Community Brag Posts

This is the perfect sized chair for little ones. I didn't understand how to cut the stringers so I asked someone, other then that it was so simple to build.

I've moved into a new "builder grade" house recently which, to me, translates to a litany of rooms to renovate, redecorate and reinvigorate! I try, like so many of you , to keep the costs down as much as possible on things by doing much of the work myself. So when shopping around for vanities, I was sorely disappointed to see a general lack of pizzazz in my price range. I was going for a "spa-retreat" look, with cool colors and rich wood tones. Then I saw Ana's plans for the "easy kitchen Island" and I new it was perfect! I scaled the whole project down to fit my 30" space. I kept the lumber sizes the same because it work better for me mathematically vs say, swapping out the counter 2x6's for 2x4's. If you are interested in using this plan (for whichever purpose) here are a few pointers that I picked up along the way that may be useful to you;

I finished the project prior to final assembly in three parts; the counter, the base, and the individual 1x2's that were destined to be shelving. I am extremely impatient with finishing, so I knew I would mess it up if I had to be all dainty around the slats, etc.

I also made a few extra slats so I could choose the best looking ones (and procrastinate the spacing decision).

I usually find whatever is around to use as a spacer, but in this case, nothing worked, so I wound up cutting a bunch of them out of scrap 1x2. I then was able to positing many of them at once (limited only by the number of clamps I had handy) and then flip the whole thing to screw them in place. I predrilled/countersunk because Kreg screws are expensive and hard to come by where I live.

That's all I can think of for now, hit me with questions if you have any! Cheers!

I modified the table to be a little smaller for a space. it came out beautifully. Love this build as it allows for a very large yet stable table that allows for seating on the ends as well. 

I decided to build this for my kids while they were at camp for a week this summer. It was easy and very inexpensive. They love it!

I loved this project! First time I got to use my kreg jig!! Which I would recommend to any builder. Took me a few hours. Not sure how I'm going to finish them yet!

That was my first real handmade project after just reading and following Ana Whites story and her diy projects for a while.

I´m coming from Germany and it took quite a while to "translate" all the lumber measurements to the german equivalents, since we don´t have the same ones. So I just took the similar lumber sizes I could find in a hardware store (Baumarkt), all in all 23 € for pine lumber plus wheel casters for 30 € each, which was the most expensive part of the project. I modified the size of the table as well and am very proud to present you my first project: my very first industrial coffee table for the home office.

I made the stain myself, by the way!

Here is the summary:

- one layer of black strong coffee (3 table spoons + 500 ml hotwater)

- 2-3 layers of steel + vinegar solution (sanding a bit inbeween)

- 2-3 layers of spar varnish (sanding a bit inbetween)

Hope you like it;) and thanks a lot to Ana White for being so creative and delivering loads of beautiful diy projects for woodwork lovers all over the world!

Looking forward to my next project!!!

I used the plans for the Kentwood Nightstand to make a Bathroom cabinet to hold the Vessel Sink. I made it taller and wider and used a Butcher block top treated with Tung oil and Spar Varnish.
I also changed the doors to 1/4" Overlay double doors with a Sash latch. Much nicer, and sturdier than what you can buy and less than $100- in materials (Excluding the Sink and Faucet) And of course, it's wood, not pressboard.
It came out great and I am not a very experienced wood worker!

My 19 year old son made this for me in an afternoon. I did the finishing and used an oil based outdoor stain. I would try a different finish next time. One coat did not seem enough, and two coast were tacky. I love the finished table though. We will use it outside on our patio. I am considering having my son build another using better wood for the kitchen.

This took me almost a week as I'm 8 months pregnant and have a very busy toddler! I love the way it turned out, and so does he :) I was able to consolidate a toy bin, a small box of toys, stray toys, and a small bench toy chest full of toys all into this one, huge toy box!

This is a coffee table built out of pine, doug fir and redwood.  I mistakenly bought redwood for the top, but I think it came out pretty nice!  I had the "x" but decided I liked the look better without it.

This is the mini version of the Tommy Bookcase. I am using this piece as a storage bench in the bathroom. I loved what we did with the Tommy Bookcase, so we made a mini and used the leftover trim and moulding to make this piece. I love cherry wood, but it can be very pricey. We used cherry plywood to save on costs.

The one with the extra shelf is 3" taller than the one in the plan and I also took 3 inches from the bottom shelf as well as lowered it. The X's for the taller one were very challenging but turned out pretty good and I chose to use wood guides underneath instead of purchasing metal ones. the drawer fronts are 1x12's and sides are 1x8's. I used my router to cut a grove to hold the plywood bottom and added a support in the center. I have a dovetail joiner but haven't learned how to use it (hopefully will learn soon).
Overall I am very pleased with the way these turned out. I plan on making some with single drawers with the left over wood!
Thanks Ana I couldn't have done any of this had it not been for your site!!!

Put together mostly in accordance with the Ana plans, but this one is one 1x6 wider than the original plans with aprons, legs, breadboards, etc. widened as necessary.  Also, the table-top is connected all from the bottom so I could avoid having to patch a bunch of nail holes on the top (lots of screws and pocket holes to pull it all together that way).  I'd highly recommend a Kreg jig for the table, as it allows for most of the screwed connections to be hidden. 

We're moslty just happy to have a rock-solid table that's easy to clean with our 3 and 5 year old boys.  The table this is replacing was a hand-me-down antique that was quite shaky.

The matching benches will be coming along as well, but most of my stuff is put together after the kids go to sleep, so takes some time.

I didn't use wood conditioner prior to the stain - as I read from a good source that the gel stain will essentially do the same as conditioner + traditional stain, and somewhat wishing I would have, as there are a couple blotched areas I'm not happy with, but I'll probably notice them more than anyone else.

This was a great first project, I now feel more confident to make more beautiful wood pieces, thank you for sharing the easy to follow plans!

Ayse

I made another turned leg table... this time on accident! Lots of finishing details on my blog. http://whitneysworkshop.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-accidental-table.html

After searching for many months to find the perfect potting bench, it was clear I would have to create it myself. We finally used my moms old photography sink, that was lonely in our shed, to good use. My hubby and I just adjusted the dimensions to drop in the sink. It turned out so much better than I could have ever expected.