Community Brag Posts

11' Rustic Farm Table made out of 2" rough cut pine. Used a couple different plans from here and just kinda made it work to fit the space. Used a power sander to add some character and to smooth it out and wear it down in spots. Some of the wood wasn't as bluish gray, so I soaked steel wool in white vinegar and brushed it on, seemed to help a bit, especially on the fresh cuts.

I had so much fun doing the prototype of the pirate’s treasure trunk, I built another one today! It was a super-fast build, and I did some things differently today which really speeded up the finishing process.

The first difference on this one is the use of the ½” x 2 ½” angle. It’s the next size larger than the one from yesterday. Instead of using the screws that came with it, I used some 1 ¼” Kreg screws. The hardware and screws are painted with some gloss black paint. I think it made for a sturdier hinge, so I’ll be doing them that way from now on. I also made a little “gasket” out of felt to go behind the bracket at the bottom where the pivot screw is attached. I’m hoping this will protect from friction over time.

For the finish, I started it with the gray wash just like the original. For the walnut glaze, instead of mixing the Minwax Express Color with mixing glaze, I just diluted it with some water. This dried much faster, but it gave the same look. I added 2 coats of Minwax oil modified water based poly before attaching the hardware. I still used the super glue before attaching with the furniture nails, but skipped the mod podge step, and just went over the hardware and keyhole with an artist’s brush and some poly.

All the wood was scrap and the finishing materials were left over from other projects. I bought the corner brackets and the larger angle brackets this morning at Ace for $7.50. These pieces cost a little more than Lowe’s, but Ace was closer so it saved me a trip.

There's another one of these in work (a lady’s trunk) which I will post later.

I recently started collecting vinyl records and wanted to show some of them off but also have them readily available to play.  I saw some options online but decided to make some shelves myself.  No judging my music!  :)

More details and instructions on my blog:

http://www.woodworkingfourdummies.com/blog/diy-record-display-shelf

I built this Fancy Hall Tree with cherry hardwood and cherry plywood. The lower bench is done with rabbet joints and dados instead of pocket hold screws but the upper portion is all pocket hole screwed together but instead of laminating a large piece of plywood tot he back I cut individual panels and dropped them into rabbets like a picture in a frame.  The supporting wings are connected to the base and the back panel with pocket screws as is the panel to the base.

For years I have wanted a dining room table with benches and after searching the net for plans for my husband to make it happen, I found Ana's site and knew that it was a possibility to build it and that it didn't have to be a project only for my husband. My husband built the table and my first build was the benches. My husband found a couple of wrought iron balusters that he used at supports on the table legs. We used 2 x instead of 1x which gave it a much bulkier look.

I had an old bookshelf in the garage.....wobbly and just not having any justice. I took it apart and turned it into a play kitchen. Used the plans and modified to what wood I had available from the shelves.

my second Projects))))

This project was fun. The hardest part was trying to find barn door hardware. I did end up finding one on amazon but it was still too long and had to cut it down. Very doable in a weekend.

Like so many others, I saw this and had to have one of my own. It was cute and quick - perfect! I had the same height issues that others had. The center supports are too tall for the 1x2 and 1x3 on the front. I wound up using all 1x3's, 2 on the front and 3 on the back. Because the cubbies came out a bit deeper, I thought I would try it as a utensil holder in the kitchen. Cute, huh.

Loved working on this table. An easy build for sure. Couldn't find wheel casters that I liked so had to use another 4x4 to give it height. Will be building another one soon :)
Thank you so much for sharing the plans.

We found the plans for the Classic Bunk Bed look and we loved it.  Since our boys share a room this bunk bed design was the perfect match for us.  We used Red Mahogany stain with a polyurethane clear coat to give it a good shine.  I made a little revision to the slats but adding a 1X6 crossbea, across the bottom and top bunk to give added support for the boys as they get older but other than that the beds are directly from the plans.  Now onto the same design for our girls!

I made a headboard for my sister a few years back out of Black Walnut and she's been after me ever since to build a dresser that matches it. She found the Kendal Extra Wide Dresser plans and sent them to me. I made a few modifications with thicker legs, larger upper drawers, and height. Thanks for putting these simple plans out there.

Shawn

This was my first furniture project. I made this desk/vanity for my twin daughters' 9th birthday. I sized them to fit the space and added doors rather than drawers. I also made the stools using the plans for the upholstered bench - just resized. It was a fun project and I can't wait to start another! You can read more on my blog: http://karlakroese.blogspot.com/2011/08/new-hobby.html

My friend "Lisette" asked for a small modern coffee table. For her small studio apartment. So I came up with this modern-ish table. Made of 2x2's and a 20"x40" glass top.I found it on the side of the road with a FREE sign on it in Pacific Beach. Oh how I love beach people and all the free stuff they leave around :)

We had a great time building this
We did the bottom half one weekday, and the top piece another day. Primer, painting, and sanding in all took us 6 days.
It look fantastic

Had a lot of fun making this! Followed plans exactly!

I used the Rustic Bench plans, but adjusted the length to make it smaller, since my plywood top was a bit wider and shorter than the top on the plan. It was the last remnant from our incredibly versatile plywood sheet. I also had to cut out the two cross supports, because 1) they’re too difficult for me to figure out (they’re not right in either of my benches) and 2) I didn’t feel like buying a board just for those. I had just the right amount of spare lumber lying around, and I was going to maximize it!

At first, I wanted to just build a bench for my sister for Christmas, and paint it like our island. But after visiting my parents over Thanksgiving and taking home some reclaimed tile from their old outdoor bar, I knew this bench had a better destiny than mere paint. When I laid down the tile scraps and they fit perfectly, I knew serendipity had spoken.
This was the first time I’d ever worked with tile. I did a little research (aka grilling my husband’s best friend, who is a tile guru), and discovered I didn’t really need any fancy materials to lay the tile down on. As it’s just a bench, and in no need for mold-prevention or cement board like bathroom walls, all I needed to do was rough up the plywood top with my grinder and a steel-wool like disk. With the bench already sanded and painted, I started the tiling process. I bought a bucket of tile adhesive and grout all-in-one, and went to town. I didn’t have a trowel, so I made do with my putty spatula. I just had to make the grooves in the adhesive one-by-one as opposed to one quick stroke. I spread the adhesive, laid the tiles, carefully washed off any overspread on the sides, and let it sit for 24 hours. Then I spread in the grout (it’s all the same stuff, just different application), washed the overspread off again, and let it sit for another 24 hours. Then I had a gorgeous top!