Community Brag Posts

This is a my take on the Rustic X Kitchen Island. I couldn't find an island that was the right size for my space, so I modified this plan to fit. It is 24x42. I built the slat shelves, drawers, and side boards to go the full width of the piece. I also made the top by ripping 2x8's, and joining them with Kreg pocket holes and wood glue. Instead of using casters, I just cut the legs a little bit longer. This thing is pretty heavy and does not move. After it was in use, I added some additional 12" deep shelves. I finished it by hand rubbing with General Finishes Gel Stain in Brown Mahogany and their Gel Topcoat.

This was inspired by the easy kitchen island and the easy garage workbench plans. I saw what another person had done so I modified it to my specifications to work as a craft and fabric cutting table. It is 37" high so I can stand and cut fabric comfortably without bending over. I chose 37" because I have long legs and needed a little taller than normal countertop height.

The top is 48"x38" so my cutting mat fits both directions and a yard of fabric fits completely on top. The frame is slightly smaller 44"x34" to allow a 2" overlay on each side. The bottom shelf is 44"x31" and the middle half shelf is 44"x17". I ended up doing a half shelf because I used the leftover scraps from the 4x8 plywood. It works great because I will be able to pull up a chair and put my knees underneath.

The 2x4 legs are set out 1" from the ends. I attached the shelves and table top using L brackets. Due to bad math I ended up with a 1" overhang on the shelves along the 44" side.

The paint I used is Behr brand Spun Cotton in satin finish. It is an offwhite / cream color.

The stain I used is Minwax dark walnut and finsihed it with 4 coats of Minwax polycrylic. 

I had an awesome guy at Home Depot do allt he cuts of wood for me.

Madethe framed three shelf bookshelf with plans from Ana White. It was a gift for new baby in the family. I added a matching side table I designed based off Ana's plans! I used poplar 3/4" plywood, pine trim and poplar top for both pieces. Used Sherwin Williams Emerald trim paint in light green. Love the way these turned out!

These are the shots from my dry-fitting assembly. I have yet to instal the back supports and to secure the top 2x6s but that will be done shortly.

I did run short of 2x4, I needed 1 more probably because of my inexperience with maximizing my cuts and minimizing waste. I plan on testing out my cuts in SketchUp for future projects and see if that helps. I find it much easier when the cut plan is already worked out before I get to the saw.

I cut and dry-fit the whole thing in 1 day although it would have been faster if I worked out the regional dimensions first. Again, SketchUp to the rescue!

I plan on adding pocket holes in the inside top piece of the leg assembly as well as the tabletop supports to secure the table top assembly.

This was a great build, I built it for my husband as a 25th anniversary present and he absolutely loves it.

I used knotty pine S4S and we plan to stain it to show off all those pretty knots.

This is only my 4th build, if I can make this anyone can!

This was our first foray into a built-it-yourself Anna White project, and WE DID IT!!!

(and you can see from the picture that it's structurally sound!)

It took a little longer than the 45 minutes in the plans, but was finished before the birthday party :-) Our kids ( 5 and 7) even had ownership in this project and enjoyed helping sand.

Only modification we made to the plans was to turn the seats 90 degrees to make a bit more of a seat so that our 2 year old could seesaw too.

Thanks for the awesome plans. Read a lot of feedback from people saying it was too small. Just make it bigger! Used same plans but 6 1/2 long and 4 inches wider. Added extra support to the table top and used all 2x4s. Lovin it

I built two 3 person outdoor sofa's and a coffee table as per your plans. It is sitting nicely inside the pergola we build last fall. I built a grill table too, to match the others. Thank You.

I had been looking for a small table for our small entry space. When I was searching, I was hoping to buy a table but couldn't find something I liked. I found this plan but it scared me because I had NEVER built anything. After researching on this site, I decided to jump in and try it. I made it much smaller to match our space. I added the shelf higher than recommended because I wanted to be able to use it as a homework spot when the kitchen table is covered by a project. I don't like the finish, but it will stay for a while because others like it.

A mini flat shelf for my daughter. Initially sized to fit on the landing until I realized I had just built her a ladder to climb the banisters, so relocated it to the hall.

Width increased to 630mm between uprights to allow 3x A4 books side by side. Height is 830mm to fit initial planned location.

Painted with Annie Sloan Duck-Egg Blue distressed at the edges and waxed with Annie Sloan soft wax.

I used your frame idea to install a hidden wall safe for valuables and firearms.

So I love Restoration Hardware but think their prices are exploitative. I found a picture of a couch I really like from there. Turns out it was discontinued so I looked on Ebay and found cushions for it and I just tried to copy the picture as best I could. I considered trying to learn about bending wood for the arms but that would have significantly delayed the process so I just took a 2x6 and cut the curves with a band saw. It worked.

This is my 10ft long picnic table (which is bar height) that we built for the patio. We needed better seating for parties and BBQ's. I will post the plans later! Also featured is the couch that we designed and built with the center table.

Simply inspired by Ana's Garage Shelving project using 2 By 4s. Thank you Ana. Below are my project details.

1. Shelving Height =  8 Ft, Width = 12 Ft, Depth = 13 inches (Each shelve having 3 pieces of 2 by 4s). All 8 Ft and 12 Ft lumber available in this standard size.  Only cutting required (done at Home Depot) was for the 13 inch pieces to build the shelving legs (which in Ana's original plan is 17 inches, and has 4 pieces of 2 by 4s).  Able to carry all lumber (multiple trips) in minivan after folding seats.

2. Garage Floor was a bit uneven - so I used Shims (plastic) as suggested by HomeDepot associate.

3. To secure the shelves from the top of the wall, I used corner L brackets, 3 inch by 3 inch.  I used 1-1/2 inch screws to mount the bracket on the 2 by 4s, and then to mount the other side of the bracket to wall studs, I used the 2-1/2 inch screws (which I used throughout the project as Ana suggested). I mounted two brackets sideways, and one on the top (because the stud was around the corner).   Used a thin nail to find the stud as studfinder results were not reliable

4. After making shelving legs, we made them stand next to the wall, and then mounted the shelves (3 pcs each on each shelve) and then put screws.  My wife, her uncle, aunt, and cousin helped to mount finally, and it was great fun.

Made this from a great Ana White plan Modified it to fit a small sink that will drain to a water bucket underneath it.

Thanks to Ana White and fsmumford, I was inspired to create a castle bed for my princess. It was a lot of hard work but it paid off seeing her going up the stairs and down the slide a million times the 1st day!

My husband and I made this completely fabulous DIY playstand for my niece's birthday. It turned out fantastic. Ana's plans were straightforward and easy to follow. The most difficult part was making the buntings, but even those turned out fine. The only recommendations that I have beyond what is in Ana's post are use a good piece of plywood since it isn't easy to sand, and to put the extra velcro for holding back the theater curtains on the back. My cost is a little higher than the one on the original plans, but I also factored in the cost of the different fabrics, velcro, etc.

You can read more about it on my blog.

We modified this just for more stability around little ones. I also torched the Oak top so the grain would be more prominent and routered the edge.