Community Brag Posts
Reclined Back Outdoor Sofa and Chair DIY
OK, I think this build may be my biggest project yet! It is definitely the heaviest. With the strong winds we can get here in Florida we needed substantial outdoor furniture.
I did make some modifications along the way measurement-wise so the sofa would fit my front porch better. All in all, this took 2 full days. I built the sofa first, stained it the next day and then decided (due to trying to get stain in all the nooks and crannies) to stain the chair pieces first before putting it together.
I am so happy with the results and so far, almost a year later, this furniture looks great and hasn't moved an inch in any of the thunderstorms we've had! Thank you Ana!!
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Modern Rustic Outdoor Sofa Inspired by RH Merida
I was in love with the RH Merida set because of its clean lines and modern style. Also, the plan seemed simple enough that I could re-create it without a pattern. The only thing that I did not like about it is the lack of arms. I really like to have a place to put my arm or my beverage :) - so I added arms to the design.
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Thu, 05/30/2019 - 18:45
It’s beautiful! Do you have…
It’s beautiful! Do you have a set of plans that you might be willing to share?
Wed, 05/20/2020 - 10:45
stuck in the middle.
This is Awesome. I'm halfway in the middle as i thought I could complete without plans. Do you have any plans could share. Please....
Fri, 06/19/2020 - 15:54
plans for the RH Merida
were you able to get plans? I would LOVE plans too! we want to try and re-create this and would prefer NOT to get stuck!
Fri, 06/19/2020 - 15:55
Would LOVE to get plans,…
Would LOVE to get plans, would even pay for them! Found rough drawings online but they are chicken scratch and hard to interpret!
Twin Farmhouse Bed with Trundle
Took the farmhouse plan and added a Trundle. Was initially going to build two farmhouse beds for my two girls, but thought adding the Trundle would free up some much needed floor space. The girls love it!
Queen Murphy Bed
Not too bad of a project but had to a good bit of guess work so I could changed the plans for a queen size bed and flip in on its side.
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Sun, 05/29/2016 - 18:50
Measurements
Good evening!
I am new at wood working, and would be very interrested in knowing the different measurements you changed to get from a twin to queen murphy bed. If it is posted on this page, I tried but couldn't find it. Thank you for your help. Have a good day.
Marie-Julie
Fire Pit Swings
My wife saw something like this on Pinterest and desperately wanted one. The one she saw was hexagonal in shape. We didn't need as many swings so we went with just a plain square shape. We used 6x6s for the legs and posts across the top and used 4x4s for the angled support pieces. We built the swings using the plan from this website. All the materials can be picked up at the blue and orange stores. However when it came to the springs for the swings, the blue store was 1/3 of the price of HD. The legs are 12' long and buried 4' under the ground and cemented in for strength. Luckily I am retired military and was able to rent an auger for 1/2 the price of HD or the blue store. You could do it by hand but it saved us hours and lots of back pain. We found our dimensions for the size we wanted and spray painted dots on the ground where the posts were going to go. We dug the holes and stuffed the 6x6s in them. Using a post level we made sure they were plum. We braced them and added the quickrete and left them to setup over night. The next day we had to make sure all the tops were level with each other. This is where having some knowledge of physics paid off. I took clear tubing and screwed it above the height that I wanted on one post and then screwed the other end to another post. Fill it with water until the water level on the first post is where I wanted it (8 feet high) and it will automatically fill it level on the other end. There is a picture of this above. Water will always level itself out. I had to do this because my yard is at a slight down hill grade. We marked it and cut the tops off to make it level. After attaching the 6x6s on the top with 8" lag bolts it was time to paint. After painting was done we built 3 swings from Ana's plans. We shortened them by 6" to give room to walk between the legs and the swings. All in all it was a great project that only took two dedicated weekends. My wife still has to paint the swings though.
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Wed, 05/27/2015 - 07:42
6x6 attachment to the top
How did you attach the 6x6's to the top? Is it a miter cut at 45 degrees and then put together with the lag bolts. I'm kinda confused. Thanks.
Wed, 05/27/2015 - 22:38
Sounds Like
It sounds and looks like the top 6x6s are mitered and sit on top of the end of the vertical posts. I'd say at least one lag bolt each way to hold the mitered corner together and then at least one in each piece down into the vertical to hold it in place.
Sun, 07/19/2015 - 16:26
Are there plans?
I have looked at several versions including the hexagon pergola's, but this is exactly what we want. Do you have plans that you can email me? [email protected]
Sun, 04/19/2020 - 12:33
Plans please
If you recurved plans can you please send to me?
[email protected]
Sun, 04/19/2020 - 12:33
Plans please
If you recurved plans can you please send to me?
[email protected]
Wed, 04/29/2020 - 16:18
Need material list and plans
I was looking for material list and plans if you have any please send to [email protected] thanks
Mon, 04/27/2020 - 10:24
WOW, LOVE!!! This is simply…
WOW, LOVE!!! This is simply gorgeous! What a warm and welcoming addition to your yard. And thanks for sharing your method of finding level for your posts on your sloped yard. I absolutely love it!
Thu, 10/22/2020 - 06:53
Requesting Plans
Love this, can you please email me the plans @ [email protected]
Fri, 03/26/2021 - 05:58
This is beautiful. Would…
This is beautiful. Would love to see the plans for this. How small can it be made?
2x4 sectional outdoor sofa
My first Ana White project. My friend Shelley and I are RN's, and she got me hooked on woodworking. I started with cushions from Lowes ( in the sizes that you recommended)to see if I loved the sectional for a few years. I loved it so much I decided to have custom Sunbrella fabric ones made. Even though the custom ones were more expensive, it has been worth it. They go perfect with my California Mission style home. Now I want to add the armless one and make it a U-shape. I did add a piece at the bottom back of each sofa to hold the cushions in. The seat cushions would slide out the back when sitting on the sofa. I made the coffee table to match. Our family loves it!
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Outdoor Covered Seating
I built two 3 person outdoor sofa's and a coffee table as per your plans. It is sitting nicely inside the pergola we build last fall. I built a grill table too, to match the others. Thank You.
Dining room sideboard
I made a few modifications from the original plans as I wanted to have some visibility into the cabinets. I used natural pine and finished with a tea, vinegar/steel wool solution to give it the reclaimed wood look.
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Wed, 08/17/2016 - 23:42
Beautiful!
Would you have plans available for the modifications that you made? This is beautiful!!
Mon, 07/22/2019 - 10:52
Do you have plans for the…
Do you have plans for the modifications you made on the doors? Thank you
Sawhorse Table
New table for our patio space. This was a fun, relatively easy project. The weather was my only hiccup in the building. Spent an afternoon making cuts, the next day sanding and staining and then assembly. Hubby saw the pieces laid out before staining was complete and loved the two tone look, so I went with it. I used minwax Kona for the stained area and covered everything with Spar Varnish.
Spar Varnish
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Outdoor Sofa
This was our first big project with our Kreg Jig. We adapted the plans to make the sofa 8' long. On Friday night, my husband did all the cuts and I pre-painted everything. With the help of our son, we had the whole sofa built in a few hours on Saturday morning. I puttied the visible holes, did a second coat of paint, and made custom cushions. The plans were very easy to follow. I followed the others' advice about pre-painting and assembling the back on a perfectly level surface. It came out better than I expected and it's super comfortable!
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Sun, 04/10/2022 - 10:33
WOW Gorgeous!
Thank you for sharing, it looks amazing! Would love to hear how you made the cushions.:)
Mon, 04/11/2022 - 07:44
I want this one
I want the plans for this one! I like this style a lot better. I really like how the bottom cushions are at a slant. I suck at modifying plans.
Farmhouse Potting Bench
Proud of this, my very first build. Thanks to Ana White for the detailed, easy to follow plan. Can hardly wait to start the next project!
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Fri, 06/16/2023 - 22:02
Amazing first project!
Absoutely love this, way to go! Can't wait to see your next project.
Planked Wood Bedside Table with Shelves
I built these for my daughter's 22nd birthday, after she showed me a set of night stands that resembled these from the site. They were my first furniture woodworking project I have ever done. I did add a set of gussets at the bottom, below the bottom shelf. I had to rip the 2x2's for this project, as I can't find any where around that sells them. I opted for a paint brush finish on the body to give it an antique look. I used 7 coats of polycrylic to give the shelves some depth. I just loved how the stain shows off the grain and knots in the wood.
My daughter loved them when I revealed them on her birthday.
Modern farmhouse bed with nightstands
I made this beautiful bed in just one (long) day (12h). The next day I made the nightstands with the scraps of wood from the bed.
Outdoor sectional
Loved these easy to follow plans and love our outdoor living room!
Great Plan for Garage Shelf!
This was an easy project to complete in an afternoon that does not require any advance woodworking skills
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Wed, 11/26/2014 - 12:19
This project looks even
This project looks even better than mine! I love look with paint! Well done!
Wed, 12/10/2014 - 09:41
Thanks Ana!
This is my second completed project with plans and ideas from your website. Thanks for your good work!
Chunky leg bedframe
I got tired of sleeping on the floor like college kids, but I didn’t want to buy a junky particle board bedframe. My husband and I are novice woodworkers. Even still, we bought the lumber around noon and managed to finish the whole project in about 5-6 hours! We used a Kreg jig for the first time and it was pretty simple. I am really pleased with how this turned out, and I can’t wait to try more of Ana’s plans in the future.
Hall Tree minus rustic X
I followed the Rustic X Hall Tree plans almost entirely. I chose to replace the “X” with vertical posts, though I may use the X in a future project. The bench top is two 1” thick oak boards milled at my farm. Love the contrast of the white and stained oak. The plans were perfect!
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Built-in Desk with Dog Kennel
Built in desk with dog kennel complete with slide out printer drawer!
by Lisa
Outhouse
Added shingles and a 3" vent in the back. Also made it a 2-seater to prolong time between dig-outs and extended the roof overhang. Two inch T&G siding seemed like overkill. I used regular 1x8. Painted it to blend in with the woods.
The perfect sewing table!
I have been looking at sewing furniture for years, but the prices always made my jaw drop. I have a small craft room, so I needed a table that could also triple as a cutting table and fabric storage. Thank you so much to Ana White for this plan! I built exactly to the plan in The Handbuilt Home, and it's the PERFECT size.
So the sewing machine can sit flush with the top, making working on big sewing projects way easier, I traced the outline of my machine on the MDF and cut it out with a jig saw. Then I built a small shelf using a 1x12 scrap and 2 1x3 scraps. Putting the 1x3s on top of the 1x12 made the shelf 3.75 inches deep, which is exactly the depth I needed. I attached it to the underside of the tabetop using a pockethole jig and screws.
I built 2 boxes using 1/4 inch plywood, and installed drawer pulls on them, giving the illusion that the table has 2 drawers built in. This is where I keep my ugly stuff--interfacing and fabric scraps.
I got the color scheme for the table from the entryway console plan in The Handbuilt Home. In order to make the MDF top look like it had a wood grain, I applied mahogany gel stain with an old washcloth in very thick strokes that spanned the length of the tabletop. It soaked in and lost the "grain" look in some places, but the majority still looks like wood. I did have to apply several coats of polyurathane over the stain; the MDF has a prickly texture that grabs fabric and makes it hard to feed through the sewing machine.
My only complaint is that I didn't quite think through the fact that seating is bar height and I'm 5'7". It's a little difficult to reach my sewing machine pedal. I may build a small stool for the pedal to sit on so I don't have to half sit/stand to sew.
This is the first woodworking project I've done alone from start to finish: from going to Lowe's and picking out the wood, to cutting the wood with a circular saw, assembly, and finishing. (My fiance did carry it up the stairs for me. :) )
I'm so in love with this table! And now to finish the quilt I started 6 months ago....
Comments
Mon, 09/23/2013 - 07:40
Beautiful!
I really like your colors! And that drawer idea is so clever! Nice work!
Val
artsybuildinglady
Mon, 09/23/2013 - 15:22
Great Work!
I love this idea!! I too have wanted a sewing table for a long time but the prices of them take my breath away. I may have to make myself one! Thanks for the inspiration!!