Community Brag Posts

Outdoor Farmhouse Table made of Cedar

Submitted by PattiSca on Mon, 06/24/2013 - 06:55

We used the plans for the Farmhouse Table Knockoff similar to the one from RH, to build this table. We made some changes, and some hints:

1. The table is made of Cedar, as it will be used outside. Pine is just not an outdoor-friendly material, but Cedar is rather insect-proof. This will be used at a beach house.

2. We used 1x, not 2x on the top. The top just seemed to clunky with the 2x size. Plus, it's near impossible to find 2x in cedar.

3. We couldn't find 8x1 or 8x2 for the breadboard, so we used 6x1 (same as the table top).

4. We measured the length of the breadboard before we cut. I"m glad my husband made that suggestion because I found the seven (7) 1x6's totaled 38 3/4, not 38 1/2 as the plans call for. So it really does depend on the wood and humidity and such. So I think it's a wise decision to measure the width of all of the boards before you cut that piece.

5. We did not screw into the table top as recommended by the plans.

Estimated Cost
$250, including screws
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
None at this time. My sister wants to age the wood first, and then I'm going to bug her until she puts a marine grade finish on it :)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kitchen Table

Submitted by dcdorey on Sat, 06/06/2015 - 10:32

Simple farmhouse table

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Table for barbecue

Submitted by Pjc6 on Sat, 12/30/2017 - 11:38

Modified plans to make it a little larger. Top is brown and bottom is ‘wild currant’ (red)

Estimated Cost
$80
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Top was Olympic paint / sealant. Bottom was SW enamel acrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Bunk bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 14:45

Great build, easy to follow, very affordable. Thanks so much.

Comments

Tryde Coffee Table

Submitted by kylihoot on Mon, 04/25/2011 - 19:36

This was a build for My Mother-In-Law, she loves it!
I did not use 4x4s, I used two 2x4s because I was concerned the treated lumber would not stain properly.
Thanks Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
40$
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut Stain,and Minwax water based clear satin polyurathane. I used an old sock to apply the stain, with the grain!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Bedside Table

Submitted by pkniland on Tue, 06/25/2013 - 13:37

Use poplar because it takes paint so well. Ended up using a preambled worktop for the top. Pocket screws and glue.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White base with a mahogany stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

jshock

Tue, 09/22/2015 - 09:21

How do I find the plans for these two bed side night stands?

Rustic table

Submitted by jdawn1988 on Mon, 01/01/2018 - 16:05

We built our table from the rustic table plans and I am in love. I am a beginner and I was so scared but it turned out amazing!! Thank you for giving me the courage and confidence to start building my own furniture! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax stain in slate
Minwax polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Cottage Loft Bed WITH Stairs

Submitted by mdesign on Fri, 04/29/2011 - 11:37

I've been working on this little dandy since before Ana posted her Cottage Loft bed. It took longer because of the 1x6's but I thought it would be cuter that way and more cottage looking. All of the 1x6 boards were fastened together with the Kreg Jig, and the house is sturdy and HEAVY! My intentions were never to use it as a loft bed but rather a playhouse for my two girls and a place to put all their stuff. My oldest has however fallen in love with it, so when I feel comfortable with her sleeping that far off the ground I would guess that it will become a bed. For those of you that are contemplating it a Kreg Jig and some kind of paint sprayer are absolute musts for this project, no way around it! And don't plan on completing it in a short amount of time, with babysitters and being a stay at home mom it took almost a month from first board cut to bringing it back in from the garage. I'll post more on my blog if you'd like to check it out!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Paint and distressing
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Black Walnut Farmhouse Table

I saw the farmhouse table plans on the site and forwarded them to my father, who was quite interested in what I wanted to build. We decided the specs for the 72" tabletop in order to fit my dining room. What I didn't know was that my father, Charlie, had already located some pristine black walnut to construct the table and had already begun planing the wood for the table. My loving aunt and uncle "donated" the wood to me and my Aunt Mitch & dad planed all the wood themselves. As you will see, the planks that run along the top of the table are not the same size however the overall size if the tabletop is the same. Charlie fit everything together and made it work. He cut all the pieces and did all the work! Therefore, we have a beautiful, unique and absolutely STUNNING new table for our family!
Thanks to Ana White for this site, to my aunt & uncle for their resources and
time, to my husband who meticulously and gingerly applied the poly and finishing touches - and thanks especially to my loving father, Charlie, for all of his hard work, talent & generosity. We will now have a beautiful table to share years of memories & meals with one another!!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Eating!!
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

Tryde Coffee Table Variation

Upgraded the original to fit the style of our living room. Just a few dollars more in wood. Changed the frame setup as well.

Very busy so I only have time to do a little bit at a time so I have no real idea how long it really took to build. All I know is the finishing took the longest: 2 coats black painted lower with 2 coats stain on the (custom color) and 2 coats polyurethane on the top piece.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$103
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Min wax Jacobean and red stain mix. Polyurethane topped.
Black paint on lower.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Letter A shelf

Submitted by Knathu121 on Fri, 01/05/2018 - 20:14

I made this Letter A shelf for my daughters nursery with scrap wood I had.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Under $10 due to the fact that I only need to buy screws.
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Spray painted white and then lightly spray painted pink.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Bed- Queen Sized - Self milled wood.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 19:46

All of the wood used in the project was milled in our yard, from trees on our land. The 4x4 uprights are poplar, and the rest is spruce, all originating within 500m of our house. The wood was sticker stacked for 2 years prior to planing down to the required size( last picture shows a not yet planed 1X6.)

Was a great project we have had many compliments on as it is the bed in our guest bedroom and has been used plenty during the Christmas season.

My only change up was using 1x6 for the side rails instead of 1x10 due to availability. Turned out amazing!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Farmhouse Table~squared.

Submitted by Dinabu on Wed, 05/04/2011 - 09:24

I really really wanted a farmhouse table...but...we had a space that needed a square table AND I needed to fit 8-12 people (or more!) so we modified Ana's farmhouse table plans to not only be square, but really big as well. This table is 6 ft on each side. Since the table itself was so big, we reversed the breadboard ends and used a 2x4 on 2 ends just to even out the size a bit since is not rectangular...and the area is quite small but needed a big table. I didnt want it to be completely out of proportion. We did not use a stretcher because of the square factor, but each leg is a 4x4 post and reinforced underneath. It's HEAVY. It won't be moved anytime soon! I'm loving it:)

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Black semi-gloss with 2 coats of clear gloss poly for legs and table skirting, dark walnut for top with 5 coats clear gloss poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Tilt Trash Can

We used Ana's tilt trash can plans and antique/distressed finishing tips. It came out great! We love it!! Thanks Ana!!!

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Distressed finish using dark walnut stain and antique white.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JoanneS

Mon, 07/01/2013 - 16:11

Love it! Your finish is awesome. This looks just like an antique - you've got an instant heirloom! :)

Modified Twin - Kentwood Headboard ONLY

Submitted by Shellz on Mon, 06/22/2015 - 00:43

I omitted some of what was called for in the original plans at ana-white.com. I wanted only a headboard. I then opted to go without the plywood backing when I found out that my local Home Depot's cutting area was not cutting due to the machines needing to be repaired. I added an extra piece of wood to the legs to accommodate attaching the bed frame. The finish is Varthane Red Oak and sealed with Minwax Polycrylic in Satin.

My mom is very happy to be getting these two headboards for her spare room. (The other one is still on my work table in the garage awaiting assembly and final finish!) Thanks for great plans to work from Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$45 each headboard
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Varthane: Red Oak stain
Minwax: Polycrylic in Satin
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Table

Submitted by debbB78 on Sun, 01/07/2018 - 14:26
Build this table with provided plans but tweaked them a little to make the table a little wider. I used (4) 2x10's and (1) 2x12 in the middle to make the top. I build the base wider to accommodate the larger top. It's a beast but I love it! Brought the base in the house and attached the top in the dining room.
Estimated Cost
I honestly didn't keep track of what I spent but I'd sat around $250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Stained it with one layer of Minwax Special Walnut, let that dry over night then added a layer of Minwax Weathered Oak. 
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Narrow Console Table - Farmhouse Collection

