Community Brag Posts

They loved them!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 01/01/2017 - 15:08

I'm a newbie and loved your doll bunkbed pattern.  I made 6 of them for my granddaughters for christmas. They loved them! Thank you so much for sharing your talents!!

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Scrap wood heart collage

Submitted by kristen on Sat, 12/01/2012 - 09:12

I have a hard time throwing out any scrap I have after I finish a project, so I had accumulated a fair amount of 3/4 and 1/2 plywood. I used up every last bit of it putting a scrap wood heart collage in my daughter's room! This is the perfect project for getting lots of practice making cuts on a miter saw for a beginner and hanging it is a breeze if you follow the steps I took in the blog post I wrote up about this.

Easy and free. Love those kinds of project :)

Estimated Cost
Free, if you use scraps
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I used s small bottle of craft paint for the finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

First Woodworking Project Ever

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 01/03/2017 - 09:18

This was my first woodworking project ever. No woodworking experience at all and very little experience with power tools. I am super inspired now and have tons of other ideas lined up.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Early American stain, Minwax Satin Polyurethane, and Rustoleum Painter's Touch Ultracover Flat White
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Small island with storage and two stools

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/14/2020 - 12:07

I had a friend who was interested in a small island with two stools that looked like this offered by a fancy home interior store. The reviews weren't all that great, even for the half off sale price. They needed something small to fit their space that would basically serve as a dining area for her and her husband. It is build out of spruce and whitewood lumber. White paint and dark walnut stain, with poly on top. The legs are two 2x4s glued together , then ripped each side to square it off making it an actual 3" x 3". The stools came from Ana's farmhouse counter stool plan. The island I just went with overall demensions and built it from there. Pocket hole screws and finish nails.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
140
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar Dark Walnut stain, water based poly
Behr ultra white paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Ladybug Moped Rocker

Submitted by sbowes1 on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 21:24

There were some parts missing from the plans. I wrote out what I did to build this rocker on my website.

http://www.domesticated-engineer.com/1/post/2012/12/ladybug-moped-rocke…

Make sure to use hard wood! My rocker broke within the first hour. Wood glue fixed it but it gave me a good scare!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$15
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint and clear coat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kid adirondack

Just changed the back a tiny bit.  My nieces and nephews love these!  Thanks for the great plans.

Estimated Cost
About $25.00 each.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Paints and stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Kitchen Island

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 01/06/2017 - 09:24

Basic  kitchen  island

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modified Willy Bookcases

Submitted by AhmaNaz on Thu, 09/17/2020 - 09:57

2 bookcases for my family, storage and organization. Left raw for them to customize. Current vision is purple and pink or maybe an ombre stain like we saw on Good Bones. Hopefully I can add update of final decision.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Raw
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Remote Alaska Outhouse

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/07/2024 - 10:34

Built as panels adding a large base for holes. Replacement for fire damage wilderness toilets. Loaded into Kodiak aircraft and assembly by volunteers on site. Worked Great! Thanks Ana!! - Wingnut13 RAF theraf.org

Built from Plan(s)

Raised Cedar Fence Post Berry Patch

Submitted by AmyJM on Fri, 12/07/2012 - 17:56

I used the same cedar fence boards, but for a large berry patch made with minimal cuts. The end boards are 1/2 the length of the long side boards. I made them 2 fence widths high - about 11 inches. Each bed is nearly 12 feet long. I joined the dogeared ends of 2 boards in the center, making a diamond cut out pattern that looked good. In order to support the tall sides, I used cedar 2x4x8 boards. Use 18-24 inch posts on each corner and at the center joint. I cut an additional board in half, affixing it to the center posts, to brace the long sides and add stability. Each box is approximately 3 feet wide, 12 feet long, and 11 inches tall. You'll need 8 fence posts for the long sides, 2 for the short sides, and 1/2 for the brace - you could use a different piece of wood for this, but the cedar fence posts are such a deal. You'll also need approximately 9 feet of cedar 2x4 for the corner posts - I bought 8 foot lengths and cut each into 2 foot posts for stability. The cost was around I'll add 2x4 posts in the spring and put a trellis behind the raspberries. If the birds start to steal my blueberries, I'll add metal or wooden corner posts that will support fruit netting. We're planting strawberries around the base of the larger fruit bushes. The 11 inch sides should keep rabbits from invading. If they are persistent, I'll add a few inches of chicken wire around the top edge. This made the equivalent square footage of 4 of Ana's original $10 beds.

Estimated Cost
Around $75 for 2 - most of the cost was in the 2x4s.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Light sanding, no finish
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

CEFreeman (not verified)

Sun, 12/09/2012 - 10:40

I'm putting together several L-shaped raised beds out of 6x6s with the internal walls being 2x6s. This gives me encouragement. I really like the look of this! Thanks.

CEFreeman (not verified)

Sun, 12/09/2012 - 10:42

I'm putting together several L-shaped raised beds out of 6x6s with the internal walls being 2x6s. This gives me encouragement. I really like the look of this! Thanks.

Tile-top Coffee Table

Submitted by asharke1 on Sat, 09/20/2014 - 10:34

Combined a few different plans from Ana White and made a tiletop coffee table and matching end table.

TV console is next :)

 

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Classic Gray, Dovegray Grout, Tried and True Linseed Oil Natural Wood Finish
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Woven back bench

Submitted by Pauline M on Sun, 01/08/2017 - 12:09

I built this as a memory bench in honour of my father who died on 27th January 2016. Because of you Ana you gave me the confidence to start building furniture. But because of him I had the skills and desire.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
€150
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Out door wood paint cupernol
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Apothecary Media Console

Submitted by thelipp on Tue, 12/11/2012 - 22:36

This is my first wood project. It was probably a bit ambitious for a first project, but what can I say other than Ana White inspires me.

It all started with buying that big ol' TV. We had a chunky armoire that wasn't going to work anymore and I really liked Ana's Apothecary Console and I REALLY liked kayleentheobald's take on the Console in the brag posts. My wife went out of town for the week and I had redhead_61 help me take the design and make it bigger to fit between our windows and be big enough for my son's bigger toys. I was going to be the good husband and surprise her with a finished product when she got back. So I went to work, every night after work with redhead_61 and got the carcass put together pretty fast and really the only thing we needed was the top and the doors. I decided to pack it all up in the back of the truck and ask my neighbor for help on the doors.

Now this is where the amount of time I put into the project got a little out of hand (BTW there is no button for "way more than a week" for estimated time investment). I told my neighbor that I wanted my faux drawers to look a lot more like an apothecary cabinet with smaller drawers, so we came up with a plan to make 6 panels per door all done tongue and groove using muntins and styles (like window panes) and do it without any screws or nails. If we knew what we were doing maybe we would have got the doors done in only a few days, but it took closer to a few weeks spread over a couple months due to work and other obligations.

Building the base is not that hard; just square everything up and use wood glue and screws. We added a little molding at the bottom for some aesthetic appeal.

The real time came in the finishing I described below. After I had spent several weekends building the thing I no longer wanted something I could just throw in the family room and put a TV on top; I wanted a real piece of furniture that would last forever. This is where my wife interjects, "well it better since you took over a year to finish it." I love you too, honey.

I wood filled, primed, sanded and repeated many times over until I had it just right. (BTW if you're going to use plywood, take the time and effort to find a place that sells good high quality stuff that is meant to build furniture not the construction grade crap I got from Home Depot - it'll only save you about 100 hours of wood filling, priming and sanding)

Finally, after 14 months (I didn't work on it constantly - being a lawyer and a dad kind of sucks up disposable time) I could haul my masterpiece into the house put the TV on top, sit back and admire the work. I can tell you it was worth every moment. Thank you Ana White for inspiring me to bite off more than I could chew. That said, I think my next project is going to be a shelf or something.

Estimated Cost
$500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
THE BASE:

(1.) Get a pint of wood filler, apply generously (especially on cheap wood), and sand the crap out of it for that super smooth finish.

(2.) I got an oil-based primer and applied lightly for one coat - this let me see more imperfections. I applied more wood filler and sanded more. I probably did 3 coats of primer and sanding - but I'm a little anal and didn't want to see any wood grain.

(3.) For the paint I went to Sherwin-Williams and asked for an oil-based paint. We got talking about what it was for and he steered me to another product: ProClassic Interior Acrylic Latex Enamel. Said it was supposed to dry harder, smell better and clean up better than oil-based stuff (which is a plus because I have a 2 year old), plus it was on sale! It was a little hard to get used to since the paint would "rope up" if it was too thick. I added some Floteral and it evened out pretty well. And I can tell you after SEVERAL messy little hands getting on the console it cleans up great! BTW, the color I choose was "Dover White."

(4.) For the doors I really didn't want to mess with hand brushing it because of all the grooves in my construction. So I bought the cheapest HPLV spray gun I could find ($30) and primed it with several coats, with gentle sanding in between coats, and sprayed it with the Acrylic Latex Enamel. One thing I did learn was to filter the paint before putting it in the little canister. I just used the cheap paint filters 4 for $2 from Home Depot.

(5.) Also for the doors we decided to buy a collection of different but similar knobs on Etsy.

THE TOP:

(1.) After joining the four pieces of Douglas Fir it basically sat in the garage for 8 months. I routed the edges with a quarter-round bit and sanded it.

(2.) I then used Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner. Two coats, sand in between.

(3.) Because I had never stained anything before, I made sure I stained the underside first for practice. I used Minwax Wood Finish stain, color: Dark Walnut. I applied with a rag. I learned to do LONG strokes wiping on the finish and not to mess with it once it started to dry. Don't apply too much and it's ok if some spots are lighter than others, just let dry and then go back over just that lighter area. I felt that little mistakes made the piece have more authentic character anyway.

(4.) Once everything was dry I applied Minwax Wipe-On Poly, two light coats with a rag. You can certainly apply more liberally than I did but I didn't want a glass top finish, just something that made it smooth and easy to wipe off the dust. For the top I wanted the little nicks to show up with the natural wood grain.

(5.) As you can maybe tell from some of the pictures I screwed the top in from brackets on the base that I had made. It's nice to not have any screws shown on the top.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

spiceylg

Wed, 12/12/2012 - 05:11

This is absolutely impressive and for a first project?! Wowsa! Beautiful build and I love the attention to detail and those really cool knobs. Great job. Your wife should be so proud. You, too, lol!

spiceylg

Wed, 12/12/2012 - 05:11

This is absolutely impressive and for a first project?! Wowsa! Beautiful build and I love the attention to detail and those really cool knobs. Great job. Your wife should be so proud. You, too, lol!

Joni

Wed, 12/12/2012 - 08:33

I love the whole design....it fits perfectly in your space, the colors are perfect, and the detail is amazing. As someone who takes a long time to finish a project, I appreciate your 14-month timeline! It's awesome!
Thanks for all the detail on how you did it.

Laurie S (not verified)

Wed, 12/12/2012 - 11:51

If there was an award for best review, I think you'd get it LOL Great details in how you worked everything out and the end result is great.

farmhouse King bed

Submitted by rmckenna12 on Tue, 09/23/2014 - 12:34

just had to make a small change to get it to be a king ,  It was a long weekend  project

 

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
antique white with slightly distressed finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Seesaw

Submitted by paigers01 on Mon, 01/09/2017 - 13:01

I built this for my daughter for Christmas this year. For the seats I used 2" foam wrapped in decorative fabric. Then I covered that with a thick plastic that I found at the local hobby store, to make it waterproof.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$70
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Purple Exterior Latex Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Barn Door Console - 2 Door

Submitted by REDCANVAS on Tue, 09/22/2020 - 16:55

Use the plans from Grandby Barn Door Console to create this two-door cabinet for my sister. Modified plans to fit specific space. Rough Cost including mini barn door hardware, and finishing paint/clear coat is $150 Canadian dollars.

Estimated Cost
$150 CAD
Finish Used
Paint is Beautitone Worn Cedar (Home Hardware type of paint in Canada)
Stain is Minwax Dark Walnut.

American Girl Bunk Bed

Submitted by mybartmart on Tue, 12/18/2012 - 05:26

Doll Bunk bed, this was a lot of fun to make the plan was laid out well and very easy to follow.

This was a gift to a friend's 10 year old and it really made her happy.

I enjoyed sewing the bedding. It was just an over all load of fun.

I made it very quickly, I think the filling, sanding painting took longer.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
White gloss paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic Sofa Table

Submitted by klray on Sat, 09/27/2014 - 15:12

I made this table to sit between a sofa and a wall with a window.  Used the Rustic X Console plan as my jumping off point.  I increased the height to meet the window sill and increased the width to the width of the sofa.  I used 2x2s instead of 2x4s for the legs, and 1x6s instead of 2x6s for the top.  I dd not include the middle shelf.  Since the table is sandwiched between a sofa and a wall only the sides are exposed, so I left off the Xs.   Because of this it now serves as a tunnel for the cats and dog.

All in all it basically turned out how I wanted it, though I could have worked on the stain a bit more.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Loosely followed the Rustic Yet Refined Wood Finish tutorial. I used pre stain conditioner, followed by a quick stain of Special Walnut, followed by a longer stain of weathered oak, and finally sealed with 2 coats of polyurethane semi gloss.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner