Community Brag Posts

Reading Nook turned Tent!

I made this for my boy who's turning four tomorrow! (Sep 1st) He loves building forts and I don't mind rearranging the furniture, but set up and clean up is so time consuming, we'd both rather spend more time playing. This is an indoor tent, but I took it outside for pictures. Aside from the obvious difference of adding doors and a back, the changes I made from the original plans are: using an 8 foot 1x3 so the tent is 4 feet deep instead of 3. Instead of stapling the fabric on the 1x3s at the bottom, I wrapped the fabric around and used velcro so I could remove it for washing. I sewed a tube of fabric and attached it at the top to make removal easier. Time Investment is so long because of the sewing involved for the tent. If you have an Ikea near you, they've got this stuff called glaze paint (more of a stain, I think) in all different colors - it doesn't need a top coat (unless you want it shiny), it's solvent free and, are you ready? $6 for 12.something ounces, MORE than enough for this project. To make it even easier if you're using fabric instead of curtains like me and you've got the room, cut a 8ft 1x3 in half so you've got two 4ft pieces. Most quilting cotton at fabric stores is 44-45 inches wide selvedge to selvedge (the ends that don't fray) and if you follow the plan according to where to drill for the top bolt, you'll need 4-4.25 yards of fabric, depending on whether you are going to use velcro or staple. I would use 4.25 if using velcro, the fabric can go right over the top bar and over the other side if you don't want to sew a tube like I did. If you don't want to sew at all, use iron-on hem tape on the cut edges and iron on velcro. Make sure of placement of the velcro before ironing on. More pictures on my blog =)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50 - wood, bolts, stain, material for tent (everything)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Green Ikea glaze paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

modified small desk for my niece

Submitted by DogDoc25 on Sat, 09/21/2013 - 16:30

I made this desk for my niece, and I am really happy with how it turned out. The bookshelf was really easy to make and came together well. My sister wanted a smaller sized desk, so I shortened the top and decided to make one of the sides a bookshelf instead of both sides. I think that made it a little less stable than it would have been if both sides were bookshelves but it still holds up well.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$25
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
white paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

thundercat83

Mon, 01/06/2014 - 20:34

Hi this looks about the length I want for my four year old son. Can you provide the dimensions for this desk. I know I will have to alter the height as well.

Fancy X farmhouse table and benches

Submitted by AUPatrick on Mon, 11/30/2015 - 09:55

This was my first project and I think it came out pretty nice.  I changed the plans slightly as I wanted the base to be made out of 4x4.  However, the only 4x4 you can by locally is treated, so I combined 2 2x4's and ran them through a jointer to get the look I wanted.  I also ran the table top pieces through a jointer so that the edges would not show.  This however made the top too narrow so I added a 2x4 to the top.  So, the top is 4 2x19 with 1 2x4 in the middle.

 

i can't wait to start my next project!

Estimated Cost
$125 for table and two benches
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Min wax dark walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Sliding Barn Door Console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 01/20/2019 - 13:03

Couldn’t find any barn door hardware that would fit the console, at least for a reasonable price. Made my own with aluminum strips and steel rollers, spray painted with a textured black paint.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Finish Used
Blossom white paint for cabinet, Dark walnut stain for top, with tung oil finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Garage Shelves

Submitted by flolem on Fri, 11/25/2022 - 06:47

Not my first project but this time, I took picture to add a brag post.

Not in a garage but in a washing room kind of.

Length: 8 feet
depth: 16 inches

I was alone to do it and it is not so easy... better to ask someone to help you

cost: don't remember exactly but there is 8 2*4 @8feet + one complete prenium plywood sheet 1/2. Should be around 75 CAD $

Comments

Back to School Teacher Feature!

I desperately needed a podium to help me stay organized while I lectured in the classroom. After learning that none where available at my school or even in the county, I decided to "give it a go" and tried making one myself. This is what I came up with! You can access a step-by-step tutorial at http://sawgrasshome.com/

Estimated Cost
$20-$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Bows & Ribbon Holder with Jewelry Cabinet

Submitted by Bob C on Tue, 09/24/2013 - 09:59

My Niece is 13 and into homemade hair bows, ribbons and jewelry. When I asked her mom what I could make for Colleen for her birthday? We settled upon three of Anna's $10 buck shelves and as a surprise a Jewelry cabinet with Elastic ribbons across front for her bows to be place on.

It was a big hit!

Thank you for your inspiration!

Best Regards,

Work Safely
Bob C.

Estimated Cost
$25.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar Ultra white paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

electric fireplace surround and mantel

Submitted by Jamakag on Sun, 12/06/2015 - 07:06

I am an extreme beginner, this is my very first woodworking project ever. The hardest part was modifying the plans to accommodate the electric fireplace insert that I bought and our space. I wanted a fireplace surround with mantle but I wanted it significantly shorter than most traditional mantles. I used 1x8's for blocking to give the fireplace it's depth. I originally was painting it white with leftover paint we had from our baseboards, but I wanted to make sure it was durable so I went to go paint crystal clear polycrylic over top and it started to turn in the project yellow. I had to sand the project down and start painting again, I purchased a durable paint from dulux called melamine which I was told it does not require a topcoat and is extremely resistant ( we will see). Considering I have never used a drill,nail gun or power saws of any sort I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Estimated Cost
$500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dulux melamine paint in Benjamin moors simply white
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Entertainment Unit

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 12/05/2022 - 12:31

This entertainment unit was inspired by the 4x4 x base pedestal dining table with planked wood top. It completes the set which also includes the Table, coffee table and lamp table.

All 4 pieces have the same top design
Made from 200mm x 50mm pine sleepers and finished with Cabots benchtop clear finish

Comments

Modified farmhouse bed - my first time building anything ever!

Submitted by brittanie on Wed, 09/07/2011 - 13:06

Got a new (and larger, King sized) mattress this summer, and wanted to have a real bed/headboard for the 1st time ever instead of just using one of those metal frames. Looked online for awhile, and somehow stumbled on this site - and so so glad I did, it saved me tons of $$! I really liked the farmhouse beds from PB, so decided to modify the plans from here to look more like that one - with a solid headboard and footboard (I used plywood for it).

It took me a long time to finish because I did all the sanding by hand, and used a hand saw to make cuts that I didn't get done when I bought the wood (the only power tool I own is a drill - and prior to this I'd only ever used it for drilling to hang shelves on the wall).

I've definitely got the building bug now, and have so many ideas for other projects I want to tackle. Thank you so much for this site and all the inspiration! Even though its not absolutely perfect, I absolutely love my new bed!

Estimated Cost
600-700
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I used 1 coat of General Finishes water based stain in Rosewood, and then 4 coats of their water based poly, sanding in between each with 320 grit.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

stcarroll

Thu, 09/08/2011 - 07:03

You should be very proud of this piece, it looks wonderful! Very nice work with the hand saw and sanding, you worked hard and it shows!

Lora (not verified)

Thu, 09/08/2011 - 11:46

I have been thinking about this project for some time. You should be proud this is a great bed.

Kitchen Cabinet

Submitted by rjustice21 on Thu, 09/26/2013 - 09:18

My wife and I needed space in our kitchen to store various items. This cabinet works perfectly for that purpose.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark Red paint. I am not sure of the name.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

mybartmart

Fri, 09/27/2013 - 21:17

That paint colour is beautiful. As is the pantry, very well done. I wish you could find out the name and brand of the colour. It is stunning.

mybartmart

Fri, 09/27/2013 - 21:17

That paint colour is beautiful. As is the pantry, very well done. I wish you could find out the name and brand of the colour. It is stunning.

Thanks for the great plans!

Needed a good sturdy coffee table so now I've got one. Joined each 2x6 for the top together with pocket holes and it's solid. A lot of fun to build.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Kona
Minwax Quick drying poly - Satin
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Ladder Vanity Shelf

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/31/2019 - 12:39

I used the basic ideas of your project but sized it to the wall in the bathroom.  My first hardwood project.  Pretty pleased.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100 for the wood and the mirror.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Watco Danish oil for the color, General Finishes water based topcoat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Hall tree

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/21/2022 - 18:42

Saw this on Ana's YouTube and just had to make it for my Daughter.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Lydia Toddler Bed

Submitted by cdswhite on Sun, 09/11/2011 - 19:23

This bed took us a long time to make as my husband and I worked on it on weeknights and weekends when our daughter napped. We spent a lot of time making the plan/design, picking our materials and determining how to assemble and finish it. Thankfully, we actually finished it (completely) the day before we ended up having our second child - just in time!

We used the measurements of the Lydia Toddler Bed but our design was based more on the Lydia Daybed/Queen Bed. For instance, we used 1x3s and 1x2s for the legs instead of the 2x2s in the Toddler plans. We also used a solid piece of the Purebond formaldehyde free plywood to get a clean look for the headboard/footboard pieces.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
More than I would like it to be but I don't remember how much
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Flat swiss coffee with two coats of water-based poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

mason-headboard

I seen the Reclaimed-Wood Headboard, Queen Size plan and thought hey i can do that. Well this is the result and I'm happy with it. I did do it a little different like routering a slot for the boards to fit down in. I wood burned the image and stained the inside of it to look like that. It didn't take to long to make the most time was spent sanding and staining.

Estimated Cost
about $80-90 in materials
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Provincial on all of it and jacobean for the design.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

wannabe woodchuck

Sat, 10/05/2013 - 16:06

I have a few friends that want me to make them one. looks like I'm making one for a hunter big stained deer in the headboard lol can't wait.

wannabe woodchuck

Wed, 10/23/2013 - 16:55

One day I'm going to buy a real woodburning kit though. I used 2 wal-mart cheap one's and it took me about 4 hours. Only the out line is done with the burner the inside is done with stain.

Adamski

Thu, 10/24/2013 - 05:36

I've been woodburning for about a year. I actually built the same headboard and really wanted to do some burning on it, but never did. I was using the 5-in-1 soldering iron/woodburner from harbor freight and it served me well. Last week I picked up a $30 from a craft store and it way better than the HF one. Good luck!

Edit*
Heres the one I just got. Its worth every penny.
http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/5-in-1-woodburningtool-kit-with-cas…

King size bed with storage

Submitted by msemishko on Wed, 02/06/2019 - 05:51

We finally upgraded our queen bed to a king bed. I was able to talk my wife into letting me build the bed frame. We're are both super excited with how it came out. It took 2 full weekends, and time here and there during the week.

Estimated Cost
500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse night stand

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 12/31/2022 - 12:59

We altered the plans a bit to fit our space. It looks great - thanks Ana!

Comments

White Letter Bin

Submitted by StacieM on Sun, 09/18/2011 - 19:17

I love this Letter Bin that Lady Goats posted. I made it right away and finally just got it hung up on the wall. The frame came from Michael's for $4 and I had the scrap 1/4" MDF around the garage. My jig saw and I were not getting along that day (should've used a multi-tool) so my cuts are slightly off but I still love it. The caulk finished off the edges nice. This is perfect for our mail coming in the door and helps get even more paper off the table below (first project built...I was so excited to get it done, it made it into the house before sanding or painting). Thanks again Lady Goats for the great plans!

Estimated Cost
$5
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
I painted the pieces before assembling with 3 light coats of Krylon White gloss spray paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments