Community Brag Posts

I made this coop twice as wide like Ana suggested since I have 4 chickens and wanted to make sure there was some extra wiggle room in case “chicken math” got the best of us. I made a nesting box to mount on the outside. I also used plywood for the sides like Ana did in the video. I installed a Run Chicken automatic door that opens at sunrise and closes at sunset. I added some hasps and clasps to make sure all my doors would close tightly. I put hardware cloth across the top before installing the roof panels. I stapled and buried hardware cloth around the perimeter for predator protection. I also spray painted the hardware cloth flat black so that it would be easier for us to see inside the coop. I stained the rest of the wood with Varathane Semi-Transparent stain, color “Carbon Gray.” I also added some roosts and cedar shingle siding for some extra protection during our New England winters at to match our house. Working 2-4 hours a day, off and on, with a bum shoulder and weak hands, this took me about a week! Thanks for the great plan, Ana!

I had some pallet wood laying around and felt like taking on a small project. The boards were warped, but after fighting with them a bit, it turned out well. I was going for the reclaimed, rustic look anyhow :) I find it a little heavy to actually use as a caddy, so it's more for decoration. I think I might plant a few herbs in it, for a little portable herb garden.

- made directly from the plans
- decorative hardware was spray painted "flat black"
- there are decorative bolts in the legs, they were installed after these pictures were taken.

I am so ridiculously proud of myself... This was my first wood building project and now I think I'm addicted !!!! Next project a bookshelf!!

Ana White Coffee table.

My youngest needed a new bookcase so bad! All she had was an old baby bookcase that hardly fit her books anymore. I was so excited to see Ana's plans for the simple cubby bookcase. Yay! I made it a smidge narrower to fit the space and taller so she could have more adjustable cubbies. :)

I used pine 1x12 boards for the box and pine 1x2's for the trim. I used my Jig-It Adjustable Shelving Jig and drilled every other hole. Didn't feel like I needed quite as much "adjustability" for books. :-)

I wanted a more rustic look, so I left a lot of brush strokes on purpose and didn't fill any obvious knots in the wood. I really like how it turned out. :) When we were putting all of the shelves in, my daughter was so cute - she made sure all of the knots were facing OUTWARD so she could see them. She thought it looked neat that way.

I wanted our bird's cage up higher and on something that the kids wouldn't be able to tip over. So my Husband came up with this. Its car siding. and stained. it has 2 hinged doors and a shelf.

Loved doing this build, I have been thinking of making these for a while.

Based off of a few of the comments I read, I modified the plans a little bit. Instead of using three 2 x 6s for the benches, I used two 2x4s with one 2 x 6 in the centre. Shortened up the bench support length by 3" to make up for the difference. This allowed for a smaller seat, which is easier to get in and out of when in table mode, but still plenty to sit on when used as a bench.

I am trying to come up with an alternate system for pinning the table in each position. I have found that after only a few uses, the table has some wiggle in the top, most likely from the bolts going in and out repeatedly. I would love some ideas on how to get these to hold nice and snug when in each position!

I posted a few pictures of these on my Facebook page, where I now have been asked how much I am selling them for and have about 3 orders already placed! Looks like the spring will be busier than expected!

After much deliberation, I decided to make a dollhouse for my daughters Christmas gift. The aesthetics of the bookshelf-style dollhouse appealed to me over the more intricate and fancy designs. I took the literal meaning of the style and incorporated an actual bookshelf/DVD rack into the dollhouse. On the apposing side I built a magnet board for my daughters given that my refrigerator is not magnetic. About the project: I knew my design would end up being heavy so I started by building a basic frame out of construction grade 2x4's. The frame is placed on four casters and is concealed by the baseboard. When on carpet, the casters are not visible and have come in handy. Working upward, the majority of the construction consists of 3/4" cabinet grade plywood which you can find at Home Depot. The "carpet" I chose was an inexpensive bathroom rug that I purchased at Walmart. The scale & thickness of the berber seemed appropriate for the dollhouse and I attached it using carpet glue. For added security I tacked the perimeter with some staples. For the bathroom tiles, I cut some groutable adhesive tiles into squares on the table saw (use a cross cut sled if you have one) and attached them to the bathroom floor. Make sure your surface is free of dust, and a heat gun or a propane heater will accelerate the drying process and create a better bond. Make sure to use unsanded grout for the joints. To make the shingles, I cut a 4'x8' (used about 2/3 of the sheet) piece of 1/4" mahogany veneer into 2.5"x4' strips. The cuts were made perpendicular to the wood grain to give the desired aesthetic. This gave me a robust shingle construction with the look of shake shingles. I then cut about 3/4 of the way through the strips with approximately 1 1/4" separation between each shingle. Attaching the shingles was easy. I didn't want to wait for glue to dry so in addition to some wood glue, I also tacked the row of shingles in place with 3/8" brad nails. When placing the shingles, make sure to start at the bottom and work your way up to the pitch of the roof. This will allow you to overlap the shingles about 3/4" to cover the uncut portion to give it the appearance of individual shingles. You will also want to offset your rows to change the vertical alignment of the shingle spaces. I marked each row with a pencil prior to cutting the final width. You may also consider which side of the shingles you want facing up. I opted for the rough side to give it a more weathered look. With some of the extra shingle material I made hardwood floors for the kitchen.The veneer I purchased was mahogany on one side, and oak on the other which allowed me to alternated sides and give it a unique look. Attach the floor using wood glue and allow 24hrs before sanding. Place weights on the floor to secure it while drying. I applied both a stain (Minwax Golden Oak) and some wipe-op polyurethane for the finish. The storage bins are Ikea boxes that can be easily removed to allow for additional play areas. The piece of sheet metal I used for the magnet board was already cut to the desired size at Home Depot. I attached it using some 3M spray adhesive, then secured it with some poplar strips. I also used the 3M construction adhesive to attach the craft paper/wallpaper. With all of the chaos surrounding Christmas I wasn't able to quite finish it. Here is still what's in progress: - Painted white ladder to loft - Stained mahogany stairs to family room - Kitchen cabinets - Cobblestone chimney - Closet doors

Wide cabin dresser from pine, charcoal grey wood stain, soft-close drawer slides, and turquoise hardware.

This was a true joy to build. I plan on making at least three to four more of these. Couple tips I learned though: I used pocket hole screw where I could to prevent drilling so many holes that would need to be filled: Ft board, Rear boards, and a couple others. Also I routed the edge of the very front board where the child's legs will be dangling from, as well as the inside/outside edges of the arm rests. Smoother the better I thought with little kids. Lastly, I painted all the boards and then put it together as recommended. However, I would go through the plans and only paint the surfaces that you know will either touch and will be difficult to get to or sides that won't be drilled out; unless you don't plan on filling the holes and painting over them. It will save you paint and time if you plan out what sides of what boards you'll paint first than doing them all at once.

A honey do project to increase our countertop space in our kitchen, for family gatherings. The cherry wood stove cover was created with wood I had milled from our property.

Our take on the 10 dollar ledges. We definitely wanted a rustic look. I love them!

I followed the spice rack plans but put this right inside my wall and added a face frame. I love the detail in the carved wood!

This was my 4th build, and only took a few weekends to do, working on it a few hours at a time each day. Pretty easy, though I didn't include the X braces on the sides due to miscutting them (just got the angles backwards). I used Minwax Provincial and Minwax polyurethane. Excuse the mess in the photos.