Farmhouse doll bed modified - one slat less in width.
We followed Ana's plans for the basics but went on our own for simplicity. We found the letters at Hobby Lobby. I also added some ceramic knobs to hang things on.
To make it easier we eliminated the handle holes and did not round the top edges. Just used some kreg jig screws for the bottom and second shelf and screws for the rest. That's about it! Pretty easy. The hardest part was the painting.
My wife and went through a phase, in which we saved as much money as we could to buy quality furniture. "No more cheap stuff from the department store!" we said. Well several thousand dollars later, we had a gorgeous espresso colored bed, a beautiful rustic dresser, and empty pockets. About a year ago I decided to take up woodworking, and since then we have discovered what you can build on your won, from the plans at ana-white.com look just as good (if not better) than the thousand dollar pieces we own!
When I saw this plan, I knew that we would soon have the bedside tables my bride had been wanting for more than 6 years. With a few modifications, I was able to build the set for about $40.
I modified the plan as needed, buying the cheap $1.50 2x2s and 1x2s from Lowe's, which I planed at home, and a single 12ft pine 1"x12" at the lumber yard for just $14. I also used 2x6's (planed down to 1" for the drawer) rather than 1x6's (8') which I bought from Home Depot for about $5. I used my Kreg Jig for all the pocket holes, and took. my. time. About 8 hours of building, I stained the top with Minwax Espresso Satin Stain, laying on 1 thin, quick-drying coat, followed by a second thick coat (let dry 6 hours) after which I hand-sanded with 220 grit paper, then applied a final thin coat, which dried in about an hour. The frame was painted an off white we chose to match our baseboards.
Super happy with this build. I think it's the nicest project I have had so far. Thanks so much for the plan!
I'm not a plan follower and just wing it. Saw a Pottery Barn Table I fell in love with and started building with 2x4s for the frame, 2x2s for the Xs and 2x6s for the shelves and tops. Finished with steel wool soaked in white vinegar.
Built this deck dining table and benches from Lowes cedar, and the results way exceeded my expectations! The plans were so well written, it was easy to slightly modify (made both table and benches wider and longer) and the build was very simple. The clear directions helped give me the confidence to do this and we have got so many nice compliments. There was nothing this sturdy and simple even available to buy. I even built a coffee table and bar table after modifying the plans a bit. Thank you Ana!
Made this adorable step stool for my two year old nephew... BUT... I liked it too much and decided to keep it for myself. Is that selfish of me? I use it almost every day to get to the top shelf in my closet. Maybe next year Miles!
We finally got our grass green and back yard clean, after all that work the lop sided blue little tykes picnic table stood out like a sore thumb. This was the perfect table to fit our back yard make over.
When Ana says read all comments she means it. Cherie posted "if you plan carefully you really only need 5-2x4's instead of 6. Cut 2-2x4's in half for the seats. Cut 2 legs and one seat support from the third 2x4. Repeat for the fourth 2x4 and finally cut the bottom suppport and the 2 table supports from the 5th 2x4. Just plan carefully." I still bought 6 2x4's but only used 5.
I did pocket holes on almost all the joints. I put the table on risers and was even able to use a pocket hole to add the seat boards. I did have a bit of a problem with the table top supports, I am not sure what others did but I cut mine at 45 degrees and they still wasn't enough to get the measurements the plans had. I just left it and marked where it would have been. I had some scraps from a fence pickets I ripped for my $10 raided garden bed left,over that I used as a spacer for my table top and seat boards, made it so easy and they are perfectly spaced. They are just over 1/2 an inch but It worked great.
http://ana-white.com/2010/04/plans-bigger-kids-picnic-table.html
90% of this bed is built with scrap wood and re-used wood. I built this bed in 5 hours. (Not counting priming, painting, and filling).
The panels on the headboard and footboard instead of being all the same size are what I had leftover from other projects and lucked out with it balancing as the following:
HEADBOARD PANELS: from left to right --> 1x8, 1x3, 1x8, 1x8, 1x12, 1x8, 1x8, 1x3, 1x8.
FOOTBOARD PANELS: from left to right --> 1x8, 1x8, 1x12, 1x3, 1x4, 1x3, 1x12, 1x8, 1x8.
I only had to cut all of these boards to length, not width, and it all worked out PERFECT to make the panels.
Instead of the 4x4 posts, I used 2 2x4's that I had saved from when I ripped a closet and soffit out of our master bathroom. Those 2x4s are also used for the construction of the headboard and footboard, and the trim on top of both.
The only pieces of wood I had to buy were the 2x6 tops of head/footboard and the 2x10s for the side rails. T
The whole bed has dings and holes and dents and stuff all over it because of it being re-used/scrap wood, but I love the look of it. I painted it a gloss white to balance all of that. I found bedding that is green and white on one side and gray and white on the other side to match the color scheme of the room - and now it's done and I couldn't be more proud!!
Memorial Day weekend project for my wife and I. These will go around our firepit out back, but it was raining so we just took pics in the garage where they were assembled. I built the woven back bench and used the plan (and SketchUp) to modify the plan for 2 chairs as well. I mirrored the weave on the bench and the 2 chairs for a bit of visual contrast.
I also used the plan for the folding camp chairs but simplified it a bit by removing the upper strechers and dowels and just making the fabric on there permanently. These will only be pulled out if we have more than 4 around the fire.
