Patio Furniture
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The Anna White patio set (2 chairs & love seat combo).
I added seat backs for comfort, painted them white and distressed the edges…
They are perfect for lake front-windy areas… They are heavy duty and will never blow away!
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The Anna White patio set (2 chairs & love seat combo).
I added seat backs for comfort, painted them white and distressed the edges…
They are perfect for lake front-windy areas… They are heavy duty and will never blow away!
My husband and I decided to make a playhouse loft bed after realizing that our daughters had nowhere to keep their toys. They absolutely love it! We modified the plan slightly to utilize a full size mattress rather than a twin and ended up using the ladder that came with their old bunkbed rather than building a ladder or making stairs. It probably took about two days total to put together.
I'd been keeping my eye open for an affordable workbench that was both large and sturdy. Anything I liked was over $300 and anything under that price was small and/or not very sturdy.
I was very encouraged when I accidentally stumbled on Ana White's plans for a sturdy workbench made from 2x4's and a piece of plywood, estimated to cost around $50. Best of all, the plans looked so simple, nothing but straight cuts and all fastened together with 2.5 inch wood screws. While I've become fairly handy with a saw and screwdriver renovating my house, building a piece of furniture seemed a little more daunting than a frame for a bathtub.
The project was as easy as advertised. So simple in fact, that I was able to easily modify the plans a bit on the fly to change the approach for the bottom shelf. In stead of just two lower braces on each side with a few 40" 2x4's spanning the width to make the lower shelf, I framed in all four sides with 2x4's in order to suport a solid shelf made from a single sheet of melamine board (24" x 48" trimmed in both length and width to fit the spot). The melamine board shelf is sturdy and will be easier to keep clean.
I also opted for only one cross support in the centre of the top of the frame since the instructions suggested that more or less cross supports can be used depending on the sturdiness of the material used for the top. I chose a 3/4 inch Russian Birch plywood (24" X 48") which is thick, solid, hard, smooth and has a beautiful wood grain pattern. I am considering adding 8 right angle triangular pieces of 2x4 into the insides of the 4 corners of both the bottom and top frames for added rigidity.
In the future I plan to add a shallow, light weight drawer for hand tools, just under the top.
I have not yet applied a finish, but the time estimate of 3-6 hours includes the time required to stain it.
After posting a picture of this, my first ever attempt at a functional piece of furniture, on facebook I received many "likes", positive comments, and one inquiry from a friend as to whether I might be able to build him an aquarium stand.
Ana White - you are amazing, thanks for creating your website and sharing your many plans and thanks also to your followers for posting their projects which are both beautiful and encouraging.
Fri, 04/23/2021 - 11:24
Hi Richard,
So, you posted this article several years ago, but, I've only just stumbled across it. It's just what I'm looking for! I'll perhaps borrow from some of Ana's other tips, but it will essentially what I'm reading here as space is limited and I'm only planning on building 1:12 houses!
This is the blog post for my first attempt at building furniture. Thanks Ana White!
I have had this space under my television that I never knew what I should do with it. There is a baseboard heater on the wall so I always figured I could put anything against it. I also have a lot of shoes. When I saw the plans for the vegetable bin I figured I could convert it to hold my shoes.
I used 1x8s for the middle legs allowing the cabinet to sit over my baseboard heater. I adjusted the height of each cubby to fit the various sizes of shoes I own. I put 1x4s along the back so as to allow everything to breath. It took me about 2 days to complete.
Still in process, just waiting for the cabinet doors to match my kitchen. I got the car us from shelf help. Learned how to make the pocket holes and the face frame! Saved me about $3,000!
Mon, 09/12/2022 - 11:32
Thanks for trying Shelf Help, can't wait to see finished project!
This is made from the Tryed Side Table plans. I made a few changes to it that made it easier for me. I made the top from 5/4 deck boards that I had left over from a deck I built recently and I used pocket hole screws to hold it all together. I also chamfered the boards on the interior and used a round over bit around the edges. I really like the table and it is sitting next to two Adirondack chairs I made. I painted them blue to remind me of the ocean since I don't get to see the ocean much where I live.
Great little table that is perfect for snacks or drinks while watching the game or a movie.
We used the least expensive pine at Lowe's because I really like the variation in the wood. I think it adds character. This was the first time I've used Weathered Oak and boy is it sheer! You can hardly tell it's there over the dark walnut but it did seem to lighten it just a little and give a slight grey to the very dark areas. Really liked the outcome!
Built for my Daughter and Son-in-laws new home
Tue, 10/05/2021 - 09:19
That is very sweet and looks amazing! Thank you for sharing~
My 13 year old daughter and I built these ledges together. We changed the plan just slightly to make two 36" ledges for her bedroom. She was able to do a lot of it, which was very cool. They are very "rustic" and she loves them. I am really shocked at how sturdy they are! Perfect for displaying some of her trophies that I was previously too afraid to let her put up in her room.
