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This was my very first woodworking project. It didn't end up perfect, but I learned a lot by making it, and it is still a quite nice dining table.

The minor modifications I made of the plan: I used 1x4-s as a frame for the table top, flush with the top. (The 2x2-s are next to it inside.) I made the lower supports out of 4x4-s (except that they didn't have 4x4-s at the store here so it's really 2 2x4-s put together). I have a few 2x4-s connecting the 2x8 and 2x6-'s in the base, to make it a bit more stable (not sure I really needed these but anyway), and I also ended up putting a few 2x4-s in the core of the base, again to make it a bit more robust. I routed the 1x4-s on the table frame, and also the table legs with a 45 degree bit (using a router is really fun! And really easy).

I used pine for the base and red oak for the table top -- mostly because I have oak cabinets in the kitchen. After sanding to 150 grit, I stained the oak first with Minwax Oriental Ginger (I would have used a dye if I had had one but this worked fine), and then two coats of GF antique oak. The Minwax gave a nice warm orange undertone while the GF highlighted the grain. It has 6 coats of GF high performance water based poly on it, sanded and wet sanded with very fine grit (up to 2000) so it's pretty smooth. It looks like many people use grain filler with oak, but I like the grain so I didn't. The base is painted white with whatever semigloss white paint I happened to have at hand.

Lessons learnt: 1) always, always measure twice, and always, always make sure that everything is square. 2) Don't build a table base from a board that's not absolutely straight. 3) Make sure to have enough screws and that the screws are of the right kind. 4) If you use a 45 degree router bit, you need to sand that 45 degree part much finer than the other parts of the table top, otherwise the grain will stick out and make it very rough. 5) Don't wet sand oak -- the poly dust white residue gets into the grain and it's impossible to remove. 

I can't find ceder fencing here where we live so I just used a 1x6 I already had. I sealed it with Rustolem's Spar outdoor polyurethane in semi-gloss.

My 6 year old daughter planted the little basil plant seeds a couple weeks ago and we are giving this to one of her teachers this week as an end of year present.

I tried hand painting the herb garden part but it looked really bad so I sanded it down and added the little chalkboard vinyl stickers instead.

I used mostly stuff I had on hand to make the box... I used sissel rope for the handles since I had some. The only cost was for the stickers, terracotta pots and the seeds

I designed this desk from another desk I built. With this one, I wanted the overall foot-print smaller but still something that was able to organize all our office stuff and be able to close everything to keep it clutter-free. We have a small apartment, and although this desk is about the size of an up-right piano, it works perfectly into our living space!

I made it out of raw hardwood (Ash) and because I knew just the wood alone would make this desk heavy/bulky to move I made the top hutch removable. It's held in place by wood pegs (dominos). All the shelves are adjustable and the drawers are full-extension (something I've never had - wahoo)! The drop-down door is help up by 2 pull-out boards on each side (my first desk had chains). I spend a lot of money on this desk because I knew it was a chance in a lifetime to make and wanted it to be perfect and something that would last generations.

I built the main carcass off of plans/measurements I designed, but then all the insides, drawers, shelves, doors, etc where made as I built (because just a millimeter difference in building changes everything)!

If you want more pictures/descriptions of the building process I wrote about it in a 4-part series on my blog.

This is my first ever piece of furniture. I bought the Kreg Jig, which is awesome. My son has a fairly small room, so extra floor space is handy. I plan on turning the bottom into a reading nook with come comfy pillows, some lighting and a few small bookcases.

I used 2x6s to support the mattress. put in 6 slats, but I think I'll add one more for extra support. I also want to add a 2x4 across the back to keep the legs in place. Pretty sturdy though. I got up there with my son and between the two of us we're about 230lbs.

Can't wait to build something else!

This was my first project with doors! Everything worked perfectly, except there seems to be a small mistake on the cut list - the 4 1x3's for the doors should be 14", not 11" each. The picture is correct but the cut list should be revised. Otherwise, instructions were easy to follow. I used a metal grill pattern for the door insets - purchased from Lowes, cut with tin snips and spray painted matte black. This cabinet is a great storage space and an all-around great project. One extra small tip - it may be better to set the top piece back a 1/4 inch more so that it goes over the top edge of the plywood backing on the rear - it would make for a cleaner finish. Thanks Ana - this is my 4th project from your website and I hope to furnish an entire (tiny) house all by hand!

King bed made out of CVG hemlock with doug fir posts. Headboard chevrons are mix of oak, cherry, maple, hemlock.

Pug approved.

I didn't follow Ana's plans for this, I actually designed the closet system to correspond with my dimensions / wants / desires (see blog post), but this goes to show you that once you start building things, it's really hard to stop! I think in building brain now. I don't think in "how can I afford that" terms anymore, I think in "how can I make something similar, but BETTER?" Ana has helped us make our nursery for our first baby a labor of love!

I used both the $1 dollar cedar planter plan and the square planter with finals to come up with this design.

It's made from 1x6's and 2x2's. The finished box is about 16" x 16" on the top. They were pretty easy to put together. If you want more info check out my blog post.

We (my husband and I) were in desperate need of a better work space, and this was perfect.

As a complete beginner in wood working (unless you count a year of woodshop over a decade ago), I decided that building a cart for the miter saw I just bought would be a great first project. So what did I do with that brand new miter saw? I left it in the box and made all of the cuts with a circular saw. Not sure what I was thinking there...

I mostly followed the excellent plan provided here but used wooden arms to prop up the wings in order to save on cost. I got the idea from the folding sling chair plan. It took quite a few screw ups and adjustments of the lower support bar before getting one of the wings level but I got it eventually.

Update 8/20/13: The miter saw has been a joy to use with the cart and the big flip up wings provide a ton of really convenient work space in addition to stabilizing 8 ft boards for cutting. I added a sliding drawer and some utility hooks for additional storage.

This bed is the perfect fit for my son's dinosaur room! I found tutorials for fairy canopies and modified it to create a "volcano" bed.

This project took a week to build.  Working during my boys' nap time and late nights, I was able to complete everything in about 7 days.  I used cedar, and sealed with Cabots Bleaching Oil.  The cost of wood for the beds and stairs and drawers came to about $700.  The extra cost came from the additional side rails on the top bunk and the stairs and drawers.  Still comes in about $500 less than if bought commercially.  The famiy loves the bed and as my kids are 2 and 3, I expect to get many years out of the bunk bed.  Side note:  I had to add quite a few brackets and angle joists to secure and minimize wobble due to the additional weight of the top bunk.  (2 2x4s from the 4x4 to the side of the cleat and side rail of the bottom bunk, on the back side only, made a world of difference)