Community Brag Posts

A nice and easy project for little people to enjoy getting in and out of chairs without worrying parents!

Used a router first time to soften the edges of the chairs and table. Also used a plug maker to fill up the counter sink holes. Love that stuff.

Didn't want to make all the chairs at once to figure out how I can improve on my process, and now I know that I should
1. Paint the slats prior to installing
2. Use router on the slats prior to installing
3. Use kreg jig to install the slats

Planning on making more chairs, or one more chair and 2 stools. Not sure yet.

As always, painting took the longest and I am not done yet. Will give a Minvax polycrylic gloss finish before putting into use.

First project. Modified so that the seat is more narrow.

I made this cabinet to house my murphy bed.  I used the Toy or TV Armoire plans as a start and adjusted the measurements as needed.

Modified to fit dimensions of some reclaimed lumber. Substituted some threaded steel rods instead of the wooden X.

I was living in an apartment in Waco with my newly minted husband, and was gearing up for a move to Lake Jackson after his graduation from school. I had this horribly flimsy Walmart platform bed that was at the end of its life. After I read a post on a favorite blog mentioning my now hero, I checked out the projects on Knock Off Wood. “Hmmm,” I thought, “I think I can do that!” So, I found the perfect plans for the queen-sized Farmhouse Bed, and went to visit my parents. Print-out in hand, I showed my dad what I had in mind. He was totally on board, and said he even thought he had all the lumber we needed in his barn. And he did! We spent a Sunday afternoon shopping his barn, and then loaded it all up to drive over to his shop to do all the cutting.

Here’s the best part. I then loaded every single cut piece of lumber into my Honda Civic and drove it back to Waco. Yes, people. I didn’t even have an SUV, I had an economy size 4-door sedan. And I fit all that lumber in it! As soon as I got home, I was raring to go. Unfortunately, the Husbane was not. He was grumpy, and moaning about trying to put a bed together in an apartment. So I huffily said “Screw You!” and went on my merry way. Okay, that’s a total lie. I actually cried and shamed him with my words into helping me, because he was ruining this exciting new prospect with his bad attitude. Feeling like a horrible person, he apologized and took me to McCoy’s to get all the screws and hardware we needed to put this behemoth together. We put the headboard together as a team, and once I learned just how to use a power drill (it really was my first time ever!) I put the footboard together all by myself. I was so proud! Then we put on the side boards, figured out the rails and slats, and pushed the last screw in the next day. For just $16, a lot of free barnwood, and gallons of sweat and tears, we had our very first hand made bed. And I couldn’t be prouder.

This a Anna White.com Inspired Folding Chalkboard design. I just made a couple slight modification. Slightly larger, and tray to hold chalk and eraser.

This one was build for my two year old nephew as his birthday gift! I think Wyatt and his brother Marshall will get a lot of good use out of the gift.

Anna and John thank you for providing such a fantastic site!

Best Regards,

Bob C

"Remember Working SAFELY IS the most important thing you can do!"

I changed the plans just slightly. I used 2x4's for framing and enlaged the shed somewhat and added a floor. I also used a different type of roof to handle the amount of rain in my area.

Went to a local farmer, who had a barn falling down and asked if I could get some wood. He allowed me to take a few pieces and turned it into a corner cabinet for my wifeWent to a local farmer, who had a barn falling down and asked if I could get some wood. He allowed me to take a few pieces and turned it into a corner cabinet for my wife

I altered the plans to the full-sized slipper chair so that I can document my upholstering process. SUPER easy, SUPER cute build (and my daughter loves it, so even if it weren't easy, it'd have been worth it :-))

I made this table and bench for my wife, for Christmas. She loves it.

Loved the project.  i'd been away from woodworking a while and this sure got me started again.  My husband was so impressed he fixed me a place in his shop and bought me some new equipment. It took me several days over weekends and after work, and i tried my hand at distressing and was pleased with the results. Thanks for the directions, they were great!

Pam Barlow

From watching Olympic gymnast Simone Biles on the television to running, flipping and twirling all around our living room — my girls LOVE everything gymnastics. Both girls began competing with a local gymnastics club. Now that my oldest has moved up and is pretty serious about practicing her beam handstands and dismounts, she begged me to build a raised balance beam with suede covering so it would have a similar feel to her beam at the gym.

If you can relate to this, or even if you have a new gymnast (like my youngest in the pic above) wanting to improve their skills at home, then this comprehensive tutorial on how to build a raised balance beam is for you.

Full plans available on my blog The Creative 'Carr'penter. You can also find and pin this tutorial on Pinterest here.

Our "home made" bed. We made this bed from discarded cedar posts found on the property. Three of the main bed posts were the original entry gate posts at The Bed Rox and the one closest in the foreground used to stand where the cabin stands now.

This is our third project. We needed a table set in the living room since our IKEA coffee table did not survive the move to TX. My husband and I fell in love with the rustic X collection and decided to start with the coffee table first. Everything was quite straight forward until cutting the 2x2 for the X. Well, without much wood-working experience, I made a rookie mistake of cutting them to length before cutting the angles. Eventually, we came up inches short on the 2x2 bars to make a complete X. We had to re-measure and re-cut all the angled bars. But we made it! At first, my husband got frustrated and wanted to leave the X's out and let the table be open on all four sides. But since we are trying to build a whole collection (end tables next, and then console able), I really wanted the X's to make them cohesive. So we survived the taunting tasks and have learned from the experience. We cut the 2x2 a little long and then mark them against the frame before we cut. The original measurements from the plan did not really match up to our frame so we decided to mark and fine-adjust. It worked out well. There was a slight "rainbow curve" in the middle plank of the table top. We decided to use a heavy duty 2 1/2 PH screw on the sides to suck it in, to try to make it level. It worked out well too! At the end, we sanded all the corners and tops really well because I wanted an even top. It is a very nice size coffee table and heavy and sturdy. And we are both extremely happy with the final product.

I couldn't find a wrapping paper holder, so I thought I would take a shot at it myself. So, using Ana's advice on the Kreg jig, and some leftovers from her headboard project, I had 4 - 1x4's (42" each) I "Kreged" (and glued) together. Making a giant frame. Then I used a 1" paddle drill bit to put holes 3 1/2" apart all they way down the right side (about 1/2 way through the board). Next, I used a 1x2 and drilled holes all the way down and all the way through (matching the height of the ones on the other side). Then I used a scroll saw to cut out the extra little piece on the 1x2 and make the slots for the pole to enter. And sanded and attached to the left side. I added a 1x2 at the top and bottom, all the way across the inside back to mount. I had some leftover pvc I cut to fit and then decided to buy aluminum conduit pipe from the electrical dept. (It's only 2$ for a 10' piece) then I cut it with a hacksaw and smoothed the sharp edges with a file. Perfect. Stronger than the pvc and nicer looking.

Since this desk was going against a wall I turned one of the bookcases so it would be accessible. I also added a 1x2 border around the top just to give it a nice finish.  I stenciled the top and added a white stain and poly over it to add a little flair.  Thank you Ana for the easy to follow directions!

This little nightstand holds tons of stuff.