Community Brag Posts

This is my first furniture project I wanted to replace my cheap computer desk that was falling apart. The build was pretty simple, the only problem was finding a good project board and finding a good stain. Tried several different stains an a piece of scrap before deciding on red elm gel stain. Project took longer than I anticipated but most of that time was in getting the finish right, the build part was pretty quick.

Had an awesome time building this! Very little modification from original plans. Used Thompsons water seal, Desert Brown. 

I have been needing an entertainment center for so long. When this plan popped up, my husband and I went into action. We designed this piece a little differently though. For one, the plan is too narrow for us and our tv-so our console is wider but shorter-to save on costs. Another note-we needed a place to put our computer so it can charge without our twin boys getting ahold of the cord. You can see that feature on the lower left hand corner. I also used a picture in a very well known catalog and I used the picture to get the stain just right. This might just be my favorite piece so far. I will be adding the bookcases and hutch to this. I am also in the process of adding 2 doors to this console. They needed to be stained before I could add them though.

Recently I added a family member and his name is Myles. He needed a home so before we picked him up I built him one of these for him to grow into. The one pictured is actually the second one I built that was built for a friend. I followed the original instructions. I used a couple different bits of material. My table top is 1x4's and for the sides i used bead-board. I painted it an off white with eggshell finish. The table top is stained with Minwax Ebony stain. I love how it turned out and most of all my puppy enjoys it as well.

I left the bottom open. The dimensions in the plans make it so you can set the crate right on top of a crate replacement trey series 700 from PetCo. This makes it very easily to clean by just lifting the crate off the trey and hosing it off and also prevents the wood from absorbing any liquids.

Shortened to 5ft length.

  I used a lot of extra screws in the legs for additional supports, and filled all the gaps and screws with wood filler. I also used electric planer on top to flatten surface and then sand, sand, sand. 

This was a new project idea my wife wanted me to do. It was relatively simple to follow. I felt it turned out pretty good. I've always felt that Ana's plans were well thought out and simple to follow. Even for a beginner like me.

My wife wanted a sofa table near our sliding door going outside to backyard / pool. She was looking online and found some cheapo "made in China" types at some of the big box store sites; yuck.

I had to come home from our family vacation sooner than the wife and kids which meant I had 12 days at home alone to make some sawdust. The wife got her sofa table which she really digs. My boy got a bed (different post) and daughter got her room painted.

I didn't add the "X" feature at the ends as I like the console better without them. Also spray painted some corner hardware; L brackets and lag bolts a textured black / copper spray, but didn't add them; wife liked the table without the added decor so it stays as is.

Octagon table for dining room

This table was super easy to build... it took me only 3 hours! I opted to use hardwood poplar 2x2s for the legs because furring strips frustrate me to no end (bowing boards, splitting wood, etc.) and the poplar also made it sturdier. Had I used furring strips, this table would have only cost me $15, but I opted for the more expensive route... but still, $35 ain't bad!

Also, I used the Kreg Jig for this project, set on 3/4" with 1 1/4" pocket hole screws - EXCEPT when I drilled the base frame onto the table top. I used 1" pocket hole screws for that, just in case the 1 1/4" screws were too long and came poking out the top of the table.

Click my blog link for the complete play-by-play!

A modified version with tiered areas. 2x4's tie layers together. Happy Mother's Day!

I wanted to build my 10 year old son a new bed after getting rid of bunk beds. We both liked this one and worked on it together.

A new home for 8 ex battery hens. :)

ManicMick

My neice wanted a bed just like hers for her American Girl Doll. I did manage to find one, but I also found plans here! Thank you!! :) So I modified the plans a little bit to add the back of the daybed. She loves it!

Farmhouse table made from distressed (worm hole) maple.

My neighbor was able to get me the 5/4 distressed maple for about $2/bd ft - I ended up buying 100 board feet and had plenty leftover. The finished board feet for this project was about 60 if I remember correctly. So the $200 was the bulk of the expense. The only other costs were sand paper, I bought a Kreg Jig, screws, Minwax Marker, paint, stain and urethane (much of which I already had).

It came out better than I anticipated. The antique white finish was not difficult at all.

Tip - When following the instructions for the finish here, I applied the first coat of urethane with a brush almost immediately after applying the Minwax marker to all of the sanded edges. I did this in haste, but ended up with some unexpected results that really added a nice touch. The stain from the marker incorporated a bit into the urethane as I brushed it giving it an antique, yellow hue. At first I thought I made a big mistake, but it turned out to add a really nice look.

Digging through my scrap wood collection, I came across some pieces of pegboard from our previous home that I had forgotten about. I had just relocated a lot of garden tools to the shed, and there was an empty wall in the garage that would now be perfect for the pegboard. After mounting the pegboard and hanging up some tools, the wall still looked a little empty. I had a vision of mounting a heavy duty folding workbench to the wall. This was the perfect location, and if the workbench folded, we could still fit the car in the garage.  You can read all the details about my folding workbench on my blog at:

http://www.justmeasuringup.com/blog/building-a-folding-workbench-with-french-cleats

The workbench is a perfect addition to my garage, and its used every day.  Best of all, I just fold it down when I need to park the car!