Community Brag Posts

Amy's "My Chair"

Submitted by rosiejane on Tue, 05/13/2014 - 22:09

My daughter needed a chair that wasn't as bulky as our high chair but higher than a normal dining chair. This plan was perfect. I changed the dimensions to suit what I needed. The actual building took only a couple of hours but the finishing seemed to take forever. I probably spent about a week just on the finishing. I distressed it to help disguise the inevitable bumps and grubby handprints.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
AUD$20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Cabots stain - burnt gum, dulux vivid white, clear water-based varnish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

cthomas

Mon, 05/01/2017 - 16:30

Is this adaptable for adult size with no back. Looking for something like this to slide under a new kitchen desk.

Kentwood bed 2016

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 08/15/2016 - 21:12

I wanted to build my 10 year old son a new bed after getting rid of bunk beds. We both liked this one and worked on it together.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$130 for bed and a nightstand (not pictured)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dark walnut stain, poly, steel wool, and beeswax finishing wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Hen House

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/20/2024 - 08:43

A new home for 8 ex battery hens. :)

ManicMick

Seesaw

Submitted by embleier on Tue, 07/24/2012 - 11:12

I made this Seesaw for my 4 year old's birthday present! It was SUPER easy...and she LOVES it!

Estimated Cost
$25
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Full Bed with upholstered headboard

Submitted by skyzen on Sun, 05/18/2014 - 20:04

First of all, thanks Ana for the wonderful plans. I made this in full size mainly from the farmhouse bed plan with some modifications. The headboard is made of 1x4s with an upholstered pegboard. Instead of using 4x4 post for legs, i glued 2x4s studs together and later wrapped them with fabric instead of painting them.

This looks great in our second bedroom.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$70
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar Glossy White
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Folding Workbench with Storage

Submitted by lookitsash on Fri, 08/19/2016 - 13:15

Digging through my scrap wood collection, I came across some pieces of pegboard from our previous home that I had forgotten about. I had just relocated a lot of garden tools to the shed, and there was an empty wall in the garage that would now be perfect for the pegboard. After mounting the pegboard and hanging up some tools, the wall still looked a little empty. I had a vision of mounting a heavy duty folding workbench to the wall. This was the perfect location, and if the workbench folded, we could still fit the car in the garage.  You can read all the details about my folding workbench on my blog at:

 

http://www.justmeasuringup.com/blog/building-a-folding-workbench-with-french-cleats

 

The workbench is a perfect addition to my garage, and its used every day.  Best of all, I just fold it down when I need to park the car!

Estimated Cost
Around $150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
No paint or stain, but I did route the edges of the table with a roundover bit to give it a professional finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

King Sized Fancy Farmhouse Bed

Created our own King sized Fancy Farmhouse bed (headboard only) using Ana White’s plan! Overall, a well laid out plan, very easy to complete! We went with a two tone color scheme to match an antique dresser I refinished last year. Note: we used nickel gap “ship lap” for the panel of the headboard and used the pocket hole jig to secure the pieces together, traditional tongue and groove probably would have been easier, but I love how the nickel gap looks finished!

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Cream colored paint is Valspar Gloss Almond enamel paint

Dark stain is Cabot Ebony with 2 coats of satin poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Bathroom shelf with hooks

This was inspired by your Flat Wall Bookshelf and made using a piece of 1x6, a piece of 1x4, and a smidge of recycled paint. We added towel hooks to the ends (the same ones that kept pulling out of the wall), and mounted the whole thing to studs in the bathroom. Thanks for the plans!

Estimated Cost
$0.10 out of pocket
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Unknown pale green Martha Stewart paint from a recycling center. Cost: $0.50 for the quart.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

LOVE MY SHED!!!

Submitted by Storm on Wed, 05/21/2014 - 20:41

I saw this storage shed plan and loved it. I did make a few changes because I needed a 4' x 8'. I also built a shed floor to secure it too so I built the shed frame using 2x4's.
I also put the lower ends of the side walls in the rear to assist with water runoff.
Because I wanted the option to add shelves on the left side I decided to put one larger door on the right front only and added some contrast by vertically placing the pickets on the opposite side. I'm presently waiting for my shingles to arrive. After that I'll stain it. I really enjoyed putting this together, learned a lot.

My next project will be the outdoor sectional. I'll be making 5 pieces, 1 corner and 5 armless pieces. Can't wait to start.
Happy building,
Keep Safe

Built from Plan(s)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

jakeaharper

Wed, 08/03/2016 - 06:03

I absolutely love this shed and the way you altered the design with one door. Can you please send me the measurements you used for this project? I would love to build this for my yard!

Sideboard/Game Console

Submitted by jakegarner on Wed, 06/03/2020 - 14:19

Used the plan for a double-entry console to make a triple cabinet to go behind the couch and serve as a board game console and sideboard for the dining room.