I loved this project. Since I can't buy wood, I have to use wood from pallets, or where ever I can find free wood. In this case I used 2x4's from pallets, 1x4 oak slats from an old bed frame I acquired and 1x4's from a large solid maple dog crate I acquired. The top was made from cabinet grade plywood we had left over from cabinets my husband made two years ago when we remodeled the kitchen (so I have to say that was purchased). The maple dog crate had some awesome wood, even tho it had been broken in a couple places. Just had to plane down the reddish finish on it. Since it was going to be painted, I didn't care what kind of wood I used. The only thing I had to buy were the corner brackets. Even the screws were from pallets we acquired, just had to paint the heads black.

Comments

Pallet shelf for less than $5.00

Submitted by stedders on Fri, 05/06/2011 - 19:08

This project was super quick, cheap, and easy to make. I created it using an old recycled pallet, vintage sterling silverware, and leftover stain from another project. I simply sanded and stained it.

Estimated Cost
Under $5.00
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Mahagony
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Simple Bed (Full Size

Submitted by rlsavard on Wed, 07/03/2013 - 10:03

Great first project I made for my 2 year old son. He loves his "big boy bed" and I thoroughly enjoyed making it. I made the headboard first, then waited a day to do the footboard. I was able to think the process through better during that period and the footboard came out much better than the headboard, although maybe I'm just aware of these differences because I'm the one that made it. All in all it was a great learning experience and a wonderful way to dive into wood working. Thanks for all your plans, Ana!

Estimated Cost
$300 (materials and new tools)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

1st time project!

Submitted by The_big_al on Wed, 06/24/2015 - 19:10

This was a pretty easy build. This was my first project and this looked like a pretty straightforward plan. I read over it several times before deciding what to do. I didn't like that it was held together using only screws. I anticipated that these beds will be moved several times over their lifetime and I did want to hassle with the screws stripping out the wood. Instead I used a 3/8 bolt and washer/nut set up so I could take the bed apart without worrying about stripping out the wood with screws. This necessitated drilling several large unsightly holes at the connection points. To help disguise this I trimmed it out using door casing and finished it out by staining the whole bed. The result was a classic look that will last my daughter's lifetime.

I will note that I changed a few parameters. I routed and the edges including the slats with a rounded corner edge. I used a 2x6 for the top cap of the head/footboards. With the addition of the trim work and bolt hardware, this did change the overall cost of the project. Total cost was probably close to $200. Had I stuck strictly to the plans I would have been closer to $100.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Because I changed a few parameters total cost was a bit higher. I think it was about $200 including hardware and stain.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
The Simple Bed plans work great. They were easy to follow. They were also simple enough I could make modifications without too much issue.

To make the bed I made, I made two headboards (in anticipation of making a bunk bed). Instead of using screws to hold the bed together I used a 3/8 4" bolt and nut combo. 4 bolts to hold the 4x4 posts to the head/footboard and 8 (2 on each end) to hold the side rails. I countersunk the bolts into the posts to hide the bolt head. I drilled 1 1/2 inch holes on the inside of the side rails and headboards to access the bolts and attache a washer and nut. Once tightened,the bolts holding the posts to the headboard will never have to come apart. Only the bolts for the rails have to be left accessible to take the bed apart for moving. However I was then left with huge unsightly holes in the outsides of the side rails and the insides of the head/footboards. I was going to leave it thinking it wouldn't look that bad but after assembling the bed I realized how unfinished it would look. That is when I decided to add the trim work which not only really made the bed look finished it hid all holes I had to drill. I did leave the holes in the backs of the posts uncovered since access to them is needed for assembly and dis-assembly.

Dimensions for the holes were calculated based on using the 1x6's in the headboard and the 2x6's in the side rails. If you want exact dimensions I can give you those. Just email me, however it was simple enough to figure out where to place them. The trickiest part is getting the holes drilled in the posts to line up with the headboards and rails.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate