Community Brag Posts

Cedar Planter with Trellis

Submitted by redhead_61 on Thu, 06/06/2013 - 15:13

I put the two planter boxes on this site together to get a perfect little lattice box for the space by my door. I get lots of compliments and hopefully soon I will have yummy jasmine welcoming my guests.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
free with scraps
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
wood protector
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Texas wood clock

Submitted by FireWolf13 on Sat, 05/09/2015 - 16:53

I had a few scraps of wood left over from a fence I took down. I wanted to make a clock for the state I live in. I also used shotgun shells for the numbers. It only took half a day to make and it was fun to see what the finished product looked like.

Estimated Cost
I had all of the materials
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
paint I already had
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Outdoor 2x4 sofa

Submitted by BobC on Sun, 10/08/2017 - 11:08

We finally got our outdoor porch cleaned out and needed some additional seating.  Loved all the different designs based on Ana's 2x4 sofa.  Used Cedar boards instead of Pine.  

Estimated Cost
$80 wood; $30 stain; $200 cushions
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Premium semi0transparent Waterproofing Stain & Sealer; Chocolate
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Coffee station

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 10/20/2021 - 14:39

I was inspired by your coffee station plans to build this unit. I added an upper shelf with gas pipping, along with LED lights under the shelf. This station has been very popular in our house.

Comments

A Bright and Simple Changing Table

I built this changing table with a friend who wanted an easy introduction into building. I already had the MDF for the shelves gifted from a friend looking to get rid of a large pile of sheets, so that really helped cut down on cost. I spent $15 on the furring strips and screws for the rest of the piece. I already had the sanding and finishing supplies as well as paint. I added two strands of white cording from Hobby Lobby ($1 per roll on half off days) to hide the gap created between my trim and the top changing piece. I also modified it to fit a 16" wide changing pad.

I would totally recommend using Mod Podge as a sealer on work-horse pieces of furniture. One, it's completely fume-free and non-toxic (which was perfect, since I'm about five months pregnant and need to avoid VOC's) and it's got a really thick, clear glossy finish that's super easy to clean. You only need one coat of it, as well. Just be advised that it's a lot easier to see brush strokes, so I wouldn't use it on your fancy stuff. But for changing dirty diapers, or on a kids table? It's perfect!

Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Three coats of semi-gloss white, three coats of semi-gloss lime (for the top, color matched to a fabric). Sealed with non-toxic Mod Podge.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

$55 fancy x desk turned kitchen table

I was making the fancy x desk, and my wife suggested building a bench to go with it to make it a bar style kitchen table to take up less space in our kitchen. So I looked up plans for a bench on here (providence bench looked best with it), and built it. I painted it with rust-oleum American accents spray paint for wood, metal, and plastic in glossy black and surprisingly it looked amazing!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
rust-oleum American accents spray paint for wood, metal, and plastic in glossy black. used 2 coats and it gives it a nice look and smooth finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

DIY Workbench on wheels

Thanks to www.shanty-2-chic.com for this plan! I needed a workbench for all these projects that I was starting and I was tired of getting out a piece of plywood and the sawhorses every time. So this was just perfect for what I needed!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

My corner desk

Submitted by chach2667 on Wed, 11/03/2021 - 04:02

I wanted to convert my craft shed to my office after I accepted a new job and would be working from home full time. My shed is only 10x8, so I needed something smallish and functional. I modified the plans slightly and I did make a few mistakes. In the end, I think it turned out great for a 50 something grandma who likes to work with her hands!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Our first Build!

Submitted by jbaby13 on Tue, 03/29/2011 - 15:10

This was my husband and my first try at building furniture.  It took most of the weekend to build, paint, sand etc, but it looks great in my son's room and has much more room then his old bookcase.

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Flat paint and clear coat finish
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Rustic X End Table

Submitted by dzubakj on Mon, 06/10/2013 - 08:40

I altered the dimensions slightly so that it wouldn't be overbearing in my living room. It is much shorter than the plan suggests, and the length and width are also changed. I used framing 2x4 and 2x6 lumber, so I had to sand the heck out of it to make it nice and smooth. It looks great next to the console table. Good plan.

