Community Brag Posts

Leaning orchard ladder

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 01/02/2016 - 04:43

I wanted something quick and easy to display or hold magazines or blankets. I used two 3x5x8, cut the bottom at 5 degrees and the top that leans against the wall at 85 degrees. You don't have to do this, but I liked the look. Last, I drilled 8 holes at 1 1/4" diameter to fit 1 1/4" dowel cut in inch increments: 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11. I used a brad nailer to hold the dowels in place from behind.

Estimated Cost
$30.00 - the dowels are the most expensive.
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Old flat wall green/blue.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Patio cooler

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 03/14/2019 - 18:29

Made this as a gift for our supervisor with my coworkers contributing to the cost

Estimated Cost
350
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Firefighter Locker

IKEA dresser drawers bit the dust....SURPRISE! So I needed a dresser and quick. Then after a trip to our fire fighter museum I decided to make lockers instead.

I used the basis from the beach cottage dresser, omitted drawers and used shelves and doors instead.

Estimated Cost
20
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
dark grey primer
satin black spray paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic X End Table

My husband and I built this after the Rustic X coffee table won us over. The end table building plan is awesome, straight-forward, easy to follow. What we have learned from building the coffee table was that it is much easier to finish the frame and then mark the 2x2 against the bars for exact cut. We tried following the cut list, but turned out if the other cuts are slightly off, or the table is not squared, or the wood is not straight, then there may be a slight gap. So marking the 2x2 against the built frame was a much easier option for us. Of note, the end table is pretty big. So if you have a smaller living room, you may want to size down accordingly.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Conditioned, stained in Kona, matte finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Truck shelf

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 01/03/2016 - 09:26

Filling with books for out first grandchild

 

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

72 inch vanity

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 03/21/2019 - 19:25

We needed an inexpensive alternative for our master bathroom remodel. After looking at Ana-White.com, I decided I should build a vanity myself. 

I had been gifted some newel posts, which I thought would work great for legs. The aprons and shelf slats were made with "choice" pine that I purchased from a big box store. I had two drawers leftover from a piece of furniture that was repurposed and I added new fronts from a piece of wood left from that same piece of furniture. I also had some leftover 1/4 inch plywood that I used to partition the drawers. 

The overall length once the counter is installed will be 72 1/2 inches by 23 inches wide. Because we are using vessel sinks (sitting on the countertop) I choose to make the base of the vanity 32 inches high. 

 

Estimated Cost
Under $100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Wood stain, custom color.
3 coats of poly acrylic in matte
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Camp loft bed with a farm house twist

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/14/2023 - 07:58

As soon as I saw the plans for the camp loft bed with stairs, I knew it would be perfect for my daughters room. It was my first furniture build. While it is not perfect, I absolutely love it. The plans were easy to read and customize to fit her room. Don't mind the messy room, she's 13 and this is about as good as it gets lol.

Comments

Kitchen set

This was a kitchen for friends daughters birthday. I used my nail gun on this, made it so much easier:)

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Behr Ocean Pearl and polycrylic coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

DMax2010

Fri, 10/18/2013 - 04:47

I made this kitchen for my son, it was one of my first projects, and I love seeing all the different ways people decorate these!

My new dinning table is complete!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/04/2016 - 14:48

Thank you for the inspiration - I love how mine turned out!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

first furniture project

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/26/2019 - 05:46

was my project at collage on my first course self desian and cost of extra wood  £38  MATERIAL TO COVER  £25

 

Estimated Cost
£60
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
CLEAR SEALANT
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Harriet Chair

Submitted by MarkThomas on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 12:26

After our Wal-Mart dining room chairs started falling apart (after 8 years of use) I decided it was time to replace those ugly old things with something a bit more unique. The Harriet Chair really caught my eye, so I set out to build it! My wife, Judi, chose the mustard yellow color and we thought it would be cool to add contrast with some red and white polkadot seat pads from IKEA ($9.99 ea.).

These are the first two I've built, with a goal to eventually build a total of 6-8 to fit around a table I also plan on building.

I made the addition of the front support as Judi likes to rest her feet on it. And, as you can see in the second photo, I added a small brace, cut at 15 deg., on the bottom side screwed to each backrest 2x2, and screwed to the underside of the seat (chair is upside down in photo). This gives additional rigidity and support for the backrest and also provides a nice guide to ensure the backrest has an exact 15 deg. angle on every chair. This was at no additional cost as I used scrap 2x2 pieces for it. And best of all this addition stays hidden and in no way changes the original aesthetic of the chair.

The chairs are extremely sturdy, comfortable and look great in our dining room! The only change I will make on the next set is using higher quality plywood as I had to putty this plywood a bit more than I had hoped. Otherwise, what an easy and inexpensive upgrade to our space!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$15
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
custom mustard yellow color, poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Benjamin Uyttebroeck (not verified)

Tue, 11/01/2011 - 11:37

Looks great! How did you assembly the different parts? Simply glue and screws, kreg jig or mortise and tenon?

Mark Thomas (not verified)

Fri, 11/04/2011 - 14:59

Haven't been able to add the Kreg to my tool chest yet so I used glue and screws. Pre-drilled all the holes of course. Came out extremely sturdy. This was one of my first projects of this nature so I've learned a ton from each chair I make. These two were the first and the next ones have been a lot more precise and sharp looking.

Benjamin Uyttebroeck (not verified)

Sat, 11/05/2011 - 00:59

Thanks for your answer! I'll try it that way too then...

Giant outdoor sectional

Submitted by nprince on Mon, 10/21/2013 - 09:49

This is the first wood working project I took on. My husband thought I should start with, like a birdhouse or something, but I'm a "go big or go home" kind of person (plus I hate birds), so I thought a seven piece sectional was the way to go. After a few lessons from him on the miter saw, I got the clear to work on the project solo. (My husband builds a lot of our furniture but I insisted I wanted to do this 100% myself...and he surprisingly agreed).

The first section took a really long time for me to do (maybe 4 hours), but considering I've never even so much as drilled a hole for a screw, I considered it a success. After that (and after I decided to go out and buy a Kreg Jig - best invention ever - and ditch the "knock off" I tried to buy/use), it was pretty smooth sailing from then on out. Aside from being time consuming, I was surprised at how easy the plans were to follow. Ana it truly amazing for publishing these.

From start to finish, it probably took me a month to complete (and THANK GOD we bought a paint sprayer in anticipation for painting the outside of our house, or I think it would've taken at least another week to finish). But that's also because I stupidly decided to sew all of the cushions/pillows myself. I just couldn't justify ordering pre-made ones for seven individual pieces (the price quote I was getting for that and what I wanted was close to $1,000 in itself).

Overall, I'm VERY excited/please with how it turned out. I priced out the West Elm sectional of this size and it would've cost us about six times what it cost us to build from scratch. I can't wait to take on the next project (after a much needed break...)

Estimated Cost
Wood ($200), Cushions ($450)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I used a dark espresso outdoor behr pain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

nprince

Mon, 10/21/2013 - 15:02

I stumbled upon your site a couple of months ago, and I'm a bit obsessed. I have a laundry list of projects I want to do now...more to come!

- Nicole

Smaller Dog Crate with a drawer!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/06/2016 - 12:28

You may remember my green stratton day beds that I built a long time ago- finally I have another project to post- I am soo happy I found Ana White's website. We just got back from a 2.5 week vacation in Israel and my dogs were staying with my sister. She told me they had been sleeping in the same kennel together instead of separately. Their kennels are too small so I decided to build them one using wood I already had. But since they are small dogs, I decided to size it down- but I wanted it end table height- so I built a smaller kennel- 20"H x 19"W x 28"D. but... I added a drawer to the top to bring it to the right height. You can read all about it on my blog- link below.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
provincial wood stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Church pew

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/24/2023 - 06:34

First time using jigsaw, think it turned out pretty good! What a fun project to build!

Comments

Full Size Hailey Storage Bed

Submitted by Georgia M on Fri, 11/04/2011 - 20:26

When I saw the plans for this bed I knew it was exactly what I wanted for our guest room/office. I loved that it had storage underneath for extra blankets and office supplies and I loved the simple, clean look. I think it turned out great! We made it full size so it could sleep 2 people and we added an extra set of legs in the middle of the benches to make them extra sturdy. We want to add doors to some of the cubbies later.
This is the first piece of furniture I've painted instead of staining, and I'm so glad I did! The white looks so sharp against the gray walls. I don't think any stain would have turned out as good for the room.
The project came together really easily. We just worked on it for a couple hours on two Saturday afternoons and it was done really fast. The assembly was easy as well, and I love the concept of this bed being built of units that can be moved around or re-purposed later.
Thanks Ana for the great plans!

Estimated Cost
$150 (but we bought our wood from a small local lumber store)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Two coats of Olympic Premium (no voc) semigloss White.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Rachel Garris (not verified)

Fri, 01/04/2013 - 12:57

I cannot find the plans to make this bed. There is only a description of the bed. Could I please get the plans for the Full Size Hailey Storage bed?

Fillman Toddler Bed

Submitted by brogers67 on Thu, 10/24/2013 - 01:37

First build and totally happy with result . The excitement and smiles of our 18 months old grand-daughter was worth every effort !

Estimated Cost
$20 Aud
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Acrylic White Gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

JoanneS

Thu, 10/24/2013 - 13:20

Love this bed! What a super cute room for your grand-daughter! Looks totally professional, would never guess this is a first build -- Great job!

DIY Star Wars TIE Fighter Bookshelf

To bring a bit of order to my son's growing book collection, I built him a TIE fighter bookshelf. (By him I mean me, because he doesn't really care about TIE fighters. Chewbacca? Yes.) I was able to make use of some scrap lumber I already owned. Paint was the only item I purchased for the project.

Estimated Cost
$7. The only item I needed to purchase was the paint.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Gray and Black satin paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse dining table

Submitted by StevenP on Thu, 05/02/2019 - 11:08

My Wife has been after me to build her table. I am not an expert builder and finally gave in. I think it turned out great!!!!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
stain and clear coat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner