Community Brag Posts

I built this trunk for my grandson’s high school graduation, and filled it with a lot of things he might need as he begins his life in the U.S. Air Force. Here are a few hints:
• Build the top after you place the moulding around the top of the box so you can measure exactly how long and wide the top needs to be.
• Don’t forget to measure the width of the 1” x 6” boards; if they are not exactly 5 ½”, adjust the length of the vertical boards on the trunk top or it could be slightly too small.
• Because of the extra width the moulding creates around the perimeter of the box, use narrow utility hinges, piano hinges, or Beverly of bzhays used black decorative strap hinges from Amazon.com.
• I used black handles from Amazon.com: Reliable Hardware Company RH-0540BK-2-A Set of 2 Chest Handle, Black
• For a more finished top on the inside, I filled the holes with wood putty and sanded it smooth, then stained and polyed like the outside of the trunk. The kreg holes are still visible, but not too much.
• Before screwing the box together, I recommend finishing the inside surfaces first; cover the edges that will meet with painter’s tape so the glue will have bonding surfaces.

I love the rustic look most have used in their finishes, but since I used a traditional stained finish, I used the ideas from Justin of jeverette1 who covered the exposed plywood edges with scrap. Since I didn’t have that, I used corner moulding for the corners, and lattice strips to cover the top edges of the box. This gives the trunk a more finished look if you are not going for the rustic/distressed look. I notated below a week-long project - I spend a lot of time in the finishing and do so over several days. Others could certainly finish in a weekend.

I’d like to thank Ana for the wonderful plans, and Whitney of Shanty 2 Chic for the great step-by-steps. Also, a big thank you to Beverly of bzhays and Justin of jeverette1 for responding to me with my questions; you were both so helpful.

This project was really pretty easy. The hardest part was holding the pieces just right so they ended up where we wanted once the kreg jig hole screws went in. Also, we had to be sure not to overtighten the screws and cause splitting.

We did have to make two adjustments to the plans. I think the first was a typo...where it says 2 - 1x2 @ 15 3/4" (door sides) they should actually be 1x3 based on the images.

The second adjustment was the plywood for the back 17 3/4" x 21" ended up too wide for the end to fit on, so we made it 17 3/4" x 20"

Made with western red cedar from Lowes. So pretty!

This project was very fun, and it was my first nightstand. The directions are so easy to follow. Thanks Ana : )

Modified the standard farmhouse king plan a bit. Made the headboard 4" taller and utilized 1x4's and 1x3's to fill in the headboard instead of 1x8's. I used 2x8 from front to back for the runners and horizonal 2x6's just under the lip of the 2x8 for the matress to sit on. It turned out great and we get lots of compliments. 

This was my first project from ana white. Thank you for making such great and easy to follow plans! I will be making the matching coffee table next!

Build Instructions:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Stackable-Compost-Bin-from-Palle…

How it works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgtd88kKIn0

With one single unit as opposed to two or three bins, the space needed for composting is minimized. Each tier stacks on top of the other, latching together to make the bin. This setup makes it easy to turn and rotate the compost, since moving the collars is simple. Just remove the top collar and place in a new location adjacent to the original bin location. Turn the compost into the new location and stack the collars until finished. This is a great alternative to having multiple compost bins next to each other.

I live in an apartment, so I had everything cut for me at the nearby hardware store except the trimming. I scaled it so that it fits in my living room. It was my first woodworking project since high school, but I’m happy with how it tuned out. Thank you so much for the easy to understand instructions!!

Table was built using refinished tops from an old table/bench set. Cedar was used for the base of the table and benches. Also created two half-size benches that can be used to add seating at the table, or moved to the living room when additional seating is needed there. Finished with mahogany stain and several coats of clear gloss polyurethane.

Such great and easy to follow plans. Even for a beginner like me. I did both projects in stages at my own pace and time. It probably could have been finished in a weekend, if I worked steady and straight through. Also if you are good and know exactly what you are doing, definitely in a weekend(haha). I just took my time and worked in baby steps, working through both plans. I am very pleased with the outcome. I did change a few things but that was my preference. I attempted to contour the chair seat, not bad but definitely not great. I used a handheld grinder with about 60 grit sandpaper to make the mold. If you are good and have a very very steady hand this can work. I have a router but not a jig for that type of pattern. All in all though I was very pleased with the outcome and so was my little Hannah. Thanks for this great website and keep up the great ideas.

I did a few thing different than the plan calles for. I used kiln dried douglas fir 2x8's and ripped them to remove the rounded mill edge. For the stretcher I used 4x4 rather than the 2x4. Where the bread board is attached I put a very small bevel at the joining edges of the bread board and table to create a visual distinction.

I built this using scrap 2x2s and 1x4s that I ripped down to the appropriate sizes. Also instead of using pocket holes I counter sunk the screws and filled with wood filler.