easy, quick and perfect!! I modified it to the height I wanted and added some dividers for baskets and a bottom shelf as well.

Loving it!!!

Estimated Cost
30.00-40.00 depending on the size you need
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Minwax Polyshades but I hated the way it gooped up in spots. I had to sand and redo but in the end was satisfied with the way it turned out.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Tall Corner Media Console-Barn Door Twist

Submitted by dcraible on Wed, 09/02/2015 - 09:46

This project was modified from the original plan in that it is not as tall, the shelving was configured differently as well as the doors. I wanted a sophisticated yet rustic appeal to it. Thus, I made vertical long doors with a barn door design. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Driftwood Stain with a water based satin polyurethane. This project has 2 coats of stain and 3 coats of poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Full length sliding mirror cabinet

Submitted by mltdblack on Tue, 10/16/2018 - 19:25

I built this for my daughter after building a ladder shelf for my kids bathroom. It took more time to install and adjust the drawer slides and paint the project.  

Estimated Cost
$65.00 - I used a slightly larger mirror.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Exterior - Valspar Black Flat Latex
Interior - Valspar Filtered Shade Flat Latex
Top Coat - Minwax Gloss Spray Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

akagracegallag…

Sat, 09/07/2019 - 03:32

Hi mltdblack

Really nice finish on the cabinet.  

It looks like there’s molding on top of your mirror.  

Did you buy a mirror with a frame or buy molding and put it on over the mirror?  

What molding did you use an how did you secure it?  

What size mirror did you use?  Thanks

mltdblack

Fri, 01/07/2022 - 14:14

I am so sorry. This is the first I am seeing your question. The mirror came with a frame and I carefully nailed thru the frame to attach with my 18 gauge nailer. I bought the mirror at Lowe’s and I believe it was 15.5” x 50”. Also, I used full extension soft close drawer slides.

Slightly modified coffee table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/11/2022 - 07:59

Table, based on Farmhouse coffee table project. Resized to roughly picnic table dimensions (1200*700 mm, 650 mm high), mostly as a means to recycle board cuttings, left over from building farmhouse itself. Didn't install X shaped sides, because there were no more suitable timbers remaining, which, it appears, my toddler greatly appreciated - bottom shelf makes a lovely crawl space. Shape of the shelf planks was a happy accident: what remained was sized 250 - 200 - 150 - 200 - 250 mm. Looks kinda nice doesn't it?

Comments

Simple Oudoor Dining Table

Submitted by kmatt55 on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 17:15

I know, I know...Where are the legs? Unfortunately, I have to store this until December while our multi-family mountain house is being constructed. This way I can store it up against a wall and save a lot room in storage for more Ana White projects. FYI - The legs will be white 2x4's about 29.5 inches tall. For the top I used 1x4 cedar slats spaced 1/4 inch apart. As for the painted white frame, I used treated pine. Why spend money on nice cedar if I am just going to paint over it, right? The contrast of the white and natural cedar was appealing to me for some reason. I used Thompson's clear wood protector/water sealer on the slats to prolong the natural cedar. BTW, if you can build the simple outdoor bench you can definitely take on this project. The two are not very different. I'll have to take pictures of the finished table with legs when I haul these up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and upload them again. Thanks again Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Semi gloss white, Thompson clear wood protector/water sealer.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments