Community Brag Posts

Farmhouse Table - My first project!

Submitted by ksuehr on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 13:02

I followed Ana's plans for the farmhouse table and bench. This was my first project and it turned out really well! The flash makes some of the table top look discolored but it does not look like that in person - just a weird flash thing I think :)
The project took me about a week - table and bench and I only worked on it during nap times and when the kiddos went to sleep! The original plan was for a 96 inch table - I shortened mine to 75 inches to fit our dining room.
A great dining room table for us and it cost around $200 for both table and bench.
I am so proud that I actually built something that my family can use and I get so many compliments on!
Thanks, Ana!!!

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
minwax in jacobean plus a polycrylic finish (3 coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Wooden Illusion

Submitted by mtairymd on Sun, 03/16/2014 - 07:39

I found a picture of this online but couldn't find the instructions on how it was built. With some trial and error, I recreated the illusion.

Watching the video is the easiest way to see how it works. I've included a drawing which is linked in the video description.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3vbaZP2cL8

Build Instructions:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Wooden-Illusion/

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Mini farmhouse bedside table

Submitted by hummbaby on Fri, 04/17/2020 - 17:03

After years of hand me down nights stands and using everything from milk crates to tv trays, it was definitely time to build something to be proud of. My wife decided mustard was her color of choice. I think when she chose this design, we planned on modifying the Farmhouse Bedside table to make it smaller and then Ana came out with the mini version. Pretty easy all around. I added a stopper block to back inside end of the drawer to keep the drawer from falling out when opened too far. It can be twisted to allow the drawer to come all the way out.

Estimated Cost
$75?
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Mustard yellow paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

DIY Custom Workench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 11/21/2023 - 16:31

I had been looking for a carpentry bench project for some time that was easy to make and had the ideal dimensions for my space.

Here's what I did.
I added holes in the table to work with wooden clamps I made.
The end result was better than I expected. It's been very useful.
My sincere thanks to Miss White for this project.

Gidenilson A Santiago

Dresser to Buffet

Submitted by tazO on Fri, 06/01/2012 - 06:07

I have been looking for a dresser to transform into a buffet. I posted on a facebook yard sale group and a wonderful woman offered me one she had been keeping in her garage for free.
Step one stripping a lot of old paint and sanding, sanding, and sanding some more. I found a stencil i like on etsy. Stenciled that design onto the top of my "buffet" with white paint and then when it was dry lightly sanded it. I then stained the entire top the color i wanted. 3 coats of varnish finish that off.
The next step was the bottom. The hardest part about that was getting all the old paint out of all the ins and outs of this piece. Once that was done, with the help of the husband, we removed all the rails and braces holding the bottom 2 sets of drawers. It was put together with interlocking pieces so taking it apart left some hold in the side and middle brace. My husband cut pieces to fit in there and were put in place with wood glue. Once dried they were sanded completely smooth. We used a 1/4" piece of luan for the back and 3/4 piece of pine for the bottom of the now open area. A little trim, 2 coats of white enamel and some new hardware for the drawers and tada a new buffet..lol.
Just got it in yesterday so I'm still decorating, but i love the way it turned out!

Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

spiceylg

Fri, 06/01/2012 - 06:29

That came out really nice. Love the stencil touch, too! I am looking for a dresser to turn into a media console. Never thought about posting on FB. Great idea!

Rustic X Coffee Table

Submitted by ajdostie on Tue, 03/18/2014 - 22:33

This was my husbands first time using a plan from the Ana White website. For finish we used Danish oil in "dark walnut" and we also put a coat of beeswax on it as well. We are so happy with the end project!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Danish Oil "dark walnut"
Beeswax wood finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Barn Door hardware console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 06/21/2016 - 12:44

Changed the Grandy design just a little to bring it up off the floor and add legs to it. I notched 2x4 to line up with the 1x4 face pieces. Then I found barndoor hardware on Amazon for $47 a set. Needed two sets for this console since I wanted two doors. Only needed the one rail piece though. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$275
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Decross

Tue, 06/21/2016 - 14:50

This is my build. I guess I wasn't signed in when I posted this on the board. If you have any questions about it then I'll be glad to answer any. Let me know. 

blangenfelder

Thu, 03/02/2017 - 07:25

love the changes you did to the entertainment center...do you have the changes you did? care to share what you did different?