Sun, 08/18/2013 - 18:04
I've been thinking of making the bench, but I really like the chairs as well. Your set looks fantastic!
I am a beginner, so I took it slow. Working during nap time mainly (too dark / cold after bedtime!), this took me a couple weeks. I learned a lot and should have asked my husband for more help/advice; don't look too close! I loved Ana's stain color, and fully intended to copy it, but decided to let my boys have some input since it is for them and their toys. They picked out the colors (I limited my point and pick 1 1/2 year old to colors that wouldn't clash!) and my 4 year old helped me paint the color he picked out. It was a fun project and a good one to learn on.
I started this project with your plans, but as you can see things did not go exactly as planned. The people I made this for wanted a mosaic countertop, so I invented this myself. I've never done this before. The whole thing had to be smaller than the plan suggested (calculate inches into centimeters is kind of hard to do), but it turned out quite good. Thanks for your plan, I will use more from this site!
I bought nice wood, so it's not a cheap project.
I used Ana's plan for Grace's Washing Machine and modified the interior panel to open downward instead of having a round door opening. My daughter LOVES this! VERY EASY build!
This is my first woodwork project, completed as a team, with my husband. Was good fun at times and frustrating at times! Our wood was thicker by a couple of millimetres out meaning the plans needed to be tweaked. Table was designed with the chair structure. We had cushions and covers made to measure (we live in SE Asia so cheaper than UK or US) about £200. Looking forward to building some deck chairs next!!
This bench is just perfect for the front porch. I have built several for friends and family. The plans are easy to follow. I wait until the end to cut the angled 45 pieces to be cut to fit exactly. Also filling the pocket holes on the legs and sanding prior to attaching the stretchers has saved me some frustration in finishing. I prefer the minwax jacobean finish with a minwax polycrylic in satin. I use any exterior flat with the same poly on top. I don't like the look of filling the pocket holes on the 45's so I try to place those on each end, countersinking my screws. Can be challenging to get screws in that way, but it looks better in the end. These are very sturdy and easy support 2-3 adults for seating.
This was my very first woodworking project. It didn't end up perfect, but I learned a lot by making it, and it is still a quite nice dining table.
The minor modifications I made of the plan: I used 1x4-s as a frame for the table top, flush with the top. (The 2x2-s are next to it inside.) I made the lower supports out of 4x4-s (except that they didn't have 4x4-s at the store here so it's really 2 2x4-s put together). I have a few 2x4-s connecting the 2x8 and 2x6-'s in the base, to make it a bit more stable (not sure I really needed these but anyway), and I also ended up putting a few 2x4-s in the core of the base, again to make it a bit more robust. I routed the 1x4-s on the table frame, and also the table legs with a 45 degree bit (using a router is really fun! And really easy).
I used pine for the base and red oak for the table top -- mostly because I have oak cabinets in the kitchen. After sanding to 150 grit, I stained the oak first with Minwax Oriental Ginger (I would have used a dye if I had had one but this worked fine), and then two coats of GF antique oak. The Minwax gave a nice warm orange undertone while the GF highlighted the grain. It has 6 coats of GF high performance water based poly on it, sanded and wet sanded with very fine grit (up to 2000) so it's pretty smooth. It looks like many people use grain filler with oak, but I like the grain so I didn't. The base is painted white with whatever semigloss white paint I happened to have at hand.
Lessons learnt: 1) always, always measure twice, and always, always make sure that everything is square. 2) Don't build a table base from a board that's not absolutely straight. 3) Make sure to have enough screws and that the screws are of the right kind. 4) If you use a 45 degree router bit, you need to sand that 45 degree part much finer than the other parts of the table top, otherwise the grain will stick out and make it very rough. 5) Don't wet sand oak -- the poly dust white residue gets into the grain and it's impossible to remove.
This was my third coffee table. After giving 2 as gifts, a friend paid me to make this one.
Hi! I made the Kid's Country Bench for my first ever woodworking project. Making this bench was the first time I've used a jigsaw (purchased for this project) and the first time drilling a pilot hole. My husband answered a couple of questions along the way, but I did all the work myself and am so proud. I did change some dimensions to accommodate pretty baskets I wanted to use. This is going to be very helpful for corralling two little boys' shoes in my entry.
I used the basic plan by Ana, but modified it for the size I needed. Its 2x12 pine with english chestnut stain and tung oil (formby's) finish. I did use 4x4 posts for the legs instead of 2- 2x4's. notching out was the most difficult part. (Should have watched the video by Ana 1st. Lol). I did want some over hang so I cut the leg notches 1/4 shallow so there would be detail. I regret not using the kreg jig on the top, as I have much bigger gaps than I like! But I started buying better tools during this build when I realized mine were not getting the job done. And it definitely makes a huge difference!!! I still have to finish the benches. Just trying to find the time. I can't wait to start the next project!
Watts Built on Wolfe Way
Used the plans for the Rustic X coffee table as a starting point. Left out the X's as they don't appeal to me. Took a butane torch and burned the base and tabletop before staining, and stained the table in alternating stains to give it a really unique appearance. Stains used were Rustoleum Summer Oak, and Minwax Early American, finished with Minwax Semigloss Poly.