Thanks so much to Ana for giving us the courage to build things of our own!
This bed was a lot of fun to make! The plans made it super simple and my daughter loves her new bed! The drawer width was a challenge at first but I learned a lot in the process.
I recommend getting the plywood ripped at the home store if you do not own a table saw. Thanks for the awesome plans!
I assisted a friend in building a loft bed for her daughter. We followed free plans by Ana White for the junior loft bed. We made a few modifications such as changing it to fit a full-sized mattress (more details on my blog). The loft bed is the largest furniture item that I have built thus far. I have learned a lot from working on the project.
Cute little bench!
Wed, 10/06/2021 - 20:14
Way to go, super cute, the distressed finish is right on!
As soon as Ana posted the Rustic X Bench I had to have it, even thought I didn't need it. But I did need a console table! So I made a few modifications and came up with this console table that I absolutely LOVE! You can check out the modifications on my blog. http://isteppedoutofmycomfortzone.blogspot.com/2011/02/and-built-xoxo-t…
Our baby girl is due to arrive in August, so dad thought it was about time to start building her furniture. We liked different things about two very different plans on the site, so he combined them to come up with plans for his build. We liked the design of the simple changing table, and the wings on the Brookstone plan. The nursery is Beatrix Potter character themed, so we went with bunny rabbit drawer pulls. Now he just needs to find/come up with plans for a farmhouse style convertible crib.
This was my first ever project. I learned a lot about choosing better wood but I made due with what I bought since I live 30 minutes from the home store. I had badly cupped 2x6s and some twisted 2x2s, which is why I ended up not doing the X on the end and just doing one angle.
Of all of my Ana White-inspired builds, this is absolutely my favorite so far and the first piece of furniture I've built that I absolutely want to use as the centerpiece and inspiration for my DIY redecorating. I slightly modified the height of the top compartments so that all of our electronic equipment would fit. I also used 2x4's, which I ripped into 2x2's using an old blade where I slightly bent a couple of the teeth to leave the rustic curf marks. Because I altered the height of the top and bottom sections, I had to rip down my 1x3's for the bottom, and I had to use 1x4's (ripped down appropriately) for the top section's flip-down faux drawer fronts.
Fri, 01/10/2020 - 11:28
Absolutely beautiful. I plan to build this in two weeks, or start building it. Love your pulls. Where did you find them?
At the beginning of the covid lockdown my daughter who was attending college started looking for outdoor inexpensive chaise lounges to relax on since gathering in public areas was not allowed. We couldn’t find any so, I started searching for simple plans to make from scratch and ran across this plan. It came together very quickly and the instructions were very clear.
Wed, 10/06/2021 - 10:38
Thank you for sharing, looks fantastic and I'm sure your daughter is very happy with it!
I decided to make a frame for a Christmas present for Grandma (my Mom). I wanted a different size than the plan listed so I did some modifying and thought posting the measurements would save someone else time in figuring it out. I wanted to cut down three 5×7 photos to square-ish shapes so decided on buying glass of 12″x16″ ($3.52 @ blue). The overall frame is a few inches bigger than that but I didn’t measure the exact size. I didn’t know what to do for the matting so decided to use some extra beadboard scraps that I had on hand. I had to get creative for holding the glass and beadboard in the frame (I’m sure there was something at Blue that was really for this, but the guy I talked to was no help!) so I nailed four buttons on the back. They can twist to allow the backing to come out to change the pictures.
Here is my cut list:
12×16 glass
12×16 beadboard
1×2 cut into:
(2) 12 1/4″, (2) 16 1/4″ (mitered at 45 degree angle on each end with the board laying TALL)
(2) 13 3/4″, and (2) 17 3/4″ (mitered at 45 degree angle on each end with the board laying FLAT).
Follow the plan being careful to miter the ends correctly (so you don’t have to cut new boards when you thought you were done cutting). The glass and beadboard fit well with a 1/4″ space as the plans suggest. I also found it helpful to mark the 1/4″ on the outside of the frame when putting in nails…b/c I didn’t and ended up with a little extra ‘character’ poking through than I was planning. :)
Built of Douglas fir with Minwax Ebony stain (and satin polyurethane) and storage boxes from Ikea. Also added a black plywood backer with cord holes. Planning on building the matching coffee and end tables.
Comments
Ana White Admin
Tue, 10/05/2021 - 09:52
So pretty!
Love the curved backs, looks like a wonderful relaxing spot to be! Thank you for sharing:)
mh6558
Thu, 02/29/2024 - 07:29
I absolutely love the curved…
I absolutely love the curved backs! I live in a semi-windy area and really like this look and the idea of more durability. Did you just add three vertical 1x6's and use a jigsaw to round them? Please advise as I would love to use this technique.