Community Brag Posts

Built this potting bench for my sister in law. Added an aging finish to give it a reclaimed patina to match the reclaimed cedar used on the back. Also added a bin for soil and a removable panel to cover it when it isn’t in use.

Even though the summer has come to an end, I decided it was time for some new furniture for my small garden in the city. I looked in different stores, but for a student the prices were very much out of range. I then decided that perhaps it would be cheaper to build by myself and an interesting project as I've never worked with wood in a 1:1 scale. I came across the plans for the fancy x, table and farmhouse table and figured that it should be something like that. I made the table and benches in Sketchup, but wasn't really sure about a variety of the aesthetic solutions. I then tweeked it and tried to come up with a new design for the benches that would mach the x shape without just repeating it, and i came up with the final design through a lot of experimentation. The benches can be made by a complete novice, and the table is also quite easy if you have the necessary tools. I'll give it a finish this spring, perhaps just paint it. I've received very good feedback on the project, and even though the benches are quite fancy, you sit very well in them and I think the aesthetics are somewhat accounted for by the easy assembly and comfort. Thanks for the inspiration, and I hope it will inspire you to build even more! The plan is in millimeters, and the planks are standard european sizes, but it should translate ok. PLAN Direct Download: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2622939/X%20Diningtable%20with%20fancy%20bench…

Long weekend project with my dad. First real project for me. Great learning experience can't wait for my next project.

I built this table shorter than the plans. Its 72in long. 

My first Ana White project, so fun to build. Now standing at my summer place in Sweden, ready for a whole summer of picnicking.

After an entire weekend devoted to work on our entertainment cabinet, it is finally complete.

As many of you may have noticed, we live in a 104 year old cabin so much of the wiring could not be hidden in the walls since they are made of giant logs. One wall contains huge tats of wires, panels and plugs. We did our best to place the biggest pieces of furniture and curtains in front of it to both hide and keep the kids out, but it has been a thorn in my side since day one. We originally thought we would pay someone to build a false wall there, then we thought we would build it ourselves, and then we decided to build a very large cabinet that would nearly perfectly cover most of the wall. These plans fit the bill perfectly and since we had such great luck with Ana White’s plans for our harvest table and Poppy’s bed, we jumped right in.

With the addition of a chop saw (an early birthday present from Mike’s dad) and a Kreg Jig the project, though time consuming, was fairly simple for us newbies. That being said I am glad it is done. It contains a lot of blood, sweat, tears and maybe even a little piece of our marriage.

We used pine and finished it with two coats of “White Oak” stain. We placed four drawer pulls and will be making the remaining door knobs from driftwood or cut antlers. Though we don’t have a big television (actually it is just an old computer with a 20 inch monitor) we decided to leave the large opening since we may one day get a real one again. It cost a bit more than we had anticipated, but when you factor in our learning of new skills, the quality and strength of the piece, and the feeling of pride we feel when looking at it, I would do it all over again.

Last night, the living room was put back together and, while I made supper, Mike chopped wood for the wood box. We sat fireside last night and again early this morning.

Fall is no longer a whisper and I couldn’t be gladder.

Visit www.erinellenbergermarch.com to follow our DIY journey from homeschooling to homesteading to furniture making.

go gently + be wonderful

e.

We used the plans to create a basic bedframe.  I have used the farmhouse bed plans before and really liked the way this frame went together.  It is cheap, easy, and nicer than a metal frame. 

My husband and I used the plans from Ana White’s Banquette bench with a few minor tweaks. We placed our single freestanding(not mounted to the wall)bench in our Carolina room. I also made bench cushions and pillows to make this a comfy place to watch the birds or the golfers out back. It was an easy and fast project to complete.

I used the Tall Corner Media Stand plans as inspiration for this, but I didn't actually need it top be very tall, so I took off one of the shelves, and decided not to add the extra section for the cable box and what not.

I also liked the simplicity to it without all the trim, so I decided to leave the sides and top slats off and just stain it and add a 1x3 at the bottom for aesthetic purposes.

I changed the plans a bit and added backs to the chairs. I've never used a saw or a drill before, but I am thrilled with how easy this was to do. I love the end result!
I found cushions to go with the furniture at Target.

Love Ana White plans! 

Dining Room Table: http://www.ana-white.com/2012/11/plans/farmhouse-table-updated-pocket-h…

Benches: http://www.ana-white.com/2011/01/plans/farmhouse-bench

I had a lot if fun building this and am so glad I did!

Ana mentioned that she distressed the planks by using a screw driver between them to scrape off some of the paint, I did this on the headboard and, while it did work, it was a pain and added a lot of time. For the foot board I painted and distressed all of the pieces prior to assembly and it worked out a lot better! :-)

My 1x8's were slightly smaller than Ana's so I cut down a 1x2 using my circular saw to fit into the spaces left on both sides.

I attempted to use pocket holes to assemble the bed to minimize visible holes, it actually worked great except one side on the foot board :-( I ended up sanding it down and actually ended up really liking it. it always makes me think of it when I see that spot (and not in a bad way)

I cheated when putting this together. I decided to keep the mattress and box spring in their original frame. I used brackets from Woodcraft to connect the side rails to the headboard & foot board.
http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2003981/9364/hafele-nomortise-bed-rail…

Flashback to last year when I found this way chic table at Restoration Hardware.
But the price tag is a bit steep for moi.

I have, like, a million kids, so… as I am a huge fan of Ana White and her amazing skills – I looked for a similar plan AND found one!

Well, you have to remember I have a million kids and I usually hangout with other families with their millions kids and there is never enough room, a 28″ x 58″ table is crazy small for my type of entertaining. Go big or go home, right?

So I drafted modifications for these plans – I am a seamstress and can draft sewing patterns, TOTALLY the same thing, right?

I am kidding, I really wouldn’t know, but so far so good.

Anyways, I bought the wood and got to work and here's how it turned out!!

I would LOOOOVE to hear how you like it! :)

Isaac is 14.  He built his baby sister a chair inspired by Ana! He builds things almost daily!

Here is a bed I recently made. My inspiration was a bed we saw at a local high end furniture store in the mountains that has price of $4,800. I bought my wood at a local saw mill for $125. I used a wood planer, table saw and miter saw to build the bed. It turned out great.

I can't believe I built this bed! It's the project I'm most proud of so far and my daughter loves "my big girl bed!" I recently got a jigsaw and tried it out making the arch. It didn't turn out perfect but I'm probably the only one who notices it. I built the rails using 1x2's from the "Traditional Wood Toddler Bed" plans on this site and altered them to fit this design. I added a third rail to it because there was too much space between the mattress and rail when my daughter lies on the bed.

I found a bunch of free wood on Freecycle from someone local so I didn't have to spend a ton of money on this.

Thanks for the plans, Ana!!!