Perfect for lego table

Submitted by vic b on Mon, 06/04/2012 - 18:49

This table took six hours to build plus finish and is perfect for Lego.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
maple stain and varnish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Cottage End Table

Submitted by JamieLynn on Tue, 04/01/2014 - 13:25

This was my 4th woodworking project and boy did I learn a lot! I was dead set on building something with a drawer and also with staining it. My first for both. For one of my first wood projects, I think it turned out cute =) It's a definite improvement on my first 3 projects!!

The plan was great, I changed up the top a little but not by much. Otherwise followed it pretty step-by-step. I did not do pocket holes (a Kreg Jig is my next purchased).

Estimated Cost
25.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Polyurethane and English Chestnut Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Kitchen Console Table

Submitted by DentDiva on Thu, 06/23/2016 - 13:53

I needed a skinny table for the kitchen.  I build this with dog dishes built in to make life easier.  It's an all purpose table that looks nice too. Custom plans made from ideas from other plans.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
White paint for bottom, stain for top
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Chunky farmhouse trestle table

Submitted by FStrat68 on Mon, 04/20/2020 - 17:47

Built this for my daughter and son-in-law! It is 72"L x 42"W x 31"T per her request! I'm making 2 benches to accompany it! In part, I used ana's plans with some tweaking and adjusting for the 4x4's in the bases! I'm doing the same for the benches!

Estimated Cost
$165
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used "Dead flat white" on the base and varathane red oak stain distressed then covered over with carbon gray stain (wipe on and right off) and matte polyurethane for the top!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Train Table

Submitted by Josh on Wed, 06/06/2012 - 13:10

Train Table with removeable top.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150 - $200
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Rockler General Finishes Espresso
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Jay (not verified)

Thu, 06/07/2012 - 07:52

that is a beautiful solution to beeing taken over by the toy monster! Great job!

My version of the large wood pet kennel end table

I made this from scrap plywood in our garage for my step-daughter's five-month-old new boxer/lab mix Marley. I used my Kreg rip-cut and pocket hole jig. I even drilled pocket holes to put the four sides together.

That, however, is not Marley in the picture. That is our older Catahoula Leopard Dog Oreo. Marley's owner and her mom chose the color scheme and painted and afterwards, I hung the hardware back on.

The only change I made was to use 1x3 for the entire door rather than 1x2s for the sides.

Thanks for the plan Ana. You are great.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Flat Behr paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modern slatted bench

Submitted by Whimwhams on Mon, 06/27/2016 - 11:51

I made this for my sister the day before her house warming party. It was a pretty easy build. I used wood glue and 2" nails. Using a nail gun, this came together pretty quickly. I do wish that I had wide enough clamps to hold everything in place while it dried, because there were a few gaps due to some imperfect boards. I used 104" stud length boards, so I only need to purchase 7 instead of 9. this was enough to make the cuts for the top and both leg pieces from each board. the price was the same and we had limited space in our van for boards, so this was a better option for us. I used a sprayer hooked up to an air compressor to apply the stain and was able to get in between the slats fine with this method, brushing over it as I sprayed. Luckily I chose the same color as her deck not knowing, so it matches great. Now I need to make one for myself! :)

Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Bookshelf for my little ones

Submitted by ladybug'13 on Wed, 04/22/2020 - 17:18

I made this out of wood I had from previous projects so it was made entirely out of what I had on hand. It's a perfect size for my kids to keep their books in and keep them very accessible to them. I made it based on what I had, the sides are 24" tall and the shelves are 18" wide. I did this because I had a 3 ft piece and a 6 ft piece so I had to plan carefully.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark walnut stain and poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Calif King Bed with Matching Nightstands

Submitted by abaxter0 on Sat, 04/05/2014 - 14:43

The next few months are going to be crazy! My fiancee and I will both be graduating in May. Our wedding will be be just over a month later in June. Sometime in the middle of all that craziness, we will be moving. I'll start a new job and she will be starting a graduate program.

With all this coming up, I had been looking forward to my last spring break as a college student to go "home" and relax by working on a couple Ana White projects that I had picked out. I ended up working from about 9 or 10 am to about 10 pm every day for 8 days to get everything finished! just sitting in the garage working and running back and forth to Lowes was so refreshing. The time flew by and I ended up with two great pieces that my fiancee and I will enjoy for a very ling time.

I spent a bit more than expected after ordering the cheapest ($20) kreg jig from Amazon and other small things like paint but the value for for what I created is still great!

Bedframe:

I love learning how to do new things but I had relatively little experience with wood before this project. I picked up a miter saw a year ago when it was on sale at Lowes and hadn't used it except for cutting laminate flooring so I was excited to be able to use it finally! I had a table saw that was picked up at a garage sale that hadn't been used either which came in handy! My uncle brought over some other tools that were indispensable like a belt sander and finish nailer.

Everything went pretty smooth. The only advice I have is to make sure that you measure EVERYTHING. For example, the slats used in the headboard and footboard need to be the correct width when glued together. Mine came out a little short due to the dimensions of the wood. It was an easy fix for me: use 1x4s on each end instead of 1x3s. I found that when I finished the main three pieces (footboard, frame, headboard), the frame was slightly too big to fit into the footboard and headboard. That's where the belt sander came in handy! Just be careful... the belt sander works FAST.

One change I made to the bedframe plan was that I added 3 inches to the legs. My fiancee and I are very tall so I thought this would be a good idea. I like how it came out but I will warn you... this bed is TALL. Especially with a mattress and box springs! One huge positive aspect of making the bed taller is that a 12" storage box fits perfectly under the bed (see picture). I didn't do this on purpose but it's going to be nice to have all that usable storage space!

My final note on the bedframe is that it is huge. I'm not looking forward to moving it (although I think it can be done). I used kiln dried wood from Lowes for everything which worked fine. The only pieces that are not dry are the two 2x10 side panels on the frame. These make the frame SUPER HEAVY. Just a warning.

Nightstands:

The nightstands were so much fun to make. I used the Kreg jig for everything on it and I highly recommend it. I would not even try to build these without a kreg jig. Besides, the Kreg jig is so awesome to use (I also highly recommend the Kreg screws and the Kreg brand clamp).

I used 2x3 instead of 2x2 for the legs (2x3 at lowes was like $1.50 in stud length compared to like $8 or something ridiculous for 2x2s). I had to be careful with the plans by using 2x3s and get creative in a couple areas but it worked pretty well and made it so much cheaper. I spent under $50 total for two nightstands!

Finish:

I know that these pieces are going to have to be moved so I wanted to finish them with protection being the number one priority. With that in mind, I used a semi-gloss Valspar paint + primer from Lowes and then several coats of semi-gloss poly. I could have done a better job finishing (for example, I only applied one coat to the back of the headboard where no one will ever see) but time was an issue as I only had a week to finish everything before heading back to school. I also probably should have waited a bit longer between coats of poly but whatever.

I stained the tops of the nightstands with an ebony stain and used the same Swiss Coffee Valspar Paint + Primer from Lowes as I used for the bedframe.

Estimated Cost
$200 - $250 for Bedframe, $50 for Nightstands (2)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Semi-Gloss Valspar Swiss Coffee Paint + Primer (1-2 coats, depending on whether or not it will be a visible part of the project)
Brush on Semi-Gloss Poly (3-4 coats)
Ebony Stain

One gallon of paint was plenty for all three pieces.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Sliding Door Console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/01/2016 - 09:20

This was my first huge project!  I am so happy it turned out.  We ordered barndoor hardware and it was too big.  We had to switch to using plumbing pipe.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Early American
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
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