Community Brag Posts

I combined a few different plans here, mostly the Playhouse deck, swingset.

I haven't finished it yet, this spring I want to finish the exterior as it's just primed plywood right now. Still going to add a window above the balcony (there is a loft up there).

I insulated the roof/ceiling and will insulate the walls when we finish it. In the bottom we'll be putting in a sandbox with a cover that folds up into benches.

It was a fun project and should give our girls many years of fun.

I built these tables for a friend in need. I enjoyed building these. Need these for my house now.

Fatbike rack! Ten minute project for the beginner. Heavy enough to keep your bike standing upright even in windy conditions. Great if you are short on space.
(2) 14" treated 2x4
(2) 28" fence posts
(8) 3 1/2" outdoor screws
6" space between the fence posts
Alter width, if needed, for your bike tire.
No part of the bike hits the wood except the tire.'

HI all!
This is my first project and brag post. I really like this website and reading all the blogs and brag posts. The information is very informative and inspiring.

I really liked DirtSquirt's Loft Bed (Double Mattress), so I decided to give it a try! I contacted DirtSquirt to get a copy of the plans (Full size Farmhouse Bed and How to Build a Loft Bed) and the Google Sketch up. I pretty much followed the plans except I made the area underneath the bed taller (approx 58 inches), I chose to stain, and I did not secure the slats to the side rail as they are pretty were pretty snug. I'll probably go back and secure in the near future for uniformity in the spacing.

To be honest, I think the staining was the hardest part...LOL. I had never stained before so in hindsight I probably should started off with a way smaller project. Eventually, I got the hang of how to putty the holes with wood filler and then stain to get a consistent look and feel without the blotches!

My future plans are to build a desk to create a study area underneath.

Sugarpig1

I found this table idea on:

http://diy-my-homes.com/stunning-purebond-plywood-dining-table/

...then went for it. This is only the third thing I have built so it was one of those "Sure, I can do that" projects. At first I tried the hairpin metal legs, but they just didn't look right so I went with another design which I feel came out much better. Did a mix of 1 1/2" Birch and Oak strips on top of 3/4" MDF for the top. 2x6 routed out X for the legs bound together with 3 1/2" lag bolts and a 4x4. The chairs you see I picked up for $10 each from IU's surplus warehouse and the before/after are in the picture. All in all I am happy!

Thanks to Ana, Kelly and Dave for sharing their plans.

I built this mostly with scraps I had from other projects so I didn't follow the plans exactly.

This project has been a long time coming and I'm so excited that it is finally finished. We modified the plans to better fit our media center opening, so it is about the same dimensions as the original Pottery Barn Benchwright TV Stand. We also used true dimension lumber, so we adjusted the measurements based on that. This is definitely my favorite project to date!

We were shopping for bunk beds for our 5 and 3-year-old kids, and everything I saw was overpriced, mass produced junk. I'm not kidding - we were looking at $800-$2000 for anything that appeared to be remotely stable, let alone well-designed.

Naturally, I started searching for plans (it's the right thing to do), and naturally, I found my way to Ana White. This project began in earnest when I found the Side Street Bunk Bed plans here:
http://ana-white.com/2012/03/plans/side-street-bunk-beds

I figured I'd give it my own twist. I needed to practice using my DeWalt compact router (and the new trim router table my wife had given me months before), and any excuse to bust out my Kreg Jig is fine by me. I also had different ideas for the ladder and guard rails...so I printed out the plans, sketched out my variations, and proceeded to suffer through the indignity of lumber shopping at Home Depot.

I know what you're thinking - WHY would anyone even bother trying to find a straight board in THAT place? Well believe me, I suffered for the convenience of driving to the HD two miles from my house. I had to work each and every board like crazy, but eventually I got em all into fine shape. Wood wants to be good, even the crap they sell at HD.

About halfway through the build, I started to worry that what i was building was TOO sturdy - total overkill. But now that it's in use, I can tell you I'm glad I built with these plans. I can still climb up on top of the bed with both my kids if I want to and this thing doesn't budge. Not an inch. Not a creak. SOLID. Exactly what any parent wants.

Not a lot of complex tools involved here; my trusty Delta chop saw, my DeWalt 18v cordless drill, a DeWalt palm sander ( I spent hours with this), the Kreg Jig and a couple of clamps (of course), and the DeWalt Compact Router and table. The router really made a difference in the overall design – and I wasn't afraid of screwing up the lousy lumber I was working with. In the end, it all finished rather nicely.

I treated every piece with Minwax wood conditioner, then a single coat of Minway Polyshade in Pecan. Nothing fancy, but after sanding it down and giving it a polish, I gotta say it looks just as good as your average IKEA finish. Not bad at all.

This is the largest piece of functional furniture I've ever built, and my kids LOVE it. They talked about it for days after, and you can't buy that on Amazon. It was a real confidence builder, and I'm PSYCHED to move on to some nicer lumber and more complex projects!

We decided to build this a bit bigger and taller. I will caution you to be careful as we came inches to not making it through our doorways. We expanded the depth 15" to make it a full bed and we extended the length of the legs to allow for 48" clearance underneath.

We also went with a rock wall instead of a ladder. I 1st built the angle too steep; recommend at least a 30 degree angle on a wall. Kid's love it; mom not so much when attempting to make the bed! :)

We went with military theme - green rope lights, camo netting for a roof, and sandbags filled with old clothes from my high school years for a bunker underneath.

Still working on a sign for top of the door.

Great project! Thanks for the idea!

Made tis twice. First one was a mess, Bought more wood and started over aware of problem areas and built more carefully second time.

Wood Stocking Stand built by Nico

We needed a guest bed in a hurry and this fit the bill.

Modified the Round X Base Table plans a bit. Made the table 25 inches high, 38 inches diameter. I glued 4 poplar 1x12's together using a biscuit joiner. I then rough cut my circle with a jigsaw. I then made up a quick circle cutting jig to cut the perfect circle with my router using a straight bit. Then i rounded over the edges with a roundover bit.
Another adjustment i made was making the legs straight as opposed to being on an angle as it was intended as a children's table.
The table was stained using Minwax Chestnut Gel Stain, which is so easy to use.
I finished it with 3 coats of Minwax water based Polyacrylic.

The chairs were something i saw for sale on a website, so i tried to copy it. They were selling the chairs for $150 each, i made mine for about $15 for the pair. They are made out of pine stained the same as the table.

Did this project over the span of two weekends.

only tough part really was the X sides. Had to source from a friend.

Farmhouse Desk

Built desk for larger room but in hindsight should have shortened the length by about a foot. Great solid sturdy desk and easy to build.

For my son's 7th birthday, I promised him a new lofted bed. I poured over different designs, drooled over all of the different things I could make, worried about whether or not I could actually do it. Nothing in the market fit my requirements or my budget... I was determined to make this for my son.

Over the long weekend, this bed was constructed... a little "Loft Bed", a little "Claire", a little "Cabin" and a little inspired innovation and ta-da: The Fred-enstien Bed :)

Claire guardrails and bookshelf supports
Modified Claire Desk (work in progress)
Cabin Headboard
Custom built storage shelf stairs (he didn't want a ladder)

Next weekend will be touching up the paint and installing the remaining bookshelves

I was in mood for a while and made a few wall decor pieces this was one I put in my room