Community Brag Posts

I always wanted to try building something and wanted to actually build some cabinets for the dining room to use basically for china and a buffet. I found the plans on here and went to town. I made the smaller cabinet first just to see if i can make it and well it worked fine. So I took the plan and made a second cabinet but made it slightly bigger because I decided to place the cabinets together and put them in our kitchen. It was also an anniversary present for the wife since we cant redo the kitchen and we need some more counter space I made these to fit under a window and replace a set of metal shelves. The doors I just made them no real plan just tried something and it worked. So happy wife, happy wife and I had a good time. As a firefighter/emt this is a nice get away from the stresses of my life and as long as the wife is happy then she will let me continue to work on this stuff. Thanks Ana for the plans I have a few more planned for the future.

I was in the process of making the fancy farmhouse x dining table to spec based on the plans provided. Then I came across a restoration Hardware table that had a similar base but a concrete top and decided to mimic the concrete top with plywood. 

I decided to make the camp loft bed into a bunk bed for the kids. The room is really small so I had to make it toddler length (about 62") and the stairs are only about 13.5" wide. It turned out great and the kids love it!

This bed was picked out by my daughter. Built straight from the plans and she loves it. Now if I can get her to pick a color.

I was in love with the West Elm slat collection but knew I could never afford it let alone live in a spot that would have the outdoor space for it. Luckily as fate would have it, I stumbled across the perfect townhouse with a huge rooftop patio in downtown Vancouver last year right at the same time I discovered Ana White - with no experience in this kind of project, but a love for DIY and alot of determination I'm proud to say I finally finished my dream patio set, and it looks even better than I could have imagined! Thanks Ana :)

One day I was considering buying a wine cabinet for a friend. However, once I did a little bit of research, I found that the cabinets that were reasonably priced, were made of low grade material. That is when I took to the internet and immediately searched Ana's site. I have been on the site in the past and hadn't made anything yet. Once, I found the plan on here to make it, I grabbed a little bit of graph paper and worked it to the proportions I needed and added a few extras. It took me a while to finish the project as I only had weekends and occasionally weeknights to work on it. Also, the staining and finishing obviously took some time.

P.S. This project allowed me to use a Kreg Jig for the first time. I can't believe that I haven't used one before and have since built a few other projects using it.

We love this table. It's great for big meals, board games, and family gatherings. I enjoyed the work and finished result. Learned a lot. Thanks for the plans!

From scrap pile to a fun picnic table. Thanks Ana for the plans.

I adapted the Braden Bench plan to make it more of a built-in feature of our mudroom. It's added wonderful organization to our busiest room.

Thank you Hilary for the wonderful design and thank you Anna for the plans. I tend to spend my fall and winter months on woodworking and sewing so this is my first project for the season. We had some left over 2.4's and I saw this table and thought, what a good way to use some of that leftover lumber. I didn't really know where I was going to put the table but once it was finished it made itself a home in our spare bedroom. I then saw a battery operated candle lantern that had the "X" pattern and I thought that would go perfectly with the table. Well, that then led me into another project. I wanted to do something different with the lantern instead sitting in on the table top so with some of the leftover wood from the table shelf, I made a post to hang the lantern from. I also used Anna's technique of distressing the edges with Minwax stain marker. It added just enough detail, what a great use of the stain marker.

The end table was my first project of the rustic "X" family. The second was the "X" console which also sits in the spare room. I'm now working on the Farmhouse Bed and am thinking of incorporating the some "X's" maybe on the headboard and also incorporate the hardware onto the headboard/footboard corners. It's not a traditional set that you would find in a bedroom, but it's a guest room and we don't really feel we need a dresser of drawers for our visitors so this works perfectly. It fits right into our decor and is very welcoming.

I love the stain that Hilary used, thank you for the advise. I have a jar of vinegar and steel wool sitting now. Can't wait to try that stain!

My first project ever... Had a bit trouble convert it all to metric measurements (I'm from the Netherlands), but as you can see it turned out pretty well. I get a lot of compliments, even from the (teenage) friends of my children! They really like to hang out in our back garden all of the sudden ;-)

Beautiful Industrial 3door/drawer Console Table build by Shannon at Pink Hammer Designs

My wife had seen this post by Ana & thought it'd be great for a writing desk that had storage for her laptop so she'd be able to keep an eye out for the kiddo.

So I decided to use Ana's plans for the storage crates (without the casters) & mount those to the wall for cubbie storage.

I used "white wood" from the local Depot for this piece. However using the common boards will prove to be more cost effective for when you leave your Kreg Jig set at 1/2 inch like myself. :-(

The directions are straight forward, but. clamping & placing screws for the pocket holes were a bit more tricky. Make sure you have ample clamps on hand before attempting this.

Now, you can make the legs as Ana suggests, but if you want "fancy" turned legs are another option. $16.00 per at my local Depot., but. I found stair balusters at $3.00 per & used my miter saw to get them to the proper length per the plans & the same method used to knock off the dowel at the top of them in order to keep it flat.

Finially had it cut, assembled & sanded in 3 hours time. Hence me overlooking the Kreg Jig depth. ( nail gun saved me). You may also want to dry fit everything together. I found out I cut my side aprons too long (3/4 inch) & my inner base was off. Easily solved with scrap wood, glue, nail gun & LOTS of wood filler. Which was sanded & I can't even see the mess up.

Finishing was fun & easy. My color had already been decided via my boss (wife) as it was a fun green color from a Hoosier Cabinet & Matching cupboard I repair & refinished for my daughter's room 2 years ago. As well as the balusters came with a coat of white paint on them already. I sanded the whole project (sans the legs) with 120 then 220 grit paper on my mouse sander & my random orbit. The mouse is able to get the interrior as to where my 5 inch random orbit can't fit. But you could hand sand as well, I'm just lazy.

Once it was all sanded I rubbed down with some denaturated alcohol & old t-shirts I cut up long ago & stored in soft drink fridge packs. You can never have enough of either! I like to use the denaturated alcohol because it evaporates quickly. . .and I like the smell.
I painted the aprons down & let dry. Meanwhile I started staining the portions I could as to not mess up the paint. Once It dried I stained the remaining portions & got the sandpaper out again.

I wouldn't recommend using the power sanders but I did only on the legs due to the prefinished paint that was on them. I wanted to get the wood showing but around the edge of that I wanted to see the white paint & then the green. Careful not to hit the stained the areas!
Once that's done I used my same wipe down technique as after sanding & prepair to glaze. USE GLOVES FOR THE NEXT STEP!

Now you can get latex free or latex medical looking gloves. Just stop that. GO GET MEDICAL GLOVES. I've worked in my profession for 16 years, medical exam gloves & the gloves you get at the hardware store tear up. Grab some BarrierMax brand if you can. You'll be able to rebuild a car engine without tearing.

Now you're ready to glaze & Brooke at KillerB was dead on in her posts on the glaze. Must read!

All in all I think it came out perfect & can't wait to do this again.

I knocked up these 3 little planters in under an hour. Family and friends have given me orders for many more. Thank you for the great site.x

My grandson wanted a set of peg dolls and a house to play with them in.  I wanted to build something that was gender-neutral - so many doll houses are pink and feminine!  This doll house is sized just right for his peg dolls and playmobil people.  It's made from 1/2" poplar, although it could also be cut from a sheet of 1/2" plywood.