Community Brag Posts

Farm table and two benches

Submitted by kllyhdsn on Sat, 12/23/2017 - 11:00

We made this table and two benches from the plans! We used 3” self tapping deck screws because we couldn’t find any in the 2-3/4” mentioned in the plan. Love the result! We used danish oil in medium walnut.

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Danish Oil in Medium Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Doll Bunk Beds for American Girl Doll and 18" Doll

Submitted by jkjackson on Thu, 12/23/2021 - 19:22

What a fun project! I used Ana’s plans for the bunk beds and the mattresses. The bed is finished with a whitewash.

Comments

Bathroom Storage Tower: sans baskets

I couldn't find any wire baskets to use for this, so I just put some rolled towels and TP on it for now... mine is quite bigger than Ana's version and it's even bigger than the original Pottery Barn version - it's about 37" tall, 19" wide and 14" deep. I had some of the wood still left over from other projects and I already had all of the paint and supplies. I only spent $15 on the wood I needed.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$15
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
i sanded every piece of wood after cutting and before putting it together and then sanded the entire thing after it was put together. i put on 2 coats of KILZ primer, then I put on a coat of really light gray paint that i had leftover from the livingroom that was too light and i didn't end up liking what it looked like, so i painted it a teal color i had left over from my art room called FIRMAMENT by Valspar in SATIN finish. I put on 3 coats of that sanding between coats. I plan to put a coat or 2 of polyurethane on it too, but haven't done so yet.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Dining room table, inspired by turned leg table and modern farmhouse table

Submitted by jbaibak on Sat, 06/22/2013 - 11:18

I wanted to attempt making a dining room table. This is my very first woodworking project. I did use store bought legs from one of the big box stores. Your site completely inspired me to just go for it. It's not quite finished. I've got to do all the sanding and staining. I plan to use a mahogany tone stain to coordinate with my brown/black parsons chairs and hutch in my dining room. Finally finished and I think it looks great! It took a lot of sanding to get all the wood pieces even, but so worth the effort. I love the rustic country look.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Red Mahogany and 3 coats of Minwax semi-gloss polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Lydia Daybed

Submitted by JoeP on Mon, 06/01/2015 - 11:51

Our youngest daughter just loves her new big girl bed! Her older sister does too, now she wants a new bed because hers is too boring!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Chevron Cassidy Bed - King

Submitted by marycate01 on Wed, 12/27/2017 - 20:46

King bed made out of CVG hemlock with doug fir posts. Headboard chevrons are mix of oak, cherry, maple, hemlock.

Pug approved.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax English Chestnut with Minwax Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Michael's Book Shelves

Submitted by PINAR on Thu, 04/21/2011 - 14:46

The first furniture I built from Ana-White's page. My son liked it so much!

Ps: Home Depot employer cut all the pieces for me...Saved me an hour! :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Krylon - Pimento- Satin Spray
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Rustic Providence Entry Bench

Submitted by bludevil35 on Mon, 06/24/2013 - 06:36

My wife, Carrie, and I decided to make this bench for a very deserving couple for their wedding. It turned out great and this will be the first of many pieces we'll build. Thanks for the plans Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$8 We already had the wood, just had to buy the stain.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut- 1 Coat with Foam Brush, waited 10 mins to wipe off. Then the next day Rustoleum Spray on Poly 1 light coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

2 x 4 outdoor couch

I made this with pine boards. I used an old twin mattress for the cushions and covered with some material I had on hand. I love it.

Estimated Cost
50.00 for the boards.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Thompsons acorn water seal .
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Sewing table

Submitted by Firemedic on Fri, 12/29/2017 - 19:34

Great project and my wife loves it. I added a door, locking hinges, and made a custom cutout with shelf for the machine to sit flush with the table. I switched to piano hinge for the leaves and locking hinges for the 2x2 legs. Turned out great. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark walnut stain
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Christmas compact dollhouse

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 14:27

Such a fun and fairly quick and easy Christmas gift for my 8 yr old daughter. She’s been begging for a AG dollhouse and with limited space in our house, this compact design fit the bill. I bought the shelf help kit and all I had to do was assemble, add trim and cut out the windows. Highly recommend the kit, no wasted plywood (and it was high quality too!) Thank you Anna!

Comments

Farmhouse Bedside Table

Submitted by jigganancy on Mon, 04/25/2011 - 14:49

This week, I built the Farmhouse Bedside Table. It was quick and easy to build, but be sure to add a few more hours to paint.

