Community Brag Posts

Thank you anawhite.com for this project! It was exactly what I was looking to build for my outdoor space. The outdoor daybeds with this look are WAY too expensive for us to buy and these plans were just what I needed!

My husband and I built (and painted) this project over one weekend. Not included in that time are 2+ hours shopping for materials on the friday night before and extra hours over the next few days to buy pillows, tie on the drapery, and finish the cushions.

We actually changed the plans to make more of a smaller 'daycouch' rather than a 'daybed' because we had some old cushions from a loveseat we just got rid of that I wanted to repurpose. It worked out great for our small space. If you do change the proportions keep in mind that a 1X3, 1X4, etc., are not exactly 3", 4", etc.

This project is totally doable, so go for it! The only things I would recommend are that you have some skills with power tools, know a little about carpentry (the directions are pretty spartan), and paint the pieces beforehand (if you have the patience; it really does cut down time on painting all those slats).

*Important note: the materials list is missing 2 2"X4"X8" (for the 2 cleats) that you need to complete the project.

At the end of the day, my spice rack did not look anything like Ana's plan, but it did make my creative juices start.

I hung mine on my wall.  I used a premade panel as the backing which I then stained.  I boxed in the panel with a thin 1x2 along the sides so that the hanging wire would not show.  The shelves are 1x3 trimmed with the same 1x2 to provide a ledge so that the spice bottles won't fall off.

Still waiting on my labels to arrive so have not loaded up the jars yet!  Splurged on the jars from a specialty bottle company.  They are high grade impact resistant plastic that is super clear and lightweight.  The lids have a hinged top with one side having shaker holes and the other open to be able use a measuring spoon.

So proud of the finished result.  Thanks Ana!

I made this kitchen island for a friend who wanted it unfinished. I got the plan from Ana's site but it was submitted by Brookifer86. I made no changes to the original plans. I did splurge on a project top from Lowes at $22 and the stair stiles (i think you call them that) for the legs at about $2 each. What a really nice project and so easy to build. Hardest part was the 22 cross members on the bottom shelf. I think I will make another one but try to add a small drawer.

The lady that I made the table for has wanted to start building. So I made one small easily fixed mistake for her to fix. When she gets here to pick the island up I will hand her safety glasses, hearing protection, square, pencil and tape measure and let her go to work. She is also bringing shaker pegs that she can install. Should be fun.

THE TOP OF THE TABLE WAS MADE FROM A PINE TREE I CUT DOWN IN MY BACKYARD, THE LEGS ARE MADE FROM 4X4S I FOUND ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD

Just a fun tool caddy for the sports lover (Cubs or other teams) out there.  It has a beer opener on the side so you honestly don't have to move when cracking open a cold one.  Be it soda or beer that doesn't require you to twist it off.  

144 can dry storage for a pantry. In Amarillo Texas.

Built from scratch whith fake drawers, 3 big doors with shelves inside

reclamed palletwood top plained and sandered, finished with Osmo hardwax.

We needed a little extra workspace and storage in our kitchen, so I put this together for the wife. She wanted a smooth surface and wanted it to look a little less "clunky", so I modifed the plans from More Like Home a bit. It works great in our kitchen and it was fun to make.

Plans at: http://www.morelikehome.net/2012/10/day-3-build-kitchen-cart-with-2x4s.html

I had never built cabinets before, but I’ve been wanting to learn how to, and this corner in our house had been screaming for a bar area for awhile. I’m quite happy with the result, given that I’m only one year into woodworking! Thank you, Ana, for all your inspiration!

My little boy needed a table to sit at. The adults needed a “kids table” for when we have dinner guests. This served both functions. I had enough scrap for two chairs and spent a few bucks of the lumber for the table, some Valspar primer and spray paint, and there it was.

The only modification I made to the chairs was that I used pocket holes to fasten the back aprons to the side aprons for added strength instead of using wood screws through the end grain. I was barely able to squeeze my drill in the square but did it by severely contorting my wrist and hand.

Found this awesome project but decided to add on a rock climbing wall and an underslung Hammock to upgrade it to full Birthday present levels. My son now calls it his "Epic Bed" and absolutely loves it!

I modified the table to be a little smaller for a space. it came out beautifully. Love this build as it allows for a very large yet stable table that allows for seating on the ends as well. 

Fancy Jewelry Box, first attempt doing anything like this.

These were my first set of full size Adirondack chairs. I have several of the kids version. A friend of mine was moving and wanted some to set on her new patio. They were fairly simple to make but the painting was a little time consuming. All in all, I loved the way they turned out and she was pleased :)

The Flickr gallery for this project is at https://www.flickr.com/gp/akutz/86502i/.

A friend of mine asked me if I'd build her a farmhouse table per the plans at http://ana-white.com/2009/12/plans-farmhouse-table-knock-off-of.html. Sadly I still haven't gotten around to building her one (sorry Jennifer!), and that's partly because even after practicing my skills on smaller projects, a full-sized table still seemed like a big job. Around the same time my two year old daughter was walking all over the house, and our coffee table presented a constant threat of head-banging and side-hurting danger. Then I realized I could build a miniature version of the farmhouse table as a coffee table, and in the process round the corners to make it baby-safe!

Unfortunately I'm not disciplined enough to write down the exact measurements, or at least not keep them since I never think anyone will be interested in these things later. I take pictures just to show friends and family. However, since these plans came directly from the aforementioned link of the farmhouse table, it should be easy to figure this out. The only differences were that I created the outer dimensions based on the space the unit would be taking up in my living room. And with a couch with a chéz, it was important to stick to those.

Also, as you can see, I added a second level to the table so that we could place things on it, but also for stability. This was not difficult to do since I just created an internal shelf to place the planks across the bottom.

Since my father is a master carpenter, and I explained to him what I was doing, he also recommended that I not fasten the upper or lower planks to the outside with any single piece. He said that due to weather-caused expansion and contraction throughout the year, if I fastened the planks together at the ends with the bread boards, there would be much cracking. That's why you see the bottom supports fastened to the underside of each plank with an individual block of wood, and not with one long piece. That way the planks can move independently of one another. that's also why they're not fastened together long-ways.

One last note. I built those legs several times. The only way I was ever able to get them correct is when my father told me to buy a long router bit, clamp the legs together, and route them all with guides. He said getting cuts in four separate posts even like that is one of the hardest thing to do if you don't make the cuts at the same time. He was right, and with his approach the table was perfectly level!

That was my first real handmade project after just reading and following Ana Whites story and her diy projects for a while.

I´m coming from Germany and it took quite a while to "translate" all the lumber measurements to the german equivalents, since we don´t have the same ones. So I just took the similar lumber sizes I could find in a hardware store (Baumarkt), all in all 23 € for pine lumber plus wheel casters for 30 € each, which was the most expensive part of the project. I modified the size of the table as well and am very proud to present you my first project: my very first industrial coffee table for the home office.

I made the stain myself, by the way!

Here is the summary:

- one layer of black strong coffee (3 table spoons + 500 ml hotwater)

- 2-3 layers of steel + vinegar solution (sanding a bit inbeween)

- 2-3 layers of spar varnish (sanding a bit inbetween)

Hope you like it;) and thanks a lot to Ana White for being so creative and delivering loads of beautiful diy projects for woodwork lovers all over the world!

Looking forward to my next project!!!