Community Brag Posts

I was searching for a table and chairs for my son's playroom, and I could not believe the prices! I had just purchased a new saw for some moulding projects around the house, and then I found this site. This table and chair was my first wood working project, and they turned out great! I followed the plans for the Clara table, but used a combination of the 4 dollar chair and modern angle chair. I loved how the chair turned out. I am currently working on the second. I used poplar instead of pine which increased the cost. I wanted a weathered finish, I ended up using water-based walnut stain over a white wash. I am so happy I found this site, my next project is patio furniture.

  I was lucky enough to have 100 year old barn wood for this table!  I used this rustic plan, but made a few tweaks of my own

For the bottom I decided to rest the shelf on top of the rails instead of pocket screwing them in from the side.  I thought this would show more character of the barn wood (saw marks, knots, etc) while adding stability.  With that change, you also need to adjust the height of the end rails (under the cross brace) to make it flush with the shelf.  

For the top I decided to use bread boards instead.  They are all fastened with 2 1/2" pocket screws (with a kreg jig),  as are all of the rails and bottom shelf boards.   For a different look, I recessed the x-brace and end rails to the inner third of the legs instead of flush to the outside.   However, this made it difficult to screw the x-braces in, so those are just glued in place (with good quality wood adhesive!).  Thankfully, they feel very sturdy and don't need screws!  Also, the fact that they are recessed reduces the chance they are kicked or bumped.  

I sanded through 220, to keep all of the original marks yet make it smooth to the touch

I finished it with 100% pure tung oil, which made the texture of the wood really pop, and turned it to a nice dark amber.  It would be a shame to make this wood hide behind stain and poly forever.  Tung oil is the best if you want imperfections highlighted, yet want a nice sheen.  The top boards got 5 coats, the bottom shelf 3 coats, and the frame 2. 

I designed this bench based off Ana's workbench to get the job done template.  I added a few features like a pegboard, under-cabinet lights, and a recessed saw table and spent some extra time to stain each piece before adding to the bench.  I took my time to build this - using free hours on the weekends and evenings over the course of about 4 months.

I love to build, but I also love to bake. I happen to have several small boxes of pudding and jello mix that clutter up the shelves of my pantry. Using a single 1 x 4 pine board and some scrap 1 x 2's, I came up with a simple dispenser to keep the boxes organized and out of the way. A really simple project, good for a beginner. The link to my blog contains building plans and step-by-step tutorial. 

I found the Fancy X Desk plan and loved it. I shortened the length to 4 feet and added a little monitor stand on top so I could put stuff under my monitor and not have to sacrifice desk space.

I loved the plans that were provided by Ana. I took a similar design from another website and blended it with her provided plans. Instead of using the sliding barn door look I modified them to be swinging doors with a shelf inside of each. I also added middle shelves that can be used for media consoles or decorations. 

This was my first crack at a project. I changed the plans a bit to make it wider and taller by one more shelf. I wanted an "espresso" finish to match my other furniture and after testing a bunch of different stains I settled on the General Finishes Gel Stain in Java. It was so much easier to work with than the others I tried, requiring only two coats, and the color turned out almost perfectly matching my C&B coffee table. I used the General Finishes Arm-R-Seal semi-gloss topcoat (two coats). Thanks for the plans!

Made this from typical dimensions of other cradle plans online and designed it off the cuff. Years ago, my dad made a cradle for me. I thought this would be a fun project to make for friends and family for their new little bundles of joy. The bottom is braced with the idea that older children will probably be playing in it. It was tested up to 65 lbs. All for approximately $60 with the mattress. Hopefully the recipients like it as much as we enjoyed building it. 

Paw Patrol!!!

I found Ana-white.com and was so inspired! I have been sewing for 15 years and had been admiring all the projects on various blogs I follow, but Ana's plans were the last straw (in a good way!). I was given a table saw by a contractor friend of mine and got my drill and miter saw for Christmas and my husband helped me build this as our first build. He didn't want the weight of the 2x12s so we went 1x12s and figured if it starts to look like it needs more support, we could always back it. So far it's doing great and fits right in an alcove in our living room. It replaced a cheap walmart bookshelf so even if we botched it we figured it'd be better than what we had! But I love how it turned out and we plan to keep on building!

My wife loves this divider.  I must say it makes things much more convenient and orderly.

I modified the back with a larger piece of wood because my cushions kept falling through. Then I painted it white to go better with my cushions. Only took about 4 hours to make and then a couple to paint. Good luck!

Super easy gift for a toddler

This is a set of photo ledges built for a friend!

Website article: http://www.lanebroswoodshop.com/2015/02/photo-ledges.html

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6jwfhwJQ-g

I've bookmarked this plan a long time ago just waiting for the time and energy to make it! I recruited my dad to help and he put it together for me over the weekend.
I used one coat of minwax dark walnut for stain and one coat of semi gloss polyurethane for protection.

My son loves it, and it looks great in his new room!

This memory board is 6ft tall x 3 ft wide using MDF 1x4 boards, baseboards, and crown molding layered over a sheet of 1/4" plywood covered with batting, fabric and burlap.  We found a similar item at a local furniture store and fell in love with it, but we were unwilling to pay the $1200 they were asking, so we built one ourselves.  I love the way it turned out and just need to find more pictures to add to the board.