Lowered the total height to 34 in to fit behind the couch. The total length is 8 feet.
For the plywood top I edged them then pine boards to make the top look more like a solid piece of wood and stained it.

Estimated Cost
$300-400
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Stone Fireplace Entertainment Center

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 03/02/2024 - 11:14

We took out the tv entertainment cabinet and built a frame for a 60” electric fireplace. We found the ledger rock to match the wall I completed two years ago and then I tiled the rock over the backer board and installed the fireplace. The wood on top of the fireplace came from an oak tree that was growing through our deck. I milled the wood and joined three boards to give me the depth I needed, sanded, stained and put a poly finish on it. Love the final result and we gained 6” of space in the room.

Wes Silvey

Washer/Dryer Storage Pedestal

Submitted by jsquires3 on Mon, 07/30/2012 - 10:12

After I built my work bench I was ready to get started with my first real projets from the site. My wife requested that I make this pedestal first so that she could get a little more organized. I would say total there was about 8 hours of cutting and building and then another hour of painting. I did make one modification to this project and that was to add extra trim to the bottom and top of this pedestal. With everything included (wood, trim, paint, screws) this probably costs me right around $115. Much less than two of the standard medal pedestals that don't add much as far as aesthetics to the laundry room.

Estimated Cost
$115
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Leftover blue/green paint from my son's room, white vinyl letter appliques
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Queen Sized Farmhouse Bed

I built this Farmhouse Storage Bed with Storage Drawers for my youngest son. I wanted this bed to be for our current use (for my son and when my parents come a visit) but also I wanted deeply for this to be an heirloom that he would carry with him in his life.

I worked on it a bit at a time for about three weeks. I probably put 50 or so hours into it and I learned a lot. I used redwood 4x4 posts for the head and foot board, cabinet grade plywood, and reclaimed poplar for the trim and handles on the drawers.

I sealed the drawers and drawer boxes with my own version of "Wipe on Poly" that I mixed myself. I painted the bed with eggshell white paint that I bought a while back to repaint our ceilings with when Hurricane Ike came through. I sanded back portions of the bed to make it look distressed and then sealed the whole thing (bar the portions I already sealed) with clear semi gloss polycrylic.

My thinking was that I would have the color I wanted and yet seal the whole bed including the portions I distressed making the look rather permanent and tough for a child under 10.

I plugged all of the pocket holes that I used and sanded them flush as well as using edge banding on the drawers and the bases so that they looked like solid wood. These two alterations to Ana's plans added some time to be sure - but I was really happy with the result.

Ana, I wanted to thank you personally for putting these plans together and encouraging others to try their hand and building furniture. I had build a lot of other woodworking projects before but nothing of this scale. It went VERY smoothly with few hiccups and came together, essentially, like I wished it would.

I plan on making more things in the plans soon, including a loft bed for my other son, and will post them here when I do.

Estimated Cost
400 dollars
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Sand back wood, add eggshell paint and let dry overnight. Adding a second coat a few hours after the first. Sand back paint, 220 grit, to a smooth finish and then sand back points where natural wear would occur creating a distressed look. If you want the wood to be a little darker at these points, use Danish oil on the wood and the paint. Let this dry for 72 hours then cover with polycrylic sealer (semi gloss) and let dry.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Doll bunk beds

Submitted by anm8ed on Sat, 06/06/2020 - 19:12

I altered it a little bit since I could not find a 1x1 anywhere near me. I used a square dowel and I placed the ladder steps on the outside. The square dowel was a little big so i notched the right side. I also cut the left side of the ladder to not block the bottom. I may try a trundle later on. It’s not painted yet but she wants it a light pink. Maybe tomorrow we will do that.

Estimated Cost
$25
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Tryed end table

Submitted by Samdr33 on Tue, 05/27/2014 - 13:12

I had some really old (30+ years) 4X4's laying around the backyard that I found in a brick pile at my grandmothers house sometime back. I saw the plans for the really easy Tryed Side Tables, so I made a few of them, and people jumped on these really fast. This may be the simplest tables I have ever made, time and skill-wise. Just need a few 4x4 legs, 2x4 top, and 1x4 trim and support. THAT'S IT. Then about an hour of your time plus paint and stain time. Very cool and very easy.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$12
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Legs and support trim are painted Vanilla White
Top is stained Golden Oak.
Minwax Poly applied to top.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Multi-Use Desk with File Cabinets - 3rd configuration

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 08/28/2016 - 15:36

The first version of this desk was built for our office prior to having kiddo #2. My husband altered the plans a bit to fit our room and instead of open shelving on the end cubbies, he converted them into drawers and a file cabinet.

 

Checkout more photos and details on my blog at www.momontrend.com

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Expresso stain on top. Sherwin Williams Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Back