Community Brag Posts

Train Table

Submitted by amberhibbs on Fri, 03/01/2013 - 10:17

I made this train table for my nieces for Christmas. They LOVED it!

I used pre-primed MDF boards and plywood. I skipped the bottom shelf since I knew it would never actually be used as a coffee table and cut half circles out of the top for access so that it wouldn't need hardware.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50 (I bought the plywood at the ReStore and saved some money)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I gave it two coats of an aqua I mixed myself from some random paints I had around the house, then distressed the edges and used a Minwax Stain Marker on the bare spots I created. I should have gave the whole thing a coat of furniture wax or hemp oil, butt I didn't get that done before Christmas morning came.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Oak Pet Kennel End Table

Submitted by zjlawlor on Tue, 01/06/2015 - 12:36

Built this pet kennel end table from Ana's plans for my dad for Christmas. Only changes I made were to the dimensions to better fit my dads mid-sized dog and the top which I made by laminating a few boards rather than sheet material. Everything but the side panels is oak. Plans were really simple and I'm really happy with the finished product. As soon as I revealed it on Christmas morning his dog knew who it was for and ran right in and laid down with his new bone. Very awesome payoff to say the least.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
~$100 bucks or more depending where you get your oak. I got my for a steal from a guy emptying his shop otherwise I would've used cheaper wood.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Danish Oil - Dark Walnut, several coats. The oak doesn't absorb the dark color very much but gives a really nice smooth finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/06/2017 - 19:11

This built was easy with Ana white blue prints I used 2x10 for the top and also made the matching bench.

thanks Ana white 

Estimated Cost
200 for both table and bench
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax wood finish weathered oak 270
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

My Faux fireplace

Submitted by Rafal on Tue, 03/02/2021 - 09:03

I am so satisfied I managed myself. Thank you Ana for the inspiration!

Estimated Cost
290 Eur
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I followed the plans od Ana and one movie on YouTube and adapted them to my vision.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

see saw

Submitted by aplexis on Sun, 03/03/2013 - 16:24

had lots of fun building this project for my grandauther, she's only a year and a half old and I'm pretty sure she will enjoy this see saw for a long time.

Estimated Cost
$50.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Husky Farmhouse Table

My Dad came to visit for Christmas and he knew for months that all  I wanted to do was have him build this table!! We used pine and found really cheap legs on amazon that were being discontinued. They were $15 each!! We plan on having a large family so we made this to fit 8 people. There is enough room to add chairs to seat 12 for parties and events though.I got all of the chairs off Craiglsist for free and just painted and recovered the seats. I am totally in love with this table! Thank you Ana White for the plans and my Dad for his hard work! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
We used one coat of Minwax stain in Dark Walnut. we then added three coats of clear spar urethane in a satin finish. I didn't want the table to be too glossy looking. After that dried we applied a coat of wax and viola!! The chairs and legs we painted with primer in a slightly off white color. Then we dabbed a paintbrush in the tiniest amount of stain and went around the legs and chairs really lightly to give them a worn look. I love how it turned out!!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

King Farmhouse bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 04/09/2017 - 18:15

Thanks to Ana for her inspiration and such great plans.  My wife wanted a taller headboard and footboard so we added to the overall height of both.  Everything else is pretty much per Ana's specs.  Our big box stores here wouldn't know a straight board if it slapped them in the face.  After putting my headboard and footboard together the gaps looked terrible.  So I decided to veneer both with 5 mm underlayment ripped 7.5 inches wide and angled to 45 degrees on each side.  Once that was glued and nailed into place both pieces looked much better.  We decided to do without a box spring so the deck/frame is built from 2 2x10's, 5 2x4's, 6 2x4 "feet", and two sheets of 1/2 inch plywood. This thing weighs a ton!

Estimated Cost
$450 for wood, hardware, primer, and paint.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Behr antique white (although the wife swears she is going to distress it later).
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Family Project & Entertainment Center

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 03/08/2021 - 16:30

My son and daughter in law had an unpurposed room in their home and wanted to turn it into a play area for their three kids. She came to me with an idea and it turned into their Christmas present. 8' tall and 140" wide. Now the kids don't want to come out of the room. Papa and Mimi helping them make memories

Comments

Outdoor Cedar Higher Chair

Submitted by Tea Granny on Wed, 03/06/2013 - 06:29

I used cedar deck boards and rails to make this chair - A little more costly, but definitely worth it!

The seat and back rest were made using 5/4 x 6" boards. I cut them 1/2" to 3/4" longer so that they would overhang the supports - for a more finished look. The 2x2 rails came with an angled cut, so I decided to use that to my advantage on the back supports - I made them a bit longer so they would sit higher on the back rest, and I think the angled cut looks a little more "friendly". All screws were left exposed, since this is an outdoor cedar chair.

The table in the photo is an original picnic table from the 1920's, complete with the original paint. It folds flat for storage. I hope to measure it someday and make a plan to build a reproduction - If that ever happens, I will post it on Ana's site.

Thanks Ana for the great plans!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
approx. $20 to $23
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Left unfinished.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

"Grow" Stool

I built this step stool for my son's new "big boy" bed. I built the bed and ended up being a little high for him. So I decided he'd probably like to have a little stool to use to help him get up in the bed. He loves it.

I made it with scrap wood that I had from making his bed. I love the simple design and it is very easy to build. I did use a set of metal stamps and stamp "GROW" onto the stool. We used milk paint and then sealed it with Hemp Oil.

Thanks for all of the plans, love to create stuff!

Estimated Cost
3 bucks
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint (curio color), sealed with Hemp Oil
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Concrete top rustic x end tables

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/13/2017 - 21:03

I took the rustic x base and decided to put a concrete top on it. 

Estimated Cost
$50-$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Oxidized wood with brown furniture polish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

My take on "Lady Goats" cedar shed

Submitted by donbay91 on Sun, 03/14/2021 - 19:02

I absolutely loved these plans for this shed. I'm new to the site but I've been using your plans for things here at home... love it. I went with just one door to give me more places for shelves and I also went with a clear corrugated roof since it's shaded on that side of our house.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300ish
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
No finish yet. I haven't made up my mind
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Simple under-counter helper tower

This was our first time using the kreg jig. We bought the recommended $99 one and boy was it worth it. Can see a lot of kreg jigging in my future! :) We cut the legs at 35" and omitted the arches so it can be stored under the kitchen counter. The crawl-in space is definitely a little tight, but he's getting the hang of it after just one day of practice. We built the tip resisters, but haven't added them yet. It seems sturdy enough without them for our cautious 17-month-old, but I suspect we'll have to attach them when he gets bigger and more rambunctious. We sanded the edges liberally, and notched the top four corners to avoid taking eyes out. We also added felt pads to the bottom of each leg so it doesn't damage our wood floors.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
40
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Tower is painted with Behr self-priming interior enamel color-matched to my kitchen cabinets. Platform is stained, then painted with a simple clear coat. I wanted them to blend in with the cabinets and coordinate with my bar stools.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Arialvetica

Tue, 06/18/2013 - 20:07

The tower gets constant daily use. My son is now 20 months and pushes the tower around the kitchen to access counters and light switches. Definitely the #1 most used baby item in our home!

Floating Shelves

I built these shelves in an afternoon and they were really simple.  I'm fairly new to building and using powertools so these are quite an accomplishement!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20 each shelf
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Provincial Stain and distressing.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Rustic X End Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 04/16/2017 - 08:49

Not too bad for a beginner. We couldn't find the bolds, but we did add the L brackets.

 

Here's our experience: http://wearegrownupsnow.blogspot.com/2017/04/diy-rustic-x-end-table.html

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner (Minwax) and Dark Walnut Stain+Poly (Varathane).
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Lunar2

Fri, 04/21/2017 - 12:02

The L brackets look great on your fab rustic end table.  As for the bolts, I've seen that some people use upholstery tacks instead.  Superficial, but they can look good - there are different finishes to complement your brackets

Small Pallet Wood Console Table

I made this table completely out of pallet wood. We have true 1x4 pallet wood which is hardwood. for the legs, I doubled up 2 pieces of pallet wood for strength. Every piece of wood is a 1x4. It turned out perfectly as I needed a narrow table for our 2nd-floor hallway. This took us a little longer than with cut lumber as there was a lot of planing and sanding since it was pallet wood. If we had used lumber it would have taken a few hours less.

Estimated Cost
20.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We used Jacobean Mini Wax stain and the one coat satin polyurethane. It was the first time I had used the 1 coat but it is a lot thicker than the average polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Laundry Sorter

Submitted by AndyH on Sun, 01/18/2015 - 14:23

Laundry sorter with 3 tilt out bins and 3 drawers.  Made to fit a recess in laundry so it looks like a built in cabinet.

Estimated Cost
$320
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Ebony and Minwax Satin Poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Sofa table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/18/2017 - 19:32

This was so much easier then I thought it was going to be. 

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse bed King Size

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 03/24/2021 - 06:54

Took me about 16 hours to do his on and off. I think it would of been faster if I had a miter saw and a paint sprayer. My Wife and I are happy on the outcome!

Estimated Cost
$600
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Aged Gray chalked paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Vegetable Bin

Submitted by brittanyj on Wed, 01/21/2015 - 08:46

Made this vegetable cupboard for a family member this Christmas.  It turned out really cute.  The knobs were half off from Hobby Lobby, and I used ORB hinges.  I bought L-shaped magnet clasps so that there was a better way to mount the magnets to fit with the doors.  The stain is a mixture of driftwood and walnut stain because the driftwood has almost no color to it.  It ended up giving a kind of country rustic finish to it, which is something different for me.  Pretty easy project and if you measure carefully and dry fit, the doors aren't too bad to fit in the openings (rare for inset). 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
driftwood, walnut stain, poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments