Community Brag Posts

Table centerpiece trough

Submitted by brittanyj on Fri, 11/20/2015 - 10:20

Used scrap cedar fence pickets for this build- only sanded the roughness off the top so that the saw marks remained to give it a rustic look.  added tea stain then steel wool vinegar mix to age the boards, then a coat of poly on top.  Very quick build, held together by brad nails. 

Estimated Cost
Free- Scrap cedar fence pickets
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
steel wool and vinegar mix painted on after a tea stain. Poly on top.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Corner Cupboard

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 01/08/2019 - 15:11

Made this corner cupboard in an afternoon. It was easier than expected especially with the sliding compound miter saw, and the kreg jig haha!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$130
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane vintage aqua wood stain for the shelves, Behr "power grey" for the colors. I used weathered grey plank MDF paneling from Home Depot for the backing and doors.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

BEST DIY Garage Shelves (Attached to Walls)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/17/2022 - 13:28

Total cost $87. This project was very easy and did not take much time.

Comments

W/D Pedestal

Submitted by BARROW12 on Mon, 09/16/2013 - 18:54

Built according to plan, adding embellishment to cover decking seam. Painted with three coats of paint and a sprayed clear coat.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Simply Seafoam (Valspar - SemiGloss)
1 Sheet Glass Tile Mosaic, cut individually
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

butternut table

Got some butternut from a friend and here it is.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Oak then clear
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Classic bunk bed for our boys

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 01/12/2019 - 21:22

My husband and I enjoyed building this for our boys. Our wood supply store didn't have enough 1x4's so we purchased 1x6's and ripped them down to an even 4" instead of 3.5 as with a 1x4. We also increased the height by 5.5 inches. That gives us a little extra room to do nightly reading at the bottom bunk. The slats (2 sets) in the bottom are just from IKEA and at the time we just threw them down there and I forgot to set them up in place for a true final photo. Oh well. They've enjoyed the bed for over a month already 

Estimated Cost
$140
Finish Used
Varathane ultimate one coat stain in Kona
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Wood Tilt Out Trash Cabinet-Pallet boards how do I love thee!

Submitted by Dafoemomma on Sun, 08/28/2011 - 14:53

We modified the plans to be the height of our countertops, roll and to be the dimensions of a nice cutting board we have. We originally were going to have a custom butcher block made for the top, but after having a built in one in our old house (we just moved) we decided it would be nice to be able to take the cutting board on and off to cut. We only put two locking caster wheels in the back as we have small kids and wanted to be able to stop the kids from pushing it around as much. If I hadnt wanted the hinges to be flush and a wooden knob and metal handles on the side we could have built this out of pallet boards, scraps and things we allready have! We also put small L brackets on three sides to hold the cutting board in when we cut. The cost is just caster whees, the wood knob, and the side handles as we had all the wood and paint from other projects. Also things take us a lot longer with kids and no one to watch them (and I am 8 months preggo!) so I could have done this even with drying time in a day or two. As it was I think it took me 4 days working an hour or two every day

Estimated Cost
About $8
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Watered down Folk Art paint with a polyurethane over it
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Dafoemomma

Sun, 08/28/2011 - 14:56

Sorry for the less than great photo! We are still unpacking and I havent found my good camera. This was a cell phone camera so I will try to post better ones later.

8 Foot Kentwood Bookshelf

Submitted by JHardaway on Thu, 09/19/2013 - 14:08

My wife loved the original kentwood plan, but wanted it....bigger. So it is 96 inches tall in total, and for the sides and shelves i used 1x16 project board from Lowes. This means that the shelves and sides are cedar, while the remainder is pine. Turned out fantastic and she loves it. I am currently building a second one to match.

Estimated time: 12 hours.

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rust-O-leum ultimate wood stain "Dark Walnut". No finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Alexandra's Indoor Playhouse

I built this indoor playhouse for my daughter who turned 2 in september. She loves to help mommy cook, loves to have little tea party's for her dolls and love to watch Chip n' Dale terriorize Donald Duck. So I thought I would give Alexandra her very own little house to do all those things. I hope you all like it and have just as much fun building one of these as I did. 

Estimated Cost
$500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Black and White Beam Table

Submitted by Landers15 on Tue, 01/15/2019 - 12:38

I have to shorten the design up a bit to fit my dinning room. I also did Epoxy Resin on top to give it the glass like appearance.

 

So ebony stain on white pedistole with an Epoxy Resin finish.

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Lumber $80
Stain/paint/aprasives $30
1 gal Epoxy Resin $80
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
White paint, ebony stain,and an Epoxy Resin Finish, which took 5 days alone.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Spa Bench

So excited!~ I've got big projects in mind but I just wanted to test it out first with a simple one. So easy to follow and I can't wait to do more!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$22
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Black interior paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Miter Saw Cart

Submitted by MNDadx3 on Sat, 09/21/2013 - 19:38

Great project - fun to build and helpful for wheeling my new miter saw around the garage.

I made a few modifications from the original plan:
- I used a 1x4 instead of a 1x3 for the bottom supports to add a bit more of a lip to keep things from rolling off of the shelf. The shelf is big enough to hold my small pancake compressor and ciruclar saw.
- Like others, I added a drawer (1X4 front/sides, 1/4" plywood bottom, 2x2 drawer guides).
- Like others, I went with simple strap hinges and then used some wood to support the wings when open. When closed the supports tuck neatly under the wings.
- I added some 1/4" plywood to make a back. I left enough of a gap at the bottom to be able to sneak my extension cords out to a power strip I mounted on the back.
- I made a fence extension out of a 1x4. I attached this to the left wing using wing nuts and hanger bolts so it is easy to remove if I need to. I spent time measuring carefully to make sure it lined up exactly with the saw's fence. It is nice for supporting longer boards and keeping them straight.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

MrCoffee

Sun, 09/22/2013 - 05:27

I love the way this came out. I believe I have your exact saw and I intend to use Ana's plan as well. Do you know how long you made the sides to accommodate the saw fence, or what your measurement was on the saw fence?

MNDadx3

Sun, 09/22/2013 - 06:54

I followed Ana's plan for the main carcass. My flip-up sides are a bit shorter than the plan, but only because I failed to follow the directions carefully and cut both of my sides from the same 24" strip of plywood (instead of a 36" and 30" per the directions) and was a bit short on 3/4" plywood. My sides are 24" long.

I made my fence extension from a 1x4. You can cut it to length so that it will fit any side.

MNDadx3

Mon, 09/23/2013 - 06:12

The deck is 3 3/4" from the top of the sides. That makes it level with the extensions when they are flipped up.

I have a 12" hitachi saw (not sliding), so if your saw is not the same then the measurements might be different.

My first dining table

I built this table using modified pocket hole plans and a mix of pine, spruce and cedar lumber.

When I laminated the boards together to the table top I also applied four culls to try to keep it flat as possible. When I removed the culls the boards weren't as even as I had wanted so I used a belt sander with a 120 grit to take out the high spots. I filled the knot holes with some 5 minute epoxy and I really liked the look. I would use decent epoxy if I do another large lamination of knottty wood as the $5 microtube I bought was thick and hand to work into the small voids around the knots. After the epoxy cured for 12 hours I gently used the belt sander gentle to remove the excess and then gave the entire table top a little 220 grit action. 

 

 

Estimated Cost
This project cost around $300 in materials and took about 24 hours spread over a couple weekends to complete. The cost of the Kreg K4 jig isn't included in that price, but it will come in handy for the next few years.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I applied two coats of Minwax Fruitwood stain before topcoating with 4 coats of a 4:1  mixture of Helmsman Spar Urethane/Paint Thinnner. I gently sanded with 220 grit and then polished with a clean cloth between coats of the Helmsman. The Wood Whisperer from YouTube has some really helpful tips to get a smooth finish like diluting your finish and applying it with a clean cloth which has been moistened with paint thinner. I recommend checking out his channel.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farm House Bed w/Drawers

Used the farm house bed plans from here with a few modifications.  Instead of plywood for the headboard and footboard, I used tongue and grove 1x6 planks.  I used edge glued spruce planks from Lowes for the drawer fronts and I invested a bit more on the drawer slides and opted for the full opening type.  Also, rather than 3 large drawers on either side, I opted to put 2 smaller drawers in the center.  I felt the shallower drawers would be more useful for smaller items (socks and underwear).  I also used a 3/4" molding to hid the ends of the plywood drawer boxes.  The weathered finish was created using a video I found on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Via9Lz4Pw).  My upgrades increased the overall price, but it was still under $600 and should last a lifetime.

Estimated Cost
$600
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Multiple products - follow YouTube tutorial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Via9Lz4Pw
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Swedish Bed with Metal Legs

My best friend (and upstairs apartment neighbor) was looking for a "grown up" bed for her apartment. When she saw the Swedish Bed, she fell in love. We built the frame out of 1×10′s and the “guts” were reclaimed wood from my Dad’s barn (to cut down on costs). She painted it a flat black using mistint paint pints from McCoy’s that were $1 each. The pipe legs were from Lowe’s in the plumbing section, and they’re threaded for easy installation. You just thread them into a little square base that you can screw straight into the wood, and pop on a threaded endcap so it doesn't scratch your floor or rip your carpet. Her first choice of 10" proved to be much too tall after she plopped on her enormously tall pillow-top mattress. So we exchanged them for the 6" version for a much more balanced look. She loves it!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$175
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Flat black latex Oops paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Long desk

Submitted by murphygirl on Tue, 09/24/2013 - 10:22

I was looking for a long desk for two people and wasn't able to find anything that wasn't custom. I decided to try and here it is! I now have a massive and sturdy desk I can be proud of.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain/poly mix
Multiple coats and used steel wool between each.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Coffee table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 01/26/2019 - 15:39

Sister asked me to make her a table. Since I am out or work right now I said yes and got this thing done in about 3 days! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
130.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White chalk paint for the bottom and a combo high gloss poly/stain for the top
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Christmas Stocking stand

Submitted by Egle01 on Fri, 12/09/2022 - 15:30

I enjoyed making this. The kids love it and it goes great in front of the fireplace.
#Todays_Spare_Time

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Doll farmhouse bed as a present

Submitted by fethiye on Thu, 09/08/2011 - 15:19

Built this cute doll bed for a friend's daughter's 3rd bday. I hear she loves it :)

The bedding (which took the longest) was made from my stash, followed loosely the plans at
http://fromanigloo.blogspot.com/2010/11/dolly-bed-fitted-sheet.html

and http://fromanigloo.blogspot.com/2010/11/dolly-pillows-and-pillowcases.h…

I wish I had a nailer; this project would have been faster with that. Predrilling etc took more than I care.

Mostly used left over 1x3s, and the rest was brand new pine.

Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Oops beige paint, tinted with some crazy pink I had to make my own pink mix.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project