Estimated Cost
60
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I went with the steel wool in vinegar finish with two coats of light brown Briwax over that (applied with steel wool). I really liked the steel wool and vinegar finish, but if you have never used it before be careful, it is a bit tricky to apply evenly. Also, it goes through several changes while it dries. I started panicking a little before it was fully fry because it was not turning out how I suspected at all. After a few more minutes it looked much better, and the wax brought out just enough brown to make it exactly what I wanted.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Micro Cabinet

Submitted by RITWood on Fri, 11/03/2017 - 11:11

A great one board project using some left over cedar that was collecting dust.  Using a 1/2" round over bit I eased the outside corners as well as the drawer sides.  I find that the drawers will slide easier with a slight round over applied.  I left the cedar without a stain and two coats of satin clear.  

Estimated Cost
$2
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Spray Satin Clear
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JoanneS

Sat, 11/04/2017 - 19:29

Great job on this project!  The router detail is beautiful, and the unique shaped pulls  are awesome!

JoanneS

House bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 11/06/2021 - 20:35

Made this simple house bed for my daughter. Got the idea from Ana white page and made my own.

Comments

First nightstand

Submitted by juliec on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 13:24

We used ana's plan but modified the top

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$35
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We will use espresso general finishes and several top coats of poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

bridgetschaefer

Thu, 05/30/2019 - 13:00

This is EXACTLY what I'm looking for but I can't find the plans that were used to build it. Do you happen to still have the link for them?

Porch bench

Submitted by DWolf on Tue, 06/11/2013 - 15:58

Using Ana's garden bench design, I modified the plans slightly to make the bench less deep in order to fit on my narrow porch.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
White Valspar outdoor paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Desk with additions

Submitted by klatz on Fri, 05/15/2015 - 09:25

This was the first plans we used from Ana White and it turned out great. Modified the desk to be a little shorter and have dual drawers in the front.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Modified Farmhouse King Bed

Submitted by dsteinberg on Wed, 11/29/2017 - 11:38

- Used a router to cut a dado slot for the vertical boards to slide into the 4x4 posts so I would not have to screw them in from the outside

- Used a router to round over the edges to make the post toppers.  

- Used router to give a shaped edge to the top horizontal planks

- I bought the finials for the post tops

 

 

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
General Finishes Snow White Milk Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modern Bedroom Furniture Build

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 11/16/2021 - 12:29

Bed Frame and Headboard made from Ana's plans. Frame is very simple. Headboard is fairly simple but a lot more cuts, measuring and attaching. I stained both with Varathane Weathered Gray. I also attached sideboards and internal support 2x4s with bed-frame brackets rather than screwing directly in to allow for easier deconstruction and reconstruction. Used an insert nut on the sideboards to attach hairpin legs (screwed directly into top/bottom boards).

Side tables are just 3/4 birch plywood glued and nailed into a rectangular box. 24x18" Top/Bottom and 18 x 6" sides. Hairpin legs are longer versions (16") of Ana's Amazon suggestions for bed frame. Stained with Varathane Antique White.. turned out ok, but would use a different white stain or just paint them white if I had to do it again, and paint the insides before you build!

Comments

Pallet Wood Coffee Table

Submitted by AlexWS on Mon, 04/04/2011 - 14:51

After my free drink station project I was going to swear off pallet wood for larger pieces, then I came across what may be a holy grail of pallets. 4 feet by 5 feet made with 4X4's and 2X6's held together with screws rather than nails. Yup, something had to be done with this.

so the sort of free comes from the lumber being free while I paid for the stain and poly. Of course, you could say we always pay for those, in this instance though they weren't leftovers from another project.

I say sort of Tryde because it shares the basics of the table, 2 by top pieces, breadboards, chunky 4X4 legs. However, given my wood choices the lumber sizes are all mixed around. Also because I was originally going to make the modern X leg kids picnic table but didn't have any good wood for the legs.

So instead of the breadboards being the wide pieces those are now 2X3's with 2X6's for the table top pieces. Another difference is that instead of 1X4's for the aprons boxed out I used 2X4's. This really wasn't a big deal because I had a Kreg Jig. By the way, got the master system and it rocks my socks off.

Compared to my last pallet wood projects these boards pretty much look store bought, I wish I had remembered to take a picture before I stained it. They're definitely a bit knotty but that's OK because even when I don't want an overly distressed look I still don't think wood should be perfect, if I wanted that I would use MDF.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$15
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Simple Minwax Ebony stain with a gloss spray poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Tryde Coffee Table

Submitted by bishop2001 on Fri, 06/14/2013 - 07:00

Tryde Coffee Table made of mahogany and stained used several layers of boiled linseed oil and a few top coat layers of wipe on satin polyurethane. It came out really nice. This is my first project.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
boiled linseed oil
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments