Community Brag Posts

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.

We adopted two puppies: Blueberry and Pink, and needed a dog house. I showed my bf the post of the East Fork Dog House on this website for inspiration. He winged the basic construction as he's a carpenter guy. Our foster children helped paint it, and the puppies love it (chewed the corners of it already).

Made this table starting with Rustic X coffee table plans and made slight modifcations.

This is built to the plans although I ended up changing the bracing underneath the table top to make it a little stronger as the wood I used was not super dry and wanted to bend.

This is Ana's king sized farmhouse bed with an arch. This turned out great and is super strong...much better than most store bought pieces. The "king" cat thinks its pretty cool too.

We made these last year, and managed to find cushions at walmart- but I never loved them. This year I painted the pieces black, added an extra horizontal slat in the backs, and recovered the walmart cushions and added some from ikea.

This is a fantastic place to check my email in the morning and read in the afternoon.

Thanks!

I have made six of these so far.  Starting to become an expert on this one.  They look great in the yard and will look even better when I make the table to go with them. 

Used the Providence Bench plans to create this little piece. My wife loves the simplicity and also the sturdiness of the build with the 2x4’s utilized in various dimensional orientations. Simple build- used Kreg Jig and Miter Compound.

I built this for my daughter's room one Saturday afternoon. She even helped me sand and paint it! Its perfect for little ones who love to read. Keeps the books from spilling over the floor when we're looking for her favorites at night.

There was a cute little niche in the guest room my son and daughter-in-law stay in, probably designed for a dresser. With the addition of grandkids to our lives, I knew what they really needed was a changing table. On a trip to a popular home decor store, I saw a HUGE pile of lumber and shelves in a pile in the parking lot. I asked to see the manager who told me it was all being hauled away TO THE DUMP the following morning! I asked if I could take some off of her hands, and she said I could have all I wanted (a woodworker's dream come true!) I quickly put the seats down in my Pryus and stacked it to the ceiling! 3 trips later, and I managed to gather enough wood to make this project and many others, all for FREE! It's all 3/4" birch plywood. Most has deep scratches, probably from being thrown in a pile in the parking lot. Some of the scratches are too deep to sand (because of the birch veneer) so that is why I painted the top, sides and doors.

This was my first time making a drawer and these type of hinges. I also made the hardware and the legs. I love mid-century modern, so used a 1 X 4 and cut/sanded down a 1 X 1 at an angle for the legs (ok, honesty time, this was my 5th attempt! It took me awhile to figure out how to get the angle just right and make sure it was sturdy enough).

A big THANK YOU to my new KREG JIG, which I learned about in Ana's book. Without it, I couldn't have done this project!

I decided to build this for my wife for Christmas my times up and im not done yet but she loves it.

Love this adorable cart! Probably not as much as the recipient though 

My bathroom had no storage other than what is under the sink, and my hallway linen closet is TINY. So since I know I can find anything on Ana's site, I found a plan, and modified it a tad to get what I wanted =o) I am on a tight budget right now, so I built this using old plywood I had left over from other projects. Total cost approx 10 for the handles and hinges.