I have a small bedroom with a very long but shallow closet at the foot of my bed. I built Ana’s Queen Storage Bed and had a small short and narrow bedside table from my old apartment. The spaces on both sides of my bed were perfect for the Farmhouse Bedside Table and the right height, so I decided to try to build the Farmhouse Bedside Table.

As for the materials -- I found beautiful 2x2's and 4 not-so-great knobs at an estate sale for a total of $2. I spray painted the knobs silver to match with the other hardware in my bedroom. These knobs are temporary until I find something I love. I found the tops on the side of a curb. It looked like the tops were formerly a bookshelf.

I bought the 2x2, the 1x12 and 1x6. I paid approximately $40 for the wood for the two tables. I sold my existing (shorter) bedside table on Craigslist for $40. Essentially, I was able to build a free side table that fit better with my space.

I decided to cut the wood myself as I haven’t had great experience getting accurate cuts from the store. I used a circular saw to cut and opted to not add the 1/8 depth cut because I was afraid of messing up my project. I used the kreg jig for the joints, my boyfriend’s brad nailer to build the drawers and a finisher nailer to secure the top.

I was unsure about the drawer slides but I completely love them now. It was easier and a much more affordable solution than buying slides from a store. I would use this type of slides on drawers that have very light use.

I love these bedside tables and would highly recommend building them too.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Scraps, free wood and $40 for two tables
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
White paint that was leftover from another project. The top is a mix of Miniwax's Dark Walnut & Ebony
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Craft Table

Submitted by KlumziMom on Tue, 06/25/2013 - 09:05

My new Craft Table I built from Ana White's plans. I combined her plans from her Modern Craft Table (http://ana-white.com/2010/09/modern-craft-table) and the desk drawer from her Craft Tabletop for the Modular Collection (http://ana-white.com/2010/02/plans-bedford-project-table-top-with.html). I modified the plans slightly, I added 1x2's aroung the tabletop instead of edge banding or nosing to give it a nice decorative finish. I also used 1 x 3's instead of using 1 x 2's for the floating base for the tabletop so you could see more of the floating base since the 1 x 2's around the tabletop covered up the majority of the floating base from view. I also created a frame for the table top to sit on which also helped stabilized the 2 bookshelves in place, as well as adding support to the frame of the drawers.

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used wood filler to fill the holes in the wood and the Kiltz primer as a base. I used Valspar's Swiss Coffee for the white and Valspar's Cool Rain for the accents. On the top of the table I made my own Chalk Paint with 1 cup of paint and 2 tbsp of unsanded grout and a little bit of water recipe from Diane Henkler @ Momtastic (http://www.momtastic.com/home-and-living/home/172917-diy-chalk-qstyleq-paint). Followed by 4 coats of Polycrylic matte finish (making sure to sand each layer eith a 320 grit sand paper. I finished with a small layer of wax buffed on to make it shine.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Simple White Outdoor Sofa

I followed the plan but made the sofa longer, the cushions were on clearance from Pottery Barn for $160 and the cushions are about 96 inches wide.
I used weather treated wood and did not want to spend more since its my first project. I used Behr exterior weatherproof transparent stain. I attached the seats back piece using a 2x2 attached on the bottom with screws and pocket hole screws are used to attach the 2x2 to both sides of the arm frame.
I love how it turned out. I was not expecting for it to come out this nice but I am really impressed.
I hope you guys like it too!

Total cost is around $240 including paint, wood, screws and the cushions.

Estimated Cost
$240
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Weatherproof transparent stain
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Mimi's Hall Tree My version

My wife wanted a Hall Tree with a bench to sit on and shoe storage. I used Mimi's Hall Tree plans for the Hall Tree and added the Shoe Rack/Bench for the base. It's all made out of Hickory. I love the multitude of colors in that wood.

Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Early American stain and 3x Poly finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outside or inside wine/glass table and small kitchen work cabinet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 15:49

1st picture was made out if old scrap wood. Holds 2 bottles of wine and 2 wine glasses, it’s being used when the people go camping with there motorhome.

2nd picture is a rolling work cabinet/table/storage with working drawer for a small kitchen, teak top, 3/4 pine construction with pocket holes

Comments

Simple Bunk Beds - My First "Ana" Project!!

Submitted by margjack on Fri, 04/29/2011 - 07:17

I made the bunk beds from the simple bed plan, following tips from others who turned them into bunks. Instead of headboards on bottom and footboards on top, I used all headboards to add height, and made the posts a little longer so that an adult can sit up on the bottom bunk to read during bedtime. (the room has 9' ceilings) I used 2x4s glued and screwed together, as I could not find 4x4 non-pt posts. I made the ladder out of scrap 2x4s and the railings from scrap 1x3s. I did as suggested and attached the bottom header to the bottom of the top bed, which made it easy to attach. This bed is super sturdy! It will be painted one of these days!!

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
None yet - will be painted!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Turquoise Flip-Top Bench

This was my first solo project using Ana's plans. I did the whole thing while my husband was out of town, with my 4 kids (including a toddler and newborn) milling around. We surprised him with it for his birthday when he got home. He was shocked.

The plans were straight-forward and easy to understand. I had everything cut at the hardware store, because I was afraid of the miter saw, but I ended up using it anyway to fix an incorrect measurement. (It wasn't so bad.)

I painted the bottom and stained the top separately, before putting them together, so I could get the finishes everywhere, and there wouldn't be bare wood showing through when you open the top.

I used narrow profile hinges, just like in the plan, and they work beautifully. Three was the prefect amount. The trickiest part was screwing the top on, because I was afraid the screws would protrude into the storage compartment. But I measured carefully (several times) and used clamps to keep everything in place. Then I marked where the screws would go with chalk. It worked perfectly.

This bench is the final step in reworking our entryway. We have a small house with lots of kids, so we need our spaces to work for us. Having a bench that also keeps up with our library books is a perfect addition. I can't wait to use Ana's plans to make the rest of the house work for us too!

More details on the blog post.
http://lassothemoon.typepad.com/lasso_the_moon/2013/06/entryway-flip-to…

Thanks, Ana!

ps. The time estimated is total time--including working around the kids, and trying to figure out how to turn on the miter saw (20 min!).

The money is my estimate of what it actually cost, even though my hardware store bill was a little more--but I'm using some of the screws, stain, etc on other projects.

Estimated Cost
60
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
The top is stained with "Early American" stain, a couple coats on each side. I had to touch up the stain when I filled the screw holes in the top and sanded them down. It didn't cover completely, but the holes do blend in nicely.

The paint is Behr "Mermaid Treasure". Then I sanded the corners lightly and wiped on some stain and quickly wiped it off again. I love it!
More details on the blog post.
http://lassothemoon.typepad.com/lasso_the_moon/2013/06/entryway-flip-top-turquoise-bench.html
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

SoCaliforniaMel

Fri, 07/05/2013 - 23:30

Great job on your first "solo" build. I still use my husband all the time too. He is a contractor and all so it's handy having him around especially when I need heavy stuff moved. hehe. I just hate when he says "your gonna cut your arm off". Geez :P My dad doesn't even worry about that and has let me cut wood since age 12. Anywho....
It looks like you've been building all by yourself for years. Very well built and looks sturdy. It can be hard with a whole bunch of little one running around. Or wanting to play with the power tools without realizing how dangerous. I always unplug my miter saw when it's not in use. (I too have to work around 4 little ones, boys ranging from 12 - 2) Don't be afraid of the saw. It's a lot easier than it looks, just watch your fingers. (or arms) haha
~Melody

Lasso the Moon

Sat, 07/06/2013 - 06:44

Yeah, after the first couple cuts I wasn't scared at all. But I did remember to unplug it every time. And lock it down. My 2-year-old wanted to help me drill all the holes--it's a wonder I got those hinges on straight. I do love the pocketholes for child participation, though. She set the screws in the holes for me, and thought she was big stuff.

SoCaliforniaMel

Sun, 07/07/2013 - 00:39

I never even thought about letting my 2 year old put the screws in. I always just have him hand me things or let him play w/ scrap wood. I dont have a Kreg Jig, I just hold the drill at an angle, but pocket holes are pocket holes right?. I'm gonna try that. Thanks. He will be so happy to actually get to do big boy work
~Melody

Lasso the Moon

Mon, 07/08/2013 - 21:14

Just a heads up if you want a pockethole jig...I couldn't afford the Kreg, and wasn't sure I'd even like building, so my husband found one at Harbor Freight for about $40. A little more affordable. If this one goes bad somehow, I'll probably upgrade, but it was a great way to start drilling pocket holes with not quite so much investment.
--Anna

Farm house table and bench

Table and bench before we finished it

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse queen bed + nightstands

This is a farmhouse queen bed that I built with the assistance of Ana’s plan. I put my own flavor in it with a modified structure and cosmetic touch. Enjoyed this build very much!

Estimated Cost
$250 which includes lumber, screws, furniture paint.

$100 for bedding.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Furniture paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate