Community Brag Posts

Toy Box

Submitted by LARMO on Sun, 01/12/2014 - 10:23

Toy box plan from sunset magazine and letters from elentology.com for name letters. I traced the letters from printer paper onto the back rest using a pen, painted the letters and traced with a black painter pen.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Goss latex, craft paint for letters, craft paint pen for outline
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Cedar 4x4 Truss Beam Table

We had gotten a piece of granite for free, so my husband modified the plans to fit the slab. We made one in pressure treated lumber and loved the look so we decided to make a nicer one in cedar. The benches are a little wider because of the size boards available. We could have ripped them down, but we prefer the wider seat. I will sand the seats and seal the wood to keep it looking fresh longer. We look forward to many great memories at our new table by our outside fireplace. Thank you for the great plans!

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Whitney's Farmhouse Side Table

Last summer I made two of these side tables. They turned out to be adorable little night stands with baskets for storage. These were modified from Ana's Farmhouse Bedside Table plan, changing it to two large shelves and sized to fit the space. It was a very fun and quick build that cost around $40 for the pair.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Lots of Sanding
Minwax Walnut Gel Stain
2-3 coats of poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Kitchen Island

Kitchen Island built from ana white's plans. I attached a wine rack to the underside and changed the design of the shelves to support more weight.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Summit grey paint by sherwin williams and jacobean stain by minwax
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

alpinecwt

Wed, 01/15/2014 - 09:34

Really like the contrast between the stain and the paint. Great job on your new kitchen island.

dragonsbb16

Tue, 09/02/2014 - 12:19

Did you use pocket screws for the shelf supports? Also, what were your dimensions for the shelf supports and shelf tops? They look like about 2 1/2" wide for the tops and 3" for the supports. Thanks in advance.

My 1st Coffee Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 06:42

Great plans! Great table! Thanks!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$70
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Wipe on Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Baseball wall game

Submitted by mandee on Sun, 12/15/2019 - 15:12

I made this for my nephew for Christmas. 

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Madison Dresser *stained*

This was my 3rd project...and quite an undertaking. My first project was the dollhouse bookshelf (plans available on this site). Second project was custom designed under bed drawers, which now house many thousands of LEGOs. And then, the dresser. It was my first time using the Kreg pocket hole joinery. Once I learned the setup it went fairly quickly, though keeping boards square and flush was challenging and not always successful. But, that's why there are sanders.

The plans are awesome!! Loved the shopping list. Walking down the wood aisle selecting and checking. Sorry, no coupons or 2-4-1 specials. Being an amateur taking on an "advanced" project I am a bit hesitant in commenting on the plans or design changes. But, I feel it necessary so please don't hate me.

* add to cut list: 4 - 2x2@31" - Dresser Side (sides). Needed in Step 3.

* Step 9: (picture) to keep the drawers from tipping while opened I added a stop above each dresser drawer slide. These were made from 1x2s cut to 4" - 5" and beveled on the front. I used a 1x2 + 1/8" - 1/4" thick scrap strip together as a spacer for the drawer drawer slides and a little bit of wiggle room.

* Step 10: (picture) add a 2x4x2 block under the bottom center support and drawer slides. This will help distribute the weight to, and add a place for,
attaching the center leg in Step 11.

* Step 11: instead of screwing the feet directly into the dresser bottom use a table leg straight plate mount.

*Step 16: I mitered the drawer trim corners so it would match the mitered corners of the decorative cap moulding.

Instead of painting I stained. This was my first staining experience. We were trying to match the color of an existing chest of drawers. Overall, I think it turned out very well. Next time I might prestain the pieces prior to assembly as there are a few spots that glue prevented good absorption. And yes, I thought I was meticulous cleaning the drips with a damp rag.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I did building it and will using it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
* Prestain Conditioner on outward facing surfaces.
* Minwax Red Oak 215 stain, 2 coats
* Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane Satin, 3 coats on top, 2 coats outward facing surfaces and all surfaces of drawers. Of course, lightly sanding with 220 grit between coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

oldpaintdesign

Mon, 04/02/2012 - 15:26

Aww... I love it! You did an amazing job! I'll be sure to add that extra 2x2 to the cutlist... oops! I hope that you and your family love the dresser as much as I love mine!

Entertainment Center

This is from the Rebecca Media Center project. With my wife being an avid book collector and my children being avid toy collectors, we were quicking running out of space for both. Being the amazing husband and father that I am, I made this project and solved both issues. I had a wall that was 13 feet wide and thought this would be a great place for some bookcases. The plans provided were almost perfect. I only had to change the sizes by a few inches to make it fit the wall and raise to the ceiling. I also added a string of led lights across the top. These were cheap, hid well, use little power and came with a dimmer to adjust the brightness. I really like them. I think they came from hit lights for around $30.

Estimated Cost
$500-$600
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Valspar Signature
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

JoanneS

Mon, 05/25/2015 - 08:16

Hi Jason,
There are 3 plans for this media center: Side hutch piece, side base, and console piece. These are the links to the plans (also highlighted in the post above in orange -- clicking those will take you to the plan)

http://ana-white.com/2012/04/plans/rebecca-media-center-center-hutch-pi…

http://ana-white.com/2012/04/plans/rebecca-media-center-side-base

http://ana-white.com/2012/04/plans/rebecca-media-center-console-piece

To do a search, at the top of the screen under "search for something great!" if you type in "rebecca media center" it will show you all the plan posts and the brag posts.
Happy building!
Joanne

my end tables

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 04/10/2016 - 10:24

I used all reclaimed lumber and DIY stains for these. The brown came from chocolate coffee so the tables give off a faint chocolate smell :) The plans came from Ana mostly but I changed the bottom shelf so that it uses pallet slats to give it more of a rustic look and to also use what I had available.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
with nails, screws and sealer about $20, maybe less.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
chocolate flavored coffee, watered down white acrylic and tempera paint mix with a poly acrylic sealer.
I watered down the white to where it made it look like a white wash when applied and sanded down a little on the coffee stain to give it a bit of a weathered look before sealing.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

4x4 Farm Table by CSG

Mama’s Christmas 2019

Estimated Cost
Wood alone $120
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax oil based stain English Chestnut 233
Minwax oil based polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Live Edge Custom Built Entryway Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 08/25/2023 - 11:01

Entryway Bench. I customized the plan with a maple live edge top and a fourth bay that had to be modified to extend the right side of bench down to lower level floor. Worked out perfectly! I am a total amateur woodworker but impressed with how easy it was and how professional it looks.

web: floatingislandsstudio.com

Built from Plan(s)

Hailey Storage Daybed

Submitted by kelli224 on Wed, 04/04/2012 - 12:09

This is our second bed from Ana and definitely our favorite. This bed is one nice, sturdy piece of furniture. It went together easily and everything was right on. We did make a couple changes. Instead of putting two legs on the end of the bench in back, we put three - one where the center divider is and one on the dividers on each side of the center. We changed it so you wouldn't be able to see the bench legs from under the bed. It worked perfectly! Also, we added a 1x4 top trim to the back and arms instead of just stopping with the 1x3. Thank you so much for saving us hundreds of dollars!

Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Benjamin Moore Advance Snowfall White in Satin
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Modified Michaela's kitchen island

Submitted by jodib77 on Sun, 01/19/2014 - 17:32

The top was made with reclaimed wood and we used pine for the base. We decided to go for a "chunky look" so we used 2x4's for the sides and skirt. We used 1x3's for the shelf slats and also spaced them to give it an airy feel. We had to customize the size due to the limited space in the kitchen. This was finished with an antique white paint for the base, mahogony stain for the top and finished with a water based poly for durability,

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax red mahogony for the top and antique white in satin for the base. Finished with a waterbased polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Easy Shelving

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/12/2016 - 12:52

So easy. Being able to just use 2x4s was so convenient for transporting and cutting. This is a small room so the only hard part was figuring out the math to get 4 rows in this tight space. I made 2 changes: instead of 4-2x4s wide I did 5 so the bins fit better, and I didn't use a any 2x4s on the bottom shelf because they can just sit on the floor, so it saved me buying more wood. Super happy with this, now I just have to make another one for our garage so we can store more things!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Wine Caddy & cheese Board

Submitted by mark hunte on Tue, 12/24/2019 - 15:29

This was such a great idea for a gift, I used some Oak ( from a company that sells offcuts ) , added some magnets and grooved out the back corners for two cheese knifes and corkscrew.

I also added some pegs on the inside to seat the bottoms of the bottles on.

I used decking screws and oak plugs and glue to assemble.

Thanks Ana this went down a treat and I am told it will become a family heirloom.

Estimated Cost
£19
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Tung oil.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Media cabinet

Submitted by Milhouse on Sat, 04/07/2012 - 22:46

I needed a tv stand that wasn't ugly. This was one of my first projects, and I learned a lot from it. It's not perfect (the drawers don't work well), but it looks nice :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
~ $100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I painted it BM Revere Pewter (flat) and applied a satin poly top coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

spiceylg

Sun, 04/08/2012 - 03:55

Came out beautiful and I love the paint color. My goodness did you build all of these projects at once or just post them at once?

Guest (not verified)

Sun, 04/08/2012 - 22:29

I love this table! By any chance do you know the name of the paint color on the walls behind it? I have been looking for the perfect color for my living room and LOVE that color :) thanks and good work!

Rustic x console

I modified ana white's plans to build a smaller x console.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark walnut stain by minwax with an oil base varathane finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate