Community Brag Posts

Historic Palouse Halltree

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 01/26/2019 - 09:33

This piece was inspired by Ana’s plans and built as a collaborative project with my son.  The stock was all salvaged from a century+ old railroad depot on the University of Idaho campus that was marked for demolition.  The green and cream boards were the ceiling of the depot, and the unfinished stock came from the flooring, which was 1” tongue and groove red fir.  The first agricultural crops, forest products, and settlers of the region (North Idaho, Eastern Washington) flowed through that terminal.  This piece, therefore, is iconic of the regikn’s rough-hewn beginnings and stands as a reminder of its important past.

Estimated Cost
$60 for glue, hinges, screws, polyurethane. The wood was salvaged for free.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
After sanding the bare wood and scrubbing the painted surfaces, I sprayed a satin polyurethane (good ol’ rattle can!)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Another slipper chair - toddler sized!

Submitted by Lady Goats on Wed, 09/07/2011 - 22:03

I altered the plans to the full-sized slipper chair so that I can document my upholstering process. SUPER easy, SUPER cute build (and my daughter loves it, so even if it weren't easy, it'd have been worth it :-))

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
For me, this was $10 for the foam/fabric - i used scrap wood
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I used a metallic acrylic paint for the legs, and some fabric from Hobby Lobby
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JES

Thu, 09/08/2011 - 01:59

This is just precious, and your daughter is a doll! What a wonderful job. Thanks for sharing this! :)
J

Dining Room Table

Submitted by rjustice21 on Thu, 09/26/2013 - 09:25

I made this table and bench for my wife, for Christmas. She loves it.

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Special Walnut and White Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

jonade99

Wed, 05/25/2016 - 07:32

I can't find specific plans for this farm table.  It was submitted by rjustice21, but I don't seem to be able to find plans for it. I love the table! Joanne

Table and chairs for my grand daughter

Submitted by Dan Craw on Thu, 12/10/2015 - 18:19

This was a fun project to build! The plans were very easy to follow and the table and chairs turned out just like they were supposed to. I ended up buying a Kreg jig to put the furniture together. The jig cost $40.00 at Home Depot and it was well worth it because I'll be able to use it on other projects. The plans showed the furniture being prepped and painted but my daughter wanted the pieces to look close to their dining room table so I took the time to stain and varnish them. I built the table and chairs out of pine and I used average dimensional lumber so the whole project only cost around $35.00. If you're looking for good children's furniture these would be good to build.

Estimated Cost
$35.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Cherry #235 Stain - 3 coats

Minwax Helmsman spar urethane Clear Semi Gloss - 2 coats
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Medieval Bed

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.

Estimated Cost
Not Really Sure.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Your Local Finish, Nothing Special!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Guest (not verified)

Mon, 09/12/2011 - 09:49

The bed looks great. Could you give more details on the construction. I have some logs, but don't really know how to tackle this one!

JES

Mon, 09/12/2011 - 16:29

This is sooo coool!! Do you have any pictures of this without the bedding? I'd love to see how these pieces connect. What a wonderfully imaginative use of rustic materials. Right out of an historical novel! :) J

Rustic X coffee table

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.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
After intensive sanding, we used a brush vacuum to get as much debris off as possible. Then we stained with "kona" for a darker strain. Only one layer because we love how the grain is showing. Matte finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Barn Door Console

Submitted by raybotelho on Tue, 12/15/2015 - 15:36

$

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Marea baja by SW and weathered oak by minx for the top
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

U881999

Sat, 02/13/2016 - 05:04

Your console looks wider than some of the others and exactly what I am looking for. Can you provide the dimensions of your console; including the dimensions of the doors? Where did you find your hardware. Thx. 

raybotelho

Fri, 02/26/2016 - 14:28

I made mine 10ftL x 36"H x 24"D. I put the hardware together with different pieces form lowes/home depot. I built the doors after having the whole console already done, so it would fit perfectly.

East Fork Dog House - copy

Submitted by astleopold on Mon, 09/30/2013 - 15:38

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).

Estimated Cost
400 - unfortunately we didn't use salvage
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Latex exterior paint from Home Depot.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

My Santa & Sleigh

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 12/19/2015 - 11:31

All hand cut accept for runner are attached with biscuits

Estimated Cost
$12
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Red Rustoleum paint
Gold trim
Stars are starch made candy. (very stable)
Antique Santa from thrift store
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Bench with foam padding

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/11/2019 - 16:52

This was a fun little project. I made the bench to be placed in our foyer to sit down and put your shoes on and off. 3” foam and fabric makes for a comfy bench.

Estimated Cost
$100 ($60 lumber, $40 3” foam and fabric)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
White paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Bed... fit for a king!

Submitted by elana on Sun, 09/25/2011 - 09:42

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.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
egg shell "dove white", distressed with sand paper
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Outdoor Sectional as love seat

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!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I spray painted these- I didn't think to paint them before assembly, and then spraying seemed the easiest way to get into the cracks.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Farmhouse modern queen

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/17/2019 - 19:10

We followed the plans except added in bed rail brackets to make it easier to relocate and adjusted the bed as a whole to sit higher off the ground. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane carrington with gloss finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Flat bookcase

Submitted by amym on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 07:56

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.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Used 3 coats of Martha Stewarts Heavy Cream from Home Depot.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Nicole Galvan-Goble (not verified)

Sun, 10/14/2012 - 10:18

Hi Ana,

I came across your kid's room bookshelf and my husband would love to make it for our nursery. Would you be able to give a few more details on how you when about constructing it? We would really appreciate it!

Thank you,

Nicole

Changing table out of discarded birch plywood

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!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
2 coats of KILN primer, 3 coats of BEHR high-gloss ultra white paint and MINWAX walnut stain and 3 hand-rubbed coats of Tung Oil on the drawer front.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Toy Boxes for Nephews

Submitted by edmorris17 on Sat, 12/26/2015 - 08:10

Made these for my nephews for Christmas.  Only issue I had was the screws stuck out a little bit of the 1/2" pocket holes.  I even tried the pan head type that were designed for the 1/2" holes.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
John deere colored paints
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Entryway closet bench

Submitted by ga2akwld on Mon, 02/25/2019 - 13:33

Adapted from Ana's mudroom in closet plans, I made this to fit the small closet when you walk into the house. I slotted it and hung wire baskets for air flow since it will be used mainly for hats and gloves which we wear more than not up here in AK. Next for the closet directly across will be a sho storage project which I'm sure I will find on here. Thank you Ana for your awesome site and work you put in.

Estimated Cost
$80
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Espresso min wax and satin poly for top. Morning sky chalked paint for bottom.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner