I have twins and they were fastly growing out of their toddler beds, so when I found Ana's plan for the easy twin bed (I made XL twin beds) I was ecstatic. In less than 4 days, both beds were built, painted, and ready for bedding!
BonjourTwinMama
A friend contacted me about building a custom sized desk to coordinate with a set of dressers that she purchased used (I refinished them years before). We started with the Simple Modern desk (more in overall look), but made some changes away from "Modern" such as the bases, overhanging and routed top and trim on the side aprons. The legs of the desk aren't solid 4x4, but1x4s and 1x3 furring strips kreg jig'd and sanded till nearly seamless. The support under the desktop was redesigned to create a large, single drawer faced as two. The top is made from pine boards edge joined together. The two "bases" combined, have 96 pieces of trim to create this look. It was alot of work to get some tiny pieces just right, but well worth it in the end.
There are two comparison pictures uploaded. the photoshopped photo is the inspirational photo that came with the "Can you build me one of these?" and the second is the side by side with one of the dressers I was asked to compliment.
At 4 ft by 2 ft, she says its the perfect size for her home office laptop.
Overall, I was pretty surprised about how different of a turn this desk could take in style as I went from bare to adding the trim. Perhaps it can inspire others as well.
Tue, 05/08/2012 - 12:49
I have been looking at some different design ideas for a desk. I love what touches you put on the table legs. I might have to try something like this when I start building.
Tue, 05/08/2012 - 17:13
Gorgeous finish. What's your method? Pine has been killing me. I put 6 coats on my last table top or polyurethane. Time after time the wood just soaked up the finish. I could never get a smooth surface. Maybe if I would have applied 10 more coats...
Wed, 05/09/2012 - 05:22
Washington- keep in mind the size of the trim pieces if you do a base like this. Some of those trim pieces are 1/2 wide and angled... not the easiest to get to fit right. If I were to do it again, I would cut in more to make the cuts a little easier. However, I loved this result.
These legs are hollow also, a definite idea to keep in mind for anyone wanting to do a 4x4 leg project but unable to find treated 4x4's.
Patrick- everything was well sanded in advance. then a coat of wood conditioner. Then the stain (2 coats of the gunstock and 2 coats of the Golden Oak). With the Poly, In between coats, I buff with 0000 Steel Wool then wipe clean. That surface, minus the places where I left the charachter in the wood on purpose, is VERY smooth.
Wed, 05/09/2012 - 06:31
You did a really beautiful job and it does match the dresser so nicely.
Thu, 05/10/2012 - 19:15
Ahh poly in between coats. What a great method. Will try that.
Wed, 05/16/2012 - 05:40
Patrick.. you apply poly, give a very light sand with the 0000 steel wool (A little more than running over the surface with minimal pressure) until the surface feels smooth with no drag. Then wipe down with tack cloth and apply a new layers of poly.
Keep in mind that with polyacrylic.. the water based stuff, you can't use the steel wool. I'm told it will rust. This is strictly for polyurethane.
Wed, 05/16/2012 - 05:42
Washington- the middle layer of trim is on top of spacer to raise it up. It provided a great look.
Wed, 03/27/2013 - 21:25
The desk looks great. I was trying to figure out how you attached the four pieces of wood that make the legs. You indicated a Kreg jig, but it would seem that there would need to be some pocket screws on the outside. I don't see any...what am I missing here?
This project was desperately desired and needed! We had old wire shelving which previous owners of the home had installed improperly and were falling off the wall. This took about 6 weeks from start to finish, but I am SO happy with the results. Unfortunately, here in south Florida, our homes are built with metal studs which are more often than not spaced all over the place. So, attaching anything to a wall securely is next to impossible. I believe I've gotten things as securely attached as possible and things seem to be holding up really well. The icing on the cake was my mother-in-law purchasing 100 Huggable Hangers for me for my birthday! The OCD in me was ecstatic! Anyhow, thanks Ana for the great plans and helping bring custom organization to our homes!
This project was a success!! I had a week of vacation that I dedicated to this great project! The directions were easy to follow...thank you Ana!
I managed to get the slide from someone's outdoor play set that they were giving away :) I secured it to the side of the upper level. It's been the kids favorite part!
We finally finished our first project - definitely made mistakes, but learnt a lot. I feel ready for tackling the next one
Did these last year!
Mike Dvorak
I'm a father of 4 girls ages 6,5,4, and 1. So a regular bunk wasn't enough so I decided to add the 3rd bunk. Each painted in my girls favorite colors. The paint was Martha Stewart signature paint which was on clearance on Lowes. Think it was 3 or 4 dollars a quart. The cubby steps are basically just 4 boxes stacked on top of each other and nailed together and made from 3/4" furniture grade plywood.
It didn't come out perfect but I'm pretty happy with the results. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks.
PS, Ana...my wife is a big fan of yours. She's the one who turned me onto your site.
Fri, 05/11/2012 - 17:30
That looks awesome! It's definitely one of a kind too. Nice job.
Sat, 11/24/2012 - 09:06
Hi,
We are looking to build something very similar, but are needing more information. How did you attach the loft bed to the top bunk bed? What do you have at the foot of the loft bed to keep it up? Thanks so much for any information.
Thu, 07/31/2014 - 14:17
This is BEAUTIFUL. I bet your girls have loved it and worn it well. :) I would love to see 2-years-later pics to see how it has held up over the years. :)
My first attempt at building an Adirondack chair. Ana's plans were easy to follow and very accurate. I would classify myself as a Beginner+.. Recently suffered bad thumb cut making cedar planters. Always think safety first.
For my first project I chose the farmhouse coffee table. It turned out much better than I expected! The hardest part for me were the angle pieces on the ends. The design was super easy to follow and I love the rustic look. It didn’t turn out perfect but I am pretty happy with it. Can’t wait to see my husbands reaction when he gets home :)
Thanks Ana!
I needed a new bed and stumbled upon your plan for a bed frame. I love it and had so much fun building it!
Marielle Krupa
We used cedar for these nice, little chairs and based the table on the chair model, only 24" tall, rather than the 18" of the chair seats. It took longer to cut than assemble these - total time: @4 hours for all.
Thank you, Ana!
Darin
Built this for a friend of mine and his fiancé. They just bought a house and thought I would help them fill it. This is my 2nd farmhouse table. I really like the thickness of the table.
My wife has been wanting new patio furniture so here is my version of the simple outdoor table, I shortened it to fit our needs. Next is the chairs to match.
Sat, 06/16/2012 - 16:00
What are the dimensions? I am trying to build a similar table and am thinking 40" square.
Super simple and fits right in!
ScottW
This piece began with finding a unique piece of walnut that had been discarded by a custom cabinet manufacturer. When I saw it, I thought I could make a beautiful wall hanging out of it. The walnut wood is absolutely beautiful; pictures don't do it justice. The majority of the piece is not stained; the natural color is enhanced with a clear polyurethane designed to give a hand-rubbed finish. The darker walnut section was lightly stained for contrast. The frame is made of pine 2x2s. I built a platform in the grooves with shims, and embedded earth-toned glass and stone tiles (as well as river rocks) in the grooves around the "waves".
While this didn't come from any specific plan, most any inspiration and techniques come straight from what I've learned on ana-white. Ana's site has really changed my life and given me a passion for building.
After seeing the plans for the Factory Cart Coffee Table on this site, I decided I should build one. I didn't actually follow the plans exactly...really just used them as "inspiration". I went with 5" swivel casters and 8" fixed casters, and the stain is Minwax hickory poly that has been sanded back a bit. I'm really happy with how it turned out.
Now on to the next project !
This was my 5th build. Took a few weekends working in the morning. Table is Weathered Oak (base) and Early American (top) stain. Modified the plans to make it slightly smaller so it would fit better in my kitchen. Very sturdy and table looks gorgeous in person, very happy.
My girls asked for horse stalls for their horses they got for Christmas. I was inspired by plans I saw here.
I used the Rustic X Hall Tree plans and slightly modified them. I'm very happy with how it turned out. I used black pipe for the hooks as I have a lot of this style of decor in my home. The stain color is Dark Bourbon from Varathane. The back is luan with screen bead across the front to hide the cut panels (I have a Ford escape and had them cut the luan into panels). The back is secured with 1x2s so I had something to hold my 5/8 inch brad nails for the screen bead. I didn't use the X design; I can always add it later if necessary. The baskets are from Amazon sized 12x12x10. I also didn't add the 16 inch side pieces or the top piece. I used pocket holes on 95% or more of the piece.
Hi all,
This is my second project I have build from plans I have found here. I'm a novice at woodworking and only get a couple hours on the weekend to work on projects. So it takes a while to finish one. My daughter loves her new toy shelf. The hardest part for me was to attach the doors straight. I'm sure there is a secret I just haven't figured it out yet.
I primed the whole piece, applied three thin coats of latex paint and sanded with 320 grit sandpaper in between coats. I applied two coats of finish after 48 hours and sanded with 400 grit sandpaper in between.
