Community Brag Posts

Ultimate Workbench for me

Submitted by ianr on Mon, 06/22/2020 - 15:13

I altered the original plans in the following ways:

  • Only built one rolling cart because I already had a multi-drawer tool chest that fit right under the workbench.
  • Built the right half of the workbench as a separate piece from the miter table because attic access is right above it and we need to move the workbench to get to it.
  • Built a half cart for the table saw because the Dewalt contractor saw extends too far to the sides to have it boxed in.
  • I'm going to add a sliding plate that locks down for my miter saw so I can pull it away from the wall without dragging or lifting it.
  • I used a nail gun with two inch nails instead of staples since I don't own a staple gun that holds staples that long.

I'm not that experienced with projects so here are a couple of things I learned:

  • Attach the castors far enough under the cart so that the wheel never extends beyond the sides.
  • Watch what grade sandpaper you use on the plywood. It's easy to strip off a layer.
  • This was not a one-person project for me. Even with clamps, I still needed help bracing parts and rotating pieces.

Thanks for the great plan! Now I can start on all the other projects on our improvement list.

Estimated Cost
350
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

2x4 Outdoor Sectional

Submitted by Iraida on Wed, 06/24/2020 - 22:57

Have been wanting to spruce up my little outdoor patio with an outdoor sectional, but couldn't bear to purchase one due to the high cost. Made the decision to build the outdoor sectional, but purchased the cushions first in order to commit myself to the project. While I worked on the outdoor sectional, my younger sister built herself a bed frame from Ana's plans. I purchased the pre-drill screws, but my dad suggested I pre-drill the wood with his horizontal table drill (made the screws go straight in). Extremely happy and proud of the final product. Super affordable and it was a great project to work alongside my parents.

You do need to add an additional 28.5" 2x4 Outdoor Sofa /One Arm 2x4 Outdoor Sofa (missing from the plans). I can't remember which one was missing the piece.

~$350 ("grey" cushions were a little less than ~$200 from Big Lots (used 15% discount during Memorial Day Sale). Wood, stain, screws, wood putty, and glue ~$150.

Originally used Valspar Tintable Neutral Base Semi-Transparent Exterior Stain and Sealer (1 quart) in the color "Dutch Licorice". The color was more of a blue-grey, which was not what I was going for. Had some leftover Varathane Carbon Gray Interior Wood Stain (less than 1 quart) from a ladder blanket project and painted over the Valspar Stain/Sealer.

Estimated Cost
~$350 ("grey" cushions were a little less than ~$200 from Big Lots (used 15% discount during Memorial Day Sale). Wood and stain ~$150.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Originally used Valspar Tintable Neutral Base Semi-Transparent Exterior Stain and Sealer (1 quart) in the color "Dutch Licorice". The color was more of a blue-grey, which was not what I was going for. Had some leftover Varathane Carbon Gray Interior Wood Stain (less than 1 quart) from a ladder blanket project and painted over the Valspar Stain/Sealer.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Petra's Doggie Day Bed

Submitted by Joni on Sat, 08/25/2012 - 10:33

Yes, my husband and I share our bedroom with 6 dogs and an occasional cat (or 4). Our older dog (Petra) has slept on our bed for over 10 years, and she's getting too old to jump anymore. We didn't want her to feel like she was getting kicked off the bed, so I made Petra her very own bed at the end of ours so that she wouldn't feel left out. I was inspired by MurdaRae's dog bed (http://ana-white.com/2012/06/doggie-daybed), and thought it was genius to use a toddler/crib bed. So I went looking for plans on Ana-White, and came up with a mixture between a couple of twin bed plans. I love that the plans are easy enough to modify my sizes, and come up with exactly the custom solution that I need. This was my first big project using Bri-Wax. The last one was kind of a disaster when the wax changed the stain color to something not-so-great. With this project, I learned to wait at least 2 weeks before attempting to wax it. I was blown away with the results. It is a beautiful subtle satin finish that feels great to the touch. Plus, I can easily touch up all the dog fingernail scratches that will inevitably occur. When I re-assembled the bed in my bedroom, I actually nicked it in a few places. No problem -- slap on some more Bri-Wax! My Bri-Wax was 11 years old, and pure liquid. I tossed it in the fridge (per Bri-Wax's recommendation), and it was as good as new. The only real problem I had with this project was leaking sap from one of the 4x4s. I'm still fighting this today. In talking with Rustoleum/Zinsser reps, they said that no sap could penetrate their "Seal Coat" shellac product. After 5 coats, the sap is still penetrating, but only if I turn it on it's side or upside down. I'm still baffled. I made the mattress cover out of a dog blanket, and made the cushions from some remnant fabric (suitable for dogs and weekly washing), so this was a fairly inexpensive project. It was a success because Petra slept in her bed from the fist night and loved that she had all the room to herself, and no boston terrorists (I mean terriers) attempted to bother her.

Estimated Cost
$65 for Wood, $60 for Crib Mattress, $7 for stain, $9 for Decorative Clavos
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Combination of Minwax Water-based stains: 6 parts Colonial Pine: 1 part American Walnut, followed 4-5 Coats Bri-Wax (Light Brown)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

spiceylg

Sat, 08/25/2012 - 18:41

You did an amazing job! Looks professional and at first glance, you definitely can't tell it's a dog bed.

StacieM

Sun, 08/26/2012 - 10:24

It matches the woods in your bedroom so well and looks great! Also, I love the bolster pillows around the edges. That is something I need to make for our dog bed. Thanks for sharing.

Mudroom Storage Lockers and Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/19/2024 - 14:06

I really appreciated your garage/mudroom project guidance. I stumbled on it as I was trying to figure out how to design my project. I basically copied yours!! 😁

You also turned me on to pocket hole joinery. Previously I have used a biscuit joiner and find it very challenging. Thank you, I am a convert!

Don Arrowood

Outdoor rolling bar top

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 07/08/2020 - 19:43

We had some leftover granite from an outdoor kitchen build and wanted to maximize the use of it. We loved the look of a rustic table from Pottery Barn and set out to find something that was asking the same aesthetic. I came across the Jilly and Mia workbench console and thought it would work great with some minor modifications. I shortened the overall length and height, went with some heavy duty casters to support the weight of the granite, and reinforced the cross beams that would support the 3/4" plywood sheet and granite. I went with cedar for this build since it was outdoors and I'll finish it with a clear sealant.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Large Modern Porch Swing + Ghetto Stand

Submitted by mrhelton on Mon, 09/10/2012 - 17:04

Made the swing then just kinda came up with my own frame.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$110
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Just some semi gloss outdoor paint. Going to paint the frame in a few minutes.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

mikejillnelson

Tue, 09/11/2012 - 05:04

I have been considering making this bench for a friend but I wonder how comfortable it is...is it comfortable? Does it require a cushion? Is the back high enough to be comfortable leaning back in it for long periods? Also - how long did you wait to paint your pressure treated wood? I just recently learned you have to allow pressure treated wood dry out before painting...no one seems to tell you how long you have to wait though. Thanks for any help/opinions you share.

mrhelton

Wed, 09/12/2012 - 19:38

Honestly, it's not very comfortable. I think the seat part is a little too long, and the back is a little too short. We're going to put a beefy cushion on the back, and I think that's going to help because it will push us forward a little bit. It's not bad to sit in, but I definitely think it could be tweaked.

I let the wood dry out for 4 days (but I cut and assembled it the day I bought the wood). I'm not sure if that was long enough of not, but I was getting impatient, and, like you, couldn't find any real answers on drying time. It wasn't really that wet to begin, though. Hope that helps!

tracysmith

Thu, 09/13/2012 - 00:04

I thought my kids and I were the only ones who used "ghetto" as a way to describe things... but I have to say that your frame looks great, it serves its purpose so I have to respectfully disagree with you, it doesn't look anything like "ghetto" :-)

Joe (not verified)

Tue, 01/22/2013 - 10:02

Hey, can you post the dimensions of your frame? its exactly what I'm looking for. Do you have it screwed down to the deck? will it tip over?

Joe (not verified)

Tue, 01/22/2013 - 11:27

Hey, can you post the dimensions of your frame? its exactly what I'm looking for. Do you have it screwed down to the deck? will it tip over?

Sandpit with built in seats and lid - metric

Submitted by mrs_dt on Tue, 07/08/2014 - 01:49

This was our first build from this website and we are so pleased! Having seen very involved plans on an Australian website for a similar sandpit, I was so pleased to come across this version, with its far simpler design!
We wanted a slightly bigger sandpit, so I needed to do some modifications, and while I was enlarging it, I also converted to metric sizes, and designed specifically for the timber I knew I could buy locally (very obscure and inconsistent seeming German sizes). So the end result is a 1.5x1.5m sandpit, that has so far had 6 kids playing happily in it at once!
I've put in the drawings I used, and the cutting list for larger sizes in case anyone else is working in metric, or wants a bigger size!
Our other modification was to offset the shorter sections of the base to run along the front plank of the bench seat - there were two main benefits for this - we need a lot less sand, as there is none wasted under the seat, and the seat is supported and can't bow downwards!
The dimensions and layout we used are in the images.

Supplies

Timber
2 - 200 x 40 x 3000mm
6 - 120 x 24 x 3000mm
1 - 80 x 50 x 3000mm

Hinges
12 - 140mm long (the original design had 8, we went with three per edge to allow for the extra width)

Self tapping decking screws
18 - 5 x 80
48 - 5 x 50
96 - 3 x 20 (or enough for your hinges, depending on the design)

Paint
3 - 375ml PU Acrylic Paint, suitable for exterior use (top planks and seat supports)
1 - 750ml PU Acrylic Paint, suitable for exterior use (base)

Weed matting and staple gun

Sand
I calculated I would need 20 x 25kg bags - in the end we needed 11 - don't ask me where we went so wrong!

Cutting list

2 - 200 x 40 x 1500 (long sides of base)
2 - 200 x 40 x 1415 (short sides of base)

12 - 120 x 24 x 1495 (top slats - just under half a plank, to allow for waste)

4 - 80 x 50 x 245 (armrests / seat braces)
4 - 80 x 50 x 495 (back supports of seats)

I gladly paid 5 Euro for the wood to be cut in Hornbach - it should have been more than this, but the guy was generous!

12 hinges (the original design had 8, we went with three per edge to allow for the extra width)

On Sunday we had the idea, on Monday I drew up the plans, on Tuesday I went shopping! Once all our wood was home safely, we sanded it down - most edges weren't badly finished, but there were a few splinters that needed getting rid of!
The next two nights Mr W gallantly set to work with the paint brush. After two nights, the wood all had two good coats of paint and we were ready to start assembling on Friday.
I pre-drilled the base of the bench before the second coat of paint - three holes for each butt joint - with some careful measuring this made screwing the base together really easy!
The top planks were also pre drilled, but there unfortunately my tiredness made me make mistakes, and some had to be re-drilled! Spacing the planks out took a lot of time, but I am glad I made the effort. I used cereal box, and experimented with different numbers of layers - I knew I wanted a theoretical 5.4mm gap, but it took some time to get the right number of layers of carefully creased and concertinaed card!

Having got our spacing wedge sorted, we screwed the blue planks in place at either end of the base. We then assembled the green seat section, and the blue/yellow back rest. Following a tip from the comments section, we added the hinge to the seat/back combo first, as this ends up being on the underside. Once those two hinged sections were made, they were then laid in place on the base (card wedge spacers in place) and then the final hinges added. The final assembly took about 5 hours - but this was partly because we started outside, then had to move everything inside when a huge thunderstorm rolled in!

The next morning we got busy with the staple gun and tacked weed matting over the base, then it was hauled in to position and filled up! For us getting this done and dusted was important, otherwise it could have dragged on a lot, but we are terribly proud that it was done in less than a week from being fist conceived!
I hope the metric/enlarged plans are of use to someone else too. One other idea we had, which we didn't get round to building in, was a support bar to be fitted when you close the pit, so the kids can play on top as a stage when it is not being used for a sandpit!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
150 EUR
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Painted with two coats of Polyurethane Acrylic paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Pottery Barn Style - Full Size Headboard

Submitted by Oshynlover on Thu, 10/13/2016 - 03:21

My very first big project!  My 6 year old daughter was in need of a new bed and a room makeover so I decided to build her a headboard which then turned into a whole new room!!! 

 

I really wanted it to it to have some dimension to it so I added some moldings and a mini shelf to the top of it.  I basically just designed it myself, based on what some of the $1000+ pottery barn ones look like and spent hours at the hardware store finding the perfect moldings.  

 

For the main backboard I used plywood, however to keep it light I used a sheet of molding and added a round edge to make it seamless.  

 

My my daughter was so excited Mommy built her whole room. 

Estimated Cost
$150 The Moldings added cost but can be made for less than $100 without it. But why would you??? It looks SO much better!!
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Semi Gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Wood Ledges

Submitted by SaraLodise on Sun, 07/13/2014 - 19:55

A nice quick build to add some decoration to the house. I made three ledges at 80" long. I had initially made them for a different room that could only allow 80" ledges, but ended up not being able to put them there because the wall was too curved to attach the ledges. Ledges have two coats of Miniwax Special Walnut Oil stain and Polycrilic.

All the "art" things were painted on old scrap from a years worth of ana-white projects. I used the three different stains I had left over (Miniwax Aged Oak Gel Stain, Weathered Oak Oil Stain, & Special Walnut Oil Stain) and alternated them on the three different types of wood scraps (Oak, pine, & maple). Then I "distressed" them with physical abuse and watered down acrylic craft paint. The designs were also acrylic craft paint. Then I sanded it all down to give it a worn look.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$37 in whitewood boards
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
2 coats of Miniwax Special Walnut Oil Stain + Polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Collapsible Table for Craft Fairs

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 06/03/2024 - 08:58

My wife wanted a collapsible table for her craft fair sales. I put a wooden dowel in the opening for her to drape packing paper over and hooks on the sides for gift bags. Easy plans to follow and it turned out great!

Todd Martens

Built from Plan(s)

outdoor patio furniture

Well this was first project my hubby and I tackled together. He actually let me use the power tools. The plans were great! Loved having a shopping list! I made the cushion s myself. I have to say, I wish I had made the couch and chairs the size of cushions available at Lowes . AFt e r you buy foam batting fabric and chording I found set at lowes for a lot less but I am so happy how it all turned out . Thks for providing plNz!

Estimated Cost
500 with cushions
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Non transparent stain.Olympic elite stain an sealant n one
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

charitydtrull

Sun, 05/24/2020 - 14:45

I can't find the plans for these pieces. I found the one using 2x4, but these pieces look like they use 2x2. Can someone tell me where to get the plans?
Thank you,

Seasonal And Holiday

Outdoor patio furniture

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/24/2020 - 12:19

Thanks Ana, for the great plans and inspiration!

Estimated Cost
$450
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax stain & polyurethane ( Bombay Mahogany)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Laundry Basket Tower

Submitted by KeithT on Wed, 11/16/2016 - 08:32

I built this for our laundry sorting needs using the Brook 4 tall and lengthwise plan. I modified the plan to take the baskets width wise, added a little more distance between baskets, and added guide rails above each basket (except the top one) to allow them to be partial pulled out without flipping out. I also beveled and slightly rounded the front of the guide rails just for looks. I think it turned out pretty good for my first woodworking project.
 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Folding Work Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/11/2020 - 16:03

First build.

The plans and cut list were a tad off but I made a saw guide a cut it down from 36 to 24 after assembled.

I had HD do all my cuts but have since done my own!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Not sure bought tools, wood and hardware at same time ($160)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Sweet Pea Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 11/26/2016 - 16:24

This project cost us about $850CAN and took us around a week (5ish hours a day) to complete. My husband and I are definitely not carpenters so it's not perfect but it's pretty amazing :)

we made several alterations to the plans including making the bottom bunk larger to accommodate a double/full size mattress. We also made the "door" to the bottom bed larger with an opening of 30". Another alteration was we dropped the mattress cleats to 9" off the ground so that the mattress dat down in the bed. The bed is for our 2 year old so we thought she would have trouble getting in if it was much higher. This eliminated the storage area underneath but she has a large closets so we didn't think it would be an issue. 

The plans were great and pretty easy to follow. We are over the moon with how it all turned out! 

Estimated Cost
$850
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

DIY Wood Christmas Tree

This project was such a fun challenge for me!  I needed a table top version of this great Christmas tree shelf, so I modified the plans just a bit, and created an additional shelf. The little ornament blocks were fun to make too! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$12
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
MinWax Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Garden Tool Storage

Submitted by meisterx on Sun, 08/30/2020 - 12:20

Super easy and useful project. I made mine 8 ft. long because my studs are on 24 in. centers and I had a lot of tools to hang. It was fun building it and even more fun getting all those tools and things off the floor.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$13.00
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

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